Sadness, Joy and Snakes

I am sad to report that AFF did not make it. 

Her swelling did not subside no matter what I tried, and she began to have seizures. As it looked like she ould not be able to have a good quality of life, we decided to put her down.  

It was the merciful thing to do, as she never did eat or move well. 

I absolutely HATE this part of the business, and I have never been able to completely come to terms with having to do it no matter how many times we have had to.

Joel helps me with this part, since there are times where I cannot deal with it alone. 

I am glad to have him.

Anyway, in an effort to stop thinking to hard about the inevitable, I took lots of pictures. It has been a few months since I have really gotten in there and took photos, so this was a refreshing change of pace.

Also, I have figured out how to play Pandora in the snake room, which makes my life in the room much more enjoyable.

Music is one of my joys as well. I sing in the snake room often, and although I can't claim that there is much in the way of benefit to the snakes, it makes me feel better about shoveling snake excrement and getting bit by little snotty snakes.

The original! The Onyx

Just sing your cares away! 

As I promised a few weeks ago, I have the original Onyx up for a photo session. I actually think I may be able to use her this year, and I have NO IDEA what to put her to. That will be fun to figure out.

Lastly, my other new joy... (kinda).

Meet Dr. Bun Bun McChubby.

She was found by a friend of mine at his work, in the botanical gardens. Apparently someone abandoned her, and he caught her and put her up for adoption.

I, being the excessive animal lover that I am, and never having had a rabbit before, jumped at the chance.

I expected to be deathly allergic to her, as I am with many many other furry creatures.

I am NOT.

HOORAY!

So now, we have a bunny.

And Joel calls her "Doc".

Case in point:

Joel: "What's up, Doc?"
Bun Bun: ........

Also, it is amusing to note that she does not seem to like men. Different...

Anyway, that is all for the week so far.


I am looking forward to seeing the reports back from NARBC Tinley this weekend.


I'm sure there will be plenty to talk about.

Until next week, my friends.

Pairings that make sense

Now that it is time again to think about pairings, I go back to the problem that I always have...

Pairings that make sense NOW or pairings that make sense LATER.

I am the type of person to set goals and work towards them for as long as it takes... Especially back in the day when Possible Hets were the only thing affordable in the Recessive game.  I bought groups of possible hets to try and prove out. I actually still have a few that have yet to be proven one way or the other.

But does that make sense now?

It is much easier now a days to find someone who has made that piece of your breeding puzzle, and all you need to do is plunk down some dollas/scrilla/scratch/cheddar or offer them a trade.

Or both.

I personally like Cheddar. It's delicious.

As I am sure that some people are infinitely more patient than I, there are people that like working with Hets. And I really respect that.

I do it, but now it has been with 100%ers.

It took me a LONG time to get into the Clown project. I made my own Possible Hets from a Het male, and proved them out over the last three years.

Back then, for me, the pairing made sense.. Het Clown to Pastel female. DONE.

Now?

I wouldn't do it. 

Reason?

Resources. I have more opportunities and more animals that I can play with.

And those animals make sense.

Now I absolutely support people doing what I did back in the day if that is what you can and want to do. It is very rewarding and a great way to make sure that the possible hets are possible!

Back then, it was easier. Less options, more clear cut projects to work on.

Now, my head swims with ideas and new things to pair up and see what happens.

Still not sure what I am doing with some animals, like the Onyx.

But of course, with more resources comes more responsibility... and things to think about.

It's charting time.

And introductions to new males for the season.

Tell me: What do you plan to do, and how do you plan it?

Let's discuss...

Have a great day, my friends!

Distractions from Snakes

So I admit it... There are times where I am distracted from dealing with the snakes.

If you are a constant reader, you know that I work full time, do school to pursue my Masters, and have a few things like a Husband and fuzz children to take care of.

I have also fallen prey to Candy Crush, Plants vs. Zombies, and The Simpsons: Tapped Out! games...

It's rather sad how often I indulge, where I know I should be doing other more productive things.

BUT!!!

I do get back into the groove when I know it is time, and the snakes get their fair shake, especially now that I have dedicated the time to do the blog at least three times a week.

But of course, as I am typing this, I am also playing Candy Crush on my iPad.

Multitasking for the win!

(BTW: Level 410 is a BITCH.)

So with this season already winding down for me, the next season is upon me!
I am working on a plan to revamp the collection, and I am already rather conflicted.

WHAT DO I KEEP WORKING ON? WHAT DO I LET GO OF?

I spend plenty of time figuring things out in the rest of my world, and managing things well.

Now when it comes to the snakes, there are times where I am completely stumped.

I have been doing this for a while, and there is always something new and cool to do... which completely derails the plans from two or three years ago when I got into a particular project.

