Quote Originally Posted by Mendel's Balls
"Results of the risk-assessment models indicate that species including boa constrictors (Boa constrictor), ball pythons (Python regius), and reticulated pythons (P. reticulatus) may pose particularly high risks as potentially invasive species"
I agree with it. Any preditory species thrown into an ecosystem where it isn't naturally found, presents a massive risk to an area's ecosystem. The Burmese is doing just that in Florida. The species itself isn't to blame, but the irresponsible owners who release them into the wild.

Can anyone seriously argue that an en masse release of ball pythons, in a non-native environment, doesn't bring a potential risk towards similar sized predators and certainly, small mammalian populations?

I don't think the Ball Python is a bad thing for the field of herpetology. Poor care, and more importantly, poor caretakers are the most dangerous aspects of any greatly popular animal. Balls tend to bring in more of the bad side, and we all know that is largely because of the economic reasons.

However, I agree with the sentiments that, as the market starts to become less economically appealing, most of the scabs will find there way into some new market to devour. At that point, we will probably see less threads like these and more threads about new owners that have no interest in breeding. And like Adam, I assume that time isn't far off.

In the interim... I don't really care what the consensus is on who or what is ruining the field of herpetology. Ball pythons are just cool herps, and I happen to really like owning them. And neither an overzealous government body, nor a flood, is going to prevent that .