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Re: Snakes and Stones
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Looks like they had a lot of great stuff there...what a shame (for the sellers & animals needing homes) that it wasn't busier.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Looks like they had a lot of great stuff there...what a shame (for the sellers & animals needing homes) that it wasn't busier.
Yeah, the economy in my area is hurting at the moment-regardless of the media claiming otherwise...
Photo #425
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_puphgx.jpg
Montana Agate with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #426
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_jap5fb.jpg
Porphyritic basalt from Massachusetts, USA, with a 100% Het Piebald ball python. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
After much consideration I bought a ball python online today.
He has two genes: one is an incomplete dominant trait, and the other is a het recessive.
He holds the distinction of being the most expensive reptile I have ever purchased (though I am pretty 'thrifty'-lol).
My gf was not happy with the idea, but, when she looked up the morph and she saw what I could do with it-I could almost hear her mental 'cha-ching' and the cartoon-style dollar signs flashing in her eyes. :rolleyes:
She pretty much demanded I buy him...and hey...I am not going to argue...;)
The seller was quick to ship and my new snake is in the sky right now.
His arrival will mark the start of another series of six year breeding projects-luckily-I am a patient man.
I will post a photo tomorrow when I get him...and if I'm not too tired from driving to the Fedex hub: I will post an unboxing video. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
I see my incoming snake is stuck in traffic outside Boston, MA.
Since I am waiting anyway: I might as well go camp out at the FedEx hub until it arrives.
In the meanwhile: Below is a 100% Het Piebald with a piece of Green Grossular Garnet (Tanzania). :)
Photo #427
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_zqab1d.jpg
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Here is an unboxing video of my new arrival today.
Totally nailed the music score in the vid btw. ;)
https://youtu.be/NLgTi7nVPys
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_cznksa.jpg
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #428
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_y5edf3.jpg
Ball python = Pastel/Orange Dream/100% Het Piebald.
Agate from Utah, USA.
:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #429
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_b7drae.jpg
Tiger eye from South Africa with a GHI/Het Yellowbelly or Gravel.
I like the little hearts in the banding lol...:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
Me too.:D
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #430
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_huysgh.jpg
Thunderegg piece with a 100% Het VPI Axanthic/66% Het Orange Ghost + 1 possible Pattern Altering Gene (neither Enchi/OD/Het Albino/Lav Albino).
If I didn't know the parents for this one: I would have guessed Enchi/Het Lavender Albino (and been 100% wrong lol).
Fun fact: Thundereggs are volcanic bubbles that are formed by compressed gases in rhyolitic (silica-rich) magma. Some geodes are thundereggs, but, not all thundereggs are geodes. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
So, I have the Special/Het Monsoon ball python I got two days ago in a quarantine enclosure. I noticed every time I walk by during the day he comes out of his hide and stares at me-when he should be sleeping.
These guys aren't complex thinkers: he either doesn't like his cage, his temps are not calibrated properly, or he is hungry.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ood_gpzuzl.jpg
I see...:)
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He's got some very pretty coloration. And obviously, an appetite, haha.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
He's got some very pretty coloration. And obviously, an appetite, haha.
Yep!
There are always a few things that I worry about when I get a new snake:
1. Does it have an infectious disease/condition?
2. Will it eat-has it truly been eating on its own?
3. Will this snake be a reliable breeder?
The first two can be determined in quarantine. The third one will be discovered later.
At least I can resolve my question #2 at the moment. :)
Photo #431
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_kyvgzo.jpg
Enchi/Het Clown with a piece of Jasper from the Mid-West USA.
Fun fact: This is the 81st ball python of the 2024 breeding season I have shown.
Of the ones I have displayed thus far: Only four are personal holdbacks-and the rest have been sold to distributors.
I cross my fingers and hope people are taking good care of them.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
....Of the ones I have displayed thus far: Only four are personal holdbacks-and the rest have been sold to distributors.
I cross my fingers and hope people are taking good care of them.
That's what I hated about breeding snakes- parting with them after raising them up, & hoping they remained in good hands.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
That's what I hated about breeding snakes- parting with them after raising them up, & hoping they remained in good hands.
