Inbreeding - good or bad?

surfimp · #1 03-17-2002, 10:54 AM

Hey now-

I quite often see mention of breeding snakes back to their mothers/fathers or to their immediate siblings, and I'm just wondering if this sort of inbreeding is cool from a genetic diversity standpoint? I mean, theoretically, isn't this type of "overly" selective breeding bad, and ultimately been the cause of animals that were so "purebred" as to be weak and sickly?

For example, the Chihuahua dog breed was in such as state, to my knowledge, in the early part of the 20th century and had to have terrier bloodlines introduced to bring back some strength and disease resistance.

I have no absolutely (and clearly) no experience with breeding snakes myself, but most of my non-California extended family is or has been involved in farming and ranching and to my knowledge we don't ever in-breed our cattle. Granted cattle and dogs are quite different from snakes...but still, a snake is a complex organism and I'm sure that inbreeding can't be good for the species in the long term, assuming it was done excessively.

I'm really not trying to make an attack here, I'm just sincerely asking to be educated on the subject. I see so much mention of "this snake is XX% double het for XXXX" or whatever, and it seems so common that those percentages are created through inbreeding. I'd be curious to learn what breeders out there are doing in an attempt to ensure genetic diversity in their bloodlines, and what an acceptable level of genetic diversity in a bloodline is.

Thanks in advance!

Steve Lange

LukeUK · #2 03-17-2002, 02:09 PM

I have read that it should be ok to inbreed, one of the argumants for it was that alot of these boas, and other snakes live on small islands, so small that natrual inbreeding occures and thay dont seem to have a problem, in fact in many cases thay devolope some advantages, I dont know what, the artical didn't really say.

surfimp · #3 03-17-2002, 06:15 PM

Here is an interesting link I found over on Kingsnake.com on the subject:

http://www.kingsnake.com/forum/pytho...ges/10290.html

Sounds like the jury is still out as to whether or not any negative effects result from inbreeding in reptiles...I suppose this is something we'll have a better handle on in 30 years or so, after there've been many, many more generations of captive born and bred boas raised up.

I'd still be interested to hear any other's opinions on the subject...I'm sure this is one of those "classic" debates in herp husbandry.