Yes, it would. Mixing species is never a good idea, especially for the hybridization factor. I have a friend who accidentally produced a hermani/marginata hatchling when one of his hermani males escaped into the pen of his marginata females. He knew that the hermani had to be the father because the female was on his restricted list (too small to breed). She produced two eggs, one infertile, the other bearing the hybrid. Now, this hybrid seems in fine condition, however, little is known of such animals, especially their ability to reproduce, as well as their ability to affect reproduction in later generations. How will they differ from their parents behaviorally speaking? Is such integration necessarily something to be encouraged in the hobby? Are we attempting to preserve the wild bloodline, or are we attempting to forge our own captive one? These questions bear heavy on the mind of responsible tortoise breeders, and as many species in the wild may go extinct and certainly many local varieties may one day disappear, it is vital to preserve these animals genes as they evolved, or so I feel.

Mixing species is also a bad idea for the reasons Vic mentioned earlier (i.e. disease, behavioral incompatibility, habitat incompatibility, etc.).

T.G.

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