Oh, there are some that sit the fence. I don't specifically set out to buy hybrids, but I have nothing against them. I own 2 "blue-eyed ghosts" that I highly suspect have gray rat in the background. I bought them to test them against ultra as well as because they are very interesting-looking in their own right. I also wouldn't mind some Bairdi Corns some day. I have no interest in rootbeers / creamsicles, but then again, I have no interest in emorys. Jungle corns don't do much for me, but that's an aesthetic concern. The thought of hybridization doesn't appall me. I think of corns, kings, other rats, etc. as works in progress (in nature and in the breeding pool).
The word "purity" in relation to corn snakes has no meaning to me. What makes the corn snake of 2005 pure vs. the predecessor that gave rise to the emory and the corn? At what point during that transformation did a corn become a pure corn and an emory become a pure emory? To me, it's a range. It's a point in time, not an absolute endpoint.
Corns will continue to change due to pressures, be they inbreeding with others at the range margins, changes in their environments, selection pressure in breeding colonies, and what have you. I see none of these as any more "evil" or "bad" or "unnatural" than anything else. Of course "natural" to me probably isn't the same definition as to most people. I don't adopt the opinion that "natural" = "gooder", """unnatural""" = "badder". That's a whole nother topic.
Point being, I see emorys and corns and kings and the other interbreedable species as being specific points along a spectrum. A little more to the left with a hint of emory and they shift somewhat. A lot more to the left and they mostly look emory. My definition of corn snake is something that fits within my vision of what area of the spectrum encompasses "corns". Some are closer to the center of that range and are the "ideal" "pure" corn snake, some fudge to the right or left, so to speak, being a little more or less "corny" than others. The topic is a line in the sand. Some people have a very sharp line and a narrow range they accept as corn, some have a thick, hazy line and/or perhaps a broader range they accept as corn. Who's opinion is the "correct" one? The person whose view it is, obviously. j/k
It's a judgment call. Those that have a certain, narrower definition with sharp cutoff point have to select their stock with care, finding like-minded individuals, perhaps thinking that all corns caught in the wild are "pure" (which is an opinion in and of itself). The burden of defining the purity of their stock and the stock they buy is on them. If it's important to you, you will seek out stock with your specifications.
I am the first to say that I believe in accurate representation of your stock, but to say "I can't prove they are pure, so I'm labeling them as hybrids" is too narrow-spectrum for me. Short end of things, if it looks, acts, sheds, poops, breeds, and eats like a corn snake, to me it's a corn snake. I can provide all information I have on my stock (and thanks to the ACR, people can look back through them as well) accurately and openly. But I think labeling a normal corn snake a hybrid because I can't "prove that they have 0% non-corn blood" is as inaccurate to me as labeling them "pure corn" when I can't prove they are 100%.
As I said before, the term "pure" means very little to me because I think it's an illusion...a pigeon hole...a neat package. People like nice, cut and dried, black and white, 100% - 0% packages. I don't personally think anything is on/off, black/white, so it doesn't bother me and I don't obsess on it.
I label things to the best of my knowledge and keep records like a fiend. It's the best anyone can do. I don't personally seek out hybrids, but it's mostly because most of them don't coincide with my tastes. I don't begrudge the "purist", their view makes it more difficult to assemble an "acceptable" collection. They are entitled to their beliefs and good for them for putting in the effort to maintain their collection within their standards. I don't begrudge the hybridizers. They have a goal, a curiosity, and are implementing a plan. Many interesting patterns and colors have emerged and those animals make wonderful pets and future breeders and are no less "happy" than "pure" animals. I guess I fail to see what's wrong and unjust about it. I think I sit mostly on the fence with one foot dangling to the hybrid side. Like I said, I'd like some Bairdi corns some day. That's really about all the more interested in hybrids I am. The rest, I'll leave to those with a passion for them.
Good discussion everyone, and without a single idjit posting. :santa:
