Quote Originally Posted by zina10 View Post
... All the WC ones I got. ... NONE of them were aggressive. Not even defensive. All were extremely shy.
... Most also had worms. The ones that were extremely emaciated often had a Protozoan infection such as Giardia. ... Nowadays, with so many quality CBB Ball Python available, I don't see why someone would want to go through all the trouble. ... Permethrin fixes external parasites ...
Thanks for the reply. I wasn't really expecting any, especially one this prompt and thorough.

3 weeks ago we received a large (4300 gram) gravid, WC import from the Volta region of Ghana. She has only 1 eye, I love her gnarly look. Last week she deposited 14 eggs. She has been coiled on & around them most of the time. (This thread will NOT be hijacked into a maternal incubation vs artificial incubation debate.) She also is neither aggressive nor defensive, and she also is extremely shy, even while guarding her clutch.

At some point between capture and shipping to us she had been treated with Permethrin, which is ineffective vs internal diseases, right? How would we know if worms or Giardia are present? Can we safely assume that because she has deposited a clutch (a rather large one) and is incubating it that she is healthy? Or would this assumption be false?

Your question re why someone would want WC vs CBB. It's one of those things where if you have to ask the question then you probably won't understand the answer, but anyway here goes: I don't like snakes of unnatural appearance. We see that MorphMarket has "119 different genes and traits" (probably 120 by the time I click send for this message) of Ball Pythons, but to me there are only 2 categories: Normals and Abnormals. Evolution and what it has created are beautiful, far more so than what artificial selection can "produce." I find the subjective paint jobs of today's Ball Pythons blasphemous. I like having dinosaurs in my house. Was that of any help? I can't articulate it any better.

She has been leaving her clutch for short intervals during the night, apparently seeking prey. Could we interpret this as a sign of health? or would an ill reptile also continue to hunt? We have been keeping snakes in both racks as well as glass tanks on & off for 40yrs and can identify hungry Ball Pythons in the latter, (there are only so many hours/days they will lie in ambush, unlike our Blood Pythons). Her enclosure is of perfect temp/humidity, covered almost entirely with a heavy dark blanket rendering the entire closure a hide. We have offered a weaned ASF rat pup during daylight hours to no avail. The next night we see her leave the clutch we will try again.