I admit it. I have tried and tried and tried, and have not been very successful other than cataloging it on the blog and on the website the basic data for my animals.
Feedings, sheds, weights...
I write them down, I put them in programs, and then I stop. And remember again... And stop again.
I always have data for the last month for most animals, but beyond that (other than hatching dates), I just don't keep good records.
Why?
Because I have a reasonable amount of animals to take care of, and most of the time, I have milestone information that helps decide whether or not this animal will breed, move up in a bigger tub, etc... But nothing weekly.
I haven't had the time for it.
So when my friend Anonymous asks me what the pre-lay weight of the Spider was... I have no idea.
The answer is.. Big.
My guesstimate would be around 2000+ grams.
The official answer would be "I have no idea."
Now of course, now that I have been asked, I did weigh her today for her post egg laying weight.
1272 grams.
And no, I don't weigh eggs... I'm not sure what the point of that is, really. It's cool data to collect, but I worry about moving the eggs around too much and stuff like that.
Paranoid much?
With eggs, yeah.
So there you go.
Not enough information. Even I am dissatisfied with my own answer, but I can't justify spending 3+ hours weighing and recording snakes every week.
This is just me talking here, and of course should you have the time to do it, I say GO FOR IT and that I'm also kinda jealous that you have time for that kind of thing.
I would love to say that I could provide all the information including sheds and feeds and poops and water changes and hissings and etc... But no. I can't.
I go in, I do it, I clean up, and I move on to the next thing.
I need to get better at it, and again, I have all intentions of doing so, but if wishes were fishes or something like that... I dunno.
In June we can reconvene and see what I can do to hash things out.
But the power of the blog, and part of the reason why I do it is to keep my own public records of things over the years. I do have records of the largest clutch I have was twelve eggs from a normal back before I was doing the blog. It was an awesome clutch of largeness, but not so much in terms of odds. It was something along the lines of three Pastels... Yeah, not too hot.
But there you go.
I hope to be able to beat the twelve egg record at some point soon. That would be pretty sweet...
How bout you guys?
Largest clutches?
Ways you keep records?
What records you keep and what is important to you?
BTW: I do keep baby hatchling records up to a point.. Just for arguments sake, as I know some people like that kind of information. But if I have it for 6-8 months before it is sold, I guarantee there will be gaps of information.
So there you have it.
Have a great day, my friends!
Showing posts with label ball python talk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ball python talk. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Power Males
A lot of people who are getting into the hobby try and figure out what is the best avenue to go..
Should I get a bunch of co-dom females and a cool male, or a cool female and wait to get a cool male for later?
Both of these things work out in the end, and the question really is, what is it that you have in your arsenal to begin with?
If you are just starting out, a few females and a cool male would be a great way to go.
If you are more patient, a great female to grow up is an excellent choice because when she is ready, you can get a great male and make super great babies out of that pairing.
For me, though? I have always been the type to keep the cool females, grow them up and get a super cool male.
So what do I mean by a super cool male?
Well, these photos on the blog are of the Sterling Mojave male that I hatched out this past season. I am very excited to have him here, as I have plenty of cool females to pair him with.
It did, however, take a long time to get there with the collection. Patience is not one of my strong suits, but I have managed to get a bevy of cool females every year to hold back and make work.
So what is best to do?
Again, its up to what you think is best for you....
I know what works for me, and what I intend to continue to do.
Can I find more amazing males to add to the collection? Absolutely!
Is that the plan? You bet your sweet ass it is.
Will you see photos of them eventually on the blog?
Yeah, you know you will... I can't keep anything from you guys... That's why I do the blog at all!
So think on it, share your experiences in the comment section, and have a great day, my friends.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Het Paperwork
Well, this weekend was a good time at Anaheim! I wasn't there on Saturday, but Sunday was slow but steady. Joel and I enjoyed meeting everyone who stopped by to say Hello, and the weekend was a successful endeavor.
But of course, while I wasn't there in person, I had done a lot of things behind the scenes to make sure things were flowing smoothly.
One of those things was Het Paperwork.
Some breeders do not provide it.
I like to, not only for the customer to know that I fully support my creatures and am willing to back them up, but also for records.
At a show, people bring lots of animals. I myself brought something like 80. And with those 80 animals, some of them look VERY similar, yet carry genetics that may be important, aka Heterozygous for a certain recessive trait.
So I spend several hours before the show taking photos of each and every het that I have produced, and print out a paper with the information regarding that particular animal.
Why?
Because again, it is mainly for the customer, but also for myself so that if happenstance occurs and something gets mixed up, there is a record of the animal in photographs that will allow me to identify the creature as what it is really.
