Why do most people frown upon the production of Burm/Balls?

[nucklehead97]

I understand that it is a hybrid and "unnatural" but so are most of the morphs that are available for ball pythons. I mean a super pastel would have never been able to survive in the wild and people are okay with that. So I just don't understand the stigma behind a Burmese/ Ball python hyprid. These hybrids could be the key to getting all the ball python morphs into burmese pythons and could you imagine a coral glow burmese python? That would be gorgeous!

[JLC]

They have that "stigma" because some people are deeply passionate about the purity of the species and don't believe in creating hybrid animals. And when people are that passionate about their beliefs, they can get pretty loud about it.

I would venture to say that MOST people don't really care one way or the other. I find them (hybrids in general) to be interesting and cool to look at, but I don't have any driving desire to produce them myself. Wouldn't mind owning one or two types just as pets because there are some beautiful hybrids out there.

Why are some folks so passionately against them? Different reasons for different folks. Some worry that too much cross-breeding will muddy the pure lines so much that you'll never know if you're getting a true specimen of whatever species you're looking for. Some just have an emotional reaction against "playing god". Some think it's unnatural. Some worry that it may compromise the health and well-being of the offspring. Whatever the reason, there are enough folks shouting loud enough to make it look like a "stigma"...which can make some otherwise curious but cautious folks shy away from the idea altogether.

[nucklehead97]

I see, thank you JLC. I kind of figured that but wasn't sure if it was because babies came out unhealthy and I just didn't find anything that said they did.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

All the base morphs have originated in the wild the Burm Ball could NEVER originate in the wild so there is a BIG difference here to take in consideration in this very example.

My issue with hybrids is the ethic behind it what happen when the third or fourth generation can no longer be distinguish with an animal that is pure and is being sold as pure?

Now there are some hybrids I found cool looking but to me I could only see them as pet only type of animal.

[Paul's Pieds]

The hack the other day was exactly the sort of reaction you get to that type of situation. As previously stated the mutations we use in piure ball python breeding all occur naturally and we just breed for beauty much like koi carp or pedigree dogs, horses etc

I think a move viable hybrid is the blood python ball, or short tail ball. I have seen some very colourful versions of those and admit they are interesting but I wouldn't choose to try it myself.

[Jhill001]

The same reasons I frown on all hybrids.

1. All it takes is one dippy politician getting their hands on info about hybridization thinking that means ANY ball python could be a Burmese python and thus dangerous under whatever BS law they have in that district. They see that and ANY species could be a hybrid rattlesnake!

2. Diamond Pythons and Sinaloan Milk snakes are two species practically lost to the hobby because of hybridization that I can think of off-hand. One is so ridiculously expensive that it is basically lost, the other is indistinguishable from nelson's milksnakes and only "shows" as a Sinaloan because of line breeding efforts with no one able to trace lineage back to the true species.

3. Using hybridization to get ball python morph genetics to another species is a road to people lying about what they have. You use the example of getting a coral glow Burmese python. But you just lied right there, because it isn't a Burmese python anymore. It's just some hybrid. You cheated essentially. Then when someone finds some great genetics with his pure Burms no one will believe him because they "probably just crossed it with some ball python somewhere down the line."

4. Hybrids don't have nearly the value people think they do. One only needs to look at the cornduran or jungle corns and how long they hang on the classifieds even though they are very cheap. Even pure plain Jane corns sell faster.

These are just four reasons. I have other reasons based in my desire to keep lines clean because if I buy something I want it to be that specific species because of the natural history aspect of it.

[nucklehead97]

But, jhill001 couldn't you get the ball python morphs and then breed out the ball python genes so essentially you do have a coral glow burmese python? And that was an example I was by no means trying to pass it off as a pure burm and this is all hypothetical as of now. I am extremely interested in the hybrids abd would like to see what can be done with them. I also agree with the point you made about the politician in that we don't need balls being added to the lacey act too. Also Thank you for your input I appreciate it.

[Jhill001]

You can't really breed a species out of another species after you crossed them. I don't think that's how genetics work. If it was then there would be 0 morphs. I'm sure you could line breed the desired traits to match what you want (what Sinaloan Milksnakes being sold now are). But it's not the same. Given how laws changed in Mexico the pure ones are now unattainable. Not saying they don't exist in captivity but good luck proving it.

[Daigga]

I'm kind of curious now. Is a burm/ball hybrid able to reproduce? I thought such a combo would be like mule or a liger, which can't breed at all.

[Skiploder]

I understand that it is a hybrid and "unnatural" but so are most of the morphs that are available for ball pythons. I mean a super pastel would have never been able to survive in the wild and people are okay with that. So I just don't understand the stigma behind a Burmese/ Ball python hyprid. These hybrids could be the key to getting all the ball python morphs into burmese pythons and could you imagine a coral glow burmese python? That would be gorgeous!

Well, in the case of people who are fans of morphs - because the concept of irony is foreign to them.