Dinkers: Please agree with me so I feel better!

Ok I am joking about you need to agree with me... :D

Here's what happened. A few years ago, I picked up a male and a few females from a CH shipment of ball python that were kind of odd looking and "dinker worthy". The intention was to test them out to see if there was anything genetically reproducible. At the time, and the years before it, I was so passionate about ball pythons I would wake up in the night and just sit in front of my racks in awe. All my holidays, free time etc was spent 100% with my reptiles, seeing others reptiles, building cages and racks or researching it, all that stuff. I enjoyed it and it was the only thing I enjoyed for years and years.

The past few years had not been too easy on myself and my family. I won't go into to much details as I don't want this to be a negative post, but lets just say it got to the point it made no sense for me to spend all that money on rats, vet bills etc., and having fallen into depression in an overwhelming life situation, I started resenting all the money I was spending, and, like I said earlier, basically 100% of my time for them, cleaning snake crap and feeding. It became a chore. My 12 year old tegu (he was like a son to me) dying of cancer last year after tens of thousands of dollars at the bazillion vet visits, and many sleepless nights of cancer treatments, medicines, injections etc. did not help revive my enthusiasm for reptiles either. I was no longer excited about any of my projects and even just abandoned many of them. So, those dinkers lay in the rack, just fed them, watered them etc. I stopped breeding last year altogether except for one pair, and sold off just under half of my snakes so far I think, even giving a few away for free to friends.

Yesterday, I finally got around to selling off those dinkers, and listed them for sale just as normals, because until proven otherwise, that's what they are. I got comments like "nice dinkers" which I guess showed that I had a good eye. The male IMMEDIATELY sold, at 2am in the morning (while I was still in the process of posting ads to different sites), when everyone was asleep, to a girl who wasn't a breeder or anything, just looking for a pet, for roughly USD$60 equivalent. Then THE next morning, people woke up, and like 4 or 5 people inquired about that male, but hardlyany of the others. I finally got curious and asked two of them, why are you interested in that particular snake? They both said "Because there is a good chance its a new gene!" One guy even said, "I'd gladly risk $60 for a chance to get a new gene and many millions of dollars and become famous!" I'm not joking, he actually said that!

Now, I concur that that male was one of the more different looking ones of the bunch, but come on! Firstly, I know it doesn't work like that. If I had carried on with the project, probably one of two things would have happened. 1) I end up with a billion normals I would have to find buyers for, or 2) IF it proved out, after,say two to 5 more years of work (something I have no interest in doing anymore), keeping a bazillion normal looking offspring, and then have a difficult time marketing it unless and perhaps even if it made brilliant looking combos, then I can give myself a pat on the back and that's it. Had I still got the same enthusiasm I had for these snakes I had in my younger days, I'd do it for the fun of it. But now, for what? Every :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: Joe and Mary has a "new morph" and nobody gives a crap. I have made new COMBOS, not new genes, and I know no one really gives a crap nowadays beyond a "Wow that's pretty cool". Moneywise Id be better off risking $2 on a lottery ticket, and famewise, the way the world is today, I'd probably get much much more (and perhaps even more money too!) by videoing myself farting in public wearing a wig and hoping it goes viral. You see? I'm not stupid, I know how this works!

But I do have Howard Hughes level OCD and when they said those things I started going in my head "What if it's a new BILLION DOLLAR MORPH!" "What if I paired to a pastel and it becomes a neon pink snake with Louis vuitton pattern!". I know it's stupid but I can't shake this! UGH!!!

Besides, it's stupid. It's just a ball python that is brighter in color than most, with a decent striped back (not even a full stripe, broken in FOUR places) and a bit of a head stamp. I've been in this game long enough to know it's worth tinkering around with but really? So special? I don't know why those guys were so gaga over it. I think maybe the camera flash made it look lighter than it actually is.

