In our previous post about the differences between Ethical Breeders vs Unethical Breeders, we discussed in detail about the requirements to be an ethical breeder.
It is the responsibility of a breeder to breed ethically - which translates to breeding responsibly. Now, it is also the responsibility of a pet owner to select and support ethical breeder and/or rescue organisations as much. Please do your due diligence and we hope the infographic helps! ☺
Now, to put simply:
With that said, what about owners who breed their pets for "only" a litter?
Is it okay to do that? Why and why not?
At Eldduc, our stance is no. Why? It is not responsible.
Most times, these hamsters were purchased off pet stores/mills/bybs and there is no knowledge of their lineage. Could they be carrying serious defects in their genes? The owners would not know.
Breeding does not only consist of 1 + 1 = multiple. By not knowing the steps in breeding, nor the genetic make-up of their pets, the owners are essentially risking the health of both parents and pups. Now, is that responsible?
Should they be considered as breeders?
Technically, the owners bred the hamsters - they are breeders.
Now, you may laugh but think about it.
Are these owners selling or putting pups up for adoption with fees?
At least 99% of the time, they are.
So, why would these "owners":
Place pups up for sale/adoption if they truly love the parents so much and want to keep their offsprings?
Put a price on the pups if they are not doing it for monetary gains?
They provide good welfare, so they clearly love their hamsters! Why are they not considered ethical?
That you may ask, but here are our questions to you:
Do they adhere to breeding standards?
Do they have knowledge in genetics?
Do they possess pedigree of the hamsters?
There, you have your answers. ☺
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