KABOOM!

Well, I finally took some pictures, and this one takes the cake. This is one of the first females to ovulate for me that I have been able to witness.

KABOOM!!!

Looks like she ate a football, eh?



She was bred exclusively to the Enchi, so I'm looking forward to having some first thing this season.

You can even see her tail suck happening.



And even though I have yet to hatch one out, here is the Sable with a girl friend of his. I had actually thought she was done, but she was still building, and he was ready for action! So.. She should be KABOOMing soon too.

After Ovulations, the boys can relax and enjoy some time alone... Cause they are not needed.



Anyway, after all is said and done, with the BBQ done and over with, and the weekend drifting farther away, I need to address this before I forget:

Monsters Vs. Aliens

Not really geared towards kids (young ones, at least). Lots of action, smashing, loud bangs, crazy amounts of crazy aliens. At what point does a 4 year old need to know about a selfish fiance that dumps you cause you are 30 feet tall?

It was cute, but I actually was a little disspointed by the lack of plot and character depth. The Monsters were cute, but I didn't get the feeling that the characters were persued enough in terms of personality and the reason why we care??? But then again, they may have written it thinking that children may not care.

But hey... I CARE!

Maybe they will make another one that makes up for all of what this one is lacking.

We shall see.

For now, I'm giving it 3 out of five stars... Cute, but not great.

But you gotta love BOB and his jello girlfriend.

So there you have it.

More stuff tommorow, maybe a comparison shot or something of the sort for the KABOOM factor.

Happy Tuesday.

Mmmmm.. Snake BBQ.

I have to say, I was really suprised that when I invited people to the "Snake BBQ", some non-herper people actually thought that we were eating snakes.

REALLY????

Anyway, Saturday was a lot of fun!

We had a little bit of a snafu, and some people just couldn't make it out, but we had a good turn out, and a bunch of friends were there!



Here is me and The Joel, Joe actually made him a T-shirt so that no one would forget. I was going to do that, but my shirts aren't ready yet. He beat me to it.



Tony and Kim, thank you both for coming so far to meet up with a bunch of snakey wierdos! It was great to meet you both, and I hope you guys had fun!



Raul of West Coast Jungle, grilling it up! WOOT!



And yes, this guy was walking his horse... Thru the park... Very odd indeed.



And the fuzzbutt Regal made friends with Paige, the mini-boxer. They were running around everywhere!!!



Good times!!!

I am hoping to have more photos, since I didn't take them, and Lewie is too tired to send them to me yet...

I hope this will tide you all over until later.

I also have some updates from the weekend that are actually snake related, so I'm going to hold off until later for that as well.

Have a great Monday everyone!!

Best Friends...

In the final chapter of the week, I will introduce you to my best friends.

You know that wedding in Lake Tahoe I was at last year?

This is Christina. That wedding was her wedding, and now she is due to give birth in the next few months.

I have known her since Middle School. She is my bestest chick friend. Love you, Chris :)



And I think you guys know Joel by now, right? This is he and I graduating from College! He is my bestest guy friend and my boyfriend.



He is my support and my heart. Without him, I would not have been able to do what I have done with my snakes and my business.



He's even helping a lot with the Snake BBQ that is happening tommorow in Alta Dena!

Yes, tommorow is the big BBQ in So Cal where lots of snakey people will meet up and eat and frolic and enjoy the California Sun! I'm very excited! (The invitation is still out there for those who are local to come out and meet more locals!!! E-mail me for more info!)

There will be plenty of photos, stories, and so forth. Less about Heather, more about the snakes and snake stuff again!

YAY!

This weekend should be interesting to say the least, and I am actually looking forward to having a busy one this time.

AND TONIGHT IS DATE NIGHT!!! (Monsters vs. Aliens... Totally excited about it! Yes, I am a kid at heart. Absolutely.) Review to come on Monday.

Have a great one, people, and to those I'm going to see tommorow, I'm looking forward to it. And those I'm not, I'm sure we'll cross paths one day.

Enjoy your weekend friends.

Brohbs

So yes, in the quest to learn more about Heather, I have a younger brother.

His name is Brohbs.

Not really, I just call him that.



He and I grew up together (duh!) and he is 18 months younger than I am.

He's off learning about the world, while I grow snakes :)

He's not as into it as I am (None of my family are), but he has helped occasionally when visiting the house and so forth. He even helped me pick up rodents one time..