I'm not sure if posting a pic of the snake would be a good idea?Because I'm SURE it will bring out the "inner troll" in some of you all and you'll say "OH DANGGIT YOU STUPID ITS A GAZILLION DOLLAR GENE WHY YOU SOLD IT YOU DUN GOOFED!" LOL!

the "what if"s will eat you alive if you think like this. :)

you're caught in the idea that you let go of something potentially special, but you had that same potential to prove out those dinkers this whole time and it never brought the passion for snake keeping back to you. even if they did prove out, do you really think the spark will come flooding back to you?

i say post the pic and let the internet speculate wildly! :D

That was a great read...thanks for sharing

If not public at least pm me the pic. Curiosity will get the best of me

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

the "what if"s will eat you alive if you think like this. :)

you're caught in the idea that you let go of something potentially special, but you had that same potential to prove out those dinkers this whole time and it never brought the passion for snake keeping back to you. even if they did prove out, do you really think the spark will come flooding back to you?

i say post the pic and let the internet speculate wildly! :D

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BUT WHAT ABOUT THE 100 BILLION DOLLARS AND ALL THE FAME I WILL WALK ON THE RED CARPET AND ALL THE GIRLS WILL LOVE ME! :D

On a serious note, it was more the circumstances and life situation of my family and myself during the last few years which did it. Life felt like a constant battle and to get my butt up to clean 200 tubs amongst all thst made me feel like someone who hates theur job on a monday morning. It wasn't the snakes themselves that made me not want to do it anymore.

Things are looking up now and better for us, so that's good.

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

If not public at least pm me the pic. Curiosity will get the best of me

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Let me think about it I may just post it up for a laugh but I don't want any trollance! :D

If I pm it to you you won't troll me right? Or should I just post it. Let me finish my McDonald's first before I decide.

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Originally Posted by hungba

Let me think about it I may just post it up for a laugh but I don't want any trollance! :D

If I pm it to you you won't troll me right? Or should I just post it.

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post it publicly! we keep the trolls in check. :gj:

You have my word, no trolling. I got ttts back if anyone tries it

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

You have my word, no trolling. I got ttts back if anyone tries it

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Are you making like a reticulated female python guarding her newly laid eggs?

OK fine you guys! TROLL AWAY! I had always wondered what it would be like to be in the comedy central roast anyway and since I am not famous because I didn't prove out the newest coolest super trillion dollar game changing morph this is as close as I get.

https://imgur.com/gallery/NZuU1

Without seeing the animal in question, I would REALLY doubt if you left a million bucks on the table, or even a fraction of it.

Could it have been a new gene? Absolutely. Is it an incredibly high value gene?....probably not, but possible.

The banana/coral glow, albino, and pied.....those were million dollar genes in their day and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why....appeal. You see anyone of them and you just HAVE to have it.


....and if it makes you feel better I owned an entire Bitcoin in November and sold it in November.....Bitcoin proceeded to hit an all time high of $20,000 shortly afterwards........I left $16,000 on the table of guaranteed money. So don't kick yourself too hard, just learn from your errors. :gj:

Cheer up, life is crazy, and it's too short to constantly worry about money as well.

Ugh, why isn't the picture showing?

https://imgur.com/gallery/NZuU1

I'm trying to post the pic I uploaded to incur but it doesn't show anything.

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Originally Posted by hungba

I'm trying to post the pic I uploaded to incur but it doesn't show anything.

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if you have a smartphone you can upload the photos directly from your phone using the free app TapaTalk.

also you can just post the imgur URL.

I uploaded the photo to imgur titled BILLION DOLLAR GENE as a joke and people are commenting asking me to elaborate! LOL

I can't seem to post the pic on the add pic link thing so I will put the link directly here below. I wonder if that won't show up either...

https://imgur.com/gallery/NZuU1

ROAST AWAY!

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Originally Posted by hungba

I uploaded the photo to incur titled BILLION DOLLAR GENE as a joke and people are commenting asking me to elaborate! LOL

I can't seem to post the pic on the add pic link thing so I will put the link directly here below. I wonder if that won't show up either...

https://imgur.com/gallery/NZuU1

ROAST AWAY!

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that's so sad your post is already at -4 hahahaa.

that dinker has a crazy-cool pattern; almost all keyholes. the color looks really nice, too.

No way in heck that's a billion dollar gene....500 million tops [emoji41]

Now they're thumbing me down on imgur cuz they think I really am saying it's a billion dollar gene. Is there any way I can upload the picture to this site without using imgur?

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Originally Posted by hungba

Now they're thumbing me down on imgur cuz they think I really am saying it's a billion dollar gene. Is there any way I can upload the picture to this site without using imgur?

