Posted on 03/11/2021 11:55:35 AM PST by nickcarraway
A snake breeder who accidentally bred a ball python with the shape of three smiley face emojis on its body said he sold the designer reptile for $6,000.
Justin Kobylka, who has been breeding snakes for two decades, said he was attempting to breed ball pythons for the color combination of bright golden yellow and white when he ended up hatching a snake with three yellow smiley faces on its scales.
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The breeder said the snake was born after about eight years of working to breed pythons for the color combination.
Kobylka said he estimates about one in 20 of the snakes he bred for the color combination would have a smiley face, but the snake is the only one he's ended up with that has three faces on its scales.
Kobylka said the "emoji ball python" sold for $6,000.
The one closest to the head is also not a smiley face . . . it is an emoji being swallowed.
The one at the tail is an ex-emoji that is about to be crapped out.
LOL, I feel like a hamster in awe saying “It’s beeeyoutifulllll....”
Be Happy!
My nephew’s mom and stepdad raise and breed boas. They specifically breed them for fractal patterns to develop, then go all in and produce as many as they can, seeing how the highly prized ones go for as much as $20,000. The most desirable ones are of a special color and unique pattern. I don’t remember the exact particulars at the moment.
As they're wont to do, sometimes, poor Boo suddenly passed away with no warning a few months ago.
He was so sweet.
Huh.
I know Justin.
He makes snakes you wouldn’t believe.
Very big in the biz.
I bought a het Clown BP from him years ago but gave him to a friend who wanted to start his own Clown BP project.
The snake’s name was Mosby.
There are now *thousands* of BP morphs, all come from wild caught, “normal”, boring looking Ball Pythons.
They’re God’s super-huge crayon box of crazy genetics.
:)
http://www.worldofballpythons.com/
No
A Ball Python can barely manage a large mouse.
You’re safe.
They’re small, shy, perpetually frightened “pet rocks” that ball up tightly every time you look at them wrong.
I had a slew of Beeps and gave most of them to a breeder friend and switched to Boas.
Love those snakes.
They’re like legless dogs.
:)
Pfffft.
I bought *one* BP from Justin for a measly 150, including shipping.
Most I ever paid was $500 for a Super Pastel that is pictured in this thread.
Knowing Justin, there are bound to be some killer recessive genes in that $6K snake.
Would love to see their website.
I can see where a tendency to collect them might develop. Very pretty critters.
That characterization as a “crayon box of crazy genetics” appears to be an apt one!
Good to know. I am not a big fan of things that can eat me.
When I first got into BPs, there were something like 100 morphs.
In the years that passed, it went into the many thousands.
People dedicate years with normal looking snakes just to find what crazy genetics are hiding in that plain brown wrapper.
They have come up with stuff that just boggles the mind.
I wish Boas had as many recessive craziness in them but they either don’t. or people just haven’t gotten into it like BPs.
They have, however, come up with the IMG Boas I would love to have, which are solid black ones.
OMG they are gorgeous.
The only really “fancy” Boa I own is an Arabesque and at this point, they’re not that big a deal like they used to be.
They have used them to make crazy morphs that are cool, though, but plain Arabesque dominants are not a huge deal any more.
People want them with recessive stuff also hiding in there.
Pinky is a Pastel and I have an Albino and a couple Hypos but they’re pretty much just pet quality, now.
They are but there’s a reason we call them Pet Rocks.
:D
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