I have to say that half of the stuff I made this year was not planned for a particular project. And of course when I have people ask me "What is a good project to start in?", I always answer "Whatever you like the most!"

That is a complete cop-out, and I know it. 

The problem with answering that question is this: I am not you. I have no idea what you like, what your resources are, what you want to really do in this hobby....

I can't answer that question without just saying "Morph X" because it looks cool, or because I have one for sale...

And that is not right, and I can not in good conscience do that to anyone. 

So, as I have learned this technique in my life, I answer the question with another question, so that you can figure it out yourself without my random suggestion that has no real bearing on what you want. 

Anyway, with all of the distractions I have, I always spend the time on the blog to convince myself that now is the time to focus on what the heck I'm doing. This is important, and I really do need to get on it.

The list of things has been made, and I need to get to pairing plans soon. There are a few animals that are already paired, and I have to say it will be fun this year, with lots of things ready to go.

What do you think would be cool to see? Give me suggestions to add to the list of things to make happen...

Of course, if you are looking to buy a certain morph, that would also help me work it in as well. Help me help you..

Have a great week, my friends.

Growing Males and Plans

It seriously seems like I am talking about planning the next season every other month. This year went by SO FAST!

And of course, when that happens, I have to stop and account for the things that have happened over the year and figure out what the heck I'm going to do.

I just finished compiling a list of what I have (with not everything, cause I'm still debating on a few things).

 

Like this guy. Black Pewter Mojave het Pied male...

Total powerhouse, 'amirite?

But should I keep him, keep his sister, sell them both and work it out???

I don't know yet.

To be determined.

And then there are those males that I held back or got last year that I am ready to consider using.

I did jump into the Coral Glow stuff last year. I LOVE how he looks. 

And the black spots keep popping up everywhere. 

No, he does not have mites. 

They are just awesome spots. 

Spots of awesome.

(I'm going to see if I can make that a thing... Spots of awesome, not unlike the Egg Butt Puff of breeding females. That caught on pretty well... We shall see)

 

Of course, it is a little blurry, but this is one of my newest acquisitions. 

Welcome to the fold, Puma! I am going to work this into the Solar Flare stuff and see what happens.

He's pretty bad-ass. I do not have any Super Stripe Stuff to compare it to, but I like the way he looks. Maybe even get a Super Stripe just for comparison... Dunno.

Clever name for him? I'm not there yet. Give me some time.

 

And this guy was a purchase from a while back that is being used in several projects here to complete some female pairings. 

 

 

This is POG 2.0. 

Pastel Orange Ghost 2.0.

2.0, you ask?

Well, he is the newest version of POG male in my collection.

POG het Pied. 

So... POGHP.

I'm not even sure how to pronounce that.

Pawguhhupp?

Maybe we will just stick with the POG 2.0.

He has several girlfriends to attend to this year. I'm looking forward to it.

What is it that you are all looking forward to this year?

What projects do you think will be good ones to work on?

Have a great weekend, my friends.

Sacramento Recap and Musings

So it's been a few days since Sacramento, and I have to say, it has always been a family affair.

Kids come around wanting to touch and hold, parents are there to teach and exhaust their overhyped children, and everyone wants hand sanitizer. (I have several bottles on the table, and EVERYONE uses it... even if just to come by and pump some out, ignoring my greetings)

I enjoy teaching people about the awesomeness that is Ball Pythons, but I get the oddest questions. Let's review some, shall we?

"So these are Boa Pythons?"
My response: Those are two different types of snakes. These are BALL Pythons.
"So Boa Pythons?"

"Do you have 'X species'?"
My response: No, I only have Ball Pythons, I'm sorry.
"Are you sure?"

"Did you know your shirt says Shlong on it?"
My response: It says Shlange, which is German for snake.

"I'm worried that these snakes will eat my (insert large domestic critter that would destroy said snake here)"
My response: I do not think that would be a problem. They are rather docile, and I'm almost certain your (animal) will be able to defend itself. Also, it wouldn't be an issue if your caging is appropriately locked up.

"Are these snakes poisonous?"
My response: No, even if you do eat them, you will be fine. I don't suggest it, however. They are also not venomous, which is what I am pretty sure you meant to ask.

There were also times where I was impressed with the depth of knowledge from some of the people I talked to. It's rather hit or miss, and of course one must not judge a book by its cover.

No matter what, the interactions with people is always what I enjoy the most about shows. It was a pleasure to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones. Customers from years past come thru and tell me about how their snakes are doing. Apparently there is a snake out there that I produced whose name is now "Pasta". I love it!


What I find interesting about shows are the people who talk to each other about buying, while all right in front of me. In a different language.

Here's the problem with that...

I speak several languages, including Spanish.

I've caught a lot of comments in languages I'm supposed to not understand that are rather unflattering, or just plain rude. Of course, this spans not just snake shows, but many other facets of life.

