Respiratory Infections

Someone asked me on Friday about Respiratory Infections.

Have I gotten them in the collection?

Yes.

Have I lost any animals to it?

No.

How was it treated?

Well... Over the course of my experiences, I have been issued Baytril and also Ceftazidime.
More recently, my local vet, Dr. Tom Greek, has been giving me the latter drug.

It is every three days, subdermally with a needle, and amount dependent on the weight of the animal.

Enrofloxacin (also known as Baytril) was also subdermally, but was also given orally as well, depending on the situation.

Have you ever given a snake a shot?

It is NOT fun, especially if you are doing it for the first time.

Sub-dermal means below the dermis, which is a thick layer of scales and skin for the Ball Python and most Reptiles. Piercing thru that layer is rather hard, and sometimes there is the possibility of piercing too far down beyond the skin into the muscle tissue.

On top of getting the right layer, one must also have the animal still and not struggling, lest you put the needle in the wrong place and have to pierce twice or three times.

It is a challenge, which is why my Vet gave oral Baytril for a while.

The effectiveness is less than that of a shot, however, so it is one of those things that is either a pain and effective, or convenient and less effective.

Ceftazidime (also called FORTAZ) has become more popular over the years in terms of effectiveness due to its potency. This is important to note that if given too much, you can kill your animal.

Both Baytril and Fortaz are meant to treat bacterial diseases. Read more here.

As I always stress, TAKE YOUR REPTILES TO A QUALIFIED REPTILE VETERINARY SPECIALIST.

Remember that even when you do this, some animals will pass no matter what you do, as I remember the loss of my beloved Enchi female.

So there you go.

To avoid RI, keep your animals clean with good husbandry, keep strange animals away (quarantine), and be vigilant. If you notice anything wrong with your snake or any animal, for that matter, do the responsible thing and take them in to a qualified Veterinarian.

You are the one that is responsible for taking care of them.

Do the right thing.

Have a great day, my friends!

H2O

H20...

The most glorious of all the chemical compounds, essential for living and a delicious part of the world as we know it.

We as humans are basically water bags, more than half of us made up of those wonderful three letters (and that one number isn't a letter, I know).

So why am I speaking about the glory of that clear liquid that we all know and love?

Because it is very important in the care of your reptiles.

There are some animals that can do without for a while, but most cannot. Ball Pythons included...

I know some people tend to not check on the water levels of their animals for days at a time, given the fact that they have large water bowls. That is no problem!

But it is when they are small animals, ergo babies or just small critters in general, they need more care and more water checks. This means once a week is more than likely not enough...

So what am I mentioning something so obvious for?

Because depending on the familiarity with some other creatures, one needs to remember to try to care for individual types of animals as they need.

What happens if a Ball Python doesn't get enough water?


Symptoms include:


Dry shed, wrinkly saggy skin, lack of movement and muscle tone, pronounced spine and tail, and wrinkled eye caps.

I realize that some animals (Uromastyx, tortoises, etc...) do not need much water at all, but Ball Pythons do.

Common knowledge, right?

Not when you care for other creatures and you don't change your habits...

But I digress.

What do I do?

I check the babies every two days, I check the adults every five..

My water bowls are large and obnoxious, but of course there are times that even large and obnoxious don't do enough.

So of course, I fill up often. And so should you.

Take care of your critters to the best of your ability!

Have a great day,  my friends.

The Cost of Doing Business

I see frequently that people that are new to the industry are coming in with champagne wishes and caviar dreams... "I am going to buy a few female morphs, a male morph and I will make a TON of money in this, because look at the prices of those combinations out there!"

And the most glaring thing I see is that people do NOT account for the cost of doing business with animals as your "stock" item.
So let's go over it, shall we?

First off:

Housing: Rack Systems are a valuable resource, but recall that they need Thermostats to control temperature, they need electricity to run said temperatures, as well as the need for tubs, a source of bedding, be it wood or paper, as well as hides, water bowls, and cleaning supplies for the housing. I am adding Incubators here because that is housing of the eggs...

Rack System: $100 (homemade) up to $2-3k+
Thermostats: $25 (cheap) to $300+
Electricity: $Variable dependant on the amount used, monthly expense
Tubs: $1-$15+ each, dependant
Bedding: $0-$30+, dependant, monthly expense
Hides: $1-$5+ each, dependant
Cleaning Supplies: $5-$50+, dependant (Chlorhexidine is cheap to expensive depending on the % purity)
Incubators: $50-$300+, dependant

Food: Rats are not cheap, and although mice are cheaper, an adult animal can eat more than one at one feeding, so the costs tend to be equivalent. If you intend to breed your own rodents, the cost also needs to be factored in.

Rats: $1-$5+ each, per week per animal (possibly more)

Mice: $0.50-$2+ each, per week per animal (possibly more)
Rodent Food: $10-$20+ a bag, dependant, monthly expense
Rodent Racks: $75-$200, dependant
Water/Utilities: $10-$50+, (air conditioning for seasonal changes) dependant monthly expense

Space: This is rather arbitrary, but if you are doing business, this is an important thing to think about. Where are you keeping these animals? Renting a location is one thing, but most people do it out of their homes or a facility on their property. This means that you have to consider the utilities again for the location in which you are keeping your animals.

