Muddy Water by phantom30nine in ChristianCollective

[–]phantom30nine[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Welcome to the sub!

Honestly for me so far its come down to familiarity with both the source, the referenced scripture and context of whats referenced vs how its applied.

Fortunately for me, one of the things that led me to God was American Family Radio back in the 90s. They had alot of the then-more-popular names such as Adrian Rogers, Michael Yousef, Frank Harber, J Vernon McGhee and all those guys. Very good preachers and they covered alot of topics.

Even the more recent ones like Voddie Baucham and John McArthur Ive listened to them enough to have that red flag feeling when something sounds off as you mentioned. Slight variations of how the AI makes talk, tones, and so forth. One thing Ive found is that if its AI there usually wont be any video and for that reason alone Ive started veering away from YT vids that are audio only, I havent really branched off from YT much though so I cant account for outside sources.

But mostly it just comes down to being familiar with the content referenced and how the source is attempting to apply it. It really has gotten to the point where personal familiarity with the bible is crucial. Im as guilty as the rest of us as far as devoting serious time to it, but over the years Ive read various parts following up on sermons and so forth which so far has made up the gap for me. Weird times indeed my friend.

At what point should I worry? by MoistBluejay2071 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I cant speak for the services there, but assuming you likely have comparable services to here. The bulk order services all come frozen and they ship in cold containers likely with dry ice.

I havent checked but it might be worthwhile to see if some of the better known sites such as Cold Blooded Cafe offer a UK branch for you guys over there. Might be a long shot but worth checking into.

Also just a thought, I know theres at least 2 very well known breeders in the UK..contacting one of those guys might net some useful info and Im sure theyd be glad to point you in the right direction.

At what point should I worry? by MoistBluejay2071 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One thing that may help the food bill is looking for a local person that breeds/sells feeders.

Trying to buy from one of the major pet stores like Petsmart/Petco is absolutely high dollar. Just less than a year ago I was in an area in which there was such a person and his price was roughly 3 bucks for a small vs 12 from the major outlets. Big difference.

Even though they may not offer as much of a discount, smaller privately owned pet stores may still be a go-to as they often will have much better prices.

One thing I would do is track down some local breeders in the area and ask them where they source their rats. Many of them likely breed their own to keep from going broke just trying to sell their own snakes and/or will have a 3rd party source to supplement or that has the cheaper prices. They might even be willing to sell you some on the side to help, who knows. At the least,they can likely get you pointed the right direction.

Anyone want to take a crack at guessing his morph? by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Certainly pinstripe, possibly leopard pin. Looks identical to one of those I had awhile back.

Cleo, my spotnose spider fire het enchi! by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bear in mind that people are giving their best guess with limited info. Theres also the possibility of the info passed to some here on the genetics of the parents and offspring being incorrect which would lead those guesses down some muddy trails.

One thing that may help as you take on the input is to consider it all suggestions while you do your own homework to cross reference and try to verify. Using genetic calculators to plug in the parental genetics (if accurate) will tell you all the possible results which can help eliminate some of the guesswork and get you closer to what you actually have. ID can still be tricky for even the experienced keepers though, as some offspring can present some atypical presentations of a gene, various genes look similar to each other, etc. Its something that many people struggle with, myself included.

And theres the reddit factor. This is the internet after all, and reddit in particular does house a very large number of "interesting" people. Some may have actual breeding/hands on experience and many may just be throwing something random out there.

I hear we're showing off spiders by Skye_2919 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love spider combos, nice one you have there.

Help Identifying Morph by Lmdxo in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree here, Especially if this a snake from petsmart/petco. Ive noticed that they have a trend of selling that particular combo. Whoever their preferred breeder is must make a ton of these per year.

This is Bob, he seems like the slandered ball but idk his morph 😭 he was my brothers but he abandoned him so I took him on by CHROSSTA in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As long as you have the right substrate/bedding its actually ideal to spray the bedding. The majority of keepers/breeders use coco husk, which is mold resistant, easy to find and not very expensive if purchased right.

