Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello! I am new to the forum. I own 3 leopard geckos, an anole, 2 red-eared sliders, and a three-toed box turtle.

I am a student who is about to start a 4,000 word research paper over the course of the summer and into the new school year. My topic is the methodology and ethics of desginer morphs in the reptile trade. I will be covering the natural history, husbandry, available morphs, genetics, and ethics of a certain species that is readily available in the pet trade. I am trying to choose between focusing on leopard geckos or ball pythons. Which species has been available and bred the longest? Also, are there any books or websites that would be a great starting point for my research?

Thanks

I'd recommend leopard geckos because your list of pets includes them and does not include a ball python. Otherwise, there is little to chose between the two species for your purposes, I think. There was precious little captive breeding of either lizards or snakes before 1970. I think that Sean McKeown popularized leopard geckos in the 1970s, while ball python breeding took off in the late 1980s or so. Ron Tremper is another important figure in leopard geckos.

Good luck.

Paul Hollander