Clutch #1 hatched!

So this clutch hatched on the 23rd of May, and I am very excited about this one!

This comes right after the very sad loss of my breeder Male TSK Snow... He died earlier that month.

This was the Spider het TSK Axanthic possible het Albino to my Albino het TSK Axanthic female.

I have officially proved out my Spider male to be double het for Snow!

This is exciting again, due to the loss of my Visual male. I am not completely out of the Snow game.

Four eggs went bad in this clutch.

So the count for this one was: 1.0 TSK Snow, 1.0 Spider het Albino ph TSK Axanthic, and a 0.1 Het Albino ph TSK Axanthic.

He's pretty sweet looking, and I was really hoping he was a Spider Snow, but not this time..

The brothers together. 

It's hard to get the official pattern visual on this guy, but I think it's pretty obvious in this shot and this one without flash.

So no Spider Snow, but I have high hopes to be able to do this pairing again.

So will I be keeping this little man? I don't think so... I'll just shoot for the Spider Snow again next season.

Ahhh double recessive co-dom projects.

Fingers crossed!

Have a great day, my friends!

Clutch #4 for 2012

This is my favorite Spider female that I own, and I produced her a few years back in an effort to make the Tarantula (aka the Blurry Spider)

I like to think I made it, but the Blurry did not end up specifically genetic, so I let it go. She is the mother to my Bumblebee Fires this past season, however, and they were ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.

This year, I popped her in with the Firefly once, but the Butter Enchi het Hypo got her for most of the time.

I would LOVE to see some Butter Enchi Spiders.
 

Fingers crossed for some good odds on that one, since hitting on it will be a feat, but it can and will be done. Eight chances, eight ways to be astounded.

This female is part of my cream of the crop program, and I can't wait to see what else she throws.

There is a boob egg in there, but it is viable. This egg more than likely will mold at the boob area, and I will catalog that for you all to see.

Here's to more eggs!

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!

Axanthic versus Not

My friend Alan on Facebook asked me to take some photos of Spiders that were Axanthic and not for a comparison shot.

So I did!

The real problem with this is although I took these photos, I still don't feel like I captured the true Grey of the Axanthic.

I used a flash just because my room only harbors flash photography or dark shadow photography, so I got this.

I feel like the Axanthic Spider was completely washed out in these photos.

I have yet to perfect my Axanthic and Leucistic Ball Python photo taking skills.

I am rather peeved with myself... I want to get better at it, and I need a better avenue than what I am doing right now.

But I took the pictures, and you can obviously see the difference.

It's tough with the whites and blacks because of the color balance. I am working on trying out new things to make it work better. Maybe a black background? I'm not sure yet.

Anyway, enjoy the photos, I'm off to try again later.

Have a great day, my friends!

Weekend and Plans

Albino

This weekend, I promised myself I would sit down and get a few things hammered out, as well as get the last few trades and critters complete for the next seasons plans.

I will have a bunch of new photos to share, but until then, we get to admire the babies that I have hatched out this season.

I also get to do a massive clean, which I tend to do after a show. It's hard to bring all those animals back and put them in dirty tubs, and while cleaning those, I always feel bad for the others that I didn't clean as completely.

So massive clean is on the schedule.

What is a massive clean, you ask?

Well, I spot clean and pick things out of sani-chip substrate, and of course change out the paper bedding for the babies... But massive clean means going in, bleaching all of the water bowls, bleaching the tubs, completely new fresh bedding and possibly new tub sizes (this tends to be the reorganization time, as many snakes are displaced by the cleaning anyway).

It is an all day affair, and I need to get it done. This way, I can look at all of the possible breeders of the seasons and get things hammered out, while cleaning and admiring animals as well (and possibly cursing the fact that so many of them are not keeping their tubs spotless).

Spider

It would be great to get it done as well as head over to the Pasadena Reptile Show this weekend. I plan on attending at some point this weekend just to check it out. I have to say I am somewhat relieved not to have to be vending this weekend as well. I already have a ton to do, no point in adding to it right now.

So hopefully plenty of new photos and animals and stories to share very soon.

I am going to get down and dirty this weekend.

How bout you?

Have a great one, my friends!

Clutches hatched

All of these clutches have hatched out over the last few days, and I have to say I'm happy-pointed.

Yes, that says Happy-Pointed. Happy and dissapointed all at the same time.

Let's begin.

This clutch is the Possible Double het Hypo Albino female to the Albino male. Guess what? This is disappointment. This is the third year she has not proved out to be either Het Albino or Het Hypo. She is now a normal, and she is up for sale. I always get beautiful babies from her, but with the space issue becoming more of an issue, I'm willing to let her go.

And then the happy part...

This unexpected clutch from my Blurry girl to a Mystery male turned out to be the Firefly, and all of these critters are beautiful females! A Firefly, a Fire and a Normal.

And another bout of happy! The Spider possible het Albino proved out, but did not produce a Spider Albino for me... Disappointment.  But much more happy than disappointment...

So.... Happy-ment?

1.0 Spider het Albino, 2.1 Albino, 0.2 Het Albinos

I love it. Now the next clutches to hatch are a disappointment clutch of two normals out of the four eggs left (two more went bad) from my Normal to a Mystery male, and my Lemonblast to het Red Axanthic clutch which has not pipped yet.

So I will get to the popping questions tomorrow, with a few other surprises and things to share. This week is going to be fun!

Have a great day, my friends.

Mystery Solved - Stingers

Well, my mystery clutch has been revealed!

The Spider mystery clutch obtained a bunch of Spiders, Enchis and Stingers!

I have never hatched out Stingers before (Enchi Spiders), so this was new... But I have to say I like them a lot!

Problem is, I don't need boys, which is what I got.

