Just wondering if any of yall have input on why some people lie about genetics??

[crazyj83]

Hey all i'm starting to hear and see cases of people selling or trading bps as morphs or hets they are not... Most common so far is I have seen yellowbellies being called enchos, black pastels being labled as het hypo or hypo when there are no signs of hypo, not even clear sheds. I'm also hearing normals being called het og or pied or albinos.. This is a pointless practice that only ruins this hobby and wastes intire years of breeding. has anyone elce heard of this or been a victim of this practice? Please do not name names unless you have 100% proof. But i would just like to know how far this mislabling crap goes.. Thanks

[Rob]

There are horrible people in this world, and whenever there is a chance to get over on people they will. All I can say is do your homework the best you can on the animal your interested in along With the person your buying from. Honestly I would never buy a het unless it's from a very reputable breeder.

[RobNJ]

Welcome to the World of Ball Pythons...

All kidding aside...fake hets have been sold for probably almost as long as there have been hets to sell. Like in many areas of business and life, some people will jump at the chance to make a few extra bucks...ethics, morals and respect for the law not withstanding. I'm actually surprised that you seem rather taken aback by this.

[Adam Chandler]

Fake hets are a problem as old as the industry itself.

Colin Weaver wrote a interesting article on the subject: http://ballpythonbreeder.com/2010/11...-spoiled-milk/

The best way to avoid fakes is to only buy hets from breeders you trust or feel very confortable with based on their reputation.

[Dragoon]

That is why I don't buy hets or poss hets, Ill stick to visual morphs

[babyknees]

They want to make money and don't care about their integrity.

[SlitherinSisters]

It's to make a quick buck by scamming people. If the buyer doesn't do any research before they buy a het then they are being ignorant. This is a hobby that scammers prey on novice keepers. I don't buy any morph that I can't identify with 100% certainty. As for hets I will not buy them from anyone I don't trust, plain and simple.

[dart]

I'm surprised you seem so angry and shocked. Money is a powerful motivator that drives people to do much more dishonest things than mirepresentation of an animal. As with anything in life, if you're spending money on something, you should be doing your research long before you intend to buy. With the way information is easily accessed through a few keystrokes there is honestly no need for impulsive buying now-a-days.

I would make sure someone was VERY trustable before I would purchase something that I can't see or touch.

[Dave Green]

I think it's pretty rare. We hear about the bad seeds but I've met a lot of great people in this hobby and I've never been burned.

[angllady2]

Well, to be fair, some people are just uneducated. I used to breed cockatiels, and just like ball pythons, there are visuals and hets, and while there are PLENTY of people who will deliberately lie and sell a bird as something it is not, there are also a lot of people who just don't know any better.

Come on, be honest, how many of us have heard someone trying to pass off a het pastel, cinnamon, spider or something similar and when you tell them there is no such thing, they say that is what they were told.

I've heard people claim a normal was a het spider because one of it's parents was a spider, they just did not understand how the genetics work.

That being said, there are a lot of people out to make a quick buck, and will happily tell a prospective buyer whatever they think the buyer wants to hear to make the sale.

Since there is no way to visually identify a het of any kind, be it ghost, pied, albino, axanthic or any other recessive gene, you really have to know and trust the buyer when purchasing a het, because a het anything will look just like a normal.

Also, since there are many subtle morphs out there that look like normals, unless you know exactly what you are buying, you can get scammed. Spotnoses, sables, some fires, some vanillas, phantoms, specials, and mystics are just a few I can think of that most people cannot tell apart from a normal.

Your best bet is to know what you are looking for when you shop for a new ball, and know who you are buying it from.

Gale