Quote Originally Posted by mlededee
what exactly is the significance of a ringer? i see them advertised all the time and i see the marking that makes a bp a ringer, but what exactly does it mean? what makes them special?
At this point in time they are just another odd type of ball python. Daniel is right - they seem to pop up randomly. I hatch a few every year.
What makes them so special? Well......there are ringers and then there are RINGERS. Ringers run the gamut from barely noticeable to unmistakable. When you see a nice one you can tell the characteristics that set them apart.
What sets them apart is a pure white spot that originates on the belly and creeps up towards the dorsal part of the snake. The pattern around the white scales is often distorted, creeps towards the back and sometimes forms a complete band or ring around the body.
Here is a ringer where the white creeps up but doesn't encircle the body (notice the band of distortion):

Close up of the white spot


Here is a shot of a ringer I produced a few years ago....I call this one a "black and white" ringer. The ringer spot doesn't contain the orange tones that ringers have in the band of distortion. To me, the black and white ringers look different than the typical orange and white ones. But they are still ringers