Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have had a group of prehensile tailed skinks for a few years now. I had a pair, who have bred and had three offspring. A few months ago, my adult male passed away. Now I have the big female, and three offspring. One looks male, one looks female, and the other is only a few months old. I'm guessing on the sexes by head shape and body proportions. I was curious as to whether people thought it would be wise to try and breed the male offspring to it's mother. The mother doesn't appear to be quite as old as her mate was. She appears to be very healthy. I know people "inbreed" with snakes all the time, but there can be instances of deformities and health problems among individuals within a clutch. Where the PTS will only give birth to ONE, would it be wise? Is it that big of a risk? Thank you for any advice.

I wouldn’t suggest it, I don’t know if there would be any negative results genetically but with a comparatively low reproduction rate and low number of animals in captivity I would suggest taking the time to find another PTS keeper and buy a male then sell your male to make up the cost, maybe even trade a male for your male to avoid inbreeding.

Just My 2 Cents. I’m an avid believer in avoiding inbreeding whenever possible

Devon