I am posing this question for you to ponder with hopes of working towards getting something defined.

What defines a mill breeder and what is an acceptable breeding practice? Where or how do you draw a line?

Does 80 breeding pair in a strip mall storefront supplying their own business only count as mill breeding and/or is that acceptable?

Bearing in mind that our famous mill breeders supplying the country generally have 2000+ breeding PAIRS stacked in warehouses with intent to get the young out as quickly as they might be able to survive, perhaps if a breeder is breeding to supply any other sales besides their own storefront, they can be considered a mill breeder.

But then, what if you have that 2000 breeding pair and you only just make direct web sales and ship anywhere...? Seems like mill breeding to me but I wonder if an acceptable definition should essentially be the bulk breeding of sugar gliders for wholesale, meaning anyone that sells to distributors, pet stores, and the like.

And then what defines home or hobby breeding? 80 breeding pair seems a bit much for a hobby breeder. As a matter of fact, expecting any sort of profit from breeding practices pretty much takes you out of the home/hobby breeder category I think.

I think I'd like to come to a better understanding of what the community thinks is an acceptable breeding practice.

Can't forget about back yard breeders too....They are practically 'mini-mill breeders' I think. Because they have the same intent as the mill breeder ($$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$).

I think acceptable breeding is:

*Genuinely breeding for the well being of the animal
*Promoting the best genetics, best health, best behavior
*Providing the best housing for all breeder pairs
*CARING about who you let your animals go to (ie: won't just sell to anyone who will hand you some green)
*Making the effort to inform your buyers about the care/health/characteristic of the animal you are selling

I think these are just few characteristics of what I think to be acceptable breeding practices. And this isn't just for sugar glider breeders. I'm talking about breeding any animal.

Anyone care to add/edit/criticize??

To add to Tisha's list regarding acceptable breeding:

*Providing medical care for all gliders in your care as soon as they need it and following up on that care util the animal is well.

*Disclosing medical conditions to potential buyers - not only about the animal they are purchasing but about their ancestors as well. This would include disclosing vet records.

*Taking a glider back with no questions asked if the new owner can no longer keep them.

*Feeding them a nutritious diet

Being well educated also so not only know about genetics, but also what to do in case of emergencies.

I think the mill breeders that I would refer to are the ones at traders village. They have about 20 or 30 babies every weekend out there. That's every weekend now so that would me that they would have to have a tremendous amount of breeders with babies oop and babies in pouch all the time.

I think that anyone who breeds gliders and discourages people from reading any and all information available about the little guys, and does not address all of the animals true needs should be considered mill breeding. Blatant disregard of health issues (giardia) and inbreeding should also be included. Like having a female glider continuously having joeys with no rest cycle, or stating that the gliders don't ever need to see a vet. Also, only allowing people to view information from your web site unless you purchase your animal from them. I could go on....

i have recently posted a bulliten on myspace about mill breeders. ( suggie kiosk at a mall) and already have had over 10 people sign and repost!!!

Bumping as I dont want this to get lost in the shuffle.

I'm surprised no one else wants to throw in their opinion!!!

I dont think you will ever be able to define this as it rests so much on opinion. It seems tisha is on the right path by defining good breeding practices. while still a matter of opinion, at least them you have a benchmark to use.

I had been trying to find this thread but since it's almost 2 years old, I guess that explains it!

http://www.sugarglider.com/glidergossip/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=10878