MORE! and LOL

More eggs! I've had this girl for YEARS. Since I started in the industry, really... I got her from a kid who wasn't feeding her correctly, and when I picked her up, she tried to eat my hand. She was thusly named "Bitey" after that, but since then has morphed into "Winda", which is Swahili for Hunt, which is still appropriate.

She has always been a wierd looking female, and I have always wanted to prove her out to be more than Normal, but so far she just throws AWESOME light babies.

And this year hopefully is no exception. She was bred to a few males, and we will see what ends up happening with these babies. Nine good eggs! Yeah!!!

I love it!

And it doesn't hurt that they were laid on Joel's Birthday.

Happy Birthday, Beebs!

And then of course, there is the random photograph that I had to take just cause it was so funny looking!

This Mojave Spider Male caught his rat by the tail and wrapped him up. Usually they look typical curling around by the side... This guy was so excited, he became a Snowman!

Yes, I realize that this is probably only funny to a handful of you, but I did have to rush to get the camera while feeding for this shot.

I'm pretty proud of it.

He did eat it all down like a good boy.

Anyway, I'm off to go frolic.

Have a great day, my friends!

Spiders and their powers

I have a friend that contacted me recently asking me what I thought about the Spider market. He was considering selling out everything, and moving on with different projects.

Why? Because they do not sell quickly/well.

I sat there for a minute, trying to think about that statement.

Yes, there are a lot of spiders out there.

Heck, I feel like I have a ton myself.

But the reason why there are a ton out there is because they are awesome!

I remember about four years ago where selling Spiders was as easy as listing them. 

And now we are seeing that those spiders are now grown up, and other people are producing them.

I could see my friend's point. I have a Spider male currently that no one has inquired about at all. 

But then I thought about the amazing stuff that Spiders make.

Some of my goal snakes have Spider in it....

Axanthic Killerbee, Crystal Spinnerblast, and a few others...

And I'm sure I'm not the only one!

So in the end, maybe the base morph may not be as easy to move, but the combinations are still worth their weight in gold. 

What do you guys think? 

Let me know, chime in. Let's start a dialogue on this. I'm intrigued to know what other people think.

Have a great day, my friends!

Getting there

Gargoyle

It has been an interesting week already.  In the midst of doing all the normal things I do every day, work, class, home stuff, snake stuff, I have gotten into trying to do things early and often.

One of those things is the blog, and the other is photography and social media. Now, don't misunderstand me when I say getting to do Social Media early and often. I actually have been trying to stear clear of Facebook more often, as it tends to get under ones skin, but Pinterest, for the sake of my plannings and sharing with others, I have been trying to get more involved.

Queenbee in Shed

Pinterest, being that of both photography and social media, is an interesting place to be. You post up photos you like, and people comment and like them.  Since I have been trying to take more photos, I have been sharing things on Pinterest more so than before. (NOTE: I have not posted up the snakes anywhere but this blog)

Thus comes this quote I found on Facebook that I found amusing.

I pinned it up, and went on my merry way.

Within an hour, it went VIRAL on Pinterest.

I got so many likes, pins and comments my head started to hurt. I think the count right now is around 14,000, which for any of my other photos on my board, is HUGE.

Why am I bringing this up?

Well, I got some HATEFUL comments about this.


"This is idiotic and otherwise known as an "Excuse To Be A Heinous Bitch"

"attitude is a selfless choice that you make to serve others whether they deserve your wrath or not, When you act with grace despite them your attitude becomes your character which in turn reflects your personality and who you are. Its sad that so many people like this quote...."

"This is such a bunch of crap. If you are allowing your attitude to be affected by others then your personality is pathetic. You can change your personality and should be in control of your own attitude!!!"

WOW! I was floored. Seriously.

While I understand where they are coming from, I interpreted it in a way more open minded way, and found it to be a positive spin on something that could be often misconstrued. How often is it that there is that one person that just drives you nuts, and you knowingly are just more trite with that person? THAT is the type of understanding I got when reading this... 

But apparently it was blown out of the water in terms of establishing an opinion on it.

I am still shocked at how passionate some people are about this saying.

So I present it to you, my blog friends.

How do you interpret it?

