Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've read a few posts and I've seen a lot of breeders use the babies to breed back to parents when they are at the right age. Now....I've always known that you can't...well, really shouldn't...breed animals back to thier own parents or siblings. Like in cats and dogs, if they are inbred most of the problems include, heart disease, blood disorders, liver disfunctions and so on. Is it not the same for snakes? I'm not down talking any breeders or anything...I really want to know.
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1.1 Ball Pythons
1.0 Bolivian Boa
1.0 Western Hognose
3.0 Ferrets
2.0 Cats
2.0 Dogs
0.2 Rats

Inbreeding, is not a problem when it comes to boas. There are plenty of places in the wild that are cut off and segregated ( consider the Island boas ) from general population. The number one problem when it comes to faulty or week genes being bred together is when we raise up and breed animals that were never meant to survive in the first place.In other words: " Premature babies and finicky feeders and even some genectic mutations, would never survive in the wild and would be the first ones picked off by predators. " This is natures natural selection so that only the strong survive and grow to breed and pass on their stronger genes. In captivity, most breeders try to be patient and keep the aforementioned alive and have pretty good success in a captive enviroment. However, I believe it is a bad thing and only puts out weeker genes in the captive gene pull.As cruel as it sounds; " We should probably euthanize these weaker animals when we have some in a clutch or if the whole clutch is like that." I have decided to incorporate this into my future breedings also. Some may think that I am cruel, but in the end I will have stronger bloodlines and the people that buy from me will know that they are getting only the strongest and problem free animals.I may not be mother nature, but I crossed that line when I decided to keep these animals in captivity and now, I am the only mother nature and natural selection that they have. It is not playing GOD, it is simply being responsible. Truth be known, keeping any animal in a domestic enviroment is probably wrong, I ask myself that every day.........GOD BLESS........Johnson Herp

nope, not really the same in reptiles. you can *typically* "line-breed" most reptiles for at least a few generations before you get any problems, where as with most mammals, problems show up immediately... has to do with evolution, etc...

hope that helps!

bc