wanting opinions

I would like some opinions from all you boa lovers out there with some knowledge.
Is there a problem with breeding say a suriname to a columbian?
For instance, I breed shepherds, to breed color in, I can take a bl and tan and breed with say a bl and red, they are the same breed, just different in color.
Would this work the same way with boas? They are all still boas, or do where they come from make a difference in mixing?
Thanks

There are three... kinda four issues with Boa breedings...

You have the following that apply to any given snake, might not always be mentioned, but apply nonetheless:

Subspecies- the taxonimic classification that comes after "Boa constrictor" and defines the borders of the naturally interbreeding populations.

Locale- The country that the animal or the bloodline originated in.

Population- for insular populations within a subspecies, Hogg Islands for instance.

Morph/Phenotype/Genotype- pretty much what it looks like, what it is genetically.


Sometimes you will see it assumed that additional information is known simply by using one of these terms... some terms are used interchangeably or terms that denote a subspecies also denote a locale or a population.

As a purist myself... I don't like seeing boa subspecies or boa locales crossed with one another based solely on what happens to be avaliable as a male and a female, I like the idea of bloodlines that represent, to as strong a degree as possible, an animal that is genetically as close as possible to fresh out of the wild. Of course, by the defenition of a species, subspecies at some point interbreed with other subspecies and form areas of intergradiation. With a species that has as many reccognized and accepted subspecies as Boa constrictor however, not every subspecies will encounter any other given subspecies, many of them have entire populations of animals or geographic features keeping them apart.

On the flip side of this however are two very strong arguments... One, that these animals will never be released into the wild, so the genetics aren't as important as the value the animal has as a pet (not just money value either). Two that every captive breeding represents a choice of animals made by a human, skipping the entire natural selection process every time it happens. The first is a bit iffy, but the second I must admit is true... Even crossing two animals of the same subspecies, care is often taken to find the best two avaliable (or the first two avaliable) and the snakes instincts don't really enter into the proceedings as they're presented with one, or at most a few, potential mates.

Bottom line... it's your choice. Some people (like me) will have moral issues with the pairing. Others will have no problems whatsoever... As long as you represent the offspring honestly to everyone who obtains one from you, you've fufilled your moral responsibility.

I think Seamus nailed the answer, but here is my .02

I dont consider myself a purist even though I only keep Colombian Boas. The reason I say that is, I have seen some really nice looking crosses out there, and I can understand why people want try breeding different species of boas to get varied results... ie colors, and patterns.

In my opinion if you want to cross breed your boas that is up to you, but dont be surprised by the negative feedback you may receive for it.

Hello...

I am a morpher, but I keep a few locality pure animals (I have a hogg island, and a suriname)
I have considered the crossing of my localities to my colombians but decided to avoid that route currently since the backlash on them can and will hurt a persons reputation (even when you properly represent your animals) I am not saying I will not breed crosses in the future, but if I do I will probably purchase a cross to use so I know that I get an animal with the desired appearance rather then breeding to try and achieve it.

The first and foremost thing you must remember if you ever do go the cross route is to represent your animals 100% fully. Otherwise the backlash you can and probably will receive will be devastating to your future attempts to sell the neonates of any breeding.

Later Randy T.

Thank you very much for your replies.
I am getting two Columbian boas, and was doing my research on care and so on... the quesion just came to me and I was curious about it. I do like the input of other herpers with more knowledge than I in these areas.
For now, I am sticking to this being my hobby with all animal I get I keep.
Thought it was an interesting topic though.

Rozann,

Although it is not dealing with boas, the same issue of locality versus phenotypical naming of animals was raised concerning okeetee cornsnakes. I think some of the ideas about what is important to locality specialists translates very well to your situation.

Here's a link.

Thanks for the link Darin. I was wondering about the corn snake as well. But I thought since they are from the states it would be different than from different countries.
Just wondering if local really does make such a big difference.
Thanks again will read that link as well.