I'm new to the site and I just thought I'd say hello.

I came for alot of reasons, but mainly because I want to get into breeding and I need a little help to make sure I make the right choices. I also don't know my python's gender. I'm a bit afraid to try to sex him myself, because I'm afraid I might hurt him. If anyone knows an alternative way to sex a python, please let me know. I certainly can't breed until I know Patch's gender.

Oh, some things one might want to know are as follows.

I am so strongly against inbreeding that I refused to talk on a forum about my snake for a very long time because I knew that the people there were knowingly inbreeding their snakes. Please do not bring the subject to me. If I get into it myself, I have no right to preach, but please don't talk to me about it. It can only end badly.

I am a "starving biologist" in the Midwestern region, and I'm working with reptiles and amphibians at the present time. Snakes scare the crud out of me, believe it or not, but ball pythons are very different. I don't even refer to my Patch as a snake. I just call him my "mobile necklace" or my "cuddleworm".

As I said before, I am looking into breeding. I'd really like to get an interesting morph (that I know has NOT been inbred) and pair him with Patchy and see what happens. I'd dance on my hands with a knife in my mouth for an albino, but that's an unlikely wish, really.

So again hello, and I look forward to meeting all of you!