What naturally occurring mutation do you have? Because BPs can be considered inbred in many lineages just because of the intention that certain traits want to be kept. It's not different from how dog breeding is today in many areas.
Thanks for a clarifying a lot of points. I knew BPs were difficult to transfer from live to prekilled, but I didn't know it involved them being "locked in" to a certain feeding regime, as well. The ball python I have originally came from a breeder (at least that's what the girl told me who I adopted him off of), so that may explain his reluctance to even take to prekilled. Although, this same snake hasn't eaten since late October. I even tried to slip a warmed prekilled mouse head into his mouth (tried to even get live mouse urine scent on it) to see if he wanted to eat, and he just spit it out. Honestly, I would still take up a Kenyan sand boa or a corn snake as beginner snakes that don't come with as much frustration when it comes to feeding (and probably more readily switch to prekilled), but that's just me.
Piebald, love it
Honestly, piebalds are my favorite, lookwise. They are on the pricier side it seems, though.
Price is relative. They are really cheap now compared to only 5 yrs ago. You can get a high white (80% or more) from a good breeder sometimes for only $300 and that's not even a show price. However that's a lot of money for people who are used to buying animals for only 20$ for example.
Man, I think my LPS just got one of these...its super-cool looking, I'd never seen one before...they're selling it for like half of that.
Well, I got my spider for free because I adopted him, and I know those guys can fetch quite a bit higher than normal morphs (around $120- $200 or more). I know some rare morphs can singly go as high as $1000+. Maybe if I wasn't dorming far away from home, I'd consider a piebald for another birthday present lol. I would just hope he's a better eater than my spider. My spider, having not eaten since October, was enough time for one of the adult male feeder mice to die of apparently natural causes. I bet that snake can fast an entire mouse's lifespan.
You should have asked, I would have sent pics of mine. The first time I saw one in print, I was HOOKED. Of course I waited about 10 or 15 yr before I could afford one.I've never seen a more interesting phenotype, let alone one that is both a color and pattern morph.
1,000 is relatively inexpensive for a bp morph in my opinion. The type of snakes I'd like to get in the future start at about $8k. The BPs that I'm really interested in, aside from pieds, are unfortunately at a price point I'm unwilling to pay. They are five figure snakes.
I don't know. Yes it would, the less white, the lower the price.
Some people prefer 10-20% pieds, at that level, I think "what's the point" hah. I'm a high white pied person
Excellent points. Some mutations just shouldn't be bred into fruition, just like the extensive breeding of bulldogs and their life-threatening deformities. I guess he's just a case I can't really help- I could only just watch and care for him as much as I can. I dedicated myself to him when his previous owner left him- I feel obliged to keep him for however long he lives, despite my previous frustration causing me to reconsider handing him off to someone who may be able to work with him better. You might very well make me reconsider ownership of these snakes in the future after this one (or when I finish college and could manage another one- hopefully a nice piebald).Some people prefer 10-20% pieds, at that level, I think "what's the point" hah. I'm a high white pied person
Thank you. I'm really a snake/lizard person first, and a T person second (they came much later in my exotic pet ownership)
I think he should weigh more, but I'd need to see it in person, or at least a pic with something to gauge size. Length doesn't tell me anything. I've seen BPs shorter than mine and they are physically more massive because they were fed more than mine. I cannot explain the fasting, this species is known for it, case closed. Like I said, I never had these fasting issues EVER, I'm lucky. NOR have I ever had a problem switching my balls from live to prekilled. They took prekilled the very next meal, same with my other snakes. All my snakes eat consistently.
As for the Vet, she clearly didn't know that spiders have neurological defects, all spiders do. Not all mutations created by man should be created, the Spider is one of them. Everything the vet observed is simply because it's a spider, nothing more. It's those neurological defects which made me decide to never own a BP with any amount of spider in it.
Some mutations are genetically inferior and in the wild these animals would likely die, albinos are a good example. The spider mutation is another example, and had it occurred in nature would most definitely have died off quickly in my opinion.
It's hard to tell, but he is pretty. I like the spider mutation phenotype, but not the side effects. The main thing you want to make sure his tail is fat, that's where they store excess food, like leopard geckos do. And you don't want to start seeing his spine. I wouldn't give him away unless it was someone that truly knew the issues a spider has.
My other snakes don't do this. I wish I knew why balls do this.
Oh my good god almighty, so sad this is a family friendly website. Wanting to know why balls like getting wet..ohhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyy.
I'm more concerned about the blowing bubbles...
There's nothing about the word balls in this discussion that isn't family friendly
It's quite normal.