Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am very new to this whole Ball Python breeding and was just reading a lot of threads on recent clutches. It seems many times that the offspring from a previous year are bred back to their parents to create new morphs. Is this not inbreeding and could cause may defects down the line? Or are there different rules when it comes to reptiles as apposed to mammals?

Thanks for any responses.

XxBuzkilxX

It is inbreeding. When I talked to other breeders about this when I started my research, I was told that basically it's not a big deal unless you start doing it TOO much. If you start seeing kinks and other deformities, you've crossed the line. But to just do it a little bit is no big deal. Personally, I plan on avoiding it as much as I can. However, in nature, animals often times mate with family members if they are in a small population with limited dispersal...
-----
Teresa
------------------
3.0 Dogs (2.0 Chihuahuas, 1.0 Toy Poodle)
1.5 Cats
1.0 Cockatiel
1.0 Indonesian Blue tongue skink

Ball Pythons
0.1 100% Het Albino (Watsini)
1.0 Pastel (Sweets)
0.1 Spider (Daisy)

Ok. I don't like the idea either and will probably avoid it if possible. I don't want to have deformities in my snakes that could be avoided. It would be cheaper to inbreed, but is it worth it. Good to know that it is inbreeding and that reptiles are not different from mammals.

Thanks,
XxBuzkilxX