Dinkers: Please agree with me so I feel better!

[hungba]

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

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!

[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!

[c0r3yr0s3]

That was a great read...thanks for sharing

[c0r3yr0s3]

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

[hungba]

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!

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!

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.

[hungba]

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

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

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.

[tttaylorrr]

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

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

post it publicly! we keep the trolls in check.

[c0r3yr0s3]

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

[Skyrivers]

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

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

[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.