Ball Python X Anologan Python

[Darren179]

Now I have started to hear a little bit about this cross what kind of look/size do these babies take on? because all though they have the same heads are they not to completely different types of snakes?

[BoidKeeper]

No they are very simmilar in shape, size and build. Do a search on line and unfortunatly you'll find all kinds of pics of them, crosses I mean.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Stockwell]

Unfortunately is right!! They are being hybridized, merely to make new Ball Python "morphs"
In my view, it's just wrong!
I have nothing against selective breeding to bring out traits that are latent in species, but crossing species, and mixing and matching to make something new to put a big price tag on...
Well, I think you see my point.

[Andy_G]

I don't mind most colubrid crosses but this type of cross is disgusting. Angolans aren't even very established in captivity and they are already selling crosses!

[Scales Zoo]

I'm a hypocrite. I don't like the idea of ball x angolans - but I love jungle corns and bateaters (burms x retics) and would proudly own both latter mentioned.

Ryan

[Stockwell]

I won't own or make any hybrids and that includes colubrids.
In my old school mind, all these animals are still "wildlife"
and certainly those academics, zoologists, and rights activists that oppose us and threaten the keeping of exotics by commoners, also
consider them "wildlife" and probably find what is being done, by basement
biologists, disrespectful and irresponsible. I feel it's just another nail in the coffin of herpetoculture.
The keeping and captive propagation of wildlife, is not a right, but a privilege. One to feel proud of. One that could be lost.

I'm afraid I personally wouldn't feel much pride mixing and matching everything in my collection to generate something that simply makes a buck "looks neat" but has no biological name or relevance.
I know and respect, all the sides to the hybrid debates, and it's certainly a complex issue full of border line parallel hypocracies...Been hearing all the pros and cons for a quarter century.
Everyone needs to find their own moral ground on the issue, and only history will record whether herpetoculturists took the right path.

[MarcB]

I'm with Roy on this one...humans have always felt compeled to create their frankenstein mode to suit their fancies....so very sad...

[BoidKeeper]

I'm with you Roy 100%!
Cheers,
Trevor

[Tim_Cranwill]

It's sad... Seems to me like it was people who had an Angolan but didn't have a mate so they stuck it with the next best thing... really sad considering how rare they are at this point... :(

I guess it doesn't bother me as much with reticsXburms, cornsXrats or kingXking crosses because there is a wealth of clean blood out there.

[Scales Zoo]

Originally posted by Stockwell
...and certainly those academics, zoologists, and rights activists that oppose us and threaten the keeping of exotics by commoners, also
consider them "wildlife" and probably find what is being done, by basement
biologists, disrespectful and irresponsible. I feel it's just another nail in the coffin of herpetoculture.

Good point, there are some academic people who feel this way, but many of them don't like Albino snakes either. I'm not trying to debate the hybrid thing, I really liked what you said about parralels and hypocracies - I've been split on the topic because of those things for quite some time - and used to be against it. You summed it up quite well.

Tim - what you just said is exactly what I was thinking!

[Jeff_Favelle]

I'm with Unkie Roy.

[David Kwok]

I'm with Roy. Balls and Angolans would have probably crossed in a few million years if man didn't wipe out the Anolan population.

:)

Dave

[All4Sky]

I'm really against this whole Hybrid thing. Next thing you know, down the line, we'll have to think twice about whether our ball pythons are "pure" or not, especially with the crazy morph explosion. Lets keep the genetics clean!!!! :(

[mykee]

If it ain't happenin' in nature, don't do it in your basements.

[daver676]

Can it really get any worse then the Blood Parrot?? :p

[snakehunter]

Im with mykee, im for it IF it is naturally occuring. but home-made-herps are WRONG

[Cruciform]

I don't think it's any worse than what has been done in other breeding circles over the years. But as we see in dog breeding, record keeping and identification are requirements, otherwise reputable people don't want to deal with you.

Some people like mutts, some people like intentional hybrids, and others only deal in pure bloodlines.

The only reason we're not seeing the same trends as widely distributed is that reptile breeding has been occuring in the historical blink-of-an-eye. Meanwhile canine and equine bloodlines have been documented and traced for hundreds, possibly thousands of years.

Hopefully we'll be able to do on the spot genetics tests in the next decade or two. That should solve some of the issues that will pop up.

[Darren179]

ah thats good thanks for the info everyone

[Linds]

Originally posted by Tim_Cranwill

I guess it doesn't bother me as much with reticsXburms, cornsXrats or kingXking crosses because there is a wealth of clean blood out there.

I doubt you would be able to find any 100% pure burms in captivity. They were so heavily crossed with Indian Pythons at one time their purity is nearly non-existent. A lot of corns will be passed off as pure too... many people may aquire some of the "designer" corns (ie- creamsicles), and not being full educated, believing it to be a true cornsnake and breeding it with another corn and passing them off as true corns, etc. Although some sub/species that do still have a good amount of pure blood floating around, it always starts that way in all the cases that have been thoroughly and forver contaminated.