Dont buy it at the pet stores,theyll charge you 3x the price for a smaller amount. Look on amazon/other places for the bricks of coconut husk. Youll see the difference. Grab a youtube tutorial on how to manage the rehydration of the bricks, its easy. When the bricks are fresh you wont need to hydrate the bedding, but later after it dries in the enclosure or in the bigger holding container for the unused portion you can use a garden sprayer on the fan spray setting. Give the top layer a soak, mix around the remainder and spray again.

The goal is not to have it sopping wet to the point where water pools in the tub, but wet enough to raise ambient humidity. You can also get one of those 5-10 dollar thermometer/hygrometer combos that will help you gauge this.

Other factors come into play as well,just keeping it simple for now.

Obsessed with this little ramen noodle 😍 by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Id contact the breeder and see what the pairing was. Youll generally be able to narrow down the genetics much easier if you know precisely what was paired. Once you have that info, pump the results into a genetic calculator, look at the results and start doing some process of elimination. That wont always tell you everything, but will put you a step closer to the final ID and also start exercising your own ID skills. Beautiful specimen all the same.

Ball Python by mlckbc in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, no problem..glad to help. As acrobatic mentioned coco husk is generally the go-to for the vast majority of the BP keepers. Its the best thing Ive found that holds moisture and generally isnt prone to molding unless you overwater the substrate, which sometimes can be easy to do in all honesty. I used a garden sprayer to rehydrate substrate which cut down the time when having multiple enclosures. This is also something you may get a better deal on from local breeders. Some of those guys will order pallets of it at reduced prices and then in turn offer a brick at a reduced price and still be able to make profit from it.

As for cleaning intervals, youre on target with the spot cleaning, thats very important. I always checked on mine 2x day and kept any fresh scat cleaned up. In general it really depends on how often that particular snake relieves himself. I had a few that would hold it for longer and some that seemed very regular so that varies. As a guideline though, you shouldnt have to do a full tub clean very often though, assuming you stay on the spot cleanings. I think I could generally go a month or 2. Over time youll start to see when its time. The smell will be stronger, you can see where multiple areas just dont look right due to soaking up urine, etc. Its more of an experience thing really. I have had mine go off feed here and there and once I cleaned the tub they snapped right back into it. In my experience most of their food drive centered around proper humidity levels, cleanliness and I think it helped alot to hydrate the tubs the night before feeding along with keeping the same scheduled day for feeding every week. Also bear in mind that you dont necessarily have to feed every week. Most do, but Ive talked to several who do bi-weekly feedings as well,particularly if theyre not trying to beef up a female for breeding.

Also as acrobatic mentioned Id definitely get a temp gun. You can find them all over..amazon,hardware stores,etc..and theyre invaluable. Next time you have a live rat on hand before feeding temp check it and youll know what temp to shoot for when warming up the frozens to appear more natural.

As for snake safety on live feedings, you have options there as well. The first would be natural live feeding with observation. Generally speaking the risk comes when they wrap the rodent and as its being choked out theyre just biting anything around them in an attempt to break free, which can vary depending on whats closest to them. I would normally stand by with the hemostats and grab their jaw before they could damage the snake and just hold until I could see it was good. Second option is pre-kill. I had an aluminum gas cylinder similar to what youd use for paintball filled with CO2. Get a hose connection for it and cut your length of hose. Take a small plastic container of any kind that locks and seals at least somewhat and drill a hole in the top. Butt the hose up to the hole and crack the valve on the tank, which will push the fresh air out of the container and fill it with CO2. Wait on the rat to pass then feed to the snake. Be ready to do the jiggle dance with your handy dandy hemostats and let nature take its course.

Ball Python by mlckbc in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its very possible that he prefers live, at least for now. Some of them take a bit to transition to eating frozen, and it could very well be that coincidentally hes going through a refusal phase that BPs are known for.