Yeah, I couldn't imagine breeding dogs or cats...I would be relentlessly harassing the new owners to make sure they were doing a proper job...:)
Photo #432
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_mlrwo4.jpg
Brazilian agate nodule tumbled whole with a Spider/66% Het VPI Axanthic/66% Het Orange Ghost.
Side Story:
I baked a cake 2 weeks ago , and I used a small amount of Betty Crocker frosting on the top (yes yes, I'm a guy and I like to cook--deal with it).
I wasn't sure what to do with the remaining nearly full container of vanilla frosting...according to the label it still contained about 1000 calories (mostly sugar): so I rotated it through my mouse stock cages (containing about 30 mice/cage).
I was surprised that they were reluctant to eat it, and even after exposure to several hundred mice-it took them ~10 days to finish off the small container.
Each stock cage of mice only ate a ~10% portion of the frosting/day, but, all of them became diabetic and their waste and smell doubled/tripled for the next week (super gross!).
This is the second week post-frosting, and my mouse stock cages have returned to normal-which indicates that the effects were only temporary.
Even though a percentage of their diet was frosting at one point, I saw no decline in the amount of regular food that was consumed...I suppose it only makes sense as frosting is nutritionally void.
Anyhow, I just thought I would share this anecdote for fun. :)
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Much better (& almost as easy as opening a can) to make vanilla buttercream frosting from scratch- & no "Franken-food" ingredients. Do you really want to eat something that has a shelf-life of "practically forever"- that even microbes don't want?
Not sure homemade frosting would go over any better with mice though- they like what they like, & they must have thought that stuff was from the moon? :D
Mice are not the garbage-disposals that rats are...rats would have been thrilled to lend a hand, or rather, their tongues. When I had rats, I'd always let them lick out my "empty" peanut butter jars, & they got them spotless! :rofl:
BTW, there's nothing wrong with a guy that bakes & cooks...my brother is pretty good in the kitchen too, at least for some things- his specialties- & it gives his wife a break.
Vanilla buttercream frosting is my favorite, & very hard to mess up- I mostly don't even measure. Recipe is usually on box of confectioner's sugar or online- just conf. sugar, butter, milk (whole is best), vanilla, dash of salt. Set out to soften the butter- then blend & whip ingredients in electric mixer: roughly 1 box sugar, softened butter (about 1/3 -1/2 c.), 1 tsp. vanilla or a bit more if you want, dash salt, & enough milk to moisten to the right consistency- don't add it all at once- you want spreadable but not runny. I do not sift the sugar- no need. If you have too much, you can freeze the extra frosting for another time, but it's also good on graham crackers & other things. ;)
P.S. Nice snake & amazing agate!
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Much better (& almost as easy as opening a can) to make vanilla buttercream frosting from scratch- & no "Franken-food" ingredients. Do you really want to eat something that has a shelf-life of "practically forever"- that even microbes don't want?
Not sure homemade frosting would go over any better with mice though- they like what they like, & they must have thought that stuff was from the moon? :D
Mice are not the garbage-disposals that rats are...rats would have been thrilled to lend a hand, or rather, their tongues. When I had rats, I'd always let them lick out my "empty" peanut butter jars, & they got them spotless! :rofl:
BTW, there's nothing wrong with a guy that bakes & cooks...my brother is pretty good in the kitchen too, at least for some things- his specialties- & it gives his wife a break.
Vanilla buttercream frosting is my favorite, & very hard to mess up- I mostly don't even measure. Recipe is usually on box of confectioner's sugar or online- just conf. sugar, butter, milk (whole is best), vanilla, dash of salt. Set out to soften the butter- then blend & whip ingredients in electric mixer: roughly 1 box sugar, softened butter (about 1/3 -1/2 c.), 1 tsp. vanilla or a bit more if you want, dash salt, & enough milk to moisten to the right consistency- don't add it all at once- you want spreadable but not runny. I do not sift the sugar- no need. If you have too much, you can freeze the extra frosting for another time, but it's also good on graham crackers & other things. ;)
P.S. Nice snake & amazing agate!
Thanks!
Yes, I'm the head chef in my household. I tell my parents that times have changed and household chores based on gender are no longer applicable, but, do they listen? Of course not...they are still old-school...:)
Yes I'm sure rats would have loved to eat the generic frosting. Type II Diabetic mice are gross enough, diabetic rats would have been worse!
