New member intro

My name is Emily- I'm new to the ball python 'world' and am eager to learn and become more active.

After getting pretty rude responces based on personal opinions at 'another' forum Marla told me I should post here.

I now (finially!) own my first Ball. I've done quite a bit of rescue work through the years and have learned as much as possible. I know I still have a lot to learn but I have the basics down so my new snake- 6 yr old 3.5 foot boy 'Rad' is hapy and healthy, and will be going to the vet soon for a look over, and parasite sample just in case.

I have wanted a Ball for over 10 years. About 10 years ago I fell for pet rats and now breed show rats (running a well known rattery) and thought it was the end of my 'snake dream'. After doing research I found Gerbils- though harder to breed are just as successful of a diet and in talking to many people are the prefered diet of Balls. I own a few other 'conflicting species' including a dog bred to hunt rats, cats, birds (both finches and tiels), and rabbits so I feel secure that my 'zoo' should be OK and not conflicting... as long as there are no escapees.

Just wanted to give a quick intro before I more than likely go into lurk mode :)

Emily~ DreamEyce Studio and EaglesEye Rattery

Welcome to the site Emily.

Welcome aboard, Emily. :)

Hi.

welcome.
do you belong to any rat forums?some of the pics on your website look familiar.

Welcome!! I used to keep pet rats when I was little... they're awesome :-D

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Originally Posted by Pirranha

welcome.
do you belong to any rat forums?some of the pics on your website look familiar.

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I'm on MOST rat forums and very active in the rat world and have been for years. Name a forum I'm most likely on it *G* Haven't posted much the past few months due to school and work but most everyone knows me.

I'm EaglesEye Rattery, or EaglesEye Rats.

Emily~

Rats are definatly the number one rodent to own as a pet
Rusty

Hi Emily! Glad to see you made it on here. :-) This is definitely the place for friendly ball python folks.

Honestly there are times I PREFER my rats over my dogs (and I'm a professional dog trainer/handler *G*) and rats are VERY much like dogs... very affectionate, loyal, and intelligent. I own 'too many' rats but most know their names, come when called, and some even know tricks like fetch, rolling over, and paying hide and seek.

I wouldn't own a Ball unless I was sure I could properly care for one w/o harming any rats in the process.

I'm very happy to have Rad now and hope to someday get more balls... I'm eyeing Piebald carriers... I can see myself down the line bringing a pair of those home *G*

Welcome aboard.

I wish/hope that I could afford to bring home a pair of piebalds. I think they range about 10,000 each if I'm not mistaken. Give or take a couple of thousand dollars.

Anyway, again, welcome aboard!

I said piebald CARRIERS! LOL I too cannot afford a piebald- but can figure out the $3000-3500 for carriers! (I'd like the have more experience in care, and breeding before getting expensive snakes though... Another way to look at it is I'm waiting 'til Marla has carriers available to send to me *G*

Emily~

oh. i was confused to. we call "carriers" hets. (heterozygous). but im sure you know all about that from rat genetics and such. how do you train a rat to do all that stuf?! seriously id like to know. i want a rat that does all that!
welcome to the site!

Hi, Welcome!
This is a great site with the nicest and best people
Good Luck with your BP

Rats are definetly very smart creatures. i was big into rats before I switched to "the dark side" ..lol
My last rat Bandit was always the best, very good with picking up new tricks!
Welcome to the site!
Rusty
PS: It's always a good idea to feed frozen thawed to your snakes, we do here, I still wouldn't be able to be around when a live rat is offerd for food, but we do have to have them in our freezer. It's easier on me, and I know how our distributors put the animals down. (humanely)
Just a quick note on the matter
Thanks

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Originally Posted by Mike

oh. i was confused to. we call "carriers" hets. (heterozygous). but im sure you know all about that from rat genetics and such. how do you train a rat to do all that stuf?! seriously id like to know. i want a rat that does all that!
welcome to the site!

