Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In North America will the strains of yellow ackies, red ackies, lace monitors develope genetic health problems down the road? Since there is never any new blood added? Or is that not such a big deal with reptiles?

I don't think you can move forward with a breeding program of say ackies. If all you have is the strains of them from the USA. There is never any knew blood added. Its all inbred you know? We all have or have had the ball pythons, I don't think you will see the interesting color patterns with these strains of monitoors like you do with the snakes. They had and still have more of genetic pool to pick through.

Its not really fair to compare snakes and monitors just using it as a piss poor example.

Ron Kivit and Stephen Wiseman say in their book about emerald tree boas and green tree pythons that a population of around 100 unrelated individuals should be safe for this purpose. Plus, with monitors there isn't such a pressure to get different patterns.

First off, there has been no problems. Next, there is no other choice. We have what we have, end of story, we either work with them or throw them away.

What I find odd is, all this talk about something way in the future, when most cannot even figure out how to breed them through one generation. Which means, don't worry about many many future generations, when your not there yet.

Varanids are NOT snakes. Snakes are very very simple to produce in captivty. Anyone can do it, all you have to do is loosely follow someones, heck anyones recipe. Varanids, are not like that. They are very behavioral, that is, it takes far more then simple temps to breed them successfully.

So to worry about them on the same level as many snakes is very premature. There may be a genetic bottlenecking problem, but at our current rate of success, its our kids kids, that will have to deal with it.

Which means in FR language, why not worry about basic successful husbandry first. Cheers and good luck

The guy that owns the Serpentarium in Lodi, CA has a bunch of ackies.... He told me his ackies laid eggs without him knowing it. He wasn't even expecting it.