There's also a bit of a conundrum that goes along with the morph breeding question. I believe that the popularity of ball python morphs has had some very positive effects. It's brought a lot of people into the hobby who might not have even considered a snake as a pet otherwise - along with a ripple effect of increased appreciation for the hobby and for reptiles in general. I just can't see that as a bad thing.
And I don't in any way intend to be critical of ethical breeders. When I got back into keeping after a long break (ball pythons weren't even a thing in my first couple of decades of keeping), I chose a BEL because I thought they were beautiful, and I haven't regretted that choice. That snake has also been an outstanding ambassador animal - there's something about a gentle, pure white snake that has helped a lot of formerly snake-phobic people overcome their initial fears.
But it's tricky. I have actually lost a couple of friends in the hobby because they were so offended that I disagree with propagating the Spider (and associated) morphs. And I'm pretty convinced that too many people are breeding ball pythons - I just don't know what the solution is.
Reply With Quote