Status of the stargazer project currently is that I have 3 2006 siblings to the star-gazers who are ravenous feeders and 3 star-gazing hatchlings in the freezer after they quit eating and became weak. 
|
Thanks for the update Connie. I'm sad to hear the star-gazer hatchlings didn't survive. At what age did you begin to notice that feeding problems were occurring?
|
As far as I'm concerned, anything that is from sunkissed lines is a potential carrier. It will be valuable to have known carriers in the future for the purpose of test-crossing and clearing stock as "star-gazer non-carrier". Given the recessive nature of the gene, it's going to pop up and with a vengence seeing how the sunkissed crosses are getting going everywhere.
|
Sunkissed are such beauties too. It's such a shame that the isolation of this gene and all the efforts/time put into this project has proven to have this down-side...the discovering of this defective gene.
|
We'll see what comes out of that as this clutch is pipping now. If she proves positive, then I'll know that there's a high probability that Strong Bad is clean. If she proves negative...I won't know anything about Strong Bad, but will about her. We'll see what comes of the clutch.
|
Is this something that occurs right out of the egg? Can you immediately see after the hatchling emerges that it will be a star-gazer? If this isn't possible at what stage is it first noticeable?
|
My plan it to test cross all sunkisseds (and kids of any proven carriers if/when they're discovered) so I know who's clean and who isn't. As a side-effect, I may get some numbers to add to the compilation and we can get this published and recognized in academia.
|
I applaud you for your dedication to this project. Do you think it is possible to eventually 'control' (I use that word for lack of a better one at the moment) and elimate this defective trait thru selective breeding measures? Seems to me that with so many Sunkisseds and their hets being in the hands of breeders who do wish to work with this gene, that we all need to identify if the sunkisseds we have are also carriers. To not do so, really is just allowing that possibility of producing star-gazing offspring to keep re-occurring in our population of Sunkisseds.
|
Anyway, with that group of star gazers...it was worth a shot, but they seem to just get so far along and peter out. I'd like to send in some star-gazers to a lab for pathology to see if we can at least identify the anatomical/storage disease/pathologic process of this trait. It'd be nice to have a pathologic process to list with the name and mode of inheritance.
|
Were there any other visual signs that you noted as they deteriorated other than their decline in appetite? I agree that pathology would definitely help us understand the anatomical effects this trait has, and it would be, from a scientific point of view, informative to understand the process, but if the decline is rapid then it would seem almost that these hatchlings would have to be sacrified in timely intervals so that the stages can be documented.
It would not be a project for the 'faint of heart' and I commend you for your dedication to uncovering this pathological process.
|
I've got possible hets to prove out and I need to do the required crosses to prove that it's an inheritable trait, but I don't think there's much doubt, given the data I've collected on clutches that have produced star-gazers and pairings of those animals within a colony. Seems pretty certain. However, I need some actual numbers (star gazers:none in the clutches), so I'll be trying to collect data on that.
|
Hopefully other breeders will also join in and provide data to help along with this worthwhile project.
You have given me much food for thought. I have been maturing a pair of '05 Sunkissed with the hopes of producing some multi-hets for future breeding projects. I also have a pair of CCCorn's multi hets from your '05 breeding of Zamboni x Gonzo. Perhaps proving whether they carry the trait recessively should be my first step in my planned projects rather than be faced with the possibility that this defect occurs in year's to come. As with any recessive trait/defect, 'knowns' can at least be channelled into other projects and then disappointment is adverted in having them suddenly show up when you least expect it.
Good luck with this project Connie; it is one I will follow with continued interest. Thanks again for the update.
Ruth