I'm not exactly sure how people can justify that, but I guess that is something one must accept.

And of course the fun part is answering in the language a question they were asking their partner or friend.. MWAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!


Anyway, the next show we will be doing is going to be San Diego in November, which will be a first for me. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope to meet many new customers there. And throngs of people in Heather's Herps shirts. :)


Have a great day, my friends.

Just watch this.. (Sacramento Show Video)

Sacramento!!

So it's time for Sacramento, and this is the farthest show that Heather's Herps actually does.



I know, it's still in California... but it takes us around 7 hours to get there, which in comparison, is like driving from Florida to South Carolina, or Delaware to Massachusetts. I'm traversing states here!

And it can be said that Northern and Southern California are different states in their own right. They absolutely have different vibes...

Anyway, I digress.



Photo credit goes to my very talented High School Classmate, Todd Sipes. Click the photo to be taken to his site.

I always enjoy going up north, as I was born and raised in San Francisco, and am a Northern Cali girl by heart. Hippy lovey dovey Greenpeace stuff I actually do enjoy. I like plants and walking thru the redwood forests, I enjoy the wineries and the various types of cold weather SF offers. Even though the Golden Gate Bridge has never been golden, I drive over it often with a sense of pride.

Hella.

And yes, it can be said that Sacramento is not quite as hippy-like as the San Fran crowd, but it is still Nor Cal, and I love it.

The Oldtown Downtown is quaint, and it is just a pretty city, albeit very warm in the summer months.

I'm just looking foward to getting out and about and meeting new people.

I have been told that several people that have been past customers, and people I talk to thru e-mail or Facebook will be there. I am really looking forward to putting faces to names!

Here we go, my friends. Have a great weekend. I know I will!

Recovery

So this morning has been a little tough getting around. I'm tired, but doing well. It's a full work week, so trudging thru that will be a bunch of fun.

BUT!!!!

I got to meet a ton of cool people, lots of shirts were floating around the show, and I really had a great time talking to people I have known and past customers about their animals.

The show, however, was sparsely attended.

So, although it was not the best situation for selling snakes, it was a great time meeting and talking to folks.

I am excited to say that we are also going up to Sacramento to see everyone for the Sacramento Reptile Show this next weekend.

This will be the first time we have done back to back shows (that I recall), and although I am tired, I am looking forward to seeing the Nor Cal crew!

Hopefully lots of them will be repping with the Heather's Herps T-shirt.

So as I get settled and things, I wanted to shout out to everyone that stopped by to get a Shirt by mentioning the blog. I met a lot of nice new people, and I hope you like the shirts!!!

Have a great week, you guys.

Here we go!

Getting ready for Anahiem

Belly Shot- Vanilla Sulfur

So I have done NARBC Anahiem for the past five years, and it is one of my favorites in California. Granted, there are a TON of Ball Pythons, it is just a big venue with lots of cool stuff and cool people. It also has a great vibe, and the auctions on Saturday are always the most fun!

I always say that I will get around the show and take pictures, but usually what ends up happening is that I get stuck behind the booth talking to people.

And that is what I love to do anyway, so it's all good!

I hope to be able to get out and wander a bit, since I have notably been absent from the community by way of not knowing what the newest morphs are, what the plans are for breedings, etc...

Enchi Butter Spider

With the happenstance of my Enchi Butter Pewter, I hope to be able to shed some light on my slight doubt of its genetics. These shows tend to help, as a conglomeration of Ball Python Breeders and opinions allow for easier discussions and display.
 

Enchi Butter Pastel

I am prepping the boxes, folding up the shirts, and getting ready to see everyone tomorrow. I am pretty darn excited for this year, and I can't really put my finger on why. I expect it to be a great show, and have lots of fun things to see.

Enchi Pewter

If not, at least I get to see some smiling faces that I don't see often, and meet new people that I haven't met before.

Mention your reading the blog, my friend, and you will get a free shirt of your choice.

Bring on the good times.

Have a great NARBC weekend, my friends!

It happens to the best of us

So I was in the snake room, and I was just planning on taking some pictures. I snapped a few, and then thought, "Hmmmm... Let me double check some of my holdbacks to see if they are ready."

Really, it was to double check to make sure males were males and females were females... I recently had a run in with a mis-sexed animal that I only checked once or twice that went from "female" to MALE for sure. (Right, Lola?)

NOTE: I quadruple and quintuple check the animals I have available for sale.
I do NOT do so for the animals I hold back. I see one I want, check it once, put it aside.

Holdback.. Sexed female... Maybe I should go back and check?

This is probably not the best way to do things, but I've been spot on so far (plus they are pretty and I get to look at them for a while). But I am also human. (DAMN YOU, HUMANITY!!! -fist shake at the sky-)

I've never claimed to be always right. Never will...

