STOKED

So of course, the clutch that I expected to be Pastel het TSK to Pastel het TSK apparently was not.
I do remember putting in the Spider het TSK het Albino in with the female Pastel het TSK, but honestly didn't see anything, and of course, didn't really put much thought into it afterwards.

But, in my lack of paying attention, it payed off BIG TIME!

The clutch was only two eggs, and I still managed to hit on this TSK Axanthic Bumblebee.

I am so excited about this!

I have been working on the Axanthic Killerbee for several years now, almost one of my first projects I wanted to work with.

It was Joel's request that we do it (one of the few that he actually liked), and so I embarked on producing first my own Spider hets, and collecting a few Pastel poss hets from my friend Kelly to prove out.

Well... They did!

Here is the clutch...

1.0 TSK Axanthic Bumblebee 50% het Albino , 0.1 Spider 66% het TSK Axanthic 50% Het Albino

It's a lot of genes to play with, and I'm not sure if I will pursue his Het Albino-ness, but I'm very glad to have him here.

He is one of those "Duh" Holdbacks, and I am absolutely glad to have him here.

One more gene to add to this critter, and we are going to be at the goal.

And then off to a new goal, eh?


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!

The Problem with Axanthics

You wanna know the problems with Axanthics? The older they get, the more brown they tend to get. And it is VERY hard to get good photographs of the genuine color of the animal.

Babies, it's a bit easier. They are smaller, less light needed to expose the right tones, etc.

Adults? HAH! Put them next to each other and they look completely different.

And remember, lighting is everything in getting the right tone for colors. 

Flash, no flash, glare etc... All things that take away from the real colors.

Below is the best representation I could come up with between an Axanthic and a Pastel Axanthic. They are siblings, and you can tell in the photo which one is which.

Here is the Pastel Axanthic again on its own. The Axanthic colors do not go well with Yellows and warm tones, so now is the best time to see the quality of the color.

And below, we have the Pastel Axanthic with an Adult Axanthic. She is NOT that brown in real life, but this photo was taken (poorly) to show the contrast between adult and baby. It is DRASTIC.  

Here is another adult, with a bit better overall tone, but still the colors are not true to form. I have yet to perfect my Axanthic takingg skills, and I really feel the need to do so, due to the fact that many people dislike the morph after the first year. I promise, they are worth it!

Axanthics are an awesome morph, and honestly the TSK line does have its faults, but I think that with better photography and more faith in the morph, people will come around.

I know.. maybe wishful thinking? I know I like them...

I promise to get my act together and get better photos. I am not doing them justice.

Have a great day, my friends.

Once again...

I have nothing of importance to share..

The next clutch to hatch will be next week sometime, and the next clutch to be laid is around that same time. There is a LOT of random spaces in between this season, and I try not to start breeding things until the end of the last season is over. Which... it is not.

So not only do I try not to think about pairings (which I haven't had much time to do anyway), I have not had much to talk about snakewise.

So I will delve into the photo galleries and post up random photos and talk about them.

TSK Axanthic Spider

I absolutely love the Axanthic Spiders... They look GREAT and they have not lost a touch of their silver color at all. I am really excited to put them in with the Pastel Axanthic stuff and finally make my Axanthic Killerbee, which is a project I have been gunning for for the past several years.

And add to that the fact that they are all possible het Albino or 100% het Albino, I plan on doing Snow Spiders and working that in there as well. It's going to be a great fun time with Axanthics, and although some people just don't like them... I do, and I see plenty of potential with them.

I am debating on making some double het TSK Axanthic Pieds or something like that.. Work another recessive in there. Can you imagine a Snow Pied? THAT right there would be a fun and difficult project to work on..

Queenbee

 

And I can't help but admire the Queenbee. It is a great animal to have in terms of genetics (Pastel, Lesser and Spider), but look at the WOW factor on this one! I LOVE THE ORANGE on the sides! I really am very excited to see how the sides color up, and how this gal grows into her colors. I am so excited to have her in the collection, as she is going to be one to watch for a while...


So of course, we go into another weekend, but this time I actually get to relax and enjoy some snakes! I hope to get everything settled and updated very soon, just in time for the Sacramento Show.

Have a great relaxing weekend, my friends.

Axanthic Spiders post-shed

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SMOJ!!!

I really am lucky with this project to have hatched out two Axanthic Spider females. I really didn't expect it to be the case. Like many things this year, it came as a surprise, and I have to say, this one was a pleasant one.

We are one step closer to doing the two projects I set out to do with this group. Snow Spiders and Axanthic Killerbees.

Of course, one of the females is het Snow, and the other is not. Thank goodness for photo genetic evidence, although these girls don't look that similar if you really know what you are looking for. The higher white one is not Het for Snow, and the other one is. The other one is also spottier, so that is also a good indicator.

I have to say, I am blessed in this project, as I tend to always get a TON of Spiders in clutches I have. (Note the Firefly x Spider clutch earlier this year?) This project is no exception. Let the Spider trend continue.

I need to perfect my photos again. Some of them are getting... shoddy.

More practice. Any suggestions on what photos to take?

Have a great day, 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.

Excitement!

Well, I was sick all day yesterday, and had a really hard time getting up and doing anything.

But I did do one thing, and I am pretty excited about it!

You all remember the Axanthic to Spider clutch that was produced, and the one egg and four slugs that came from it? Well, that one egg got cut, and this is what is inside:

Yeah, it's an ugly egg, and an ugly cut, but there is an Axanthic Spider in there and I am very excited!!

It is in with the other clutch that is due two days later, and I'm hoping this one pips soon, because I'd love to see it, but this one is taking its sweet time.

The next clutch to hatch is the Firefly x Spider clutch and that should be a great clutch as well. Fingers crossed for them too.