I want to hear from people that I know more so than those random faces on Pinterest. I want to know what you think.

And of course, with a sprinkling of pretty snakes to boot.

I will still post to Pinterest, and so far have done so with other quote photos right after the photo quote above, and they were received with much less viral tenacity.

It's interesting how that works...

So with that, I bid you a good day, my friends.

Think on it, comment on it.

It's interesting to think about.

Have a great day!

Mojave Spider

Mojo Power

Jigsaw (Mojave Pinstripe)

Most of you well know that I am a big advocate of Mojaves. Mojaves are awesome. Mojaves are a great base morph, as well as a killer combination morph to work with.

Here we have some awesome critters that are all involved with Mojave.

The Snake Keeper were the first breeders to produce and prove out the Mojave in 2000, and it was thus named for the Mojave Desert here in California. I imagine it's due to the dusky coloration, but that may just be me putting an artsy spin on it. I've never really asked Dan and Colette why they named the morph the Mojave. Maybe next time I see them... I'd like to know.

Mojave Spider

Anyway, it seems like no matter what you combine it to, it makes things awesome. Granted, you may disagree awesomeness occurs when it is involved with the Leucistic Making genes, as everything turns out White.

I don't quite get how getting a solid white snake is somehow a bad thing, but I understand from a combination standpoint, it doesn't leave much to work with.

Super Pastel Mojave

So to fix it, I just plan my breedings accordingly, to avoid making more White Snakes as many people tend to poo-poo.

And so should you, if you care not to see that type of morph combination. But think of it this way... The magic that is Ball Python Morphs allows for so many different opportunities to mix new things, it really shouldn't be that much of a hindrance to not work in Mojave into everything.

YAY MOJAVE!

Have a great day, my friends.

Pairing up!

Well, it rained this weekend, and I really did get up off my ass and get things done snakewise this weekend. I was shocked at how much I managed to get done with my limited free time.

Everyone is clean, and I was able to stand in the snake room and LOOK.

And by LOOK, I mean envision.

It's an artists time to shine, in pairing specific animals with each other.

So I got a group of animals on lock down, guaranteed this is what they are going to do pairings.

And I put them in together.

Some of them have never bred, so they were not doing anything... Some of them were just not interested.

But some of them, like the Mojave Spider male and the Cinnamon female, were ready to go!

This is within the first four hours of being paired up. 

Of course, this was an easy decision pairing...

Now comes the hard ones.

I have plenty of Pastel females to breed to, but what should I combine with them? What would be the best choice?

I feel like I don't have enough male breeder stuff right now, but I think that is just because I can't figure out what is the best choice for what I have left.

It's rather frustrating, really.

But I did acquire a few more animals over the weekend, and I will be introducing them sporadically thru the week.

I didn't end up attending Pasadena at all, so if anyone wants to chime in and share with us how it was, that would be great!

On to a new week! Have a great day, my friends.

Shades of Spider and Fire

I have been coming home late, but trying not to shirk on the need to take some awesome photos to share on the blog. Today is no exception. I decided to compare some Spiders for everyone, in different flavors to get a general idea of how things work with some of the more subtle morph combinations.

Above, we have a Spider Fire and an Enchi Spider. Both morphs of Fire and Enchi are subtle in their own way, and when combined with a Spider, they get much more so. When I hatched out my Enchi Fires, I wasn't 100% sure they were Enchi Fires until they shed. They have a gorgeous undertone of gold and orange, and a very cool pattern to boot.

Fire Spiders are just melty. Yes... Melty. Fires tend to be melty on their own, smokey in a way. You can see that the color is granulated, blends together, and is much lighter than that of a normal spider.
I really like what Fires do to things, and Spiders are no exception.

Now below, to the left we have the Mojave Spider. Mojaves aren't particularly subtle on their own, but when blended with a Spider, it takes its own form. Spider Mojaves more often than not are SPOTTY. Mojaves have that pattern, and it carries over into the combination. The overall color tone is muted greens, purples and golds, again that of the Mojave. A very cool morph, and a very cool combination.

So all of these photos and color descriptions to what end, Heather?

To assure you that Spiders are awesome, colors are fun, and there are tons of things to be done with Spider combinations in the future.

And Fires?

