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Info MIKE FEZDEN

A

Alterna Ranch

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I thought I'd move this argument to the BOI. Mike Fezden has an ad under king and milksnakes for leucistic Gray Banded Kingsnakes. THESE ARE NOT TRUE ALTERNA. They were originally created by Baubel about 10 years ago. It was claimed that they just popped out of one clutch, yet they were never produced again from that same breeding which means the parents were not het for leucistic. In his ad, Mike states you do not see these in the US....true cause anyone who keeps, collects and knows the history of alterna, know full well this is a lab created snake, not a pure alterna. I have collected alterna since 1969. I found my first one on the trail to Casa Grande in Big Bend National Park. Of course, we looked at it and left it alone. It was the first one I ever saw and I was hooked. Since 1969 I have collected over 850 alterna and have lived in Val Verde County, Texas for the past 13 years. My collection of alterna currently numbers 328 - all either collected by me or ch by me from my wild collected. I have alterna from every known locale, several not commonly known and from Saltillo, Mexico off MX 57. I also have the only known wild caught albino alterna. I had mDNA run on it and it came back alterna. I still think it is a cross between annulata and alterna, thus I have not marketed it to the public. It is common knowledge among those of us who are alterna freaks that Mexican Milksnakes will breed with Gray Banded Kingsnakes. Several of us have collected these. Troy Hibbits collected a dark phase alterna morph right in front of me in the rain on Hwy 277 south of Loma alta in 2004 and when mDNA testing was done - it came back that the father of that snake was an annulata. In addition, all mexican forms will readily breed with just about anything - they are that prolific. Frank Retes was crossing them in the 70's with other mexicana forms cause I was in his house and saw them. Look at the pics in Mr. Fezdens ad of the ones he is selling, then look at the one Stu tried to sell. You can clearly see what will pop out at some point is an alterna that just does not look quite right. I do not think or claim that Mike Fezden is a "bad guy" or a scammer, but he believes these to be legit. If you are going to claim a new morph and there is doubt - you should do the DNA to prove it. The price on these alterna justifies DNA testing. You be the judge by the photos. Look at the top right "alterna" in the photo - not pure!
 

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Its sad you cant even spell my name right no matter how many times you stalk my ads. I said all I had to say to you in my ad for the Leucistic Gray Bandeds. Just because your fauna name is "Alterna Ranch" doesnt mean youre an expert on them, everybody knows youre far from a good guy, and your many attempts to hurt my name have done no good so far. So keep it up buddy, good luck with your criminal charges!
 

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DNA Testing

DNA testing on reptiles is typically FREE, so no excuse not to do it. Rob at Nevada State would do it for free.

I am an expert on alterna Mikey. You know anyone that has collected over 850 of them? NO! You don't. You know anyone that for 40+ years has produced over 200 a year during that time? NO! You don't. All you got Mikey is to bad mouth me. You know nothing about alterna cause you've NEVER collected one. You are one of these guys that buys into new, rare, high dollar reptiles cause you are a hack that has more money then you have sense. That does not make you a reptile expert or even a decent herpetologist. Say what you want about me, but at the end of the day - your "leucistic" alterna are garbage hybrids - nothing more and I still have one of the best private collections of reptiles in America. Don't think so - go look at my FB page to view it. You got any willardi obscurus? Nope. And San Francisco Garters? Nope. Any zonata herrerae? Nope. All of the mexican montane crotalus except eric smithi, campbelli and lanomi? Got any of these? Nope. And I just got Fiji Iggies into Mexico legally imported. Got any of those? Nope and in America - you never will! So go try to sell your garbage kingsnake, cornsnake and alterna morphs to the unsuspecting reptile community and keep bad mouthing me cause it's all you got.

DNA TESTING IS FREE - so put up or shut up Mikey and as stated before - I'll eat crow if they prove out to be legit.
 
Dont think collecting them makes you any kind of expert. Quit being so butthurt because you dont have one, and buy one, I certainly have NOTHING to prove to you. Feel free to end your obsession with me because its getting to be a little weird.
 
Robert, what is your motivation in posting this? Public service announcement? Personal grudge?