2.0 Stingers, 1.0 Spider, 1.1 Enchis

I have to say, it was interesting to have a Spider and Stingers together. When you see them individually, you don't notice much of a difference, but when they are next to each other, it is much more obvious. 

The colors are what are most striking about them, and the head pattern is also a bit different. It will be very interesting to be able to see the comparison in color after they shed and aren't so squishy and pink.

The one on the left is the normal Spider, and one on the right is the Stinger.

Let the good times roll, people!

Have a great weekend.

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!

Life changes and Clutch 11

Well, things are changing a bit, and I need to re-evaluate a few projects.

The Special male is one of those animals that when I went thru the collection, I decided I could move without losing too much.

So not only do I have breeder females and males on the available page, I now have this guy up for sale. It was a hard decision, but I need to get a few things done in life, and this guy being sold will help me do that.

Damn you, real life and responsibility!

And of course, on top of that, things are hatching. My mystery clutch has hatched, and it is no longer a Mystery! The father was Spotty McGillicutty, and the mother (who we knew) was a Pastel.

Unfortunately for me, I missed out on my Killerbee. But I got some Spiders and a Bumblebee and a Super Pastel out of it!

1.1 Spiders, 1.0 Bumblebee, 1.0 Super Pastel, 1.0 Pastel, 0.1 Normal

Somewhat a sausage fest... but at least I know it was Spotty who sired the clutch!

I am swimming in Spiders again.

The next clutch due are Pieds and the Mojave x Mystic clutch... Fingers crossed for more babies by Monday!

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Clutch 29 and Axanthic Spiders

I love the way Spiders look, and this gal is no exception. She is one of my favorite Spiders I own, and she is also possible het Albino.

So of course, I put her in with the Albino to prove her out this season.

I would love to hatch out some Albino Spiders.

6 good chances IF the mother is a Het. 

Fingers crossed.

And of course, Clutch #8 has hatched out with a big surprise for me.

I thought I would only get one Spider Axanthic this season.

Apparently, I get two!

The Spider het Axanthic poss het Albino was the sire, not the Axanthic het Albino for this clutch.

I attempted to prove out the Spider to be Het Albino, but apparently he is not.

He is for sure Het Axanthic, and has proved himself several times so far.

And I have another Axanthic Spider to prove it!

1.0 Axanthic het Albino, 1.1 Het Albino Axanthic, 0.1 Axanthic Spider het Albino.

Here are the Axanthics in the clutch.

I really like the new Spider female. I wish it was a Male... but oh well!

She's so pretty!

The two Axanthic Spiders next to each other.

The one on the left is the older one, which is just an Axanthic Spider, and the one on the right is the Axanthic Spider het Snow.

I will be having many holdbacks this year already... I'm kinda worried about space!

But that is a good problem, right?

Have a great day, my friends!

Clutch 28 and updated hatchlings

Clutch 28 is on the ground, and I have to say I am glad. This is the third of the possible double het Albino Hypo females that has to lay. She and her sisters are never nice, but they always do well during the breeding season. 

When I took her off the eggs, this female was the hardest to keep calm.

She struck at me at least ten times. 

Gotta love the feisty ones.

She laid a fantastic six eggs (yes, there are six, but in this photo you can only see five..)

We are going to prove her out to be Het Albino this time. Fingers crossed, since this one didn't prove Het Hypo last year.

Incubator is not full anymore, since things keep hatching!

This clutch was clutch #6, which hatched before clutch #5.

Firefly male to Spider female.

I KILLED the odds on this one, and I am so happy with the results. At first I thought I was seeing things when they were pipping, but... nope!

1.0 Spider, 0.2 Firefly Spiders, 2.1 Fire Spiders

ALL of them are Spiders!!!

I'm hoping this clutch doesn't suck up all of my luck this year... 

Clutch #5 hatched the day after the last Spider from the other clutch came out.

This TSK Axanthic Spider is amazing! I am so blessed with this one, since I am working towards the Killer Bee Axanthic. This little female came with a lot of luck as well, and she is 50% possible het Albino to boot! I am so excited!

Apparently this will be the year of the Spider, eh? 

Clutch #7 hatched over the weekend as well, and didn't end up as well as I had hoped. 

The Hypo proved to be Het Pied, but the Pied didn't prove to be Het Hypo. 

One of the eggs went bad, (The one that fell) but the rest of them came out fine!

0.1 Pied het Hypo, 2.2 Het Pied Hypos

There is always next year!!!

Have a great day, my friends.

Woma vs Spider

As I mentioned yesterday, I wanted to do a blog on Womas versus Spiders. They are pretty similar, and I went thru the collection to find the animals that looked the most similar to do this blog as well.

Now if you haven't guessed it yet, the one on the left is the Woma, the one on the right is the Spider. The major differences that are easily distinguishable are as follows:

Color: Womas are lighter (in general) than Spiders, as well as Spiders have the white sides. Womas do not. The darker areas of Womas are lighter in general than that of Spiders, which are usually black or dark.

Pattern: Womas tend to lack the alien heads, but there are examples of Womas with slight alien heads. Spiders exhibit the trait more often and again, the white sides are a dead giveaway.

Eyes: Womas tend to have darker eyes, while Spiders tend to have green. 

Head Pattern: Spiders have a distinct head pattern and golden head, but Womas have a light head in general. See photo below. Woma above, Spider below.

This photo is a great example of coloration differences as well as head pattern. I did this on purpose to hammer the point in. Yes, they look similar, but they are not the same.

Also, Womas tend to not wobble. I say tend to, because I don't like making absolutes when I'm not 100% sure.

I own several, and have yet to experience a wobble in the animals I am working with.

I hope this helps pin things down for all of you.

Have a fantastic day, my friends.

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!