Well, Fires are awesome. They are one of my favorite "hypo" lightening up morphs for all that they can do, and here are two sisters that just shed out for me.

The Firefly female and the Fire female are looking amazing. They are the best I have hatched out so far in terms of Fires. Look at them glow!

You can tell they are related, based on the blushing and flames on the back and sides.
Seriously.. Fires are amazing.

I'm done sharing these photos for now. More photos tomorrow, hopefully of penes and lack thereof. Gotta make sure Joel gets home in time for me to remember to nag him. HAH!

Have a great day, my friends!

Clutch 39 and Mojave Combos (again)

Welcome to the world, Clutch 39! There are five eggs from my Special female to a Mystery male. This should be a fun clutch! I just need it to hatch without any problems... Fingers crossed!

And although I am trying to compile some photos for the sexing blog, I'm not quite there yet, so here are some pictures of a new pick-up and comparision.

Welcome to the fold, Jigsaw!

I really love Pinstripes with a solid stripe, and this gal has it all going on! Jigsaws are Mojave Pinstripes, and this girl has an extra genetic bonus of being Het Hypo as well.

She should be a great addition to the group.

And of course, I had to do my famous comparison photos...

Mojave Spider against the Mojave Pinstripe.. The colors are similar, but there is more yellow in the Spider combo than the Pinstripe combo. It's interesting to see the change within a genetic combination by changing pattern. I love pictures like this, and I hope you do too!

 

I managed to pick up another critter at Anahiem, a long awaited addition, but it is in shed, so we will have to wait for the unveil until after it sheds.

So tomorrows blog should be the sexing blog, and hopefully a few other things will be covered as well. 

Have a great day, my friends!

Mojave..Spider...Pastel

Clutch 14 is out, and all 10 eggs were fantastically fine! My odds were good in terms of morphs, as there are no normals in the clutch, but I have to say, my sex odds had a little to be desired.

That's alright though.

Here are the males...

One Bumblebee, One Mojave Spider, 3 Mojaves, and a Pastel Mojave Spider...

And what about the girls?

A Spider, two Mojaves, and a Pastel Mojave Spider (who is of course, staying here)

I am in love. I really do like this combination... I look forward to seeing her grow up.

I am glad to have the opportunity to have a gal...

YAY for more SPIDERS!

Swimming in more Spiders, and I am alright with it!

The next clutch doesn't hatch out for another week, so I am lacking in topics somewhat.

Suggestions? Comments? Concerns?

What have I not touched on in a while?

What do you wanna see?

Let me know, and have a great day, my friends!

Clutch 32

I am always so glad when females lay eggs. The waiting is done, the eggs are there, and then the other wait....

But at least the first part is done.

This is my Pewter female, and she gave me a good six eggs this year from either Mojave Spider or Pastel Super Mojave. Should be a great clutch!

Other than that, I am still trying to wrap my head around the last Mystery clutch, and basically trying to see what is going on with the next few clutches to hatch. The next one due is Mojave Spider to Pastel, so that should be a good one!

I can't wait to see what that one brings.

And as for me, working full time again has brought a few time constraints on me, but I am trying to keep up! Forgive me if I don't respond to your e-mails as quickly as I used to...

Have a great day, my friends, and check out my available page for cool stuff!

How could I forget???

Well, I'm sorry, my friends.

I didn't get around to doing my blog on Friday due to Finals and I failed you all in my lack of doing it, or even getting around to warning you all about it.

Shame on me.

But I also forgot another thing that I just recently found out.

I did not have my Mojave Spider in the Collection page.

How could I forget???

Well, because he is one of my Breeders and currently in with a gal pal, apparently I didn't account for him on the list that I wrote up of all the morphs I have.

And of course, I only have him right now, so that didn't help matters much.

He got lost in the shuffle, so to speak.. Poor little man.

And he is one of those animals that I really do enjoy looking at. He is so pretty!

Even without a flash, his colors shine thru. I should have taken some pictures with him and a Spider too...

Peek-a-boo!



Of course, after I typed that I should have taken some comparison shots, I actually went and did them.

Overactive Spider and shy Mojave Spider... What a crazy difference in color, huh?

And then I went and got the Bumblebee involved...  Also crazy how light he is compared to that of a Pastel Spider.

