inbred

[Tikall]

I think this is something responsible breeders should always consider after all these are living creatures not just decorations. It appears to me that the most expensive snakes tend to have less pigment /melanin "Melanin's have very diverse roles and functions in various organisms." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin I often wonder how this effect the senses as well as the organic structure of these animals.Not to mention lifespan as well as quality of life . Remember the number one rule of breeding is to perfect and protect a species not just make it beautiful. That being said one of my favorite B.P. is a albino pied so I understand why we walk the tight rope .

While melanin is important in many creatures, I haven't seen evidence yet that it is necessary in captive pythons. Albino balls were first around in the early 1990s, so it is my opinion that this is a reasonable enough amount of time to tell if there are problems with the mutation. Albino burms have also been around since the mid 1980s. I think it's pretty safe to consider the mutation safe enough in captive pythons unless there is some terrible hidden secret. Of course we can't know exactly without many studies, but there are no outward signs that these snakes have problems.

But I definitely agree that we should not be doing anything to hurt the snakes. I think with enough out crossing (anything would be better than what we are currently doing) we can have healthy snakes and beautiful morphs even in another 20+ years. It will be much more expensive to make double recessives if one breeder is trying to take it on, but it would be worth it in the long run. Say for an albino pied you would need two unrelated pieds and two unrelated albinos, then you could breed the offspring of the different clutches together. You could also buy double hets from different breeders which will cost you an extra $50 for separate shipping than it would be buying related individuals from the same breeder. If you buy from a big enough breeder they might even have unrelated double hets for sale and you can save the $50. This alone would be much, much better than breeding siblings together to get a double recessive.