I rarely make cakes-I feel awful after I eat them due to a number of food intolerances lol.
My favorite was Pineapple-Upside-Down-Cake, but, Covid wiped out my pineapple taste receptors. Less calories means less cardio though...so...there is that....
Photo #433
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_qb5pjh.jpg
Fire/Het Clown with some tumbled/polished stromatolite.
In other news: Stable Diffusion 3.5 (Large Model) was released on October 29th 2024.
I downloaded it yesterday and I had to configure a new user interface ('ComfyUI') to run it.
I'm glad the new setup is simple to use...oh wait...ughhh...
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ogujad.jpg
It really shines in creating text, and while it does draw snakes better than SDXL-it still gets confused with the body and tail and requires manual corrections.
SD3.5 is just a base model. Since it is open-source the user population will rapidly improve it....better models should show up soon...
I still plan to build an add-on using my Snakes and Stones photos, unfortunately SD3.5 currently runs 10X slower on my system than SDXL. :taz:
I'm going to wait a while first to find out if the community can speed it up a bit...it will take my computer weeks at the current rate, and I don't feel like renting a supercomputer for the sake of improving the realism on digitally generated snake images. :rolleye2:
In the meanwhile:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ru1atz.jpg
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Dang, stop making me hungry! I love pineapple upside down cake too- & I definitely eat my share of sweets. Happily, I have a great metabolism & it doesn't show (don't hate me).
:hijackd: Hahaha! Back to the snake pics! :gj:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #434
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_zduzmk.jpg
GHI with a chunk of petrified wood from Arizona, USA. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
I picked up a few more uranium glass dishes the other day.
Below is a quick shot of one of them with my Spider Ivory from photo #362.
I made sure to limit the UV exposure of the snake to <5 seconds-as the light bothers both of our eyes...:cool:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_y7udy6.jpg
The top stone is green aventurine (India).
The one on the left is some sort of local granite (MA, USA).
The one on the right is a fragment of a geode (KY, USA).
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Someone mentioned that the stones in the image above are not glowing, but, reflecting UV light.
That is a reasonable assumption, but, short wave UV light acts a bit different than long wave 'black light'.
Shown below is what it looks like when I am picking out UV reactive stones (@365nm):
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ive_migmy4.jpg
It is pretty obvious which ones don't glow, and they all do not look 'blue/purple'. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #435
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_vmu7bo.jpg
Natural iron stained granite from Massachusetts USA, with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino.
I produced a lot of these ball pythons this season. More than any other genetic combo.
Sometimes I have to wonder what happened...I missed the double recessive...did I make a mistake somewhere?
I started with two clutches of 100% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albinos.
1 clutch with 2 males and 3 females
1 clutch with 1 male and 4 females
To avoid in-breeding: I crossed my 'most likely double Het' male from the first clutch with the females from the second, and the single male from the second clutch with the females from the first.
-The first male bred with the 4 females and did not produce a single Lavender Albino. Statistically there is 1:4 chance that he would have produced a Lavender Albino if the female was also Het for this gene. Given the number of eggs available-this proves that he is not an actual Het. As a result: this converts all of his non-clown offspring from the 4 clutches into 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albinos (since it is still possible for the female to be carrying Het Lavender Albino).
-The second male *did* produce Lavender Albinos (+66% Het Clown), however the odds of producing a double recessive using strictly Hets is 1:16-and he failed, but, not because of genetic background, but, because it was just an unlikely event.
While I did miss out on Clown/Lavender Albinos this year-I did prove one of my males to be a Double Het for the next (which is very useful).
In addition: Earlier in the year I had purchased a breed age Super Blade ball python that is both 100% Het for Clown and Lavender Albino. This separate bloodline will allow to me ignore any inbreeding concerns for the next generation, and reinforce my probabilities for the 2025 season.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #436
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_etxty5.jpg
Flash photography shows all the internal inclusions in translucent stones. :)
I don't think I got a good representation of the snake in this photo above. Below is a snake-only pic (Axanthic/100% Het Orange Ghost).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_o25vwm.jpg
The amethyst is the stuff I picked up from my trip to RoughStone rock-starting to get some pieces out of polish.
