Would this be considered a Ringer?

Just wondering

Not by me, but opinions may vary. Some are much quicker to label everything than others.

I was just wondering, it just struck me as odd. I havent seen the white into the black except on the ringers. Mabey a "mini ringer"?lol Thanks,
-Matt

For me to use the term ringer, the first requirement is that it has a ring, not a spot.
A ringer will have a ring of white, variable in width and often bordered by orange, creeping up from the belly scales. Being in contact with the belly scales and advancing toward the back is the point.
I have seen the ring be only 3-4 scales wide, and I have seen them be 3-4 inches wide. Occasionally you might even see two rings. But to be a ringer, it has to have the above characteristics for me.

Some may refer to what you have there as a "bullseye".

Hey Clay,

Regarding your definition of Ringer, does the ring have to be white? The reason I ask is that I have purchased what was said to be a ringer. The snake has a white, piebald-type spot on the belly near the tail area of the snake. The spot does not turn into a ring around the snake, but there is an explosion of orange and pastel- type color that makes its' way around the entire snake. Does this qualify as a 'ringer'?

Larry D. Stassin

Yes, that would be a ringer, but only due to the pastel type color extending over the snake.
In most ringers, the white area is bordered by that coloration, but in yours the white just didn't extend.

It would be a similar situation I suppose to the occasional piebald that has no white patches on the body. It has a white belly and the characteristic piebald pattern on the body, just an extremely low white pied.

You are probably already aware of it, but I'll make mention for the sake of others as well, the "ringer" characteristic has thus far failed to prove inheritable. The cause of it is still pretty much unknown. There are a few theories, but no real explanation.
Regardless of the fact it apparently isn't inheritable, it does make for an interesting addition to a collection.
I only mention it because I see ads occasionally selling ringers where the seller doesn't actually say it's a genetic but sort of alludes toward that and those who are not familiar with it may be misled.

Thanks for your response. I know it is not inheritable, but like you said, it does make an interesting addition to the collection. My ringer has incredible color, a real eye-catcher and I can't wait until he is old enough to breed. You never know what, if any, surprises you might find.

Larry D. Stassin

then would mine be a bullseye too? because he has a set of white spots.

http://snakes.mistysprouse.com/images/skid.jpg

It really just looks like a couple of white spots to me.
Keep in mind that such white spots can also result from burns. Once a burn heals, it sometimes leaves the scales without pigment. Over time, the color may come back in these cases.

I think bullseyes are normally ringed with lighter color to an extent, but people all too often attach some name or other to their snake in an attempt to have something other than "just a normal ball".