And then, like all crazy Heather Photo comparisons, I had to go out and get the Mojave and another Spider involved for the "This plus This equals This" photo.

So there you go, my friends.

Lots and lots of Mojave Spider pictures for your enjoyment.

And if you check, he actually is in the Collection page now too!

Have a great day, my friends!

Clutch 14- It's getting good!

Well, I have to say, this clutch made me smile.

Clutch 14 is from my 2005 Pastel female that was a huge female from the get go (somewhere around 3000+ grams), and laid a fantastic TEN egg clutch for me yesterday. She was so big that I wasn't expecting her to lay for another few days due to her lack of bulge. But she surprised me, as she was on the watch list, but with no expectations. I'm not upset that they are here at all!

She was bred to my Mojave Spider male, and I have to say I am really excited to see what pops out of this one.

This clutch is the largest clutch I have had this season so far, and I am very glad to see it!

It's a beautiful thing, seeing so many good eggs in a pile. What good luck for the first of the month, eh? Good things keep on coming! 

So of course, I got the box ready, put the eggs in, and now we wait. I am really hoping for some amazing Mojave Bumblebees in this clutch. I have never hatched them here before, so I am excited to say the least! 

Lets hope that this is not the last larger clutch that gets laid here... Fingers cross, my friends. 

Have a great day!

Pairings I didn't plan, but just did

Other than the fact that I have been planning this season and have not gotten half of what I have planned out, I just decided to throw some males around and see what I can figure out. And I did a few pairings that I didn't really think about until I had the male in my hand.

This is one of them.

This is my Mojave Spider (with stuck shed) on one of my Black Pastel females. 

At first, I was hesitant to do this pairing because of the Black Pastel Spider. Not my favorite combination by any means due to all of the dots on a darker spider... but I LOVE the Mojave Black Pastel, so I wanted to see what I can manage. 

And I can imagine that I would love the Mojave Black Pastel Spider. 

I have to say, I'm not sure I've ever seen it.. but it sounds cool. 

It sounds really cool. 

So I put them in, and HEY LOOK! They are locking...

There are a few other pairings I'm not sure what to do with, with females I'm not sure what to do with. The season is coming up, and I have to say, I'm still unsure. Gotta love that.

 Anyway, this was a pairing I knew I wanted to do.

Spider het TSK Axanthic ph Albino with my TSK Axanthic ph Albino (that didn't prove out last year)

The male is going to go with an Albino as well to prove out that part of his genes, but so far, he is only interested in this gal right now. Plus she's in shed, so that may help the situation.

So there you go.

I really need to sit down and figure the rest of the season out. 

I think I'll try again later.

Have a fantastic day, my friends.

Hey Boys!

 I went a bit overboard with what I was planning to do last night.  I had originally intended to check on the girls... but what I ended up doing was playing with my boys.

It helped, in a way, cause I know what males I can use this season in the mix. Let me introduce you to a few of them today.

This guy is Mobee. The Mojave Spider. I am really excited about using this guy, since he is a newer addition, and I have GREAT plans for him. At least a few Pastels and maybe my Pinstripe? I'm not sure.

This guy is also a newer addition to the group, and I only have one female that I know for sure he is going to. This guy is my Hypo possible het Pied. And who is his girlfriend? 

Well, my Pied possible het Hypo.

Can't wait to see them both prove out!

And Carmine, a resident male here. He is going to be making more Caramels, and hopefully some females this year... And some double het Caramel Glows!

My not so amazing Lemonblast male... He is a great breeder, but not too much to look at compared to some other Lemonblasts I have. I am not quite sure what I'm going to do with him this season... He has great potential, I'm just not sure what. Maybe a Mojave or two? And a Pastel? Yeah, I'm not sure.

This guy right here is my stud Pied male. He has been with me forever. He will be with a few leftover possible hets that I have sitting around, and I'm not sure what else I want to put in with him. I love love love some Black Pastel Pieds, so maybe that will be a good place to start. The great thing about Pieds is that anything combined with them is usually pretty awesome!

So of course, there are a few more boys to be introduced, but right now, these guys should be enough stud-muffin eye candy... 

Have a great day, my friends!