Outcrossing
 

One thing I don't see discussed much in Cornsnakes, that I have in other species like Morelia, is outcrossing, using unrelated snakes. Some go as far as using WC to outcross with.

Too often, you see 1.1 pairs being sold, to be bred, then they sell 1.1 pairs to be bred, and that cycle continues. It's going to cause problems at some point, with that amount of inbreeding.
Inbreeding and line breeding in snakes is ok, to a point. At some point, there should be some outcrossing of unrelated genes, to keep the lines strong and healthy.

For those of you who are breeding, have you, or how much do you outcross in your projects?

I have done some line breeding and in breeding, and will continue to do so on some projects, but I am careful to outcross as well, even if it means I end up taking a couple extra steps to get to my desired project.

Pictures to show some of my lineage.

Musai is a 2018 Miami Tessera I produced

Aster is her Dam, an LBR Miami (unrelated to any of my Corns)
Azurite is her sire, that I produced in 2015

Azurites parents are related, their clutch mates.

Brokk is Azurites sire
Kai is Azurites dam

(continued)

Brokk and Kai were produced here in 2011.

Taz is their sire, a SMR Okeetee Tessera
Kaia is their dam, an unkown history Miami. I have never seen another Miami like her. Unfortunately, she passed away.

Taz (borrowed from my friend Tara Smith/Small) and Kaia are the foundation stock to our Miami Tessera projects.
We did not expect the babies to turn out as they did, with the sire being Okeetee Tessera, we expected a couple generations to get to the Miami coloring.

I did get one baby that had more Okeetee type coloring out of the Brokk X Kai (clutchmates) pairing, that was Obsidian. Obsidian is one of the 7 Tessera's I have here from the Miami Tessera X Miami Tessera pairing, and am breeding them to see if/which ones are Homo Dominant (also referred to as "Super").

HERE is the threat for the foundation clutch, in 2011.

HERE is the Miami Tessera (Brokk) X Miami Tessera (Kai) clutch.

HERE is the 2018 Miami Tessera X LBR Miami clutch