BallpythonZone.com Split - Wild caught BP

[Dragoon]

I suggest getting rid of the wild caught animal if you want to be a serious breeder. The first thing that you should do is buy quality animals from reputable breeders. Selective breeding should be your focus. Don't just breed any two animals.

Hope this helps.

I would rather have no more wild ball pythons being caught for the pet trade, but it is not going to stop. Major breeders are looking for new morphs not just more combos. If some new morph is found it will make its way into the pet trade. Even if a breeder is reputable does not mean that they don't have wild caught snakes.

[ctrlfreq]

There is probably not much left morph still available in the wild. Not worth it IMO.

We've only seen what we've seen - we have no idea what kind of genetic information is floating around out there. Hell, as far as I'm aware, there has yet to even be an attempt to map the BP genome thus far.

That said, your rationalization is based on nothing more than supposition, and as such is about as valid as if you had openly stated "there probably isn't much we haven't discovered in space, so traveling there isn't worth it IMO", when we've yet to even scrape the surface of what's really out there

[ctrlfreq]

Even if a breeder is reputable does not mean that they don't have wild caught snakes.

I would be willing to bet there aren't very many reputable breeders of any significance out there that have no WC or CH animals in their collections.

[AaronP]

I would be willing to bet there aren't very many reputable breeders of any significance out there that have no WC or CH animals in their collections.

Any breeder that has an original morph has WC. Like Kevin McCurley's spider, Brian's Pinstripe, RDR's Platinum etc...

[Michelle.C]

While I'm not all for the numbers that are being imported for the pet trade, it's better than being skinned or eaten.

I also don't agree with the idea of tossing an animal to the side just because a human act has caused it to be in captivity. It's a living, breathing creature, just like Captive Borns. While I don't keep them, and if I did, I wouldn't breed them.

I just don't see the logic in getting rid of an animal simply because it's WC. Should you have an extended quarantine procedure with a WC animal? Yes! Should the animal be taken in to a veterinarian for a full check up? Yes! Then again, I do this with all of my animals.

I've rescued and fostered probably a half dozen WC. All animals took effort and money to acclimate them to captivity, but it was worth it. They aren't different than any other Ball Python, they deserve the same chance the CB animals have. They've had a tough life, the last thing they need is to be tossed from home to home.

Just my opinion.

[Flicker]

While I'm not all for the numbers that are being imported for the pet trade, it's better than being skinned or eaten.

I also don't agree with the idea of tossing an animal to the side just because a human act has caused it to be in captivity. It's a living, breathing creature, just like Captive Borns. While I don't keep them, and if I did, I wouldn't breed them.

I just don't see the logic in getting rid of an animal simply because it's WC. Should you have an extended quarantine procedure with a WC animal? Yes! Should the animal be taken in to a veterinarian for a full check up? Yes! Then again, I do this with all of my animals.

I've rescued and fostered probably a half dozen WC. All animals took effort and money to acclimate them to captivity, but it was worth it. They aren't different than any other Ball Python, they deserve the same chance the CB animals have. They've had a tough life, the last thing they need is to be tossed from home to home.

Just my opinion.

I completely agree with you.

[First_Phantom]

why dont they just stop catching normal BP's and strictly look for morphs? then u aernt messing stuff up in the wild as bad.

[ctrlfreq]

Any breeder that has an original morph has WC. Like Kevin McCurley's spider, Brian's Pinstripe, RDR's Platinum etc...

Not only that, but I know quite a few breeders who make regular trips to Africa to check out the wares available on the ground. This entire line of conversation seems silly and - I hate to use this term negatively, but - American in nature (in the spoiled-rotten, first-world citizen who has never experienced life elsewhere sense).

While the outcry itself is against the importation of additional animals, it almost seems like the actual argument is rooted in a misconception that captive bred animals are inherently more valuable because of known lineage though, when the truth of the matter is, the extremely valuable animals are those that enter the market with genetic traits that haven't been seen.

I would take that another step further though, and point out that an established CB market for any morph lowers the overall value of the genetic trait and depresses prices. Simply put, without bringing new blood into the industry, it would quickly collapsing given the year over year increases in numbers of both breeders and available animals.

[ctrlfreq]

why dont they just stop catching normal BP's and strictly look for morphs? then u aernt messing stuff up in the wild as bad.

There are a number of problems with that idea, the most obvious of which is the fact that recessive morphs (which are the jackpot finds) aren't visually distinct in heterozygous pairings.

[AaronP]

While I don't keep them, and if I did, I wouldn't breed them.

Although I agree with most of which you said bout taking care of WCs I don't understand this statement. You make it sound as if they're defective animals like people not breeding caramels because of kinking or spiders because of wobbling. If I had a couple of adult WC females who ate well and were of acceptable breeding size I wouldn't hesitate to pair them up with one of my CB morph males.