Anyway, I decided to check a few more.

I was going on 100%... until this guy popped up.

I held it back as a female. Apparently, it had a gender change and is now a male.

The quandary is double here, as there is a possibility this guy is Yellowbelly.. But I kept it back as a Super Pastel Lesser (possible Yellowbelly). 

 

I would like to point out that no matter what it is, it is AWESOME.  

Crazy bright yellows, the cool white butterfly head pattern, the fact that it hates my guts....

Well, the last part not so much, but still awesome overall.

 This is one of those things that leave me debating back and forth about what to do.

I can keep him, breed him, see what happens and stuff...

OR

I can sell him to someone lucky out there and let them play with him.

Quandries abound.

I may just put him on the table at Anahiem and see what happens.

This guy will be on the table as well. Sulfur Mojave for the WIN!

Speaking of which, there are now THREE types of shirts to choose from, and all will be available at Anaheim.  

There was a misprint on the black ones, and now the logo is on the back of the shirt instead of the front. There will be a white logo over the heart in the front. 

So... LOTS OF SHIRTS!! LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of them!

Let me know if you want one, and we will make arrangements.

Until then, have a fantastic day, my friends.

Auctions and Shirts

This past weekend, I did a few auctions of some animals on the Facebook page here.

It went well, and two people got a hell of a deal on some animals. I have always enjoyed auctions, and the one problem that I see in it is that not enough people get involved in them. I know I have had people sad that they didn't know auctions are going on...

I am not sure how to market it better, but next time, we shall see.

Speaking of marketing, THE SHIRTS ARE HERE!!!!

The new design is pretty rocking, and the old one is still as awesome as ever.

With NARBC coming up, I hope to distribute/sell lots of them for people to rock them at the shows!

Which one do you like better?

The white one has the logo on the back, and the black one is just what you see here.

Anyway, it's the beginning of the week, and not much is cracking here for now.

How you doin'?

Have a great week, my friends, and let's gear up for ANAHEIM!!!!!

OUCH!

So it's been a while since I have talked about it, but getting bit SUCKS.

The breeder male rack has been a bane on my limbs for the last few weeks. I'm not sure what is going on, but I have been bitten (and wrapped!) by two different males from the same rack in the last month.

This one happened last night, and the Pastel Het Clown didn't get to wrap me, but he got close. He let go, and then saw the more appealing and delicious rat that had been placed in his tub not two seconds earlier.

He got me on my vein in the joint of my thumb. I can't bend it well right now, and it HURTS.

Stupid boys all hungry and junk. Can't be patient... Grumble grumble..

And please note that this is due to my snakes lunging out of the tub and striking the first thing that they see that is warm... even though the rat is in the tub, it is behind their line of sight. Ergo, Heather gets bit, not the rat.

YAY! 

Well, the rat does get bit, just after I shed a few milliliters of blood. I'd rather that then get constricted to death.

Anywho...

The Butter Enchi and Spinnerblast to Pewter clutch shed out.

I love that there is so much variation in here... It's lovely.

Here is what I believe to be a Pastel Butter Cinnamon Enchi.

Now that it shed out, I think I'm pretty on target.

Here he is next to his sibling Pewter Enchi.

And next to his sibling Pastel Enchi and Pewter Enchi.

SCORE.

Is it a first? I'm not sure. (But sure a first for me!)

He's pretty sweet though.

I'm pretty excited about him. 


As a side note, we are preparing for the NARBC Anahiem Show. I hope you can all make it out and say hello! I will have the new shirts available, and if you mention the blog, you get a free shirt! (As long as you rock it at the show...)

I will make a few more reminders here and there.

Also, greetings to my Facebook friends! Welcome to the dark side, where I actually do more than just post up things for sale and random photos.. (although there are random photos..)

Have a great weekend, my friends.

Things we deal with (AFF)

So in the last Het Red Axanthic clutch, I hatched out this special little Gargoyle girl.

The rest of her clutch was fine, and the first thing I noticed was the slight kink in her neck.

The second thing I noticed was that she had a truncated snout and large eyes.

She, to me, looked like the snake version of Down Syndrome. It would be interesting to see if this were true, although other than the physical symptoms, I have nothing to base this on (I would love to see if it is chromosomal, however).

I was captivated, as I'm sure she will survive, although I have a sneaking suspicion she is blind.

Her eye as of last night has welled up with fluid, and I will be working to remove it with my Vet.

She responds well, has tongue flicks at appropriate times, although is slightly less responsive due to being blind than most baby snakes I deal with. 

Beyond the fact that she looks different, I am really amazed by how such slight variations of the facial structure and so forth leave an animal looking so different.

Bringing it back home to humanity as a reference point, we are all a little different. This girl is too. She deserves all the best, and she will get it.

I am planning on giving her a chance, hopefully seeing that she can thrive, and then see where we go from there.

