New Vet + future Breeding of Cookie

[KingWheatley]

Hey! So I have some weird news about my BOY Cookie.

I got a new vet and this lady was recommended to me by an owner of 7 BPs and a Boa. This vet wasn't online, and is strictly reptiles? A family sort of practice if I'm understanding correctly. Bit sketchy, I thought.

I didn't really get much of a check up for Cookie, just a weigh in and look over. 225 ish point something grams. No parasites or cold. Healthy and hydrated. And hemipenes were confirmed. So definitely a boy.

The mice I've been feeding him from Petsmart are confirmed to be labeled incorrectly (Arctic Mice apparently are consistently calling a medium mouse a "large" mouse"). But fortunately are ok in terms of size of what to feed him, according to the vet.

His morph is claimed to be an enchi. One parent was at least a norm. The other was an at least an enchi. (This is based off the babies produced in the same batch of hatchlings. Unconfirmed if the banana morph they were selling at the time was of a different batch.) now that he's a bit grown, his pattern seems distinctly enchi, according to that girl.

Can I have a double check- opinion on this please? I'm considering breeding down the road. (WAY down the road....)
Back

Head

Side

Belly


Certainly a reduced pattern, and the belly markings throw people off of him being a normal. However Enchi's have orange, and Cookie is most definitely shades of light brown, which support the reduced pattern, thing. No yellow, that I can see. Though there are some flecks of orange in there. Though, supporting the enchi theory, the light coloring towards the spine, and not as dark as a normal. More of a bronze, than a brown.

Eye color is dark, which supports the normal, but arguably I can see sort of a dark blue/green to them.

But with each shed he's getting lighter! His black bands are staying black, though in places they become more of a dark chocolate color, like on his head.

The photos are of natural light. No flash. Here is a better color bringing-out photo:



She seemed pretty adamant that he was a plain Enchi. But way before, when I first started on this site, I adamantly believed he was a phantom spider. Petsmart's breeder/supplier does not breed phantoms. Confirmed through many significant sources. Point is, just because someone really thinks they are right, doesn't mean they are.

From what I had understood by many sources on this site, Cookie is just a normal with some reduced patterns.

So my follow up questions are these:

Is it genetic? What morphs would look good with this pattern if it is? If he is inbred, like I think he could be based on the fact that it's a box store, will that hurt his offspring even if he shows he is healthy?

(Also aren't Enchi technically reduced pattern pastels? Cookie is certainly not a pastel.)


Herp Derp

[wolfy-hound]

Enchi is a separate morph, not a reduced pattern pastel.

The mice marketed by Arctic Mice are not labeled "incorrectly" as there is no industry standard as to size of feeder rodents. In fact, where I buy my rats, the size can differ depending on who collects my order at times.

If it's a vet with a vet practice, then I'm not sure how that seems sketchy, unless you're just put off by them not being listed online. Not all vets are.

Inbreeding is not an issue with ball pythons the way it might be with higher mammals. Even most commercial and lab rat colonies are completely closed, and are comprised of perfectly healthy rodents, and it's more of an issue with rodents than it would be with snakes. There's no issue there.

Your photos look well within normal range to me. I would label your snake a normal. That is to say, not a morph. Normals can range widely from very dark to very light, and reduced patterns to extremely busy patterns, and the black can vary from jet black to lightish brown. They also will change colors over time, depending on many factors. I have some girls who would pass as fires at certain times, but are still normals genetically.

Personally, I think breeding a normal male is a bit of a waste, but as long as you're prepared to deal with the potential offspring(have a market) then it harms nothing.

[Dave Green]

Looks nothing like an enchi. Looks like a woma to me. Haven't we gone through this a few times already?

[BPGator]

I'm curious - who said he's an Enchi? If I recall correctly, you bought him at PetSmart as a 'fancy' ball. Did your new vet say he's an Enchi or someone at petsmart? And I'm with Dave, looks like a Woma.


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[KingWheatley]

I'm curious - who said he's an Enchi? If I recall correctly, you bought him at PetSmart as a 'fancy' ball. Did your new vet say he's an Enchi or someone at petsmart? And I'm with Dave, looks like a Woma.


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The woman that I described with the seven ball pythons is an employee from Petsmart.


Herp Derp

[KingWheatley]

Looks nothing like an enchi. Looks like a woma to me. Haven't we gone through this a few times already?

When he was a baby yes and when his markings were hardly there on his belly

I mean he still technically a baby but people keep telling me I got this I got that I get this I got that and it's making me confused to be honest


Herp Derp

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Not an enchi even if the "experts" said so.

[PitOnTheProwl]

This is an Enchi..... an about a 7 out of 10 Enchi

[BMorrison]

Nope no Enchi!


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[KingWheatley]

This is an Enchi..... an about a 7 out of 10 Enchi

Those colors, though, are so pretty c:


Herp Derp