It's a glorious thing, that paperwork is. It has saved me several times.
But it is a complete pain in the patootie to do.
How do I do it?
Well, I begin with a photograph of the animal, stretched out if possible so that the pattern is visible.
Then, below that, the title of the animal, including year of birth, the creatures entire genetic background, and the date of birth, if necessary.
Then, I list the Dame and the Sire, and something along the lines of:
"This paperwork confirms that the above pictured animal is a XXX (the morph of the creature) sired from a YYY and a ZZZ, and was produced by Heather Wong of Heather's Herps."
Sign and date the paper and KABLAMO!!!
It's a done deal.
Het paperwork is only as good as the breeder backing it up, however, so make sure to be aware of the guarantees that are being offered.
So there you go, my friends.
I hope that helps some of you out there on the quest to formulate your own paperwork.
Have a great day!
 |
| Don't I look super excited??? |
But of course, while I wasn't there in person, I had done a lot of things behind the scenes to make sure things were flowing smoothly.
One of those things was Het Paperwork.
Some breeders do not provide it.
I like to, not only for the customer to know that I fully support my creatures and am willing to back them up, but also for records.
At a show, people bring lots of animals. I myself brought something like 80. And with those 80 animals, some of them look VERY similar, yet carry genetics that may be important, aka Heterozygous for a certain recessive trait.
So I spend several hours before the show taking photos of each and every het that I have produced, and print out a paper with the information regarding that particular animal.
Why?
Because again, it is mainly for the customer, but also for myself so that if happenstance occurs and something gets mixed up, there is a record of the animal in photographs that will allow me to identify the creature as what it is really.
It's a glorious thing, that paperwork is. It has saved me several times.
But it is a complete pain in the patootie to do.
How do I do it?
Well, I begin with a photograph of the animal, stretched out if possible so that the pattern is visible.
Then, below that, the title of the animal, including year of birth, the creatures entire genetic background, and the date of birth, if necessary.
Then, I list the Dame and the Sire, and something along the lines of:
"This paperwork confirms that the above pictured animal is a XXX (the morph of the creature) sired from a YYY and a ZZZ, and was produced by Heather Wong of Heather's Herps."
Sign and date the paper and KABLAMO!!!
It's a done deal.
Het paperwork is only as good as the breeder backing it up, however, so make sure to be aware of the guarantees that are being offered.
So there you go, my friends.
I hope that helps some of you out there on the quest to formulate your own paperwork.
Have a great day!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Substrates for BPs
Well, the question was posed to me about substrate.
Substrate is a tricky thing, and depending on the location in which you live, some of the woods that I am going to talk about may be hard to come by.
But here we go:
ASPEN:
I use Aspen, but I use them in Sanichips. You can buy it at Petco or other large retailers as shredded as well. This wood is a great substrate for your every day tub or tank. I use Sanichips primarily, and although there are some drawbacks, such as mold when it gets too wet for too long, the thing I like the best about it is that it is like cat litter. You scoop what is dirty, leave the rest. Simple clean up.
Sanichips are great, and I utilize them in most all of my racks, not including the babies.
Shredded has a tendency to be too big sometimes, and if you feed over it, it can get embedded in an animals mouth.
Another con with Sanichips is that it is small enough to be ingested, but it is small enough to get embedded in the orifices of males (which is BAD). This is a substrate that if you breed on it, you need to be vigilant for absorption of pieces within the hemipenal areas. It's not a fun time, but at least you can prevent a prolapse or an infection. BUT!!! You can switch to something like papertowels during breeding if you feel the need.
For me, babies get papertowels, larger animals get Sanichips.
Plus, it smells nice.
Next on the list is
PAPER PRODUCTS:
Paper towels are expensive, but very useful and handy and clean. Blank newsprint works as well, but is not as cushy as the paper towels (depending on the brand). I like paper for animals I have to watch closely, aka injured or small or sick animals. White paper background shows off many issues that one may miss if using a particulate substrate.
Again, I start all of my babies on paper towels until they are large enough to move up to the subadult rack.
THINGS I HAVE NOT USED WITH GOOD REASON:
Repti-Carpet or whatever they call it. That green stuff you buy at Petco? The thing that looks like green and black felt? Yeah.. NO GOOD. If you use it and don't clean it, it will just keep soaking up the waste of your animal, and will lead to all sorts of problems. Even if you clean it, I can't imagine it lasting that long. (This goes for any other cloth substrate)
Sand (including calcium sand)... Ball Pythons do not live on sand. They might slither over it occasionally in the wild, but sand is just not a good substrate. It can be ingested too easily, and create a blockage too quickly. I don't recommend sand of any kind for any animal... other than kids in a playground, and then again they don't eat it (usually).
