I apologize if this is a stupid question, I'm not really familiar with the practices of breeding and genetics and so forth, but aren't mutations achieved through generations and generations of inbreeding? That would lead me to believe that mutations are generally more prone to illnesses than the "wild-type." I'd love if someone can educate me on this subject further. I know someone with a dilute blue parrotlet that has had many, many problems, mostly respiratory, while her green parrotlet has been completely healthy.
I wonder if someone like @
Tinta or @
Monica can shed some light on this matter?
Somehow I didn't see this. The short answer is that there is no right answer here. Well, the answer is both "Yes" and "No", which is rather confusing! LOL
Mutations can come about in many different ways, and depending on the mutation and how rare it is, will also depend on if inbreeding is required or not.
Dominant Mutations - No inbreeding is required unless you are going for Double Factor Dominant birds and there are no unrelated birds to your own
Sex-Linked Mutations - No inbreeding is required unless you want a visual male and there are no unrelated birds to your own
Recessive Mutations - Requires inbreeding if an unrelated bird(s) cannot be found
Inbreeding in itself isn't necessarily bad. (hey, it happens in the wild, too!) When a potentially new mutation surfaces, breeders may 'test breed' the birds by pairing the birds with one of it's parents and possibly even a sibling. Once you have a confirmed mutation, then you need to establish it by breeding back to wild type healthy birds. Yes, this does require some amount of inbreeding to establish the mutation faster but it also requires a lot of outbreeding, too. If you mate two mutation birds together before the mutation has had a chance to establish then you could indeed end up with weaker offspring. However, once the mutation has become established, it shouldn't be an issue if you mate two mutation birds together.
The blue mutation eclectus in the USA came from an unrelated pair of normal colored ekkies! Every once in a while they'll throw blue offspring! I think this breeder has only sold more than one blue ekkie to one breeder. Everyone else who has purchased a blue ekkie from them is not allowed to purchase a second blue ekkie! As of this moment, I don't know if any of the blue ekkies have produced any offspring, but if they have, the offspring should be split blue like the parents.
The blue mutation yellow nape started from a pair of wild caught blue amazons! Assumed unrelated, since they came from separate nests (different pairs) and born a year apart. Since these birds came from split parents (and not parents randomly throwing a mutation once, then never producing it again), and I guess appeared to be rather healthy individuals, they were paired up, and have thus produced more blue mutation yellow napes.
Blue Mutation Yellow-Naped Amazon | Voren's Aviaries Inc
I wonder if the breeder who has the lutino dusky pionus has had any luck with getting her to reproduce. His plan was to not inbreed at all, so he purchased a second pair. First pair is a lutino hen x normal male. Second pair is made up entirely of two normal birds. If both birds reproduce, then the mutation pair will throw male offspring split to lutino. He can then take these male offspring and pair them up with the 100% normal offspring and have a 25% chance of producing more lutino female offspring. Last I heard though, the male in the mutation pair was more infatuated with the galahs in a cage over rather than his own supposed mate!
Yes, inbreeding can be bad. Likewise, if done correctly, can result in some very healthy mutation birds.
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As far as parrotlets go, well I can't comment on that. I don't own any parrotlets, nor have I ever owned one! That said, I no longer keep budgies. I've lost *so many* budgies that I couldn't stand to lose any more. I *love* the little birds, but have had no luck with them. Of course, most of the birds came from pet stores or were rehomes. I did have two budgies from a breeder for a few years that I never lost, but I did end up giving them up. I'm not interested in keeping budgies anymore unless I can have an aviary of them and get *all* birds from reputable breeders! (or great pet shops!)