Good times :)

Now... Why am I reminiscing?

Cause this is the down time before laying and crazy waiting where I can just enjoy and update records, scan pictures, and get ready for the craziness.

(I can't wait to see this happening!!)



Last night I actually took pictures of almost ALL of the snakes in the collection to update the photos for records in Degei. It took FOREVER!!! I should be done tonight, then it is putting them into the records that will take a while as well, but that is alright! At least I will be caught up!

And then the eggs will come, and I will have to start all over again...

YAY!!!!!!

Brazil

Well, since this is "Learn about Heather Week", heres a tidbit for you.

I lived in Brazil for 4 months over the course of two years during High School doing Health Works and related community service stuff.

2 months each time, during the summer.

I taught English, taught dental hygenie, built a community center, learned a lot about Brazillian culture and spoke Portuguese.

These photos are around 7 years old.

I went with a program called Amigos de las Americas. If you have any children around the age of 16 that needs some perspective in life, this is the program to send them to!!

I learned recently that the program stopped going to Brazil, which is very sad... Brazil is an AMAZING country, and place. I plan on going back there one of these days.

I have to admit that when I was told I was assigned to Brazil, I was actually upset. I didn't want to learn Portuguese!!! I spoke Spanish!!!

But all of that went away after I went the first time, and the second time around, I chose to go back voluntarily to Brazil. And it was totally worth it!




Here is a few of the community kids helping me at ground zero of the community center.

Now I fully admit that this is just Heather's musings, and nothing having to do with snakes whatsoever.

Did I see any snakes in Brazil when I was there? Yes, I did.

One.

It was this thing, but pink..

And now that I have my snakes now, its actually gotten me more interested in herping in different countries. I wish I would have gotten photos of the snakes that I have seen over the years. Oh well.

Anyway, pairings for the week are:

Albino x Axanthic het Albino
Normal x Black Pastel
Normal x Pewter
Normal x Sable
Pinstripe x Mojave
Poss Het Ghost x POG
Poss Het G Stripe x G Stripe
Poss Het Pied x Pied
Het Albino x Albino
Poss Het Caramel x Caramel

Alright... Lets get over the hump day!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Quick shout out to the ladies in that San Francisco Clinic that read the blog!! Hope you enjoy it!!

Shipping!!! and a Blast from the Past

It's shipping day, and I am ready to send out the last baby from 08' that is to be sold. Its a bittersweet moment, but 09' is fast approaching, and I am ready for what it is to bring!

So a basic overview of shipping is, Box lined in styrofoam, cushioning for shipping (crumpled paper), heat pack or cold pack depending on the temps of the area in which it will be shipped, snake bag or cup, and tape. Lots of tape.

Tape the heat pack after activation to the top inner portion of the styrofoam, making sure not to block the red line.

Pack the snakes in the bags. Sometimes I like to leave a crumpled up piece of papertowel in the bag to soak up any snake-ly fluids that may be expelled when shipping. Tie the bags tight, and zip tie the end.

If you are using a cup, make sure to tape it up correctly, without blocking any breathing holes.

Make sure the snakes do not lay on or with each other, for fear of crushing each other.

Make sure everything is set, and seal the box!!

Tape it up, all corners, and ship it out!

It's that easy, but very nerve wracking. Once it is out of your hands...



Anyway, at the request of my friend Dale, I scanned a few of the photos I found in the garage. These photo, I was around 16? I played on the JV Football team as the only girl. It was a LOT of fun, and I was way skinnier back then.

..... Yeah.



And an actual snake photo, as I have been lagging on that hard core... Mojave that I hatched out in 08'. What a pretty girl!



Anyway, I will have a few more blast from the past pics, cause it is rather therapeutic to see them, and I can scan/preserve them and have an excuse to do so.

Have a great day!

Weekend/Wedding Overview

This weekend was only somewhat Snakey, and I am sorry for that. Seems like things are getting to be rather complacent in the snake department, and that is due to the waiting game we have with the snakes for any eggs or development of eggs.

Friday was a trip to see my friend Tom Baker at his house and meet up with another friend for dinner...

Good times!

Mmmmmm.. Dinner



Snakes!!!

Pastel Ivory x Normal


A nice Pastel


Pastel Mojave x Pastel


Sterling Pastel (Super Pastel Cinnamon)


And the magical only one in existance, Pastel Super Crystal. Isn't he amazing? His colors are coming out a lot more now.. Slight yellows and some oranges. Amazing.




