Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Wanted to know what you ball python afficianados thought about the trend of crossing the ball python with the angloan. Not spending alot of time slamming the people for doing it, as people wil do what they want with whats theirs, but just some thoughts on how this forum/community accepts/rejects or feels about this subject.

Thanks

Fred Albury

I hope my angolans are ready to go this year but have no interest YET to do a crossing. Too much interest still in angolans. I dont think I could do it either. I know angolans are hardly rare in captivity any more but dont think i could do it. I know others will and I have no problem with this. However I think a pastel angolan cross or albino angolan cross will look incredible. So, maybe I will one day(just talked myself into it).
For all you out there who dont own angolans they are awesome. Generally pretty friendly,cool pattern, beaded scales, inquisitive and they eat!

IMHO - it's one of the best ball crosses out there. Grant it - Angolans have become my favorite of snakes and I do plan on tring to do a cross eventually myself - so maybe I'm a little bias. But these two are so closely related and have relatively similar body types - its really (again IMHO) the best of both worlds - I'd love to see if someone is able to eventually morph the cross.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

Personally I'm not a fan of any kind of hybridization. I've been stuck before buying snakes that turned out NOT to be pure. I've been breeding corns and kings and milks and pituophis for many years and I think hybrids have really ruined a lot of lines in the colubrid world.

I had hoped that the boid world wouldn't have as much of this going on, but I guess that was an unrealistic hope. It would have been nice to see more pure angolans available before they started being crossed with everything else under the sun.

Mark

>>Wanted to know what you ball python afficianados thought about the trend of crossing the ball python with the angloan. Not spending alot of time slamming the people for doing it, as people wil do what they want with whats theirs, but just some thoughts on how this forum/community accepts/rejects or feels about this subject.
>>
>>Thanks
>>
>>Fred Albury

I see nothen wrong with it at all, I think it is a good cross.

Now how long before we get another cronball post?

I personally think its not a good thing to do. Keep all species pure. I would never buy an animal from someone that has Hybridized anything, they would be permanently off limits for me.

So you'd never buy an animal from NERD?
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

7.33.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi - yeah I know but my kids love the book)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.2 frogs rescued from pool skimmer

That is correct I would never buy an animal from NERD. But that would be true even if they did not hybridize.

Did I read that right?

Even if I have no ball crosses, but say I have a bateater, you wouldn't buy from me?

I guess you will not buy from nerd, or bob clark too, right? They both have hybirds, nerd has bateaters(burm/retic) and bob has a few hybirds. So you wont but from them either right!!!! I know of a few other "big boys" who breed crosses too, I guess they would be off your list also.

It is your right not to buy, but just keep in mind some of the "big boys" do work with crosses too. I would hate for you to say something like that, and not know who all has, and works with hybirds.

Actually I generally know who has what. And no I would definitely not buy from Clark under any circumstances even if he never did Hybrids. And yes I will not buy from anyone else that does hybrids. I have had that policy for over 15 years and it will not change.

Well it is up to you who you buy from, and I understand your point.

I just hope if you buy from someone, you do ask if they have any hybirds. More and more people are working with them everyday, it is here, and it is not going away. Someone is even trying a ball/burm cross, not a good idea in my mind, But who am I to say anything.

We see many mixes of dogs that are extremly popular (puggle, peekapoo, lab mixes, etc., etc.) and also many cat mixes. These are not only considered acceptable, but are now almost considered to be a "breed" of their own. Just curious, what's the difference?

Domestic cats are one species. And domestic dogs are one species. Ball pythons and Angolan pythons are two different species. Once you cross two species, there is no easy way to get back to either original species.

Crossing some breeds of dogs MAY produce pups that are superior to either parent in some ways. I am not aware of any way that a ball x Angolan cross is superior to either parent. At least dogs can be neutered.

Paul Hollander