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download the app Tapatalk if you have a smartphone!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

download the app Tapatalk if you have a smartphone!

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LOL I hate technology!

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

No way in heck that's a billion dollar gene....500 million tops [emoji41]

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Should have sold it to you instead I would only charged you 499 million.

But seriously, am I off base in thinking that snake was dinker worthy, but nothing super special beyond that or am I wrong?

I'd say dinker worthy but I am in no way qualified to make that decision

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Originally Posted by hungba

But seriously, am I off base in thinking that snake was dinker worthy, but nothing super special beyond that or am I wrong?

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definitely dinker-worthy.

hey it's good to see u around. don't worry, u will find your way back to reptiles when you're ready.

that dinker looks like a wonky Mystic/Phantom w/ an interesting head stamp.

(also to post pix, use image tags [IMG] put link to pix here [/IMG] or simply copy the BBCode for forums and paste it.)

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Originally Posted by hungba

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE 100 BILLION DOLLARS AND ALL THE FAME I WILL WALK ON THE RED CARPET AND ALL THE GIRLS WILL LOVE ME! :D

On a serious note, it was more the circumstances and life situation of my family and myself during the last few years which did it. Life felt like a constant battle and to get my butt up to clean 200 tubs amongst all thst made me feel like someone who hates theur job on a monday morning. It wasn't the snakes themselves that made me not want to do it anymore.

Things are looking up now and better for us, so that's good.

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that sounds like something Chris H. would say Lol.

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Originally Posted by hungba

OK fine you guys! TROLL AWAY! I had always wondered what it would be like to be in the comedy central roast anyway and since I am not famous because I didn't prove out the newest coolest super trillion dollar game changing morph this is as close as I get.https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach.../gallery/NZuU1

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oh i only tease. :P
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Bq370aw.jpg

this one's kinda sad.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/lyglcoQ.jpg

Looks like a new gene to me. Amazing unique snake. I like really cool reduced pattern dinkers, and have one myself. 'GODZILLA" she is my avatar photo on the left <---- I wouldn't sell my Godzilla Dinker for less than $500, simply because she is a huge 2700 gram, healthy breeder sized female, and looks exactly like the rare ARAZA morph, which I intend to prove out this year.
I personally would not have sold that gorgeous male snake DInker you have less than $1000, until I bred him and he proved out or not.
SOrry, to rub it in, just giving my honest opinion. I really like beautiful Dinkers. What I value them at, has nothing to bear on what others would value them at.

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Originally Posted by KevinK

Without seeing the animal in question, I would REALLY doubt if you left a million bucks on the table, or even a fraction of it.

Could it have been a new gene? Absolutely. Is it an incredibly high value gene?....probably not, but possible.

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Cool, what do you think of it now I posted the pic? Honestly.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

hey it's good to see u around. don't worry, u will find your way back to reptiles when you're ready.

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Hey there, sorry I am not good with screen names. Have we talked before?

And who's Chris H.? Chris Hemsworth?

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Looks like a new gene to me. Amazing unique snake. I like really cool reduced pattern dinkers, and have one myself. 'GODZILLA" she is my avatar photo on the left <---- I wouldn't sell my Godzilla Dinker for less than $500, simply because she is a huge 2700 gram, healthy breeder sized female, and looks exactly like the rare ARAZA morph, which I intend to prove out this year.
I personally would not have sold that gorgeous male snake DInker you have less than $1000, until I bred him and he proved out or not.
SOrry, to rub it in, just giving my honest opinion. I really like beautiful Dinkers. What I value them at, has nothing to bear on what others would value them at.

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Hey there, thanks for your input. It is an interesting looking snake and possibly something new, that's why I picked it out to begin with. My point is I don't enjoy this anymore like I used to, and if I did it it would have been purely for some recognition or for money. And a new gene discovered isn't a million dollars in the bank like you sell the snake for a million. You still have to market it, hold back stock, and slowly sell off a female here and there, to make money without selling too much so others take over the project. Gradually manoeuvre your way through many years of marketing to try to get the most money out of it before it falls in value or other people you have sold to breeds it on a mass scale. I really don't want to do any of that at this point in my life.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

don't worry, u will find your way back to reptiles when you're ready.