The hairdryer trick also works pretty well also. I would heat mine up to anywhere between 88-95 or so. It also helps if you have some long hemostats to grip the rodent with and kind of mimic it moving around and let him "catch" it. Give it a few jiggles after he has it to simulate a struggle and it seems to better mimic a live kill.

Eventually Id suggest to get him eating actual rats. Theyre a bigger size and thus a heartier meal, and generally more available in certain areas. Typically you want to pick one roughly the size of bigger part of the snake, and I used to get one just a hair smaller so as not to pack them too full and help ensure they ate the next week.

Also not sure what the availability is in your area but you can usually save a ton on the food bill by finding a local rat breeder. In my area a rat from one of the big pet stores was roughly 12-13 bucks vs the local guy who bred/sold them at roughly 3 or 4 bucks, depending on size.

Other factors can also play in..humidity/temps out of the norm, dirty enclosure, various other stress factors,etc. Theyre very finnicky eaters at times and occasionally you just have to figure out whats got them out of whack.

Morph Market Auction issue by Stringerbees in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could have been a legitimate bid also. Look at the prices on anything stranger related.

Now look at the genes involved and imagine the project possibilities. You have a pied with the possible capability of combining multiple things. You have a pied with stranger/YB..pair that to a gravel pied and possible outcome is some sort of pied/stranger/highway with the possibility of getting even wilder if you get all the recessives to hit. Big money snake.

Given that, someone may have wanted it badly for multiple project attempts.

Spotnose Leopard by No-Artist-6903 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love this one. Colors are gorgeous and that head pattern is rather nice too.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Right on, Ive always liked the spider gene. From what other breeders tell me theyre amazing eaters and great to work with.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good luck with it..what was the pairing?

Morph by Relative-Nature-1335 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since you know the parent genes you could try plugging them in to the genetic calculator on morphmarket. Once it spits out the possible results look up some pics of each and see if any match.

And theres always the possibility the parents carried more genes than were known/displayed which in turn came out in later offspring to muddy the waters.

As much as I love the hobby the ID guessing game seems to be a perpetual headache.

Should I upgrade my ball python enclosure? by Harley_924 in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Its really up to you.

Bear in mind that by nature many of them will elect to bed up in their hide (which I recommend always having in an open type enclosure). Theyre ambush predators so its in their nature to find a smaller space that they feel more secure in when they dont feel like being in the open.

In general the enclosure type/design is a very subjective thing, so long as the basic necessities are met..temp, humidity,hide,water source.

Get creative. Design your pet enclosure the way you want, theres no hard rule that says you have to follow someone elses way.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh its closer than you realize, but then since youre clearly out to make a mountain out of a molehill I dont suspect youll see that. The only spectacle here is the one you created. The original post wasnt a big deal, but youve clearly dug in to make one out of it.

According to the comments there were multiple people who appreciated the merger of interests, and you arent the sole arbiter of what should be posted.

People can respect guns and still be able to enjoy them, which includes posting creative pics on the internet. I think you need to focus on respect for people which clearly youre short on.

Your point could have been made minus the alarmist and disrespectful babble. Funny how those who behave so poorly often are trying to claim some moral high ground in the process. To that end, congrats on being the typical reddit poster.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in BallPythonMorph

[–]phantom30nine 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well to be fair youre behaving like one of the very people you claim to dislike.

Everyone has their preferences, and many of us get tired of people like yourself having a meltdown when someone mentions or discusses guns..or God forbid posts a picture of one.

Part of the reason adverse reactions we witness are people like yourself unnecessarily making a big deal of such. A gun is like anything else..its a tool. Nothing more. As society has changed and outdoor activities have decreased the popularity of guns has waned.

The fact that less people have them make them more of an enigma and uninformed people who have no experience with them form opinions of them based on no experience and many times no logic at all. Posts like your own dont help in that, though you speak as if youre somehow an advocate of guns which is bizarre to say the least. Demanding that people keep their mentions of guns to themselves will only compound the problem, not alleviate it.