Dan Johnson(a very successful grayband breeder) noted his wild caught alterna typically produced 100% fertility, 100% hatch rate and no kinks or deformities for the first few years. After that the fertility and hatch rates began to decline and kinks and deformities began to appear, this from the exact same specimens that had formerly perfect performance. He noted that wild specimens regularly eat lizards but captives usually only eat mice so he began to feed them lizards. Once he did that he says they returned to nearly perfect fertility and hatch rates.



Other grayband breeders I've talked to have said that drier incubation medium and increased airflow to the eggs led to fewer kinks and better hatch rates.



I have seen kinked babies result from both related and unrelated pairings of alterna, including wild-caught unrelated pairings. I tend to think that it is more often from diet and environment, rather than from inbreeding but I suppose inbreeding still can't be completely ruled out.



I also think it depends on the species to, graybands are notorious for kinks and full term dead in egg but I hardly ever see it in other species.
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