Start:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_uzd6zn.jpg
Week 1 (Rotary):
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_onoysw.jpg
Week 2 (Rotary):
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_przdcv.jpg
Week 3 (Rotary):
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_yxwciv.jpg
Except for 2 of the larger chunks which are still in rotary....the others are queued up for finishing in my vibe tumbler.
Note: Vibe tumblers are good for rapidly smoothing/polishing stones, but, they usually do not change the shape--so as long as I am satisfied with the overall shape: they are good to go...:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #437
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_qehikm.jpg
100% Het Piebald with an odd stone. The stone looks like banded obsidian, but, it is not.
It came in a box of petrified wood from across the USA...but, I'm not so sure that is what it is. Mohs hardness of 7 (e.g. harder than a steel nail).
Looks a lot like the banding I see on clam shells, but, it could just be a natural geological structure.
I will update this thread if someone from the rock group can identify it...:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Interesting. Definitely looks a lot like a clam shell.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
Interesting. Definitely looks a lot like a clam shell.
Yep, but, just a geology thing.
A member of the rock forum ID'd it as Ohio Flint (from Ohio, USA), and I totally agree.
The patterning combined with those ugly splotches and creases in the stone are the giveaway.
Photo #438
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_gcx8om.jpg
These are 'Brazilian Agate Nodules' that I tumbled. Impossibly pitted.
Agates are supposed to have banding, and these don't...so I guess that makes them Brazilian Chalcedony instead of Brazilian Agate. :)
This 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino ball python was also 100% dedicated to biting me.
I had to put one of the stones on his tail for the photo to keep him from closing the distance between us.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
...This 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino ball python was also 100% dedicated to biting me.
I had to put one of the stones on his tail for the photo to keep him from closing the distance between us.
:rofl: Hey, whatever works! :rofl:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #439
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_corgup.jpg
Super GHI with a piece of local river quartz-ish material.
Breeders Note: In 2024 I produced 3 snakes that I am confident are Super GHI.
Only 1 of them came out super black pigmented (not shown)...for some reason I thought they all would...
I suppose next time I have to study Morphmarket closer...it seems that high-black specimens are not as common as I thought...:irkd:
And an Update:
My Dreamsicle that got caught in the egg and suffered internal injuries in the process- has finally eaten its first meal-unassisted! Whooo!
I force-fed it 8 meals before we reached this point.
Photos of the current status below.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_r9dhoj.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_vladzy.jpg
Internal bruising is almost gone and the dorsal scales are white again now (instead of dark purple).
I'm going to skip a ventral (belly) photo as it is still a bit gross.
I'm hoping that as the snake starts growing that the problem will become proportionally smaller. :)
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Hang in there, Dreamsicle! :please: Hopefully time will fully heal this unfortunate one. :gj:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #440
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_vhuegz.jpg
GHI with a Brazilian Agate Nodule.
You can compare this snake to Photo #439 to see the difference between the Super and Non-Super form of GHI.
Fun fact: My initial GHI ball python was an undersized/unsexed/non-eating hatchling. I think I paid $20 for him at an expo-with zero guarantee from the breeder. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #441
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_yspt3m.jpg
Lavender Albino/66% Het Piebald with some assorted white stones (quartz + agate).
Combining piebald genes with Lavender Albino increases the saturation of the orange coloration.
Below are two Lavender Albinos-I'm sure you can pick which one has 1 copy of the Piebald gene. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_v1rgor.jpg
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
Wow! That's a significant difference.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
...Fun fact: My initial GHI ball python was an undersized/unsexed/non-eating hatchling. I think I paid $20 for him at an expo-with zero guarantee from the breeder. :)
I love it when the "under-dogs" turn out to be a real gift! That's very cool...sometimes it really pays to take that chance.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
Wow! That's a significant difference.
Yep! Dreamsicle (Lavender Albino/Pied) is one of my favorite orange ball python morphs. Super Orange Dream/Pied is also on my list. I'm working on that one too. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I love it when the "under-dogs" turn out to be a real gift! That's very cool...sometimes it really pays to take that chance.
Yep!