Pine or Cedar. One word. Toxic. Yes, it smells lovely, is nice and cheap, and is pretty and fluffy, but the chemical compounds in the oils of the wood are toxic to your critters, and if you care about them living a healthy life, do not use these woods.
Bark. I like it for some applications for other animals, but in the case of Ball Pythons, bark or even coconut husk is not useful. I have also had problems with splinters and dust with bark substrates, wherein the animal gets bark dust embedded in between the belly scales. Another problem again is with digesting a big chunk of wood, which I wouldn't suggest allowing to happen. Eco-earth and the like are mooshed in to this category.
Moss. Too expensive to be useful... Pretty, and keeps humidity up, but unless you have a bad shed issue and use it only in a small area of your tank/tub, I don't think its worth using.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Cypress... I've heard good things, and it tends to be cheap and accessible depending on the area in the world in which you live. Try it if you can. It is bigger than Sanichips in terms of size, so be careful of ingestion, but it holds humidity well and looks good.
I hope all of this helps!!! Let me know if I can touch on anything else for you.
Tomorrow is "favorites" day....
Have a great day, my friends!
Substrate is a tricky thing, and depending on the location in which you live, some of the woods that I am going to talk about may be hard to come by.
But here we go:
ASPEN:
I use Aspen, but I use them in Sanichips. You can buy it at Petco or other large retailers as shredded as well. This wood is a great substrate for your every day tub or tank. I use Sanichips primarily, and although there are some drawbacks, such as mold when it gets too wet for too long, the thing I like the best about it is that it is like cat litter. You scoop what is dirty, leave the rest. Simple clean up.
 |
| Shredded |
 |
| The exact bags I get |
 |
| Sanichips |
Shredded has a tendency to be too big sometimes, and if you feed over it, it can get embedded in an animals mouth.
Another con with Sanichips is that it is small enough to be ingested, but it is small enough to get embedded in the orifices of males (which is BAD). This is a substrate that if you breed on it, you need to be vigilant for absorption of pieces within the hemipenal areas. It's not a fun time, but at least you can prevent a prolapse or an infection. BUT!!! You can switch to something like papertowels during breeding if you feel the need.
For me, babies get papertowels, larger animals get Sanichips.
Plus, it smells nice.
Next on the list is
PAPER PRODUCTS:
Paper towels are expensive, but very useful and handy and clean. Blank newsprint works as well, but is not as cushy as the paper towels (depending on the brand). I like paper for animals I have to watch closely, aka injured or small or sick animals. White paper background shows off many issues that one may miss if using a particulate substrate.
Again, I start all of my babies on paper towels until they are large enough to move up to the subadult rack.
THINGS I HAVE NOT USED WITH GOOD REASON:
Repti-Carpet or whatever they call it. That green stuff you buy at Petco? The thing that looks like green and black felt? Yeah.. NO GOOD. If you use it and don't clean it, it will just keep soaking up the waste of your animal, and will lead to all sorts of problems. Even if you clean it, I can't imagine it lasting that long. (This goes for any other cloth substrate)
Sand (including calcium sand)... Ball Pythons do not live on sand. They might slither over it occasionally in the wild, but sand is just not a good substrate. It can be ingested too easily, and create a blockage too quickly. I don't recommend sand of any kind for any animal... other than kids in a playground, and then again they don't eat it (usually).
Pine or Cedar. One word. Toxic. Yes, it smells lovely, is nice and cheap, and is pretty and fluffy, but the chemical compounds in the oils of the wood are toxic to your critters, and if you care about them living a healthy life, do not use these woods.
Bark. I like it for some applications for other animals, but in the case of Ball Pythons, bark or even coconut husk is not useful. I have also had problems with splinters and dust with bark substrates, wherein the animal gets bark dust embedded in between the belly scales. Another problem again is with digesting a big chunk of wood, which I wouldn't suggest allowing to happen. Eco-earth and the like are mooshed in to this category.
Moss. Too expensive to be useful... Pretty, and keeps humidity up, but unless you have a bad shed issue and use it only in a small area of your tank/tub, I don't think its worth using.
OTHER OPTIONS:
Cypress... I've heard good things, and it tends to be cheap and accessible depending on the area in the world in which you live. Try it if you can. It is bigger than Sanichips in terms of size, so be careful of ingestion, but it holds humidity well and looks good.
I hope all of this helps!!! Let me know if I can touch on anything else for you.
