I've been holding this stupid question in, but now I'm choking on it! (Dinker?)

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

I couldn't disagree with you more....here's a dinker I picked up last year who's "special" look seems to have proven to be a genetic trait, and I'll be seeing more offspring from him this year. I paid a quite a bit more than the price of a normal, but not anything too out there either. Buying "dinkers" is a gamble, and lots of them have real potential, others never prove out. For the amount I paid for this one, I'd be willing to bet it will be more than worth it by time I figure out what's going on with him.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...J/100_1038.jpg

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imo looks very much like a sable or a chocolate. theres still quite a few balls being imported each year and the more subtle morphs find there way into baby bags all the time.

to OP. Dinkers are fun for breeders and hobby breeders. I see them sort of the reptile worlds version of the back yard mechanic rebuilding that classic car. the owner poors tons of time working on them and most of the time the final product isnt worth near the amount that we put in. but every now and again you strike pay dirt and end up with the coolest thing on the block and everyone wants it reguardless of the cost. if you want to check out some cool looking dinkers and some dinkers that ended up making the morph list check out major league reptiles. I think the latest thing hes got going on is the arryo? aka het rio. pretty cool for an import imo.

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Originally Posted by RobNJ

I couldn't disagree with you more....here's a dinker I picked up last year who's "special" look seems to have proven to be a genetic trait, and I'll be seeing more offspring from him this year. I paid a quite a bit more than the price of a normal, but not anything too out there either. Buying "dinkers" is a gamble, and lots of them have real potential, others never prove out. For the amount I paid for this one, I'd be willing to bet it will be more than worth it by time I figure out what's going on with him.

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...J/100_1038.jpg

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There's something I'm not seeing there, right?
I don't really have a sharp eye for ball pythons, albeit simply because I simply lack the skill, not that I'm dumb and don't care. All I know is that my ball might be an oddball with that stripe that runs down at least half his back; that's about it. Care to clarify that pic for me? :)

Dinkers are a gamble...a gamble I've lost twice now...both of these girls produced very nice babies but nothing new...:rage:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0/lucinew1.jpg


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a386/sho220/gyp3.jpg

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Originally Posted by sho220

Dinkers are a gamble...a gamble I've lost twice now...both of these girls produced very nice babies but nothing new...:rage:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...0/lucinew1.jpg


http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a386/sho220/gyp3.jpg

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I'd keep gambling on that first one, Doug. she's the quintessence of a dinker.

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Originally Posted by wwmjkd

I'd keep gambling on that first one, Doug. she's the quintessence of a dinker.

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^^^ I second that!

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Originally Posted by pythonminion

There's something I'm not seeing there, right?
I don't really have a sharp eye for ball pythons, albeit simply because I simply lack the skill, not that I'm dumb and don't care. All I know is that my ball might be an oddball with that stripe that runs down at least half his back; that's about it. Care to clarify that pic for me? :)

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take a closer look. its got granite like flecking down the sides but inside of the alien heads. dark rich color with chocolate like blushing. thats jmo. i'd take a gamble on that. i'm sure thats not the greatest pic of it also. anywho thats what i see. the owner may see something else. dinker is all in the eye of the owner. lol

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Originally Posted by wwmjkd

I'd keep gambling on that first one, Doug. she's the quintessence of a dinker.

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Sold her off a few years ago. I probably should have given her another shot. Oh well. I really regret selling off the second girl there. She's still one of the best looking normals I've ever seen. :rage:

Man that second girl could pass for a fire most any day of the week. It would be amazing to see what she produces if she's bred to the right morphs.

I have a couple of girls I consider dinkers. One is really light and bright, she made me some amazing vanillas. The other has tons of blushing and a real melty pattern and she made some really sweet fires for me.

Basically, a "dinker" is any snake that has a really unique look to them according to what the buyer is used to seeing, and some people pay a premium price for what they feel is something out of the ordinary on the chance it might prove to be genetic. Most don't prove out naturally, some apparently prove out but the supposed morph they produce doesn't look like anything special to me, and a very rare few actually DO make something cool or never before seen.

It's up to the individual person to decide when looking at an animal if they feel it is worth buying, growing up, breeding and determining if the offspring look enough like the odd parent to merit holding them back and breeding them back to see if it produces something really wild.

Gale

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Originally Posted by pythonminion

There's something I'm not seeing there, right?
Care to clarify that pic for me? :)

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The overall coloration, granite-like speckling, the flames, blushing, the dot behind the head, back striping...

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Originally Posted by H.o.F.R

imo looks very much like a sable or a chocolate. theres still quite a few balls being imported each year and the more subtle morphs find there way into baby bags all the time.

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I really doubt it's chocolate, and sable is one thing I've been thinking, but then the offspring didn't come out as I would have expected...the male bred to a het red axanthic, 4 eggs, 1 normal(I think), 1 HRA, 1 definitely not normal and not really sable looking(IMO), and 1 neat enough to hang on to. Here are pics of the 1 obvious and the other one I kept from the clutch that was cool enough to keep(I still have the HRA, but it's just an HRA).

http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4ed325b2.jpg
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...ps2f549715.jpg
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...psaa9b8988.jpg
http://i1216.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9239f302.jpg

There are enough similarities between the two that I think the second one pictured may just be a much less exaggerated version of the first one pictured.

Thanks everyone! I think I understand what the term means now. I'll be honest though, I still don't see where the pictures posted look unusual. Hopefully after I've been at it long enough and look at enough snakes, I'll eventually be able to hone in on what makes one different than the other when they're basically the same color :)

Interesting thread here on BP.net with a fun picture from facebook that comes to mind every time I hear the word "dinker".

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...71291-Dinkers-!!!