There was a point in time where I could find non-eating ball python morphs or 'imminent failure to thrives' at a deep discount at various breeders tables. In recent years I have not seen these at all...I did mention it to one breeder-and he said that the exposition 'rule enforcers' consider a non-eating hatchling to *not be healthy* and thus cannot be at the expo...yeah I get it, but, it still seems a bit subjective to me...
In other news I had the day off today since my car is in the shop.
I had finished tumbling that big box of Montana Agates that I had shown a while back.
Even though I'm backlogged a few hundred lbs. of stones for my vibe tumbler, I still polished some of the most recent ones.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_qopigk.jpg
I had an empty 12lb. barrel for rotary tumbling available, so I pulled out my next burst usps box in my garage.
Guess what I found: Montana Agate...again....lololol
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_yxbc4o.jpg
I told Santa Claus I wanted 132lbs. of #46 Silicon Carbide for Christmas.
I've been a good boy, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to get it.
I will need it...:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #442
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_jbima3.jpg
Pastel/Het Gravel or YB, and a piece of tumbled Rose Quartz from *South Dakota, USA* (not Africa).
Fun fact: Rose Quartz ('Heart Stone') is extremely common and highly abundant in several locations around the world.
If you are spending more than $1/lb.+shipping for anything other than top grade rough material: You are paying too much.
Note:
My Special/Het Monsoon Ball Python: Now earns the distinction of the first ball python that I have been required to upgrade the size of their enclosure during quarantine.
His appetite and growth curve are...unusually high...at the current rate he will easily surpass my fastest growing snake of my 2024 season...this is...interesting...:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #443
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_baselp.jpg
Green Aventurine from the last blacklight photo, Amethyst, and a few neat red agates from the Mid-Weet USA.
Ball Python is a Pastel Piebald.
Fun fact: I held back all of my Pastel Piebald hatchlings this year-which makes this morph the most common in my collection now. :)
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I'm betting you have a LOT of snakes! :rofl:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I'm betting you have a LOT of snakes! :rofl:
I'm betting he has so many snakes that he doesn't know how many snakes he has.;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I'm betting you have a LOT of snakes! :rofl:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
I'm betting he has so many snakes that he doesn't know how many snakes he has.;)
All these bets! So many gamblers...:)
You are both correct: I do have a lot of snakes, and I do not keep count of them. I do keep track of how much negative space I have, e.g. right now: I have empty enclosures for 4 additional full-size adults, and 2 sub-adults.
I'm not going to say how many I have, but, if you read enough of my posts you can easily guess the number of ball pythons I am keeping.
Just take that number and add -50- and you will probably be close. :snake2:
Photo #444
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_vz0i0u.jpg
A polished chunk of local quartzite with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #445
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_afivtf.jpg
Lesser ball python with a few larger chunks of Amazonite.
Also randomly: I was weighing some of my 2025 breeders and I snapped a nice pic of my Mojave Ghost (shown below).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_npdz6o.jpg
She will be my only Mojave breeder for 2025, but, 2026 will be a totally different story...;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #446
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ch53fz.jpg
Ivory (Super YellowBelly) ball python. Stones are iron-stained quartz, agate, and jasp-agate from various locations.
Coloration can vary on ivories, but, the one above is 'typical'-and not *my* cup of tea...I would avoid making them if they were not highly useful for producing Highway morph ball pythons. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #447
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_stkadh.jpg
Enchi/Het Clown/50% Het Albino with a Montana Agate.
The Enchi patterning is pretty obscured in this one, but, still has a really nice trademark gold color. :)
Side Story:
Enchi was the second gene I added to my collection (first was Pastel). The third gene was Caramel (recessive).
I used Enchi exclusively as part of my Caramel (aka Caramel Albino) project for years before breeders collectively started getting wiser and sharing notes.
The majority of ball python keepers (myself included) decided that the Caramel Line was bad news (birth defects, infertility, erratic behavior, light sensitivity/blindness).
After I rehomed all of my Caramels as pets: I still had my original Enchi male and have been slowly phasing this morph back into combos.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #448
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_wtc0ho.jpg
Ball python = 66% Het Lavender Albino/50% Het Piebald-starting shed, and a piece of polished jasper from the West Coast, USA.
Note: I was updating my profile today-since I'm now at 20+ years breeding ball pythons (instead of 15+)--yes, yes, I know, I'm getting older-it happens...
