Our pedigree builder keeps reusable animal records, connects known parents, and displays printable family trees. A saved view chooses which animal and display settings to show; the animal library holds the records behind those views. Start with the learning example if you want to explore before entering your own records.
Open our Pedigree & Family Tree Builder
Follow the numbered steps in each section. Numbers on screenshots match the steps directly below them. Example values are for learning; replace them with your own information.
In this guide
Start with a learning example · Create an animal record · Connect confirmed parents and save · Choose the tree and its display · Review a proposed pairing · Print, share, and restore
1. Start with a learning example
1. Click Load learning example in Import, export & print. It adds a practice view and example animals. These are demonstration records, not animals from our collection.
2. Export pedigree saves a file for the selected pedigree. It is useful when sharing one tree.
3. Backup workspace saves the wider workspace. Make a backup before substantial changes or moving to another browser.
The working records and photos are stored in this browser. Autosave is not an account-based cloud backup. A different browser or cleared site data may not contain your work.
2. Create an animal record
1. Choose + Add animal in the Animal library, then enter an Animal name. Create each real animal once so you can reuse the same record in different trees.
2. Enter its ID / serial when available. For a 402 Exotics ID, click Decode 402 ID, then review the information returned before saving.
3. Choose Registered species, or enter the common or scientific name in Species. Set sex only when known. Add the hatch/birth date or year and breeder/source when documented.
Locality, lineage, morph, appearance, and recorded genetics are separate information. Leave unsupported information blank. Record uncertainty in the genetics or notes fields; the tool does not establish traits from appearance.
3. Connect confirmed parents and save
1. Use Confirmed sire to select the existing record for the known individual father. If the record is not available, add it to the library first, then return to the offspring.
2. Use Confirmed dam for the known individual mother. Leave Not individually assigned selected when you do not have individual confirmation.
3. Add useful notes and optional photos, then click Save animal. Cancel leaves the current editor without saving that edit.
The photo area supports up to 12 photos and includes Add photos and Crop photo. Group ancestry is not proof of a particular individual parent. Do not choose a possible parent merely to fill an empty branch.
4. Choose the tree and its display
1. Choose the Saved pedigree view and Focal animal. The focal animal is the subject whose ancestors appear in the tree.
2. Set Ancestor generations from 1 through 7. Select Landscape or Portrait and Compact or Detailed card detail; toggle Show photos as needed.
3. Use the view-name field to name the view. + New view creates another view; Duplicate copies a view. Use Edit on an animal card to update its shared record.
Use Species filter and the Animal library search to narrow a large collection. Unknown branches remain unknown. The + buttons on unknown sire/dam positions open the parent-assignment workflow. Selecting an existing ancestor reuses its record; it does not make another animal.
5. Review a proposed pairing
1. In Proposed pairing, select the proposed Sire and Dam from the saved records.
2. Click Analyze pairing. Review expected offspring COI, the completeness table, and common ancestors together.
3. For the built-in North Sire — EX-2 and South Dam — EX-3 example, the checked result was 0.0000%, with 14.3% (2/14) completeness at three ancestor generations for each parent.
That result means no inbreeding was detected in the supplied records under the displayed assumptions. It does not prove the animals are unrelated or predict offspring health. Unrecorded parents and pedigree-boundary animals are treated as unrelated and non-inbred. Completeness describes record coverage, not genetic diversity; calculations can include recorded ancestry beyond the tree currently displayed.
6. Print, share, and restore
1. After choosing the focal animal and layout, click Print pedigree. Inspect the print preview and use the browser’s printer or PDF option.
2. Use Export or the sidebar’s Export pedigree to save the selected pedigree as JSON. To bring a pedigree file into the tool, use Import pedigree.
Imported pedigrees are added as new records rather than silently overwriting existing animals. Keep a full Backup workspace file separately; Restore workspace is for bringing back a workspace backup. Read any confirmation before restoring or deleting a view. Printing is a readable copy; JSON preserves editable data.
Troubleshooting
A record is missing from a selector
Check species filters and the library search. Confirm that the animal was saved and that you are using the browser that holds the records.
The tree has empty branches
Add documented parent records and assign them. Do not invent ancestry to complete the drawing.
A 0% COI result looks reassuring
Read the completeness and founder assumptions first. Sparse records can produce 0% without establishing unrelatedness.
A shared ancestor changes in several trees
Views reuse the same animal library. An edit to one animal record can affect every view that uses it.