Tomorrow is "favorites" day....
Have a great day, my friends!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Crisis: Quasimodo
Well, I have gone at least a year or so with out any problems in the collection.
But, of course, it happened yesterday.
I was cleaning the subadults, and caught this female with a HUGE head! Apparently she has an abscess in the upper jaw region possibly due to a rodent bite. She looks so misshapen.
I, of course, was worried. I don't tend to have this problem, and I didn't have any Baytril that was usable anymore. After I cleaned it as much as I could with Chlorhexidine and q-tips, I had to wait over night to take her in to the Vet. It was a bad night, my friends. I thought she was going to swell up and shut off her airways.
No sleep for me, last night.
But morning came, and I woke up super early to take her in.
And off to the Vet we went.
Poor puffy face got poked and prodded and cleaned out.
We got some shots of Ceftazidime and a note to clean it often with Chlorhexidine, as well as a small lecture to feed pre-killed.
I may have to look into that... Frozen thawed seems more appealing right now than puffy faced snakes.
So as of this blog, it has been a day since we went to the vet. Improvement? Not much, but there.
She'll be fine... She may have inherited the name Quasimodo, however.
HAH!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
But, of course, it happened yesterday.
I was cleaning the subadults, and caught this female with a HUGE head! Apparently she has an abscess in the upper jaw region possibly due to a rodent bite. She looks so misshapen.
I, of course, was worried. I don't tend to have this problem, and I didn't have any Baytril that was usable anymore. After I cleaned it as much as I could with Chlorhexidine and q-tips, I had to wait over night to take her in to the Vet. It was a bad night, my friends. I thought she was going to swell up and shut off her airways.
No sleep for me, last night.
But morning came, and I woke up super early to take her in.
And off to the Vet we went.
Poor puffy face got poked and prodded and cleaned out.
We got some shots of Ceftazidime and a note to clean it often with Chlorhexidine, as well as a small lecture to feed pre-killed.
I may have to look into that... Frozen thawed seems more appealing right now than puffy faced snakes.
So as of this blog, it has been a day since we went to the vet. Improvement? Not much, but there.
She'll be fine... She may have inherited the name Quasimodo, however.
HAH!
Have a great weekend, my friends!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
New and up and coming
It's interesting to see what projects some people are working on.
Things that I would have never considered doing in terms of combinations keep popping up with really interesting results.
Especially with the less popular things, such as the Spotnose, Vanilla or the Sable. Things that most hobbiests do not really take seriously have come out with amazing combinations!
I am floored by the amount of morph combinations that can be done, much less that of what has already been achieved, and what they look like.
I know also that there are plenty of morphs that have been produced once or twice that I have yet to see myself... The forums are a great tool, but there are many other things happening behind the scenes that people may not be aware of.
Shows help expose things like that, but of course, there are still those other breeders that don't do shows, don't do forums or internet things, and manage to produce amazing animals.
But of course, there are those that do, and the things that come out of the woodwork is very interesting to say the least.
And it does stoke the coals for people to do the same projects as well.
Case in point: The Axanthic Killerbee.
This morph was produced by NERD several years ago and when it did, everyone loved it. I know many many breeders, including myself, that are working to produce their own Axanthic Killerbee.
Now what I want to know is, what is the next big amazing project to be done? What inflames the masses to want to produce a specific morph and therefore assist the market in the production of said morph?
I would love to know.
But of course this is based upon people going on the forums, sharing their projects and so forth and so on...
It's an interesting situation really.
I know many people trying for the Vanilla Creme (Vanilla x Fire), the Killer Queenbee (Pastel x Pastel x Lesser x Spider), the Super Stripe (Spector x Yellowbelly), the Pastel Calider (Pastel x Spider x Calico) and many other really amazing morphs that once you take a look at them you go "WOW".
So again, what is the WOW morph now a days? What do you think will be the next WOW?
I'm intrigued and looking forward to those morphs to pop their heads out soon.
What do you think?
Have a great day, my friends!
Things that I would have never considered doing in terms of combinations keep popping up with really interesting results.
Especially with the less popular things, such as the Spotnose, Vanilla or the Sable. Things that most hobbiests do not really take seriously have come out with amazing combinations!
I am floored by the amount of morph combinations that can be done, much less that of what has already been achieved, and what they look like.
I know also that there are plenty of morphs that have been produced once or twice that I have yet to see myself... The forums are a great tool, but there are many other things happening behind the scenes that people may not be aware of.
Shows help expose things like that, but of course, there are still those other breeders that don't do shows, don't do forums or internet things, and manage to produce amazing animals.