I don't know either one of you, but I don't see any evidence posted. Lists of other species that you have is irrelevant. Certainly you've collected a lot of snakes, but that's evidence of what? It seems like you are pointing out that if these morphs existed, you would know. But by that logic - I've never seen an albino corn snake in the wild. Therefore, the albino corn snakes for sale out there are frauds. That logic just doesn't work.

Mike doesn't have to prove anything to you. If you don't like leucistic kings then don't get one (yes, I am being somewhat purposely obtuse, but to make a point).
 
For those who dont know, I posted a BOI thread about Bob Sloan maybe a month ago? Because he was using my pictures while advertising animals for sale that ONLY I HAVE (albino scarlet snakes). He is a scammer that nobody takes seriously, and in years and years of being online Ive never heard anything but bad words about him.
 
Mikey is a liar...

....and has no proof of anything. I posted albino Texas Scarlet snakes for sale and by mistake because I had a comparison thumbnail pic to small to tell the difference between his and mine - that apparently is Mikeys - no proof of that either - he flipped his lid and said he was the only one who had albino scarlets. I offered up the phone number and name of the wildlife officer at Texas Parks & Wildlife so he could call and verify that I have had these albino scarlets when Mikey was still on his mommas tit, both viewed by a very well known biologist and documented by TP&W with letters of permission, but as usual with this hack wanna be herpetologist - he prefers to run off at the mouth like typical cowards do. As for albino corns - the first one was wild caught so know of what you speak before opening your mouth and looking stupid! I posted this because, as I stated, Mike believes these to be legit, but everyone who is considered an alterna expert NEVER bought one - WHY? cause they are a garbage hybrid and not pure alterna, thus they all ended up in Europe. Use your brain if you possess one - why if they were legit did not one alterna guru buy any? You cannot even get on the list for hypos or anery cause alterna gurus snap them up. Baubel and Fezden are both trying to perpetrate a scam on those who do not know better. And Fezden being the hack herper he is - probably paid 7K for one of these garbage snakes and now sees he took one up the kiester and wants to get some of his money back. Easy to fix and I'm still willing to eat crow - DO THE DNA. All you need is a shed skin from a leucistic - not a het! Put up or shut up or stop trying to scam a big sale.
 
Alterna Ranch said:
I also have the only known wild caught albino alterna. I had mDNA run on it and it came back alterna. I still think it is a cross between annulata and alterna, thus I have not marketed it to the public.
Click to expand...

"I dont trust DNA testing"


Alterna Ranch said:
If you are going to claim a new morph and there is doubt - you should do the DNA to prove it. The price on these alterna justifies DNA testing.
Click to expand...

"You should get DNA testing"


Which is it? Lol
 
I was going to post same thing Mike but was at work. Forgot after I got home. Good catch! lol.
 
One of the problems about claims using mtDNA (aka mitochondrial DNA) is that it only shows if the mother is an alterna (assuming of course that this is an accurate claim) as mtDNA is only passed from the mother to the offspring. Males do not contribute mtDNA at all to their offspring so any claims of proof that it is pure something based on mtDNA is pretty much bunk and we have to take an recommendations for this as proof of "purity" to be without any value.

some comments

Ed
 
Thanks for calling me stupid, Robert. You missed the point I was making but I think that's the least of your problems....

Disgusting racist FB rant there. Truly a person to be avoided at all costs!
 
And?

First, I stand by my post about John Wiley Price and Al Lipscomb and since you know nothing of the history of these two criminals - you might as well just shut up. There are black people and then there are the word I used in that post, but apparently you are too politically correct and stupid to know the difference. I have many black friends from martial arts to music and have trained, fought, and played with some of the biggest names in both.

I do trust DNA and I never said I didn't! Try reading my words. You put what you posted in quotes - try posting what I said instead of misquoting me!

The albino I collected was unable to be proven pure at the time. Scale count was correct, band count was correct - it even had the classic head mark on it. A lot of alterna collectors and zoo personell looked at it and thought it is alterna. Ric Blair thought it looked like it had some milksnake in it. I think it is an albino alterna, but unlike Mikey, I'm not sure so did not try to scam the buying public with that snake. I still have it, still breed it and it throws pure looking blairs and alterna morphs.

My motivation is to hope buyers do their homework before they drop a pile of money on a hybrid claiming to be legit. And Mikey has a habit of trying to sell high end garbage.
 
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