Will she be a part of the breeding program?

No.

But she will be a trophy animal in the collection until I can find someone who loves her for her differences as much as I do.
 

I was thinking about calling her AFF, after Andrea Fay Friedman, one of my favorite actresses with DS. Learn more about her here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrea_Fay_Friedman

Again, this is the type of things we as breeders deal with. I personally don't like putting animals down that have a fighting chance.

What about you?

Have a great day, my friends.

Proving things out

So once upon a time, I got a Lesser Yellowbelly Black Pewter male from a good friend of mine, and it was said that it was possible het Clown.

I was super stoked, as I love to play with the possible hets. I am one of THOSE people..

So I put the male with a Het Clown I had....

Fast forward to Sunday, and things are pipping out.

I ended up with not being able to prove him out, since there were only four eggs. 

But of course, I end up proving him out to be able to produce Normals, although this one is 50% possible het Clown.

I ended up with a Black Pastel Lesser Male, Black Pastel female, Normal female and this thing (all 50% possible het Clown)

I only say this thing because I am not 100% sure what all the genes are in this animal...

I am thinking it is another Yellowbelly Black Pewter Lesser, but I can't see the Yellowbelly that significantly at this point..

Any way you slice it, she is staying here.

Of course, two to three years from now, I can try and prove her out as well to be Het Clown.

Fingers crossed.. That would BE AWESOME!!!!!!!!

Never give up on possible hets (unless they are like 0.5% possible het... That would be worth giving up on...)

Fun fun fun times!

Have a great week, my friends.

Anahiem and Sacramento

Well, Joel and I are working on planning out the next few shows of the month.

We will for sure be attending the Anahiem show, which is on September 21st and 22nd at the Anahiem Convention Center.

www.NARBC.com

What we are also doing is Sacramento for the third year in a row, and it is always a good show due to being back "home". I was born and raised in Northern California, so I am very much comfortable and happy being up there.

Sacramento Show will be September 28th and 29th. 

www.upscalereptiles.com

I am still kinda dragging ass from the last few months, but I am sure that the sooner it comes to the show time, the more excited I will be for being back in the thick of things.

And of course, I will have Joel helping out, which is a great thing.

So keep an eye out for Heather's Herps at the Anahiem show and at the Sacramento show.

Also, I have placed a large order for more shirts, which will be available at the shows as well.

If you want to mention the blog to either Joel or myself at the shows, you will receive a complementary shirt if you rock it at the show for the rest of the day!

I will also be including them into snake shipments as well.

When I receive them in the next week, I will put up photos, as there will be two different kinds to choose from!

I am pretty excited about those, and I hope you all are as well!

So here we go, my friends.

Have a great day and weekend!

New Hatchings, and WHAATTT???

So this clutch hatched out in its entirety on Tuesday, and I am very intrigued about the outcome.

This is the Mystery Males to Pewter (Cinnamon x Pastel) female.

So now I know who the Daddies are.

I have to say, I'm rather surprised, to be honest.

I don't recall throwing the Spinnerblast in there for any real amount of time.

It only takes a minute, eh?

So in that minute, I got 1.1 Spinnerblasts out of the mix. The photo didn't turn out too well, but you can see them. There they are.

And then there were these....

 I do remember putting the Butter Enchi het Hypo into the mix, so this wasn't as much of a surprise.

What was a surprise was that EVERYTHING ELSE IS MALE....

Above, we have a Pewter Enchi, a Pastel Enchi, and what I believe to be a Butter Enchi Pewter. 

In comparing the Pewter Enchi to the other, it's pretty clear cut to be something different, at least a Cinnamon Butter Enchi. 

I plan on taking some comparison shots of the possible Butter Enchi Pewter with last years Pastel Butter Enchi to make sure, but they both need to shed first.

I LOVE the way he glows...

And below, we have the "remnants" of the Pewter influence.

Super Pastel, Cinnamon, and Pewter. 

 

So there you have it, folks. 

I also got a Genetic Stripe female to lay for me this weekend. She was bred to the Pastel Genetic Stripe. 

The available page is being updated with stuff, and I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. I am still in classes, but on my own schedule (YAY ONLINE CLASSES!), so it allows me much more time to do what I need to do in the appropriate time frame.

 So here I am, more to come, stay tuned, etc....

Have a great day, my friends.

Radio with Linda Davison

So the mention I made about the radio show I did at the Pomona show is legit, and the program is actually up now!

http://www.herpnation.com/audio/stfr1-081613/?simple_nav_category=audio

Linda Davison from Sticky Tongue Farms and I have a discussion about being a woman in the industry, and she speaks with two other ladies who have been around for a while as well. Take a listen and let me know what you think!

It was fun to do, and I hope to be given the opportunity to scratch a little more than the surface if we do it again. I thought of a million other stories that I could have shared, one of which I will mention here.

