new ball project

[dannywyze]

hi all i just wanted to know if anyone had any advise on breeding ball pythons i have had a few clutches successfully already i just feel like i could learn more, i would appreciate anything i could learn from you all.

thanks.

[Chu'Wuti]

Welcome to the forum, Danny! Several of the folks on here are experienced breeders--Mykee, Julian (citysnakes.com), and Aaron_S off the top of my head. Hopefully they'll jump onto this thread tonight sometime. Enjoy the forum!

[mykee]

Welcome to the site Danny. We'll do our best to help you out along the way with any questions or concerns you might have.
I only hope that you firstly stop passing on bad information to people who are looking for REAL answers.
You're doing nobody any favors, and quite frankly, getting off on the wrong foot here.

[Aaron_S]

Welcome to the forum, Danny! Several of the folks on here are experienced breeders--and Aaron_S off the top of my head.


It's very nice of you to mention me in this now edited quote, but I don't breed ball pythons. I have a good start to a breeding project but I have never done it. I've kept quite a few and have kept snakes for some time.

[dannywyze]

wow! mykee way to be a ****, fist of all im sorry but i didn't mean to say anything way of that just what i was told myself, and it worked so far you just set me strait instead of being a total prick, but thats just who you are i guess. just saying im a dumbass wont help me at all, but im sure it makes you feel better. so any once again if anyone has any info that isn't just to quit it would be nice.

[mykee]

Please, don't quit ball pythons on my behalf, I would lose wayyy too much sleep over it. All I ask (simple request really) is that you don't pass on incorrect information to people who are looking for correct information. If you don't know the answers to the questions in the threads, let someone who does kow the answer field them.

[Pliskin]

Please, don't quit ball pythons on my behalf, I would lose wayyy too much sleep over it. All I ask (simple request really) is that you don't pass on incorrect information to people who are looking for correct information. If you don't know the answers to the questions in the threads, let someone who does kow the answer field them.


I've been reading your posts since I joined the site, and I would have to agree with dannywyze. YOU ARE A TOTAL PRICK!

Just because you know more about the subject , doesn't mean you know EVERYTHING about it, but you sure make it sound like you do. you can correct someone without the condescending attitude that comes across in your posts. You call people stupid because they don't know something, which YOU think they should know.

you attacking new members of the site instead of politely correcting them if they don't know the facts. you're gonna drive more people away instead of promote the forum.

I know , you'll probably say some crap like " I could care less if you left the site . etc, etc." and , you probably wouldn't care. but I do think you are missing something. As a breeder , and someone who sells snakes, I don't think its in your best interest to alienate your potential customers. or don't you see that?

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a damn thing from you, and I would tell anyone I know to steer clear as well. but you probably don't care about losing any business either.


I know you'll probably correct me on this too , since you know you're right.

[Aaron_S]

I sure as hell wouldn't buy a damn thing from you, and I would tell anyone I know to steer clear as well. but you probably don't care about losing any business either.

That's sweet dude. More of his animals for me. I'm being serious.

Anyways, this comes up every now and then with Mykee. He's Mykee, he keeps this place fresh and alive. He just doesn't talk to people on forums with "baby gloves" on. More people should have a thicker skin...

[Chu'Wuti]

Funny how I have a totally different impression of Mykee . . . wonder where I got the idea that he's a nice guy with a lot of experience and knowledge that he's willing to share?

Welcome to the site Danny. We'll do our best to help you out along the way with any questions or concerns you might have.
I only hope that you firstly stop passing on bad information to people who are looking for REAL answers.
You're doing nobody any favors, and quite frankly, getting off on the wrong foot here.

Guess I'm reading this differently than Dannywyze and Pliskin are, too. First Mykee welcomes Danny very nicely with an offer to help him out--did Dannywyze & Pliskin entirely miss that? Then he politely requests Dannywyze to (reinterpreted) ensure that the info he provides others is accurate--I must say, after seeing several of Danny's responses on other threads in which he shared misinformation--it seemed like a reasonable request to me. They've said much the same to me when I've been off, and I've learned to re-read what I'm saying and ensure it's correct as far as I can.

