Thoughts on setting standards for BPs?

I can see it now Westminster Ball Python show. All the breeders walking there snakes on little leashes. :)

Regardless of the merit of such a thing, herpetoculture is too unorganized and anarchistic to ever have it become a reality.

The most notable situation we see anything resembling a "breed standard" is with locality-specific animals, which does have plenty of parallels to breed standards in domesticated animals.

I don't think it would work too well because in all honesty, all we really breed for is color and pattern. Most standards breed more for form. The closest I can think of to what would be needed for a ball python would be the IBC(a program with show standards for betta fish, these guys are responsible for half of the tail/fin forms we know today!)

The IBC cares about symmetry, form, scales, etc. You want good fins and a good body, color is secondary as the genes controlling color and pattern are too unreliable and random! Like people have said, even the same morphs from different lines can be extremely different! Color is a funky thing, and getting to be even more specific than a morph--or even a morph line.. That would be very hard to breed for!

The form and body of the ball python generally doesn't change too much from snake to snake, except in rare birth defects and of course over/underweight snakes.. Everyone is different, but it's not quite like the obvious show dogs vs. your average mutt!

This does happen with fish, I can see it happening with lizards maybe, not so much snakes!

It's entirely possible to have a successful registry... there's been one for cornsnakes for a few years now

http://www.herpregistry.com/acr/

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Originally Posted by TrpnBils

It's entirely possible to have a successful registry... there's been one for cornsnakes for a few years now

http://www.herpregistry.com/acr/

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There are some registries and pedigrees, but I think the OP was referring to an actual standard like show dogs/cats/rats/rabbits have. Think almost like a conformation standard.

This couldn't ever work with snakes because there is no conformation to breed to. There is no standard size, weight, etc for most snakes and there is no point to showing them in the way that you do with dogs and cats. The only thing we breed for seems to be general health and color. That isn't enough things to make a standard for. If an animal is "out of standard" its immediately identifiable as deformed (think two headed snakes, snakes with no eyes, snakes with one eye, no nostrils, etc).

I just don't see how this could ever come into any kind of useful play.

Standard would be impossible since colors, blushing and pattern can be so variable and unpredictable.

Simple example the dog standards allowing a certain percentage of certain coloration could never apply in the snake world, simple example a pied, whose to say it should be 50% white? That would make everything else not standard and therefor rejected?

Registry in all honesty I could not really care less, yes there has been a corn registry for years they even plan to add BP soon according to their site, however people need to ask themselves the question: who uses that website, do buyers REALLY care if so how many do? Would it be worth the time and money for a breeder? Would it even be possible for large scale breeder to do so?

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Originally Posted by Deborah

however people need to ask themselves the question: who uses that website, do buyers REALLY care if so how many do? Would it be worth the time and money for a breeder? Would it even be possible for large scale breeder to do so?

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I think if nothing else it'd be nice just to track certain breeders if you're thinking about buying from them. At least you can see what they've produced in the past, etc.