How rare is it to find a shiny Pokemon?

Its about a 10000000(0000?) to 1 Chance....hehe, Pretty slim if you catch my drift...For example..I've played just bout' all the versions, many times and I didn't get a shiny Pokemon till' bout my 20 run though Emerald...It was a zubat and it was pink. =)

The rarity of a legendary is no match to the ratity of a shiny. If you ask me, those chances are VERY slim. The very first time I've every found a shiny was in Emerald, and it was a gold and red Hariyama. I was sooooo happy I found it! So, it's most likely that you also will find your first shiny Pokemon in Emerald.

As rare as getting struck by lightning while holding a winning loto ticket
But my first shiny was a gold volpix that turned into a light purple nine tales

The only time I ever found one was a gold geodude in leaf green I was so upset I didnt have any pokeballs on my I used up my last cathing a normal geodude
I have read that 1 in 8141 battles is the odds of seeing one

The chance is 1 in 8192
There are ways of increasing it though, such as the Masuda method and the PokeRadar

I found shiny tentacool it was green. Right now I am trying to get a shiny mudkip.

I found a shiny magnemite and my neighbor wants it for a 52 zapdos thats how awesome and rare they are.

Put it this way, I've been playing Pokemon games for about 4 or 5 years, and I only just found one. It was a Ponyta with Blue fire

I have been playing Pokemon since Pokemon Red... The only Shiny I have ever seen is a Red Gyarados... And thats cause it is part of the story.
Never seen a random one in the wild before.

I only found a shiny Oddish, but somehow I managed to get that one twice.

For the person who said they got the same shiny Pokemon twice - the same thing happened to me in the original Silver version. I found a purple Drowzee and after I caught him and saved and healed him at the Poke'Center, I went back to that same patch of grass to try him out... And behold, a second purple Drowzee appeared!

This leads me to believe that there might be a time frame involved on when the shiny Pokemon is active. Like perhaps the purple Drowzee was available for 10 minutes and I found him twice easily, then never again.

Ok Here's an example. I've been playing Pokemon since I was 5 years old. I am now 15 and I have YET to encounter a shiny Pokemon in the wild.

The easiest method is masuda method, Japanese ditto with ever stone bred with English Scyther...

From Bulbapedia:

"While the standard encounter rate for a Shiny Pokémon (either in the wild or by breeding) is 1/8192, the Masuda method multiplies this rate by 5 (to 5/8192 or about 1/1638) in Generation IV and by 6 (to 3/4096 or about 1/1365) in Generation V. It occurs whenever Pokémon of differing language are bred."

TL;DR cross-breed your Pokemon with a foreign and native origins species and you have higher chance because Masuda blessed us.

I found a shiny Wurmple, too! But it must be pretty rare because I have played the game a LOT!! ;) But sadly, my Gardevoir is too OP and I accidentally used Grass Knot without thinking, and POOF! My first shiny was gone... :( :( ;( ;(