Several years ago, before I was married, I was on Facebook making my rounds, and recieved a message from a gentleman out of the blue. It pretty much went like this:

"Hi, I am interested in your snakes. You are very pretty and you have awesome Balls. Are you single?"

WHAT??????????????

Let me point out that I have been with Joel for almost 10 years (consistently, and including during this time), and it is clearly shown on my profile, and pretty much everywhere else.

He goes on...

"I have some good Balls, and you do too. If we get together, our collection would be amazing. What do you think?"

(Note, I am paraphrasing, these are not direct quotes...)

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT????????????????

I have never met this man in my life, I only am aware of him from his profile (which we were not "friends"), and he comes onto me because I have a great collection?

This was a turning point for me. I have to say I was very dissapointed in him in general, even though I didn't know him. He's going to try to "get with me" for my snakes? Really???

I wasn't having it, and told him nicely that I was "happy with my boyfriend, thank you. Have a great day." and left it at that.

But it has obviously left a mark. Being a woman, and having cool stuff, is that really enough to be attractive to some people? I go with the idea of gold-diggers in this case...

NOT INTERESTED.

I would like to be appreciated for my intellect, my skill and my animals, not because I am a woman and can, by way of acquisition, allow you access to a bunch of snakes.

So that was something that I have experienced over my time as being a female Breeder. I'm sure I'm not the only one.


There you have it.

Enjoy the radio, and have a great weekend!

Shirts and getting down to business

2013 Pastel Pied Male

So yes, as I have mentioned before, I am back. I really am making a concerted effort to get back into the swing of things.

With that being said, the show season has begun, and I have to say that I am not completely prepared.

I have done many many years of shows, and there is always something that I thought of doing, something that I thought would be good to put on the table, etc...

Marketing aside, I am always trying to be better.

Not much that I can do about the snakes, as they are already pretty awesome on their own without my help, so that I can't really change.

But things that I have done that seemed to work out are things I want to revisit.

One of those things is getting more shirts made.

Back in 2010, I had a group of shirts made that looked like this:

They were pretty damned awesome, and lots of people across the country wore them proudly.

The problem was that the overhead for them was significant, and after the printing that I got, and the sizes that I didn't have, we had the last groups for a year or so afterwards... (smalls, women's sizes, etc)

Seemed that the demand for them wasn't too high, so I never got more done.

Now that it's been a few years, people have worn out their shirts, new customers and friends are requesting them, and I am going to get some more going.

AND, I will be getting a new design in print as well, for those who aren't fans of the awesome colors that are my banner.

(They are pretty legit... Green, yellow, red... COME ON! It's like an awesome stoplight!)

So my question to you all out there in blogger land is, would you rock a Heather's Herps T-shirt if you had one? Would you go proudly into the reptile shows rocking the brand?

I hope so... Cause I'm making it happen!

Have a great day, my friends. (Happy Monday!)

I'm BAAAACKK!!

So in the last few months, while clacking away at papers and the calculator, I actually, as I mentioned before, have been snake-ing.

(I'm trying to have the term catch on... What do you think?)

I actually have been doing a lot of stuff on Facebook, which I initially didn't plan on doing.

It's been nice to have an avenue just to post things up and just let it go at that. 

One sentence, easy. 

No significant amount of thought involved. 

And then I thought of all my loyal bloggers and how I hadn't been even giving them a sentence. Not one.... for a while.

And I felt a little guilty. 

So now, I'm sharing here what I shared on Facebook. 

This particular gem seemed to actually be rather popular. This little sucker came from the Vanilla het Hypo to Mojave Sulfur clutch. He is a Sulfur possible het Hypo male, and he is a SPITFIRE.

He bit me before the video and after, and I wanted to get some actual footage of a snake tail wag. 

It was not received well from some people, who seemed to think I was egging him on.

He was totally already there....

Trust me. I have the bites to prove it. 

Anyway, I wanted to get this and many other things on the history of the blog, for solidarity. I do go back and reference blogs I have done in the past, for my own recollection and for reference to share with others. 

It's been a good resource for me, and I hope to add more info that is useful soon!

I am planning on getting some good photos of the new stuff, discuss some things that have been crossing my mind, and asking for some input on some other things. 

I actually do have things to talk about.

GASP!

It's happening, people. 

Summon the masses...

It's gunna get cray cray! 

Have a great day, my friends! 

Side note:

By the way, also, I am catching up on my shows..

Two words... 

TRUE BLOOD

and three more....

GAME OF THRONES

I may have to take a day off to get caught up... But then be sad that there isn't more to see... 

Hmmmmmmmmm.. First world problems for sure.

Super Show Blurb and discussion

Good morning, my friends.

It's Monday, and I am actually blogging...