I also find it interesting that, though Mykee made a polite request to stop sharing bad information, Dannywyze's response was to call Mykee names. Ad hominem attacks never impress me. And that's an understatement.

Frankly, Mykee and Aaron_S are two of the few people on this forum whom I trust to always have GOOD information. I really appreciate all of the help they've given me.

[mykee]

Pliskin; I appreciate your comments regarding how I handle myself on the forums, that is what these open forums are about; sharing. The fact remains that people who are new to the hobby, or those who would like to learn more come this and MANY other forums to gain new information so that they can better take care of their animals. This is not debatable, it is a fact.
These people deserve the correct answers (from the members who have them) to their questions, so they do not start out behind the eight ball with wrong, misinformed posts and information. Any member that spouts of incorrect information as it were true is doing everyone, including yourself on this forum a disservice and should cease and desist. I may be "curt" or "short" with a lot of my posts, this one in particular (if you happen to read the 3 or 4 posts that Dannyboy here made, hopefully you'll at least understand my concern).
I do not appologize for not coddling members, I do my best to answer any serious questions and I have always been one of the first ones willing to share the knowledge I've accumulated and continue to accumulate with anyone willing to ask and then listen. As for your business, I think the quality of my animals over thet last eight or so years speaks volumes about my skill, knowledge, and ability to both listen and learn from others as a breeder in this business, and if I have lost your business because of my 'attitude" on here, I'm neither here nor there about it: I will continue to sell out of my available stock year after year and will also continue to be the same personality that I always have been on the forums. I will also continue to call a spade a spade in any situation I find it appropriate, and not be afraid by the politics and beaurocracy of this business to speak my mind. For the few people that I piss off to the point that they have no use for me, and feel I don't do my fair share for the community on the whole: Pffffffffft!!!! More for Aaron.

[Faequine]

>.> i think some people have way to much time on there hands . lol.

[dannywyze]

i wasn't trying to start an attack mykee thread and i apologyzed for the incorect in info i gave that i said i got on other forums like this one. and read mykees other post as well and he is quite abrasive at times. and i got the post to stop saying bad thing to poeple on other threads, so if you want keeping jumping on me every post i make then fine, i was asking for the right info not a beat down from every sruck up snake breeder in canada. so you all dont wont to help me them i wont post any more, and dont respond to my threads.

P.S. thanks pliskin, for you support. but i really wasn't trying to start a fight with anyone.

[Aaron_S]

I don't know how anyone can help you when you haven't asked any questions in this thread.

[Smilts]

Hasnt yet asked any questions at all. I havnt seen anything Mykee has said to you that was all that rude. But if in the future you have any questions.

[Pliskin]

here's a thread I found that relates to this one, and since its already been hijacked to the point where its got nothing to do with breeding.

Reptiles Canada Forums (http://www.reptilescanada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35608)

poster #6 sums it up the best.

but here's a couple of quotes I thought were particularly relevant.

"I know a good amount of you guys, and I have had a good amount send me private messages stating their opinions on some issues. I will pick on you first mykee (lol). I have had a lot of people contact me about you. how they want to leave the site because of some of the stuff you have pulled/said. The reason they stayed was because of me standing up for the new enthusiasts."


"I can't understand why some people on this forum are so rude. We are all in the hobby together, we all started somewhere, we all make mistakes, we all have opinions. Some of us might know alot about a certain species, but that doesn't make us any better than anyone else, I think we should all practise respect a little more. Sure this is just a forum, but it goes further than that. Anyone who has been rude without reason to me will never get my business, and I see some of you at the expos all the time."

Mykee, I do apologize for calling you a prick, I may have overreacted a bit.

I suspect this guy from the other thread describes you to a T, so I kinda understand where you're coming from more I guess.

"Mykee, you are a slightly hyper, bluntly outspoken perfectionist with no patience for stupidity."


but , I do also think you should lighten up on the newer people. you're obviously passionate about the hobby, and you know your ****. So, don't drive potentially new people away from it with a sour taste in their mouth. you may not think its hurting you directly since you sell out every year, but its not helping to promote the hobby.

and , wouldn't you rather do that instead? just some constructive criticism.