But of course, there are those that do, and the things that come out of the woodwork is very interesting to say the least.
And it does stoke the coals for people to do the same projects as well.
Case in point: The Axanthic Killerbee.
This morph was produced by NERD several years ago and when it did, everyone loved it. I know many many breeders, including myself, that are working to produce their own Axanthic Killerbee.
Now what I want to know is, what is the next big amazing project to be done? What inflames the masses to want to produce a specific morph and therefore assist the market in the production of said morph?
I would love to know.
But of course this is based upon people going on the forums, sharing their projects and so forth and so on...
It's an interesting situation really.
I know many people trying for the Vanilla Creme (Vanilla x Fire), the Killer Queenbee (Pastel x Pastel x Lesser x Spider), the Super Stripe (Spector x Yellowbelly), the Pastel Calider (Pastel x Spider x Calico) and many other really amazing morphs that once you take a look at them you go "WOW".
So again, what is the WOW morph now a days? What do you think will be the next WOW?
I'm intrigued and looking forward to those morphs to pop their heads out soon.
What do you think?
Have a great day, my friends!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Reptile Living Room
A month or two ago, I got interviewed by a very cool guy named John Taylor. He is the author of the Reptile Living Room, which is a website that does radio spots for reptile enthusiasts to enjoy.
It is a program that is broad and well rounded, as a few of my friends in the industry in other genres of animals have been interviewed. Leopard Geckos, Tortoises, general cage making and Carpet Pythons to name a few animals of topics of recent interviews....
I was approached during the January Pomona Reptile Show, and I agreed to do it back then, but due to scheduling conflicts and a few other things, it got postponed until a couple months ago. BUT IT IS DONE and it is READY TO BE SHARED, my friends!
So please, instead of me typing something up today, take a listen to my interview.
http://reptilelivingroom.com/
Enjoy it, and of course, if you have any questions about it or anything else, the comment box is frequented by my eyes and I do see them and try to answer all the questions I can.
By the way, Chris, I use Goo-Gone gel spray to get the China Marker off plastic tubs. It works WONDERS, and smells like oranges! Just be sparse with it, as you don't need much to get it off the tubs, and it is rather greasy. Spray a bit on a paper towel and watch the marker disappear! It works well with stuck on adhesives as well, like stickers and tags.
Have a fantastic weekend, my friends! I have another test on Saturday, but hey... it's alllllll good!
It is a program that is broad and well rounded, as a few of my friends in the industry in other genres of animals have been interviewed. Leopard Geckos, Tortoises, general cage making and Carpet Pythons to name a few animals of topics of recent interviews....
I was approached during the January Pomona Reptile Show, and I agreed to do it back then, but due to scheduling conflicts and a few other things, it got postponed until a couple months ago. BUT IT IS DONE and it is READY TO BE SHARED, my friends!
So please, instead of me typing something up today, take a listen to my interview.
http://reptilelivingroom.com/
Enjoy it, and of course, if you have any questions about it or anything else, the comment box is frequented by my eyes and I do see them and try to answer all the questions I can.
By the way, Chris, I use Goo-Gone gel spray to get the China Marker off plastic tubs. It works WONDERS, and smells like oranges! Just be sparse with it, as you don't need much to get it off the tubs, and it is rather greasy. Spray a bit on a paper towel and watch the marker disappear! It works well with stuck on adhesives as well, like stickers and tags.
Have a fantastic weekend, my friends! I have another test on Saturday, but hey... it's alllllll good!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Your Questions, Answered
I realize that I have been getting a few questions in the comment box, and I haven't been sure how to answer them...
UNTIL NOW..
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAA...
Anonymous writes:
"If you day job got crazy and you had to downsize your collection down to 1 rack of 10 animals. What would you keep?"
That is an excellent question.
It would be
1) Spinnerblast male
2) Pastel Crystal female
3) Super Mojave Super Fire female
4) Spinnerblast female
5) Super Pewter female
6) Black Pewter het Hypo male
7) Pied het Hypo female
8) Bumblebee het Hypo female
9) Pastel Pied male
10) Unagi (Normal female)
But in all honesty, I would figure out a way to make things work so that I could keep at least a good chunk of my collection. Half, maybe...
Jackie writes:
"Hey Heather, how do I get my boys to do their jobs? This is as close to a lock as they seem to get:
Are the girls the problem? Is it just too soon? Is my boy George here just a dumb-dumb who doesn't quite know what he's doing yet? (He tried mating with her head last winter while I was cleaning their tanks.)"
Males tend to be either late bloomers or really really randy.