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In rats they call it 'carriers' (most rat people have NO CLUE on genetics and explaining how recessives WORK is needed for them *G*) so I'm used to using that term. In birds it's 'split' which is REALLY confusing me! *G*

I'm a genetics minor so know a decent amount on genetics, but haven't taken many college courses yet. I've always been fasionated by genetics. Concidering a clay arts minor... which COMPLETELY contridicts the classes I already have down and my major- which is animal science/zooliogy (I could go either way at this point- just have to decide if I want to focus on behavior or nutrition)

I am glad that snakes use scientific terms. In the 'rat world' we have SOOOO many arguements over genetic terms and genotype over phenotype etc. It really gets old *G*

Anyways about training rats.... it's actually fairly easy- if you understand them and animal behavior. I'm a professional dog trainer and positive modivation comes natural to me so I just go with it. If a rat has a specific strength, or a game they like to play or something I associate a word with it and praise them when they do it. Rats are A LOT like dogs... actually in many ways IDENTICAL to dogs behavior wise so are easy to teach new things to.

Some scientists compare rats to humans and say they are a lot like people... hense being used in so many human behavior based expiriments.

I personally think rats make wonderful lively pets and can't imagine my life without them. They unlike dogs don't tend to have behavior issues- and in my experience their behavior issues are almost always health linked unlike dogs. Anyways I'll shut up now before I yap all day *G*

Emily~

Welcome

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Originally Posted by Rustysdragons

Rats are definetly very smart creatures. i was big into rats before I switched to "the dark side" ..lol
My last rat Bandit was always the best, very good with picking up new tricks!
Welcome to the site!
Rusty
PS: It's always a good idea to feed frozen thawed to your snakes, we do here, I still wouldn't be able to be around when a live rat is offerd for food, but we do have to have them in our freezer. It's easier on me, and I know how our distributors put the animals down. (humanely)
Just a quick note on the matter
Thanks

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Right now 'Rad' is on live food eating 2 large mice or one small *cringe* rat twice a month. I plan on switching him to Gerbils, and THEN to prekilled.

Right now he's getting ready to shed but when he's done, and hungry wish me luck! Luckly she says when he's hungry the food is in with him less than a miniute.

I'm thinking my game plan will be feed him a live Gerbil first then feed him a recently killed one (even if I need thongs) Since he's a good eater- and not very picky (his past owner would switch back and forth between mice and rats) I should be in luck and not have much issue swicting him over.

I would keep him on mice but they smell SOOOO bad, and are too small. He's not big enough for baby rabbits either otherwise we have meat rabbits I could part with infants from.

I just can't morally feed rats, and as long as he's happy, and healthy without them I will substitute rats with a just as or more nutritionally apprioate meal!

Emily~

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My last rat Bandit

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I had a rat named Bandit!!! Also had 31 others, lol... Bandit was one of my favorites though :)

yeah, I still accually have a framed picute of bandit, My husband just put it up for me.
I miss her, I keep thinking about owning another pet rat, but with 6 ferrets and the rabbit my hubby would shoot me if I brought home another mammal..lol
Rusty

Hi DreamEyce.. I ran my own rattery for a long while. I agree, rats are awesome. They are super smart. What types are you breeding. I bred dumbos and standards, fawns, blues, slates, berks..etc.. the list can go on and on. And I agree, the arguement and disagreement on what to call what trait is rediculous. Made me crazy. Do you show your rats? Mine were. Got to run.

welcome to the site :D .


p.s. i have rats too! :twisted:

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

Hi DreamEyce.. I ran my own rattery for a long while. I agree, rats are awesome. They are super smart. What types are you breeding. I bred dumbos and standards, fawns, blues, slates, berks..etc.. the list can go on and on. And I agree, the arguement and disagreement on what to call what trait is rediculous. Made me crazy. Do you show your rats? Mine were. Got to run.

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I focus on pearl merle in dumbo but am also breeding Am and Russian blue, Dalmatians/masked, and the newly imported DownUnders which I'm breeding into both blues and merle.

