Here is another chat from KS from Kelli Hammack talking about Geckos, albeit not pythons but still a reptile that does tend to have some of the same deformities when inbreed too much.
WaxWormFan: What are your feelings on the inbreeding that frequently occurs with this species by private breeders?
KelliH: excellent question!
KelliH: i have been breeding leopard geckos for several years now, and i always believed that inbreeding was perfectly fine (per Tremper and the Leopard Gecko Manual)
KelliH: however as time went on i began to notice some problems with hatchlings ie. weak hatchlings, eye deformities, etc.
KelliH: i feel that inbreeding is ok for 2 or 3 years max, then one shoudl bring in new blood to strengthen their colonies.
KelliH: now i try to bring in a couple of unrelated males every year or two, and i have found that my hatchlings are stronger and seem to grow quicker also
KelliH: outcrossing is always a good idea when breeding reptiles in general.
Jeremy Stone has also given a presentation at Daytona where he stressed the importance of outcrossing. He noted that the homozygous versions of many mutations tend to be weakened and how important it is to make sure the bloodlines are as strong as possible from the get go.
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