I said for those of us dealing with smaller collections, it would be limiting. And, I probably wasn't clear enough, but I meant those of us who are for whatever reason keeping our collection small.Originally Posted by Eric Alan
If it is a choice of keeping back one or two, and that means you end up with 21 or 22 snakes you are keeping, then it isn't limiting at all. But if for whatever reason you have decided to limit the number of adults you have to 20, then it becomes a choice of keeping back one or two, and thus getting rid of 1 or 2 other animals to make space for them. Then you start limiting your genetic diversity.
Admittedly, that won't always be the case. For a really simple example, let's assume the breeder in question started out with all single gene animals. They bred their male spider to their pastel female and got a couple male bumblebees. They can get rid of the spider male that was the dad, and also their pastel male (assuming they have one), and still keep back both male bumblebees and not lose any diversity at all. But, in that assumption is the explanation to how they could lose diversity. If they don't have a pastel male, they are going to have to get rid of a different male, and possibly eliminate whatever gene that male carried from their collection.
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