FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post - Inbreeding taking a toll on albinos?
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Old 02-09-2004, 12:42 AM   #57
Seamus Haley
Please keep in mind that there is nothing inherently wrong with the action of inbreeding herps.

Inbreeding can't create problems unto itself, it simply strengthens conditions which were already present in the gene pool. IF the eye problems have a genetic cause, linked or not- it was introduced to the gene pool at some point early enough in the development of the project to have spread rapidly to many collections and breeding groups. Chances are good that some snake early on, either the albino itself OR one of the other animals it was introduced to, or the first couple generations of offspring were introduced to while the project was proving out, was carrying something which had the potential to cause these deformities.

Inbreeding isn't the problem, the lack of proper culling is the problem. People are unwilling to lose out on the profit that there is to be made by selling deformed boas... same goes for buying one at a discount to add the elbino genes to their own breeding project. The responsible thing to do when situations like this arise would be to euthanize all the neonates in any group which produces even a single neonate with the deformity and to separate the parents, removing them permanently from the breeding population. If this was done, and if the cause is genetic (seems likely these days), then the problem would be virtually eliminated withina few years... Albino boa production would plummet like a rock though, forcing prices up to the level they were a couple years ago as the avaliable pool of animals dwindles.