This is the real deal, and I am going to ease my way into it for a bit and see how it goes.

This weekend was the Reptile Super Show, and it was a great time. Ramy always puts on an excellent show, and the Pomona Fairplex is an excellent venue to have such a large show happen at!

I was not able to attend on Saturday due to school, but I did make it after a quiz on Sunday, and was there all day afterwards.

I had Joel help me out with leading the charge, with my friends Manda and Lydia assisting.
They did such a good job, I'm not sure I ever need to be there!!! (Just kidding)

As I was informed, apparently the most asked question over Saturday was "Where is Heather?" and "When is Heather going to be here?"
They even drew up a sign behind the booth informing people that I wasn't going to be there on Saturday.

I found this rather amusing, and touching. Thank you all for caring enough to ask where I was!

Anyway, I also had to miss the auction after the show, which is rather upsetting, since I donated some pretty cool animals, and I like to see how it goes... But I heard they earned over $600 for USARK! That's awesome, and I am so glad to be able to help out the cause when I can.

So to go a bit more in depth as to why I have been out, I am, as I mentioned before, pursuing my Masters. As such, I have needed to take classes over due to being out of undergrad for so long... Did you know they have a time limit on some courses?

Yeah... It sucks.

So with my goals in sight, I have been putting in a majority of my off time outside of work into being a full time student. So yes, full time student, full time engineer, full time snake breeder! Something had to give... and one of those things was the blog.

I am still full time snake-ing, but the free time that I had to blog was taken up by actually taking a deep breath in between moments of craziness and/or filling it up with homework or studying.

I am at the end of the crazy, I think, and I feel as if I can stop and blog here and there now. I don't think every day will happen yet, but I think three times a week is a good start.

But, back to the show....

I was there on Sunday, and got to see a lot of people and meet some new faces. I love the shows to be able to meet those as passionate about Ball Pythons and reptiles in general as I am.

Other than that, we sold some snakes, talked some shop, and had a good old time.

I also had the opportunity to do an interview with Herp Nation about being a woman in the Reptile Industry. It was a fun time with Linda Davison of Sticky Tounge Farms, and I look forward to hearing what ends up being aired!

So with that, I'm back to the grind. I hope to have some fun things picturewise to share over the next few days. I'm on the case!

Have a great day, my friends.

Reptile Super Show this weekend

Hi!

I am alive, and doing decently.

For those of you who don't know, I am currently in the process of persuing my Masters degree, and have been in classes over the last few months to prepare for the GRE. This is why I have not been blogging, or really making much of a splash on the internet as I had been over the last few years.

My nose has been in the books.

BUT!!!

The Reptile Super Show is in Pomona this weekend, and "we" will be there.

You notice the "we"? Yeah...

Let me explain.

Heather's Herps will be there all weekend.

I, as Heather, will only be there on Sunday.

I will be in class on Saturday. BOOOOOOO...

But at least I can make it out to be there on Sunday. I'm pretty excited about that.

Joel and my friends Lydia and Manda will be helping me while I am gone.

Mr. Heather will be my proxy.

Be nice to him!

Anyway, I wanted to put that out there, since the last post I made was about Lodi... Shame on me.

Have a great day, my friends! I will be back shortly!

Lodi Show

So Joel and I will be doing the Lodi show this weekend.

http://www.thereptilebreedersshow.com/

Since I haven't been as active as I had been before, I will be much more photo inclined this weekend to get myself back in the groove.

It should be a good time, as this is a show being put on by a friend, and although it is a 6 hour trip for us, it will be good to get away and do some snake stuff.

Here's to getting back into snake stuff.

Hopefully there are some of you out there that can stop by and say Hi!

Until then, have a great week, my friends!

Never thought this would happen...

Well, something happened that was so blog worthy I had to write it up!

A few weeks ago, I was out driving my car in an area close to a reptile store that I have been friends with for years.

Let us note first that

A: I was driving by myself
B: My windows were down
C: It was a beautiful day, and I had just had lunch with a friend.
D: I was on my way home on a high traffic road, trying to get on the Freeway.
E: My license plate says "P Regius", which I have only had reptile people and curious co-workers ask about. (Side note: I got a ticket once from a Cop who thought it said "Precious", and wrote it as my plate)

Got it?

So here I am, pulled over in the left lane, waiting to turn left, listening to music, windows down, jamming with my bad self.

All of a sudden, I hear "Excuse me!"

I look around, and a car is pulled up to the right of me (as traffic is supposed to be proceeding) with the window down.

A gentlemen is leaning out of the window and asks me "What does your license plate mean?"

Now please remember, this is in the middle of a high traffic area, and he should be driving forward. The light finally turned red, and he didn't need to, but he had at least three car lengths in front of him to get to the light line.