I do show and have shown through a few differnt clubs and done well, and breed for show quality but due to all the disease risks and dumb politics I pretty much just raise happy well socolised family pets.

My rattery website is http://www.eagleseye.us. If you ever have time I'd love to chat. What rattery did you run? (I'm EaglesEye Rattery)

You can IM me as other than work I tend to be on all the time.

Emily~

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Originally Posted by DreamEyce

I said piebald CARRIERS! LOL I too cannot afford a piebald- but can figure out the $3000-3500 for carriers! (I'd like the have more experience in care, and breeding before getting expensive snakes though... Another way to look at it is I'm waiting 'til Marla has carriers available to send to me *G*

Emily~

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Just so long as you give me time to get there! ;-) I see you've uncovered the secret rats' nest here among the BPs. Looks like there's quite a group of us who have or have had both snakes and rats and liked both.

I went today to talk to a woman about selling me a house and was talking about wanting another room in a particular spot and she asked if I wanted a study. I said, not exactly, more of an animal room, and my friend helpfully piped up that I'd be using the room for breeding snakes. I thought the poor woman was going to fall out, but we had a brief chat about what sort of snakes and how big bp's get and what they're like, and she ended up warming up to the idea. She couldn't quite get past the idea of my having snakes and the kids having rats, though. :)

wlecome to the best herp related forum!!! :D
Jesús

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Originally Posted by Marla

Just so long as you give me time to get there! ;-) I see you've uncovered the secret rats' nest here among the BPs. Looks like there's quite a group of us who have or have had both snakes and rats and liked both.

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Hee hee of course I will give you time to get there... like I have an 'extra' couple grand laying around for them... unless your gonna give me a REALLY awesome deal ;)

I figure it could take you 3-4 years 'til you have carriers available... by then would be a great time for me to bring a few home *G* And then from there in a year or two I'll hopefully have some piebald hets available LOL (Gotta have goals right?)

I am eyeing the possible piebald hets concidering bringing home a girl in a few months to a year. That way I can get my breeding experience AND have a possible carrier for down the line.

I'm just glad to finially own my own home and have the money to tend to my Ball.... now comes the addiction part I knew would come so easy when I had the chance!

Emily~

Based on the good news I got yesterday, I might just produce pieds next season! Probably not, but boy wouldn't _that_ be sweet. :-) Hopefully I'll be a homeowner in a few months myself and then be able to pick up a het or poss het piebald female -- better yet, one that's already 800+ grams.

LOL So you'll be making me a REALLY good deal on a het soon 'eh ;)

I have been eyeing getting a possible het when the weather is better... (*slaps wrist*) Luckly I have a supportive hubby who though he's fearful of the snake (but handles lizards just fine *sigh*) he thinks it's a wonderful idea for a hobby. An EXPENSIVE hobby... but then again aren't all womens hobbies expensive ;) (Atleast i don't go shopping for a new wardrobe every 3 months LOL)

Sounds like you are lucky with the hubby. I'll bet he'll be a bp fan himself in no time at all. I've yet to find someone who didn't actually have a phobia who still hated all snakes after a good bit of exposure to bp's. They're just so great. Still, I'd suggest getting some good time in on your existing bp before going for a high-dollar snake.

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I'm thinking my game plan will be feed him a live Gerbil first then feed him a recently killed one (even if I need thongs)

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I guess you could wear a thong if you wanted when you feed him, but dont forget to use tongs also. :lol:

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Originally Posted by Ironhead

I guess you could wear a thong if you wanted when you feed him, but dont forget to use tongs also. :lol:

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Gosh talk about the typo of the week *blush*

Maybe I should have a webcam hooked up for the show while feeding poor Rad?? ;)

I'll be sure to use TONGS if needed and will keep any THONGS put away LMAO *shaking head* It's past my bed time... I don't care WHAT time it is... it's still past my bedtime *G*

lol