So I am really hoping these guys pip soon so that I can get less uptight about this one egg. Should be soon. Fingers crossed.

Hopefully there will be a few more eggs to be laid soon too.

Until tomorrow, my friends..

Have a great day!

Damnit. Clutch #5

Well, it was bound to happen. I always expect bumps in the road, and this clutch is absolutely one of them.

I went in to check on the girls and saw this one curled up in egg protecting position (also called the beehive). But the problem was... I didn't see any pearly whites! This was not a good sign.

And of course, when I removed her... I was right.

Spider het TSK Axanthic 50% poss het Albino male that I hatched out a year ago with a TSK Axanthic poss het Albino female that has yet to be proven to carry the Albino trait.

This was the first year for the Spider male, so I was hoping he could do his magic. Apparently, he could, but it wasn't very strong... Or maybe they didn't have enough time together.

Either way, we got this disastrous clutch. This is disastrous mainly because there is only one chance for me to hatch out my Axanthic Spider, which is on my path to get the Axanthic bumblebee... So this makes me sad.

One good egg, four slugs. (One boob egg that is still a slug).

Ouch.

So of course, being the one to always try and see the positive in this, at least there is one good egg! Lets hope that it hatches!!! I can't wait to see what comes out of it.

Have a great day, my friends!

Get R Dun

So yesterday, Kona came into the snake room and was like "Get R Dun, Momma."

So I did.

I went in there with my camera (of course) and got as many photos as I could.

I was able to get this shot of these lovers in embrace. I cannot WAIT for these eggs. The male is a Spider 100% het TSK Axanthic 50% het Albino. He's in with my Axanthic poss het but didn't prove out so isn't a Het Albino in my opinion Female.

And on to the artsy photos that I shot...

This gal is one of my lighter Spiders I own, and she was actually for sale for a bit before I took her off the market. I have many Spiders, and she is still one of them.

Peek-a-boo!

And who could do a shoot with Spiders without a Bumblebee? This gal is still looking hot after a year, and will be in rotation next year. Not sure for what, but sure that she will be making some pretty babies!

And last but not least, a Fire to get things heated up around here. Focus wasn't the best, but the colors were popping, so I am happy to share. This gal I hope to be able to use next year as well, although she is a bit smaller than the Bumblebee above.

Crossing all crossables.

So there you go, my friends.

Until tomorrow, have a great day!

Back to it

 Yes, I am back to it, and so are the snakes and my picture taking skills. Here are a few of the pairings I have been doing over the last week, and a few pictures I managed to take. 

Here is Spotty McGillicutty, my darling bumblebee male with one of my big Pastel females. He's trying, but she's not having it yet.

 

And of course, my Lucky man (Mister Silver Bullet) is actually doing his buisness as well, with a Pastel female. He has been a stud so far this season, and I am trying to decide what else I want to put him with. Of course, with breeding comes the urinating before hand..  Usually the female expresses some urates and urine when first introduced to a male. It's rather odd, but more than anything, its frustrating, as I had cleaned this tub about 15 minutes before this pairing was done.

 

And again, my attempts at Snows. Come on, I really need one!! And the female was not really interested. Oh well. We have more time...

And last but not least, the Spider het Axanthic male with my Axanthic female. Here's to Axanthic Spiders!

So that's enough with the pairings for now. I will be touching on a few morph questions that have been piling up, as well as twin updates!

Have a fantastic day, my friends!

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.

Black Rock Captives Revisited (and Steve)

I love the times I spend with snake folk, looking at the stuff they have, and relishing in projects that can be done, and the physical evidence of that that is possible.

Yesterday, I was over at Rodney Robertson's place, and I got to see some of his and our friend Steve Grosso's critters.

I had a great time, talking shop, seeing snakes... This is what it is all about, people.

And we begin with the photo session.

This here is one of Steve's VPI Axanthic Spiders.  They look fantastic, and I really like how they are clean with no spots. Again, the arguement with VPI line versus TSK versus the others is always in effect, but hey, I can appreciate an awesome Axanthic Spider anytime.

And of course, an awesome Pastel Yellowbelly. I can't get enough of the pastel stuff that is coming out, and to have just a great looking pastel to begin with is all that you really need.

This here is an animal I covet, the Mystic Fire. I saw it and knew that it was a powerful combo to have, but just imagine all the possibilities that it can do? Just throw it to a Mojave, and you are set!

Another animal I covet. I tried to run out the door with this one, but to no avail. This is one of Rodney's super awesome lucky clutch females. Why is that? Well, two years ago, he hatched out a clutch from a Cinny to a Lesser. He got 5 Cinny lessers and a Cinnamon out of five eggs. He hatched out 2.3 Cinny Lessers, one egg carrying twins!! Crazy good luck, and this gal is looking fantastic.

And of course, an awesome looking Flora and Fauna Calico. I really like these guys... I want a few myself, but for now, I'll just settle with admiring them.

 A killer Spinner het Ghost.. I LOVE Spinners, and this one was really nicely high white on the sides.

And last but not least, an Anaconda. She is BEAUTIFUL, and very docile. I had a lot of fun watching her wiggle around. Yellow spots are a big thing for me, and this gal had them all over!! They also have the wierd bug eyes, which are kinda cute in a way... I had a great time playing with her. But, they are not for me...

So there you go, my friends. I hope to get out and go photograph many other breeders collections for the blog, but I gotta get out there and do it! Apparently, my next trip has to be Virginia, so that is going to be in the works...

But until then, I will go home and take pictures of my own snakes. After seeing all these cool critters out here on the East Coast, I wanna go sit in my own snake room and relish my own...

Have a fantastic day, my friends.