[Smilts]

Its ok to be blunt often times when you arent blunt people tend to misinterperate what is being said(hard headed people)lol:)

[Chu'Wuti]

I do my best to answer any serious questions and I have always been one of the first ones willing to share the knowledge I've accumulated and continue to accumulate with anyone willing to ask and then listen.

That has definitely been my experience with you, Mykee.

On some other thread that I don't have the time to hunt down, someone noted that it can get pretty tiresome when newbies come into the forum and ask the same questions that have been asked a 1000 times without even searching the forum for information germane to their concerns. It also can be very frustrating when someone new comes in and gives a lot of misinformation when they really don't know what they are talking about. I've been guilty of that myself and have learned to double- and even triple-check my info to ensure that what I say is appropriate. Minor inaccuracies are one thing and not so bad, but inaccuracies that could lead to injury or death for a snake in someone's inexperienced care are simply not acceptable. Ignorance with misplaced confidence and a refusal to learn is inappropriate when it endangers other people and their snakes. These kind of people are the most frustrating to the experienced breeders and keepers.

On the other hand, I do agree that it would be nice if those who are more experienced had some patience with those who are obviously learning. Ignorance should be accepted with respect and generosity in responses when it is accompanied by recognition of one's ignorance and by questions in an effort to eliminate the ignorance. Not everyone has been taught how to learn--our educational system is actually better at teaching students NOT to learn in too many ways. Finding this forum is one means of beginning the process even though it shouldn't be the only source of information. People respond better to positive encouragement than they do to negative responses.

Now, in Dannywyze's defense, he did have a question at the beginning of this thread. It is implied in the following statement:

i just wanted to know if anyone had any advise on breeding ball pythons i have had a few clutches successfully already i just feel like i could learn more, i would appreciate anything i could learn from you all.

I'm becoming curious myself, though I won't be trying to do any breeding anytime soon. Right at the moment, it's just a "hmmmm . . . I wonder if, in a couple of years . . . " type of thought. Nevertheless, I'd love to hear from you experienced guys about getting started, equipment, tips, etc.

[Aaron_S]

I understand that he's asking for advice on breeding snakes. Problem with that is it's difficult for someone to answer due to him(or her) not going into more detail on what is it they want advice on. Do they want incubation techniques? Cooling tips? They said they have already had some success but without details is someone to just type up two pages of how to breed snakes because someone wants "advice"? Asking a more specific question would lead to a better answer.

[mykee]

Ehhh! I know this thread has gone way off topic, but I would like to thank those who came on here to support me in my time of need (snicker). Though not necessary, it is appreciated.
Now, to answer all my haters and naysayers. Let me start by saying that I have no issues with helping out those who are starting out in the hobby. Hell, 9 years ago I has in the same boat as all of you were at some point. The third ball python I owned was an albino male, which at the time cost me $6000 and in a month of owning it, he ended up with a belly burn due to my incorrect husbandry, so we all start somewhere. I appreciate that and try my best most of teh time to answer the same innane, repetitive questions that I've seen a million times and can be found on virtually any reptile website if they just took three minutes out of their day to do some ACTUAL RESEARCH for themselves.
I'm all for education and knowledge being the key in this hobby, hell, I still learn new stuff every single day. BUT if you're not going to help yourself, or think you know it all because you've owned three ball pythons for a year, then I have no use for you and you'll know it.
I started with two ball pythons that I got from a pet store in Toronto when I still lived there (funny enough, one that Aaron on this forum worked at years later). Since that time, I added to my collection where I now own roughly 115 adult ball pythons and hundreds of babies come breeding season. I have been breeding for 7 seasons now. I have also produced over 1000 babies and have pretty much seen it all.
To add to that, in the nine years that I have been a member on this site and two others, I have made over 8500 posts. That's a lot any way you look at it. I will admit that maybe 2-3% of those at most are me getting caught up in off-topic rants like "Why are you such an ******* Mykee", or "Why are you so rude and a prick?!". I will also admit that another maybe 5% are the generic filler "nice animal" or "great pic" posts. That leaves over 7500 posts where I have been very helpful in answering questions and fielding concerns as well as sharing my accumulated knowledge. In that time, I have also built up my website to include a rather extensive FAW area as well as a bunch of DIY sections that have been very popular and useful to members of the community. So when I have to defend myself against some turd who doesn't like the WAY I answered his question, or that I didn't coddle him the way his mommy would, if maybe I hurt his feelings because I told him that he was on his way to killing his animal if he kept it up, if he thought my answer was too curt, or not friendly enough, I get f***ing pissed off. I will not apologize for the way I post, because it's also the way I am in the REAL WORLD. I call it like I see it, I don't sugar coat anything so that you can have that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. This is how I am and I am not going to change OR leave. If you don't like the way I am, PLEASE add me to your ignore list or send me a PM and we'll duke it out in private.
I love being on here and sharing my knowledge with all of you, whether you like me or not. So get over it. I'm not losing any sleep over what any of you have to say about me, and neither should you.
Carry on.