Saturday was Wedding Number One of the year.



It was at a Country Club.. Swanky



Moms did the light the candle thing. Seems to be a more common thing now.

There is the Happy Couple!!!



And the reception.


Isn't it pretty?


And another happy couple...



Did you see at the reception how sunny it was??? Yeah. Me too...

And then, at 2AM Sunday Morning, it began to rain. WHAT?????

Weird weather is abounding. But Sunday was not too wet, so chores were done, and the sun was out anyway, so it was like nothing happened. Feeding day last night, and no one is interested, really...

BUT!!! A few of the girls that haven't eaten for 6+ months are starting up again. YAY! Thing is, I need to get the rest of the crew to start up again too...

There is always something, eh?

Have a good Monday, my friends...

Trip down memory lane (Happy First of Spring!)

So I've been going thru my garage trying to get rid of stuff due to having it redone.

I found alot of stuff that I didn't even remember I had!!!

I found photos of me when I was 16... High School photos...Photos of my international travels... Photos from College...

And you know what it made me think?

God, I'm old.

LOL!

On top of all of that, I found a huge tub of stuff snake wise that I have had since the beginning... Including fake rocks, water dishes, lights, heat pads, and the like.

It has been a while since I even considered using any of that stuff, so it was kinda odd to find it in a big red tub.

Which kinda brings me to my point..

No matter how long you have a snake, breed snakes, love snakes in general, you will never know everything about them. It is constantly a learning process.

Who of you out there started out with a 10 gallon tank, a lamp and a waterdish only cause the petstore told you that was how to do it?

With that in mind, no matter what I tell you here in the blog, it is not the golden rule.

The only golden rules there are are:

1) Take care of your animal with respect and to the best of your ability.
2) Provide Food, water, shelter.
3) When in doubt, call a vet or an experienced herper.

So take that and use it wisely.

As for snake stuff other than in the garage, I actually caught a very nice Ovulation yesterday from one of my girls. She was bred to the Black Pastel, so I should be good on eggs soon! I'm very excited to see some type of progress, considering that some people on the East Coast already have eggs on the ground.

Tommorow will be the first Wedding of the Year, so we will be doing more Wedding things. I may be able to squeeze some snake time in, and this weekend should be more laid back. Thank goodness.

Have a great weekend, People, and Happy Spring!!

Well......

Yesterday was very uneventful, although I did break open the DEGEI software to get it updated, and had a little bug problem, so didn't get to do what I planned. That will be tonight.. Excited for that!!!

I LOVE DEGEI!!! Great for keeping info updated, without having a bunch of cards or writing everywhere. I have it on my Laptop, so that I can take it where I need to. Its a fabulous program for those who have a significant amount of animals... and a lazy writing hand. (Me...)

But today is one of those days where I didn't really preplan the blog.

I usually have plenty of photos to pick from, an idea of what to write up, and a motivation to do so with something in mind.

That is not the case today.

While I am gearing up for the BBQ next week that I am planning for the locals here in Southern California, I have realized that a lot of my good friends are all in the snake community.

Since college, that is really where I have been in my social life, and its actually kinda interesting to note that my best friends local to me are my "snake friends".

I really look forward to meeting new people in the community as well, and it makes things that much more exciting when I know someone I haven't seen for a while is going to be at a show!

Does that make me a weirdo?

Probably..

But I like being a weirdo.

I was telling my co-worker yesterday over lunch, I have never been one to do the normal thing.

I played Football in High School, just cause I thought it would be fun and different. It was!!!

I lived in Brazil for a while to teach English and help build a community...

I've never been normal.

And I am fine with that :)

Who do you know actually laughs after she gets bit by a snake?

Yeah...

So to all of my local friends, customers who are friends, friends from across the country, THANK YOU!!!

Thank you for appreciating this weirdo for who she is.

A weirdo who loves snakes...

Gearing up! (How to set up an Egg Tub)

Well, last week sometime, I showed Lewie how to make a snake egg incubation tub.

I wrote an outline of this last year, and will do so again this year on the blog. You all ready??

Here we go!





What you need:

-A tub that fits in your incubator (I use 6qts or 15qts, depending on the clutch)
-Vermiculite (I use two grades (2 and 4) that are above and below the actual one most people use, as I can't find it often..Use what you can find. Grade 3 is best)
-Perlite (withOUT any Plant Food Additives)
-Press and Seal plastic wrap, or something similar
-Water (distilled or purified is best)
-An Incubator to put the boxes in




Alright!!!

