Quote Originally Posted by Slowcountry Balls View Post
Reptiles are much more resilient to inbreeding than mammals. Inbreeding for a couple of generations (1 or 2) is generally acceptable in Ball Pythons. I have read that it takes 4 to 6 generations of inbreeding for genetic problems to show up. In the case of recessive projects, it is very common for parents to be bred to children. For double recessive projects, it is almost a necessity.
The more I have read, the more I can understand the necessity when attempting to prove out. It just makes sense if you don't want to add the extra work of finding provens to buy or trade for. I was just wondering if they had less of a chance for complications. As one member stated, line breeding simply enhances genetic traits, whether positive or negative. So if there aren't negative traits there to begin with, line breeding isn't going to hurt anything.