[Smilts]

I was just noticing post numbers compared to join dates and you do talk alot j/k :)

[GoodSmeagol]

Mykee
I appreciated your last lengthy post.

I am one to think alot of your posts are unnecesarry. As I have full out said to you in the past. I understand you have experience, and I respect that. I do think you go about responding to new posts the wrong way. I still do not take what you say 100% seriosuly, your posts encourage me to re-do some research, often finding a middle ground between what I did, to what you say.
However as you say, you do not really give 2 shits. And I respect that too. I am a very opinionated person and do get carried away at time myself.
But I really must say your last post there really put your perspective into light. I know your not going to change, and I know you have good intentions. So all thats left is, keep it up?

From Aarons comments, now I am interested, where do you sell out of now Mykee? Still in Ontario? I have a few places I will be looking, but come summer I will want to add a 1000g Spider female to my collection.

[dannywyze]

ok well this is just great mykee i alreadt apologyzed to you for giving bad info, im not apolgyzing for calling you a prick because you sort of are one, and i said that i was not trying to start a attack mykee thread, sooooooo, ya im not really sure where you do get your facts from, but i reasarched some of the stuff you said and corrected me on you are not really corect either. so i guess that im just going to try to get back on topic if thats ok with everyone. so if anyone wants to say anything about myself or mykee please just start a new thread, thx. sooo Mykee (if your not to mad at me to respond to this) i was just wander when breading season comes what if anything do you do cue breading?because for me putting male together and putting another males shed in the tubs works but its not fool proof, it works and it doesn't.

thanks danny

[Chu'Wuti]

They said they have already had some success but without details is someone to just type up two pages of how to breed snakes because someone wants "advice"? Asking a more specific question would lead to a better answer.

That's completely reasonable.

I still don't agree that calling someone names is appropriate even if you don't appreciate their responses. You have the right to ignore posts you don't appreciate. However, the fact is that Mykee is an extremely experienced breeder, so he can offer you excellent advice. Offending the best source of information doesn't seem very wise to me.

Now that we're no longer attacking Mykee, I too have a question. I know that a display tank is not appropriate for breeding purposes. I know a lot of people use Rubbermaid tubs in racks for snake-keeping. However, incubation equipment is different. Someone on Craig's list is selling an incubator . . . what brand(s) do you recommend, Mykee?

[mykee]

There are a few incubators available on the market, but for their inflated prices and their shortcomings, I've always built my own. The ones available are either a single clutch incubator (Hovabator) or multi-egg clutches. As with everything in my collection, I am very aware of my space requirements and utilize my space to it's maximum potential, keeping in mind that I will need double the floor space every three or so years at my rate.
I use wine fridges. The ones used to chill wine with the glass front door. I modify each one to remove the condenser and all wiring I won't need, install heat tape, a fan, a power backup system incase of power failure and a thermostat. Each incubator holds 16 clutches and I have four identical ones. I'll be doing up a DIY with step by step instructions. Here is a link to another forum I am a member at that has a sneak peek of my build:
Reptiles Canada Forums (http://www.reptilescanada.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35151)

[Chu'Wuti]

Mykee, thanks for the link! We actually have a wine chiller--full of wine, currently, but maybe I can convince my DH we need a new one! I don't want to start with something big, though--my thought is to start small with a pair & see how things go. I want to make sure I can do this before going big!

If I do go beyond that first pair, space is not much of an issue; we have an upstairs room that is currently storage. We are planning to remodel & insulate, and then it could become a snake/ham radio room . . .