OK I keep getting flack for keeping my snakes in a rack system

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Originally Posted by visceralrepulsion

Who are you speaking towards?

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BTW, you are not the "Buddy".

I would just like to say how I love that there are posters in this thread that made accounts JUST to post in this thread. Trying to tilt the scales much? One or two of your "friends" posting in your favor is not going to change the opinions (of your rudeness, condescending attitude, and your insults) of an entire ball python community. Please take your attacks elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Let me make sure I understand this.....you have never kept ball pythons, but know people who do - so that means by association, you know the best way to house ball pythons (after all - your way is right and everyone else is wrong - by your own admission).

But because someone didn't keep the exact animal you keep, then they couldn't possibly be able to debate with you about said animal....right?

And you also argue, how do we KNOW that our animals are happy the way that we keep them? Well - how do YOU know that yours are? How do you know that yours wouldn't be just as perfectly happy in a secure tub with newspaper that they can get under, water, and regular meals?

Just because yours is "prettier" and requires more work makes you more passionate as a keeper .... or wait - you said it doesn't take you more time, so it's not about tubs being "easier" that makes us less passionate since according to your calculations, it doesn't require more time to maintain them?

When I started out, I provided a naturalistic enclosure for some of my ball pythons, they went off feed, and roamed all the time - a sign of stress in ball pythons. When I moved those same animals to appropriately sized tubs with snug hides - they began to feed vigorously. It was my PASSION for these critters to not wish to see them stressed by the extra stimulation I was providing them and to choose to keep them in a way that I believe was better for MY animals.

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Let me get this right, you haven't bothered to read the thread properly. Otherwise you would have seen me state this is not solely directed at ball python keepers. I don't care what you keep, it's in general to inadequate housing (in my opinion), size and the way it is set up. Boa keepers do it, retic keepers do it, rattlesnake keepers do it, it doesn't matter what snake.

Yes by association, but this is one of my best friends. I've looked after his Royals when he was on holiday etc, but I haven't owned any myself, no.

And again, I've got nothing against tubs!

Well your naturalistic set up was obviously not set up correctly. Do you have any pictures of it? There are copious amounts of people who have my style set ups for royals and their snakes feed perfectly, because they're given more than adequate hiding space etc.

I don't know they're happy. I never will. However, I am of the view that if I'm going I replicate the temp's and humidity of the wild, I may as well replicate the environment they live in as closely as I possibly can. After all it cost's peanuts to set up a nice enclosure, if you're smart about it.

There are plenty of other things keepers should also do, like vary the diet of their animals. So many people just consistently feed their snakes the same old mice, mice, mice, mice. I mix it up, dependent on species obviously, but I use every food source available to me; chicks; mice; rats; quails, gerbils, lizards etc.

A lot of keepers don't also alter their feeding regimes, I never stick to a day to feed them. For example, my Gaboons were last fed 4 weeks ago. Next time round i might leave it 2.5 weeks, it's little things like this I believe can make your snakes more active and replicating the behaviour in the wild.

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Originally Posted by snakehobbyist

I would just like to say how I love that there are posters in this thread that made accounts JUST to post in this thread. Trying to tilt the scales much? One or two of your "friends" posting in your favor is not going to change the opinions (of your rudeness, condescending attitude, and your insults) of an entire ball python community. Please take your attacks elsewhere.

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None of them are my friends, how about you get the mods to check their ip and see what country they're from? Seeing as I'm from Europe and don't have any friends in the states, thank you very much.

I will keep this short and sweet. I have multiple bps and they are all kept in tub/rack system. I am not going to get involved with everyone else thinks or tell someone they are right or wrong, but what i can tell and show everyone is that - I have a bunch of bps and i have posted a picture of one of my pied females. She has lived in a tub on paper - and I dont know if you can tell but she is very happy and has no problem. :)

Let me also add the only photoshop involved is the white background. I did not edit anything within her.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...smileyface.jpg

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Originally Posted by hype1108

I will keep this short and sweet. I have multiple bps and they are all kept in tub/rack system. I am not going to get involved with everyone else thinks or tell someone they are right or wrong, but what i can tell and show everyone is that - I have a bunch of bps and i have posted a picture of one of my pied females. She has lived in a tub on paper - and I dont know if you can tell but she is very happy and has no problem. :)

Let me also add the only photoshop involved is the white background. I did not edit anything within her.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r...smileyface.jpg

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Haha! Is that honestly a 100% genuine picture? If so, that is amazing.

It is I can take one of her in the tub with an iphone or something later. Its almost on her spine so as she moves it can be a smiley face, poker face or sad face. lol As she grows it does nothing but gets bigger and grows without getting distorted. Wish it was genetic - I could have my own line of smileys haha

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/10/30/tenada7u.jpg

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by visceralrepulsion

By the way, since my post was last, if I'm the "buddy": I don't come to forums to make friends or fit in, I come to find factual, evidentiary, truthful, realistic, and otherwise TRUE information. When older or more experienced herpers, etc, tell the novices that racks are the only way to do something, tanks are crappy enclosures, and what not, it pisses me off. Because that's an opinion, not a fact. I stated from the beginning that this was all basically my opinion with some factual evidence too. But don't tell novices they have to keep their snakes in racks or they won't eat, or they will stress out, etc etc etc, and expect people not to react slightly emotionally driven. If you want to make friends, kiss all the tushie you want by sugar coating your own misguided opinions,fine whatever, but I won't be doing so. I'm here to learn, not form a comradery with the cliques that have formed amongst you all. Do YOU know how YOU sound? What's bollocks is that some people are too lazy to get off their rear and mist their snakes, monitor their temps, and allow their snakes room to have some stimulation and freedom because they are selfish 9/10 times. THAT is bollocks. If you can't be bothered with giving your snakes decent enclosures, or misting, buying an auto-mister, or monitoring temps, etc, don't bother AT ALL. I think you fail to see the attitude you just displayed in your comments. And now after just wanting to offer how I do things, why, and my personal opinion on the subject, you've brought out the beastial side in me. Thanks.

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Lol wow.
I think it's quite clear that I wasn't referring to you.

Way to go, champ.

My snakes are in shoe boxes. I keep them on a bakers rack and use oil lanterns underneath to heat it all. So far taping the lids down works, and as long as I don't mist too much the shoe boxes don't get overly soggy. I use dried up banana peels for bedding since it's free (I eat a lot of bananas). I have been trying to get my balls onto eating ground beef, but for whatever reason no matter how much I rub the rat on it, they just won't strike it... I put it in a tube sock so that it doesn't squish out everywhere when they try to constrict it... any ideas on that?

Anyways,
Naturalistic enclosures are not good for snakes, as they will be exposed to parasites and predators in the wild, so I would have to put those in to make it as 'natural' as possible, you know? I don't want to have to do that. I love my snakes too much.

Also, I keep dart frogs in snow globes and try to inbreed as much as possible to hone in on the best traits. I also love hybridizing localities!