You got it all ready?

Well, now, take two parts dry Vermiculite to one part dry Perlite and mix it together in your box. I use one part small Vermiculite, one part Big Vermiculite and one part Perlite.



Mix mix mix!!!

Now one the blend is combined evenly, add water slowly... Mix while adding water and keep clumping up the substrate until you can get it into a ball that won't crumble easily and won't leak liquid if you squeeze it. If it does, you have too much water.



If it breaks apart with a few prods, and isn't squeezing water out like a sponge, then you are ready!!!



Put a layer of Plastic Wrap over the tub, to seal in the humidity.



Press the tub top on the box, and you are SOLID TO GO!!!



Place the box in the incubator for a few days to make sure that the temps are even and the tub isn't collecting water on the plastic wrap. If it is, the humidity is too high, and add a bit of vermiculite to make it drier.

Remember: It is always better to have it drier than wetter. It's easier to correct dry than wet.

I hope this has helped you all, and if you have any questions, you know what to do :)

Saint Patty's Day Tale

Let me tell you a story of my preparing for Saint Patty's Day.

I like green, I like beer, I like corned beef.

Why not like Saint Patty's Day? It's always been one of those "holidays" that is an excuse to party, so I decided to do it up!

I had this in mind a few weeks ago, cause I like to cook things up for my friends.

So, I wanted to go to the store.. I asked Joel if we should go on Thursday, which is our normal store day. He said ..later.

I said, no problem. We have plenty of food otherwise, I'll just pick up the corned beef on Monday.

HAH!!!

Let me tell you something. There is a Corned Beef SHORTAGE here in Southern California and I went to FOUR stores to look for it.

Even the butcher at one of the stores laughed at another customer for asking... "Now is not the time to be shopping for Corned Beef the day before!! Hahaha..."



So I drove and called and drove around until around 10PM looking..

And then, I FINALLY FOUND IT!!!

At the 5th store, not the cut of meat I wanted, but I found it. 10:50, 10 minutes before closing..

I was so HAPPY!

Note to self: If there is a meal that is typically consumed on a day by the rest of public, PURCHASE EVERYTHING SEVERAL DAYS AHEAD OF TIME.

So, the crock pot is set, I am "cooking" as we speak (WOOT!) and everything should be right with the world.

And in a world where Ball Pythons do not come in green, I have decided to post a photo of a Tree Boa that is green to make it seem more appropriate. No, I don't have one, but they are beautiful, aren't they?



More pics of my awesome cooking tommorow. HAPPY SAINT PATRICKS DAY!!

Manic Monday

Well, after all is said and done, this weekend was very crazy. I am still pretty tired, and I got some stuff done!

Joel and Joe decided to play Grand Tourismo all night last night while I was trying to sleep, and yes, I can hear the TV and you guys talking at 1am, thank you very much.

Friday night was cleaning night, and I put fresh Sani-chips in a few of the 15 qt tubs. My thought is that I am going to be way more vigilant on the wood, and see if I can pinpoint when mites appear, if at all. Lets hope not at all.

Saturday was my favorite. Other than having to be woken up to your garage wall being bashed in (to replace drywall and fix rain damage) at 8:30 on your sleep in day, I drove out to my sani-chip man to pick up some bags. Turns out the price went up. YAY!

Then we drove out to Alta Dena to check out a park that we are planning to have a snake picnic at in a few weeks. That was actually entertaining, and although it took a while, and I was yawning the whole way, we had fun.

So, if you are in Southern California and have any interest in hanging out, let me know!! March 28th, babaaay!



Anyway, Sunday was family day, Morning with Joels family, Evening with Heathers. I got to see a lot of people I don't normally see, and my Uncle and Aunt came out to LA from Chicago for a few days. It was really nice to see them!

And yesterday after we got home, while I was already tired and ready for bed, I went to feed everyone. My allergies were kicking in hard core too last night, so sniffling and itching late at night while trying to feed off rodents is not easy..

Yeah. My plan to be in bed at 10PM didn't end up working out too well... Bed was midnight, and was kept up by "YEAH!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!!!" and the sounds of cars revving.

Oh well. At least I am still alive.

Coffee time and hopefully today will be gentle.. I need it.