I am so confused as to why people do certain things with reptiles, such as cross-breeding animals that would probably never meet in the wild, let along breed. I'm assuming it's to get different color morphs, but then the animal is not a "pure" anything! Kinda like "designer dogs" which are just mutt puppies. Except this is much more common among mammals than reptiles, and mostly due to inattendant pet owners.
I'm not going to mention the particular cross-bred animals I came across on the internet today, because I don't want to ruffle any feathers, or should I say scales? I was at a reptile show a couple weeks ago, and I also saw some cross-breds there. They were (---x---) and the prices are rather high for essentially "mutts!" I don't want to narrow down the particular species which may identify the person who did this.
To clarify, these are NOT hybrids. According to Webster's, you would have to cross two genetically dissimilar animals. Think cornsnakes and kingsnakes. And yes, this has been done.
There was talk a few years back that all the different forms albino milksnakes available were from crossing various milksnakes with one or two albinos, even though they might not have been the same species. (Think sinaloe crossed on thayeri, just for an example. Don't know if it was ever done.) There is talk that some of the odd, grey cornsnakes (are they called "black"?) are from crossing Great Plaines Ratsnakes on common cornsnakes, to get that black gene and dilute the red.
The downside of the cornsnake brouhaha, is that true "Okeetee" corns are far and few between, and unless you caught one in North Carolina, at the Okeetee Hunt Club, chances are you just have a red cornsnake with no particular locality to call home.
I'm a purist. I prefer to know the background of my animals. But then I'm not looking for the next designer boa to make my fortune. I just want the best animals I can afford.
I'm not going to mention the particular cross-bred animals I came across on the internet today, because I don't want to ruffle any feathers, or should I say scales? I was at a reptile show a couple weeks ago, and I also saw some cross-breds there. They were (---x---) and the prices are rather high for essentially "mutts!" I don't want to narrow down the particular species which may identify the person who did this.
To clarify, these are NOT hybrids. According to Webster's, you would have to cross two genetically dissimilar animals. Think cornsnakes and kingsnakes. And yes, this has been done.
There was talk a few years back that all the different forms albino milksnakes available were from crossing various milksnakes with one or two albinos, even though they might not have been the same species. (Think sinaloe crossed on thayeri, just for an example. Don't know if it was ever done.) There is talk that some of the odd, grey cornsnakes (are they called "black"?) are from crossing Great Plaines Ratsnakes on common cornsnakes, to get that black gene and dilute the red.
The downside of the cornsnake brouhaha, is that true "Okeetee" corns are far and few between, and unless you caught one in North Carolina, at the Okeetee Hunt Club, chances are you just have a red cornsnake with no particular locality to call home.
I'm a purist. I prefer to know the background of my animals. But then I'm not looking for the next designer boa to make my fortune. I just want the best animals I can afford.
No comments:
Post a Comment