that is cool. I used to breed Chausies, and I bought my first F1 hybrid kittens before they were even called Chausies (long before TICA recognized them as a breed.) I also had a bengal, and I adore the Savanahs, the Serengetis, and the other hybrid breeds out there. Awesome felines. Alas, I don't have the space and time to devote to cat breeding (and now I am married, to a guy who hates cats no less, so it was not meant to be.)

Anyway, back to the question. There are two answers, of course, lol. Technically, yes, you can eventually breed out all genes that were contributed by one of the parental species. But realistically, I agree with those that say "once a hybrid, always a hybrid." The fact is, there are no tests for gene markers that tell you whether a snake is pure specie X or hybrid specie XY. Even if we had the entire genome mapped out for every specie of snake, how many people would pay to get the testing done to be sure there are NO genetic markers for another specie, and who is to say that the test will be totally reliable and that a population/specie of snakes will not vary just enough genetically to cause confusion? You certainly could not just "go by looks" due to recessive genes, codominant genes, inactive genes, etc.

I see hybrids as a totally seperate breed from the parental species involved. The point is to create a new breed, towards the status of "domestic snake." I am not sure why anyone would create a hybrid and then decide that I now want pure X specie offspring from these particular snakes in N generations. It would be cheaper, and a whole lot easier, to just buy new pure stock and start your lines over if you decide to change gears.

charlene

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