• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Switching Ball Pythons from ASF's to Rats (Myth buster)

Ultimate Pythons

Ultimate Pythons

Ball Python Breeder
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Ok I thought I would post this here for those of you that have any doubt about switching ball pythons over to rats after they have been raised on ASF's. In all my cases they have switched over without any problems. sometimes it takes a little more patience than other times but eventually they all switch over. This is a link to a video I made for an individual that purchased my Snow ball and wanted to see if she would take rat pups. Here ya go.

http://youtu.be/qbyilU9hv60
 
That some BPs prefer ASFs to rats is certainly not a myth - I have had some that took several years to finally take a rat on their own (and even then, it wasn't necessarily a permanent change)....though the ASF feeders would usually take mice or gerbils, as well. By the same token, I have kept a few BPs that would simply not touch an ASF
 
hhmoore said:
That some BPs prefer ASFs to rats is certainly not a myth - I have had some that took several years to finally take a rat on their own (and even then, it wasn't necessarily a permanent change)....though the ASF feeders would usually take mice or gerbils, as well. By the same token, I have kept a few BPs that would simply not touch an ASF
Click to expand...

It is definitely true that ball pythons prefer ASF's over rats. As I stated in the video when switching my adults it wasn't as easy of a task, but they all did switch sooner or later. As everyone knows there are always going to be those picky eaters out there. The main piont here is to let those that have been scared to buy hatchlings because they have been feeding on asf's instead of rats that they can be switched.
 
They can usually be switched; but I have concerns over trying to downplay prey preferences to people that may not be experienced in dealing with them.
While it is generally true that younger BPs switch more easily - and there will be some (of any age) that are just strong feeders and will eat whatever you throw at them - there are many that want what they want....and if the new owner is unable to provide it, the snake will not eat. It doesn't matter whether the desired prey item is ASFs, mice, or rats. Purchasing (or otherwise acquiring) a BP that has been maintained on a prey item that the buyer doesn't have available can be a risk; and it is one that should be fully considered.
 
hhmoore said:
They can usually be switched; but I have concerns over trying to downplay prey preferences to people that may not be experienced in dealing with them.
While it is generally true that younger BPs switch more easily - and there will be some (of any age) that are just strong feeders and will eat whatever you throw at them - there are many that want what they want....and if the new owner is unable to provide it, the snake will not eat. It doesn't matter whether the desired prey item is ASFs, mice, or rats. Purchasing (or otherwise acquiring) a BP that has been maintained on a prey item that the buyer doesn't have available can be a risk; and it is one that should be fully considered.
Click to expand...

I will agree with that. I think that having the individual try to feed a rat pup to the hatchling before they buy is a great way to asure that it will take rats. That away they are covering themselves. Luckily I have never had a ball python ever refuse to switch over to mice or rats.
 
I have more problems with my micers switching then I do the ones I feed ASF's. Again some are garbage dumps and will eat anything, but most will switch between rats and asfs freely. I don't feed exclusively ASFs to any snake but they have all (except my 2 micers) eaten them at times.
 
I got an adult female that was an asf and mouse eater. I was told she wouldn't take rats but she ate a scented one two days after I got her and is now eating small- medium regular rats just fine. Some are easier than others to switch, I'm also beginning to suspect differences in housing affect their willingness to eat or switch to new food. I get a lot of snakes that are off feed or stubborn eaters/ addicted to one food type and after keeping them very warm and quiet for a week or two most take whatever I offer them. Of all the snakes I've had the only one that remained difficult was my original bp who I got as a wc adult. She wouldn't take anything at all for the first 6 months i had her then ate gerbils but she eventually switched to mice then rats and now she eats f/t large rats like a champ, only problem with her is that there's nothing in the world you can do that will get her to eat more often than 2-3 months out of the year. She still manages to be a nice plump 3,000g girl even with her strange eating habits lol.
 
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