I wasn't paying attention, but, it seem that I have 110K views on my profile pics...hahaha...I wasn't expecting so many people to be looking at them.
My profile gallery images are kinda bad because I was working with older digital tools. Anyhow:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_i288rr.jpg
:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Went to a big flea market and a few rock stores in Connecticut today-Prices were insane!
Luckily I already have a lifetime supply of rough stones in my garage-so I'm all set...
I did pick up a few more uranium glass dishes....so UV pictures to follow-when I get the chance. :)
Photo #449
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_hgetzs.jpg
GHI/Fire/Lesser (resembles a brighter HGW/Lesser).
Stones are Blue Chalcedony (ID, USA), and Yellow Quartz (MA, USA). If I bought these stones somewhere today-they would have cost me like $9/piece.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
It has been highly doubtful, but, after a few meals on its own...I am confident this one below is 'going to make it'. Christmas/Thanksgiving Day miracle and such...:D
Photo #450
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_cql5dx.jpg
Lavender Albino/Piebald (Dreamsicle), with Montana Agate.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ds6nsh.jpg
vs. Lavender Albino
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_cqqogs.jpg
While I should be excited that this Dreamsicle was achieving one of my project goals...this snake has had a tough time-after getting stuck in the egg...and thus I'm not overly enthused.
I am still retaining my proven Double Hets and trying again next year to make more durable Dreamsicle specimens for my collection. :)
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I'm sure your good care helped him survive- I'm glad you gave him the chance, however doubtful his future seemed at the time. :gj:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
I'm sure your good care helped him survive- I'm glad you gave him the chance, however doubtful his future seemed at the time. :gj:
I'm sure a lot of cynics would say I focused on this snake because it is a valued morph. Not me though-I would have spent the same level of effort on any of my hatchlings with the issue. :)
Photo #451
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...atermarked.jpg
Local fine-grain granite from the Connecticut River (shown above). It is a really challenging stone to break. Post-tumbling it took a very high polish (even for granite)--I am very pleased with the final outcome.
Ball python is a Pastel/Orange Ghost/Het VPI Axanthic.
Side Story: I saw a 'professional' photographer online taking photos of his ball pythons--the photos are much sharper than my own (much more expensive camera-of course). Some of his images had multiple adult ball pythons arranged neatly. I looked at his posts and he said he was putting his ball pythons in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes ahead of time. I personally disagree with this method as ball pythons are not corn snakes-and they are inherently not designed to withstand those temperatures. I understand that sometimes vets will do this for an examination, but, just for the sake of photos---nah...not cool in my book....
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
Side Story: I saw a 'professional' photographer online taking photos of his ball pythons--the photos are much sharper than my own (much more expensive camera-of course). Some of his images had multiple adult ball pythons arranged neatly. I looked at his posts and he said he was putting his ball pythons in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes ahead of time. I personally disagree with this method as ball pythons are not corn snakes-and they are inherently not designed to withstand those temperatures. I understand that sometimes vets will do this for an examination, but, just for the sake of photos---nah...not cool in my book....
I agree, and if my vet did that, I'd seriously consider changing vets.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
I'm sure a lot of cynics would say I focused on this snake because it is a valued morph. Not me though-I would have spent the same level of effort on any of my hatchlings with the issue. :) ......
......Side Story: I saw a 'professional' photographer online taking photos of his ball pythons--the photos are much sharper than my own (much more expensive camera-of course). Some of his images had multiple adult ball pythons arranged neatly. I looked at his posts and he said he was putting his ball pythons in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes ahead of time. I personally disagree with this method as ball pythons are not corn snakes-and they are inherently not designed to withstand those temperatures. I understand that sometimes vets will do this for an examination, but, just for the sake of photos---nah...not cool in my book....
No, I never thought that. Guess I don't belong in the "cynics club". :cool:
I've never heard of a vet doing that but I could understand it if it was so they could get a necessary x-ray, for example. Or maybe so the snake didn't squirm for a risky injection- something like that?
For photos? I think that's really awful- not worth the risk to the snake. :( I've never thought of doing that to ANY snake, corn or otherwise. And I've done plenty of things I wanted them calm for.
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