A few tricks to try, even though it still may not help (He could be making plugs, but that doesn't mean he knows what he is doing), are as follows:
-Sperm plug from competing male on the female in questions back. Also, a competing males shed skin in the same tub as the female may also spur the male that you want to work it out.
-Feed him! Cool him! Get him bigger and see if he gets the idea later in the season.
-Combating. I do not advocate this method, although apparently it can work. I just don't like the idea of having males fight. I've never done it. I'd rather have it work out naturally.
Jackie writes:
"Hey Heather, you mentioned you clean with chlorhexidine on bp.net. What the heck is that?"
Chlorhexidine is classified as a disinfectant or cleanser. It is used both to treat environmental surfaces, and in less concentrated forms, to treat the skin, ears and oral cavity. It is effective against bacteria, fungus, yeast and viruses.
The typical type I use (which is cheaper) is Chlorhexidine gluconate. This is typically included in your oral rinses and antibacterial wipes. I have a gallon that I use and dilute to a 1:10 solution in my spray bottle. It lasts a while, and does very well! Smells good too.
Novalsan is the more expensive alternative, and is Chlorhexidine diacetate. I understand this is stronger and more effective against viruses, including HIV, but I could not find any internet resources that were straight forward. So take that with a grain of salt, and do your own research.
So I hope this answered a lot of your old questions.
I do plan on touching on topics that people have asked me over the next few weeks. Incubators, more baby photos, and care.
Have a fantastic day, my friends!
UNTIL NOW..
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAAAAAA...
Anonymous writes:
"If you day job got crazy and you had to downsize your collection down to 1 rack of 10 animals. What would you keep?"
That is an excellent question.
It would be
1) Spinnerblast male
2) Pastel Crystal female
3) Super Mojave Super Fire female
4) Spinnerblast female
5) Super Pewter female
6) Black Pewter het Hypo male
7) Pied het Hypo female
8) Bumblebee het Hypo female
9) Pastel Pied male
10) Unagi (Normal female)
But in all honesty, I would figure out a way to make things work so that I could keep at least a good chunk of my collection. Half, maybe...
Jackie writes:
"Hey Heather, how do I get my boys to do their jobs? This is as close to a lock as they seem to get:
Are the girls the problem? Is it just too soon? Is my boy George here just a dumb-dumb who doesn't quite know what he's doing yet? (He tried mating with her head last winter while I was cleaning their tanks.)"
Males tend to be either late bloomers or really really randy.
A few tricks to try, even though it still may not help (He could be making plugs, but that doesn't mean he knows what he is doing), are as follows:
-Sperm plug from competing male on the female in questions back. Also, a competing males shed skin in the same tub as the female may also spur the male that you want to work it out.
-Feed him! Cool him! Get him bigger and see if he gets the idea later in the season.
-Combating. I do not advocate this method, although apparently it can work. I just don't like the idea of having males fight. I've never done it. I'd rather have it work out naturally.
Jackie writes:
"Hey Heather, you mentioned you clean with chlorhexidine on bp.net. What the heck is that?"
Chlorhexidine is classified as a disinfectant or cleanser. It is used both to treat environmental surfaces, and in less concentrated forms, to treat the skin, ears and oral cavity. It is effective against bacteria, fungus, yeast and viruses.
The typical type I use (which is cheaper) is Chlorhexidine gluconate. This is typically included in your oral rinses and antibacterial wipes. I have a gallon that I use and dilute to a 1:10 solution in my spray bottle. It lasts a while, and does very well! Smells good too.
Novalsan is the more expensive alternative, and is Chlorhexidine diacetate. I understand this is stronger and more effective against viruses, including HIV, but I could not find any internet resources that were straight forward. So take that with a grain of salt, and do your own research.
So I hope this answered a lot of your old questions.
I do plan on touching on topics that people have asked me over the next few weeks. Incubators, more baby photos, and care.
Have a fantastic day, my friends!
Monday, October 25, 2010
How did I get into this?
Well, its time to go back to the roots...
I have a lot of people ask me, Heather... How did you get into this? It seems rather off center, and a tad bit wierd for you to be breeding snakes.
Do I agree? Yes, a little bit. I have to say that I never imagined myself as a child growing up and breeding snakes. A Doctor? Sure... Snake Breeder? No.
Why is that? Well, as a child, I grew up with a mother who has a deep rooted fear of snakes. I never got to have one as a child. I had fish, I had birds, but never anything else.
I am allergic to furry creatures, and so is my mother as well. So, with that being said, I didn't get to have many pets. It kinda destroys any chance of having a dog when your mother can't breathe.