I am taken aback by his question, but I answer (yelling across my passenger seat, and thru my window). "It is the scientific name of Ball Python"

He gets super excited, and pulls from his passenger seat a deli cup with a Bumblebee Ball Python in it. "I know! I just picked this bumblebee up. I teach genetics at the local college." The cup has been tilted literally 90 degrees, making the snake and the sanichips in it tumble in the cup like a rollercoaster.

I tell him "That's great!" and note to myself that I didn't know that the reptile store had Bumblebees.. I may have to go and see what they have...

He then proceeds to ask me what I know about Ball Pythons. 
"I'm a Breeder", I say. 
"Oh really? What's your name?"
 ".... My business name is Heather's Herps, you can find me online"
"Do you have a number?"
"It's on the website"
"Okay, cool!"

At this point, my light has been green for at least thirty seconds... I look up, and wave goodbye, and drive off.

Never in a million years did I expect all of that to happen.

I'm super glad people are so excited about Ball Pythons enough to stop a complete stranger in her car to tell her about it. That was actually refreshing...

The rest? Not so much. I'm suprised he didn't cause an accident.

So lesson to be learned today?

There are people all over that are super excited about the same things you are. And sometimes it takes that kind of excitement to remind you of how cool things can be.

Have a great day, my friends!

Musings about making things for the Web

Drawing from "The Oatmeal", I wanted to put this out there.

It has been several months since I have contributed anything worth reading on the blog.

But I just read this online, and it sums things up pretty reasonably for me.

I feel like I have contributed a lot over the years, but have come to standstill in regards to what is worth writing about and or posting up.

So I stopped.

This comic has a lot of my feelings, mashed up into something that is way more creative than I ever could have done.

Enjoy!

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/making_things

A Month of Silence

I realize it has been over a month since the last time I did a blog.

Being a full time worker, as well as a business owner with prospects of additional education, I have found that doing the blog every day is just not something I can honestly keep up with while keeping it fresh and interesting.

I know this disappoints some people, but I would rather share important relevant news rather than blabber on about nothing really worth while.

I will continue to answer questions that are posed to me in the blog from people, as well as topics that trend towards needing to be approached, but in terms of being every day, I do not think it is necessary nor wise for me to continue to do so.

And of course, as always, should you have a topic for me to address, I will be happy to do so.

Feel free to comment your questions, send them to me over e-mail, or track me down on Facebook.

Until then, I will periodically post exciting things that are happening over here at Heather's Herps. Right now, it's just breeding and waiting... So we will wait!

Have a fantastic week, my friends.

Pastel Pied Eyes

Well, over the break of nothingness on the blog, I got an e-mail from Laura, a blog-friend and reader. She contacted me about Pastel Pied eyes...

And I have to admit, I didn't know the answer at first.

She asked me if Pastel Pied eyes are green.

I was no where near the collection at the time when I opened the e-mail and I have to say I was ashamed to think that I had know idea.

I have never looked that deeply into my Pastel Pieds eyes before to see the shades that are represented.

And as what I like to think of myself as an insightful and observant person when it comes to my creatures, so I was a bit offended with myself that I didn't know the answer.

So after the day of Butterflies, I came home and looked.

Lucky for me I have several examples to look at and compare and share with all of you!

And this blog is for you, Laura.

I took out all of my Pastel Pieds and looked at them.

And yes, they are green. They are not SUPER green like Spiders, but they do have brighter eyes than the standard Pieds.

You can obviously see the color when you actually look... -sigh-

I even took out Poppa Pastel Pied, and yes, he had green eyes too.

And of course the problem that most people have with Pastel Pieds is that the color is not always that obvious compared to a regular Pastel.

Pastel Pieds are NOT super bright yellow animals. They tend to get a tinge more yellow, but still stay a deeper orange than bright yellow.

All of the animals in these pictures are Pastel Pieds.

And of course the pattern doesn't hurt either.. Depending on if the shades are darker in general tends towards orange rather than yellow, which does throw some people off.

Green eyes, but slightly... Mostly on the top portion of the eye.

This guy right here is the ONLY regular Pied in this entire blog post, and of course, once you put him against a Pastel Pied, you can immediately tell the difference.

But again, the Pastel Pied, the larger animal he is up against, is not BRIGHT yellow as you would expect.. But again, look at the regular Pied. He is ORANGE and mottled... There is only so much Pastel can do to that.

Now other brighteners will clean it up better, but Pastel Pieds do not "Wow" as much as they are probably expected to. 

In this case, I still like the regular Pied better. There is more contrast and colors to appreciate. And no confusion.

And his eyes are dark. No question about it.

But again, Pastel Pieds are a stepping stone breeder that can create some awesome combinations. I appreciate them very much for what they can do, and they are awesome in their own right.

But a straight up Pied? Can't be beat.

Hope that helps, and have a great day, my friends.