Mixing snakes

Oliverian · 07-07-03, 03:12 PM

Hey all. Does anyone know if ribbon snakes can breed with garter snakes? They are almost the same type of snake, but I have been looking and cant find any information on whether they can have healthy babies by mating with each other, or even if they will consider mating at all. Thanks for any info.

SCReptiles · 07-07-03, 03:24 PM

Well, the answer is yes. It’s possible to hybrid them, the question is do you want to? Crossbreeding is a long drown out process with a minimal success rate. The babies are often not healthy, as in the Borneo bat eaters (cross between the Burmese and Reticulated pythons.) And often even the healthy hybrids will not grow up to reproduce. In the case of the bat eater you cross one $100 snake with another $100 snake and you make a $2000 snake, so there is some return on the huge time and energy investment of crossbreeding. In your case you are crossing a $5 snake with a $5 snake and getting a $5 snake. Garter/ribbon hybrids will still end up as coral snake food just like ribbons and garters.

Bryce Masuk · 07-07-03, 03:54 PM

Actually many hybrids are actually more successful then the original snakes they came from
But in this case they may be weak I havent tryed to cross garters and ribbons

But often they are unviable but in some rare cases they can actually breed but this usually only happens when there very simular

Colonel SB · 07-07-03, 04:02 PM

I am totally against man maid hybrids they are abominations and just muddy the genetic waters of the species.

SCReptiles · 07-07-03, 04:06 PM

Be cool Colonel SB, I don’t think the corals will mind if the ribbons are crossed or not. =)

drewlowe · 07-07-03, 04:20 PM

Hybrids are just plain wrong....

Oliverian · 07-07-03, 04:20 PM

Lol

Well, to each his own. They are very close to the same species, and if I do decide to try breeding them, its not like i'm gonna let them out into the wild. Might be interesting to see if it actually works.

Garters do get a pretty bad rap though. They're still snakes too, and they deserve as much care as any other type of snake. Personally I like them. They were the first snake I had experience with and I still think they're cool. Thanks for the replies. :flick:

Oliverian · 07-07-03, 04:21 PM

How are they wrong? I feel that if the snake thinks another snake is similar enough to breed with, then experimenting with different species is all right. It's not as if we are forcing them to mate, they do it of their own free will. If it weren't for breeding similar species together, we woudn't have some of the different colour and pattern morphs found on some corn snakes. (corn and rat hybrids by bill and kathy) Thats my two cents.

Linds · 07-07-03, 05:05 PM

Although some hybrids are fantastic looking animals, as Colonel SB stated, once a species is hybridized, then the genetic pool is contaminated for life. It doesn't matter whether or not you choose to release them into the wild, you have still contaminated both species. They will no longer be pure. As time goes on, they may be bred with one of the species so the babies only contain a little bit of the wrong blood, but look nearly pure. Down the road those little baby snakes may get sold as being pure and incorporated into someone elses breeding program for pure animals, and they would have no way of knowing, then out into the world go a bunch more crossbreeds being sold as pure. Due to crossbreeding, now many species and subspecies are no longer pure, such as Indian Pythons, Burmese, and Hog Isle boas. The red wolf is now completely extinct in its pure form due to hybridization.