So, I grew up with a love for animals that was unfulfilled in a way. I wanted to be a Veterinarian, but couldn't because of my allergies.
I went off to college, deciding then to go into human medicine. I got my Bachelors in Biology, and went on my merry way.
During my college years, I had the freedom to do more of my own thing (as we all are well aware). So I got a dog, I got a hamster, I got guppies, and a few other critters. I ended up rescuing a few red-eared sliders along the way, as people bought them at street fairs and didn't actually take care of them.
At one point, I ended up with six.
I decided to take it upon myself to see what other critters I could help.
That's when I ended up with a Bearded Dragon.
Beardies require much more than just a cage and some lettuce, and for some reason, people just had no idea...
So, I took care of a group of them that kept growing, a group that topped out at seven. Remember that these guys need UVB, deep green leafys, and bugs. They ate better than I did at some point.
But, with the consistency of knowing that these guys needed daily care, I got stretched a bit thin. Lizards were awesome, but not my calling... So I gave them good homes elsewhere and continued on my way.
But in the interim, I had acquired a female Ball Python from a lady who couldn't care for her anymore. I got her, cared for her, realized that Ball Pythons were so easy to care for, and fell in love.
Her name was Unagi. Yes, like the Eel Sushi. I think it is a cute name...
So 'Nagi and I learned from each other, and I got hooked. A few months later, I got another, and another, and at some point I went searching for them. I found a harem of Ball Pythons that people didn't want anymore, and I loved it.
I didn't have a ton of money to dump into Ball Pythons, but a little birdy told me about the possibility of breeding. Back in those days, Pastels were the thing to have... $2000 for a male Pastel on a good day was something I was shocked about.
So little by little, as my harem grew, I realized I needed to bite the bullet and get a breeder male.
So I bought that male Pastel, and the rest in history.
Did I suceed right off the bat? Absolutely not.
I lost my first clutch of eggs to an incubator malfunction. The second year, I did a breeder loan and didn't get any Pastels at all.
So of course, this is all to say that I started out rough. And rough is the way you should, in a way, to appreciate all the hard work and effort that goes into caring and breeding these creatures.
Take nothing for granted, that's for sure.
But here I am, still here. I will still be here 10 years from now, doing the same type of thing. I have found my niche, and I am going to stick to it.
So there you go, my friends.
That is my story. I hope that helps you in your own.
It's hard work, and you need to dedicate yourself to what you want to do. Do not waiver. Do it for the snakes and for yourself.
Have fun with it!
(BTW: Unagi is still kicking and will be with me until she doesn't anymore...)
I have a lot of people ask me, Heather... How did you get into this? It seems rather off center, and a tad bit wierd for you to be breeding snakes.
Do I agree? Yes, a little bit. I have to say that I never imagined myself as a child growing up and breeding snakes. A Doctor? Sure... Snake Breeder? No.
Why is that? Well, as a child, I grew up with a mother who has a deep rooted fear of snakes. I never got to have one as a child. I had fish, I had birds, but never anything else.
I am allergic to furry creatures, and so is my mother as well. So, with that being said, I didn't get to have many pets. It kinda destroys any chance of having a dog when your mother can't breathe.
So, I grew up with a love for animals that was unfulfilled in a way. I wanted to be a Veterinarian, but couldn't because of my allergies.
I went off to college, deciding then to go into human medicine. I got my Bachelors in Biology, and went on my merry way.
During my college years, I had the freedom to do more of my own thing (as we all are well aware). So I got a dog, I got a hamster, I got guppies, and a few other critters. I ended up rescuing a few red-eared sliders along the way, as people bought them at street fairs and didn't actually take care of them.
At one point, I ended up with six.
I decided to take it upon myself to see what other critters I could help.
That's when I ended up with a Bearded Dragon.
Beardies require much more than just a cage and some lettuce, and for some reason, people just had no idea...
So, I took care of a group of them that kept growing, a group that topped out at seven. Remember that these guys need UVB, deep green leafys, and bugs. They ate better than I did at some point.
But, with the consistency of knowing that these guys needed daily care, I got stretched a bit thin. Lizards were awesome, but not my calling... So I gave them good homes elsewhere and continued on my way.
But in the interim, I had acquired a female Ball Python from a lady who couldn't care for her anymore. I got her, cared for her, realized that Ball Pythons were so easy to care for, and fell in love.
Her name was Unagi. Yes, like the Eel Sushi. I think it is a cute name...
So 'Nagi and I learned from each other, and I got hooked. A few months later, I got another, and another, and at some point I went searching for them. I found a harem of Ball Pythons that people didn't want anymore, and I loved it.
