Understanding breeding norms

[EasternGirl]

Most of us know by now that crossbreeding is shunned by the garter community. I am not a breeder...but I like to learn everything I can about the hobby. I'm still a little confused as to what is considered crossbreeding. I thought you had to breed within the same species...but after speaking to another member tonight...I was told you have to breed within the same subspecies as well. Can someone please explain how it all works?

[katach]

Pure bred only. Easterns with easterns, pugets with pugets, nw with nw, and so on.

[Didymus20X6]

I'm not certain of the details, and there are some handlers who would disagree. But from what I gather, it's because each particular subspecies has particular traits that help that species survive. Cross-breeding has the potential to weaken some of these traits, and worse, can end up introducing undesired traits. This might not be detrimental to individual specimens, but if introduced to a breeding population, could end up producing disastrous results.

Within the pet trade, cross-breeds are not as desirable as pure-breeds, mostly because those who breed them want to know exactly what kinds of traits they can expect from their breeding. Hybrids make that more difficult to assess.

Now, this is only what I've managed to gather from conversations of others. Others on this forum may be better equipped to explain than I am at this time.

[kibakiba]

Mixed species tend to be "ugly", they don't tend to look like their parents, or having just a couple traits. A marci and a concinnus (I think it was a marci and concinnus?) got mixed and they just looked like a brown snake. Or, one could look just like one of the parents.. and you can ruin a whole collection thinking "oh, I have an infernalis and it's high red, I'll breed it with this other high red infernalis I have!" and it turns out being a cross, and it's a few years of wasted time.

[Didymus20X6]

And it's not just about aesthetics. It's about the health and welfare of the animals in question.

[kibakiba]

Yeah, My mind is elseware today so most of my posts are my unfinished thoughts.

[guidofatherof5]

I hope this helps.

[mb90078]

And it's not just about aesthetics. It's about the health and welfare of the animals in question.

What is the reasoning behind that? In general, genetic diversity actually leads to healthier animals.

[Didymus20X6]

Again, there are those who might be better able to explain it than I am, but here is what I've gathered from previous conversations:

With different subspecies, there are enough distinctions between genetic traits to differentiate them as different animals. These distinct traits enable the different animals to survive in their native environs. However, if you cross-breed different subspecies, the resulting specimens will not have those differing traits as strongly prevalent, which, under the right circumstances, might make them less capable of surviving. It might also introduce new traits that might bring long-term harm to a breeding population.

And keep in mind, we're not talking about animals of a single type, like dogs (all of which belong to canus lupus familiaris), but of different types, with enough genetic distinction that they are not classified the same.

[kibakiba]

It doesn't happen in the wild, so why should people cross them like that? Diversity doesn't matter if you are crossing the species that do not naturally cross in the wild. What is the point in crossing them anyways? There are 70 some odd species of garter snake, is that not enough?