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I am not "away" from reptiles, I still am fascinated by them and am keeping a few tegus I have. However, as for being a full fledged breeder like I was for the years prior, no, I just dont want to do that anymore. I think I have done that enough already and I really want to move on and do other things in life.

The only way to know if a unique snake is worth anything is to breed it out and see if it's a codom or recessive gene. And it actually has to make some cool combos to be a hit. There have been tons of unique looking normals that have not proven to be genetic and lots of new morphs that no one really wants to buy into because they are not that unique or don't really add much to other genes.

Personally I would never breed any animal just for the money, especially if you hate cleaning up after the animals. You really have to have a passion for the animals to be a breeder. I think you made the right decision for both yourself and the animals involved.

This reminds me of a recent post that some guy made of his 25 year old ball python. Turns out his 'pet' was actually an Enchi! Man he could have made some big money from that snake if he was a breeder 25 years ago!

I enjoyed the whole story.. After all of it though what i like is the fact things are getting back to normal in your life... Its a Crazy ride and we all go through Ups, Downs and Cork Screws... But I still Love It [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji6][emoji1360]

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Originally Posted by Ax01

hey it's good to see u around. don't worry, u will find your way back to reptiles when you're ready.

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Originally Posted by hungba

Hey there, sorry I am not good with screen names. Have we talked before?

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lol it's ok. i just tried to give u positive feedback in your midlife crisis threads and stuff awhile back. and i chimed in on your Lesser Firefly ID threads.

also i was an admire of all your DIY stuff. i'll buy your T-Rex fossil viv for like $100 if it's available.

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Originally Posted by hungba

And who's Chris H.? Chris Hemsworth?

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speak of the devil...

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

The only way to know if a unique snake is worth anything is to breed it out and see if it's a codom or recessive gene. And it actually has to make some cool combos to be a hit. There have been tons of unique looking normals that have not proven to be genetic and lots of new morphs that no one really wants to buy into because they are not that unique or don't really add much to other genes.

Personally I would never breed any animal just for the money, especially if you hate cleaning up after the animals. You really have to have a passion for the animals to be a breeder. I think you made the right decision for both yourself and the animals involved.

This reminds me of a recent post that some guy made of his 25 year old ball python. Turns out his 'pet' was actually an Enchi! Man he could have made some big money from that snake if he was a breeder 25 years ago!

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Chris is just very, very excited about all things BP and BP breeding.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hungba

I am not "away" from reptiles, I still am fascinated by them and am keeping a few tegus I have. However, as for being a full fledged breeder like I was for the years prior, no, I just dont want to do that anymore. I think I have done that enough already and I really want to move on and do other things in life.

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glad to hear that. :gj:

I think you made the right choice. If your heart is not in to it anymore and it becomes more of a chore, then you need to take a step back and evaluate the situation. Now days there are to many people trying to come out with "new" morphs that have a change that is so subtle that they have to point out the change. It is and always will be the same thing, if you get into this for the money, then you are going to fade out as quick as your money gets spent.

* On a lighter note I posted a pic of one of my early "dinkers" that I gave away(yes, free) in the early 2000's as a pet, due to a family matter. Hindsight is of course 20/20 as I still have one of the snakes I did end up keeping from back then, so don't be so hard on yourself. lol




https://i.imgur.com/qB0CVa9.jpg

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Originally Posted by Aztec4mia

I think you made the right choice. If your heart is not in to it anymore and it becomes more of a chore, then you need to take a step back and evaluate the situation. Now days there are to many people trying to come out with "new" morphs that have a change that is so subtle that they have to point out the change. It is and always will be the same thing, if you get into this for the money, then you are going to fade out as quick as your money gets spent.

* On a lighter note I posted a pic of one of my early "dinkers" that I gave away(yes, free) in the early 2000's as a pet, due to a family matter. Hindsight is of course 20/20 as I still have one of the snakes I did end up keeping from back then, so don't be so hard on yourself. lol




https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/qB0CVa9.jpg

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WOW that looks like a Black Axanthic! early 2000's? u coulda beat VPI in proving it out and made Billions Lol!!

I think we all get close to that point at one time or another.
Glad to see you posting again though.
For what its worth, that is one good looking animal that I would have kept.