I didn't have a ton of money to dump into Ball Pythons, but a little birdy told me about the possibility of breeding. Back in those days, Pastels were the thing to have... $2000 for a male Pastel on a good day was something I was shocked about.
So little by little, as my harem grew, I realized I needed to bite the bullet and get a breeder male.
So I bought that male Pastel, and the rest in history.
Did I suceed right off the bat? Absolutely not.
I lost my first clutch of eggs to an incubator malfunction. The second year, I did a breeder loan and didn't get any Pastels at all.
So of course, this is all to say that I started out rough. And rough is the way you should, in a way, to appreciate all the hard work and effort that goes into caring and breeding these creatures.
Take nothing for granted, that's for sure.
But here I am, still here. I will still be here 10 years from now, doing the same type of thing. I have found my niche, and I am going to stick to it.
So there you go, my friends.
That is my story. I hope that helps you in your own.
It's hard work, and you need to dedicate yourself to what you want to do. Do not waiver. Do it for the snakes and for yourself.
Have fun with it!
(BTW: Unagi is still kicking and will be with me until she doesn't anymore...)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Cleaning Woes
So yesterday was cleaning day, only because it is trash pickup day.
Does this mean that I don't clean every day?
No... Not at all.
Anyone with several animals knows that you need to clean up more than once a week to have any semblance of order in your house.
So I clean often.
And I clean well.
And two minutes later, I have to do it over again, because the snake decides to tip the water dish, spread extra woodchips all over the place, or take a restroom break in the exact area that was just cleaned.
Now I say this to say what, exactly?
I am completely dedicated to my craft of poop cleaner.
I do it so often, that should be on my resume.
Am I proud of it? Not exactly... but I do it cause I love the animals.
Do I enjoy it?
No.
No, I don't.
It gets frustrating, annoying and sometimes down right hard to deal with, but I have to say, it is for a good reason and for a good purpose.
I am writing this all out to convince myself, as well as you all out there in internet land, that cleaning poop is fun.
Is it working for you? Cause its not working for me.
It's not fun.
It's work.
But its necessary, and we do it for the health and benefit of the animals we care for.
And they may or may not appreciate it, but it is the way it needs to be.
So next time your snake tips over a water dish, smile and remember that you can fill up the water dish and know that it will happen again, no matter what you do. But do it anyway.
They really are not trying to get into your head. I think.
Have a fantastic day, my friends.
Does this mean that I don't clean every day?
No... Not at all.
Anyone with several animals knows that you need to clean up more than once a week to have any semblance of order in your house.
So I clean often.
And I clean well.
And two minutes later, I have to do it over again, because the snake decides to tip the water dish, spread extra woodchips all over the place, or take a restroom break in the exact area that was just cleaned.
Now I say this to say what, exactly?
I am completely dedicated to my craft of poop cleaner.
I do it so often, that should be on my resume.
Am I proud of it? Not exactly... but I do it cause I love the animals.
Do I enjoy it?
No.
No, I don't.
It gets frustrating, annoying and sometimes down right hard to deal with, but I have to say, it is for a good reason and for a good purpose.
I am writing this all out to convince myself, as well as you all out there in internet land, that cleaning poop is fun.
Is it working for you? Cause its not working for me.
It's not fun.
It's work.
But its necessary, and we do it for the health and benefit of the animals we care for.
And they may or may not appreciate it, but it is the way it needs to be.
So next time your snake tips over a water dish, smile and remember that you can fill up the water dish and know that it will happen again, no matter what you do. But do it anyway.
They really are not trying to get into your head. I think.
Have a fantastic day, my friends.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Ovulation across the nation
Well, not really...
Actually, maybe...
But I was referring to the ones I caught all weekend.
I had cranky fatties all day while I was trying to clean up..
Some were crankier than others.
Some were fatter than others.
But the trend was the same.
I'm angry cause I'm ovulating.
Of course it was very difficult to get some females to actually show their bellies, but this one was pretty obvious.
In a few months, there will be PLENTY of eggs to spare.
Especially today.
Count down begins as of yesterday on all these gals.
Sheesh.
Anyway, I wanted to send a little shout out of gratitude to the California Reptile and Invertebrate Society for letting me speak on Saturday at their show.
I did a little presentation on Ball Pythons, got to bring some cool critters to show off, and had a blast educating the public, and donating to the local reptile rescue.
To those that missed it, I'll make sure to remind you all of the next event when the time comes.
Have a fantastic day, my friends.
And hopefully, there will be plenty to discuss.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)