Opinions on interbreeding? (milk/king x corns...etc...)

[vanderkm]

The most likely advantage of crossbreeding, besides marketability of a new variety, is hybrid vigor. This occurs in animals that result from crosses that are distantly related, such as intergrades or hybrids or even outcrosses of very different lines within the same species- they show improved general vitality, size, growth rate, feed efficiency, resistance to illness, etc. This is well established and these crosses, as long as they are not of such divergent species that the genes are completely incompatable, will actually result in stronger, not weaker offspring.

It is inbreeding - of closely related animals, through many generations, that results in weaker offspring, since it allows recessive genes for defects and weaknesses to be expressed. Of course this inbreeding is often what hybrid breeders do early in the development of a strain, after the initial cross, because they have so few animals to work with.

Where hybrids will result in less fit offspring is when the genes are so different that the offspring are sterile. Many snake species have such divergent types, physiologies and likely genetic material that crosses would not be possible - like colubrids with boids - without using gene splicing methods to introduce bits of genetic material- so wouldn't likely even be possible to get a corn/ball python cross. I think it comes back to personal preferences - breeders will produce what they like.

mary v.

[eyespy]

I have no problem with hybrids as long as they are honestly represented as such, and are animals that are plentiful in nature. Where I don't agree is when it's a snake already suffering habitat loss and the survival in the wild is threatened. It becomes very important to keep the bloodlines as varied as possible within the species then, but not to cross to other species, in order to preserve the species as a whole.

I don't like hybrid boas because their habitat is disappearing so rapidly, for example. Plus there is so much poaching of the wild animals that captive-bred specimens become our hope for the future, and the bloodlines should remain intact.

[BWSmith]

Good debate

[Lisa]

I have no problems with crosses, whether they occour naturally or in the herp room. How ever some of the names can be misleading, ie jungle corns, creamsicle corns, etc. If you didn't know better you would just assume it's a colour morph. Also I agree that when crosses are sold the parent species should be named.