Water: $10-$50+, monthly expense
Electricity: $10-$50+, monthly expense

Space Cost: $TBD dependant on your location
Environmental Controls: $20-$100+ dependant on your location, monthly expense
(NOTE: Seasonal changes will make things more expensive)

Miscellaneous: This falls under Vet visits, Reptile Vending costs, etc... These can vary depending on your animal number, and your intent for your business, but keep in mind that these are all costs to pay attention to.

These include but is not limited to: Website design and upkeep, internet costs, advertising costs on forums and otherwise, reptile shows and vending costs, veterinarian costs and medications, shipping costs including boxes and heating/cooling packs, and other items.

And last but not least....

Animal Cost: This should be the final factor in your decisions to purchase an animal. This cost should be dependant upon your ability to cover the costs that were addressed previous to this point.

IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY MORE THAN JUST FOR THE ANIMAL, YOU SHOULD RE-EVALUATE YOUR PLANS.
And note, the more animals you have, the more expensive the overhead to keep them.
 
So keep a cool head, calm and collected.. Look over everything you WANT to do, and then look over what you CAN.
 
Then, I say "Go for it!"
 
Have a great day, my friends!

Smells

Something I have found that I have become very attune with since becoming a reptile breeder is my sense of smell.


I don't know about you, but there are days where I go into the snake room and smell something raunchy. Maybe it's an animal that decided to take a restroom break all over the tub, maybe it's a smelly rodent smell, and occasionally there is the smell of decay. 

It's not a fun thing to experience, as one would like to smell nice things all the time. Clean aspen, a nice spring flower, fresh air blowing in from the ocean...  

Yesterday was the case of decay. You can ask anyone. I can identify it very quickly in minute amounts. I can pinpoint it within about 3 feet in a calm room. Decomposition is a smell that unfortunately I have become accustomed to, as there may be a snake that killed a rodent and hid it from me after I went thru the double-check. Thus, there is a dead rat over a heat source. 


Let us evaluate an equation I have come up with:

Dead + Smelly = Frowny Face + Gross

And of course having to deal with it is never fun. We have a system, Joel and I. 

Ziplock bags if the animal has decayed, freezer if it is recently dead. Out to trash as soon as possible.


And of course the clean up for other smelly things means frequent cleans and many trash bags out to the curb when trash day comes. 


Such is the way of an animal keeper. I feel like I am not the greenest person on earth while taking out so much trash, but I validate it by way of knowing that everything I put in the trash (with the exception of the bags) is biodegradable. I am trying to figure out a way to be more "green". It's kinda hard, as you can't recycle soiled newspaper or papertowels, nor can you clean Aspen back to new. But I am finding opportunities. Post-consumer recycled plastic bowls or ceramic bowls, greener papertowels, etc... There are ways! 


And of course, maybe setting up a compost pile eventually...

We will see if that one works, cause I think animal feces isn't the most inviting of compost materials. 


Anyway, smells are a part of daily life as a reptile breeder, and you need to attune yourself to know what is going on. It's very helpful, albeit rather unpleasant. 


So go sniff some snakes. Be one with them. And hopefully you don't get too comfortable with the smell of decomp. But if you do, know it's really not that bad...


Have a fantastic smelly day, my friends!

Things that annoy

I am on a bender today.
I am annoyed.

You wanna know the worst part about being a snake breeder?
Let me tell you!

NUMBER ONE:

Soiled things. Dirty, gross, smelly things. And of course, these dirty smelly gross things happen only after you JUST cleaned a tub or tank or water dish or something to that effect.

Perfect example: I just finished cleaning a whole rack of babies. I only use paper with the babies, so it takes a bit more time to clean out each tub, scrub with Chlorhexidine, and move on to the rest of them. I go back to feed off a few straggler rat pups, and HALF of the tubs have fecal or urate matter in the tub, right over the fresh paper I JUST PUT DOWN LESS THAN AN HOUR AGO!

Yes, this is also true of wiping down a tub that has water spilled in it, just to find that after you fill up the water again and put down fresh paper, it gets wet and somehow grosser than before.


NUMBER TWO:

Not eating, or leaving food in the tub that was "going" to be eaten. I HATE finding bodies of food hanging out in the corner of a tub, just laying there. And of course the snake finds itself staring at me, looking at me like "What? That was there.." Why kill it if you are not going to eat it, silly snake???

Grrrrrrrrrr.

NUMBER THREE:

Self-loathing snakes. These snakes are the ones that choose not to be snakes, and don't eat, don't move, don't do anything snakey. You wonder what the heck they are thinking??? These are the problem feeders, the problem everythings! Usually a change of environment is enough to get them to act right, but while they are misbehaving, it is very annoying. Snakes that get skinnier and skinnier, don't seem to drink, don't seem to be interested in anything... Yes, they are having crises. Gotta change it up!


That is all for now, I'm sure I can come up with a few others if I had to think about it long enough.

Have a great not annoying day, my friends!

Food for thought...

I have to admit, I am home more often, so it allows me to watch more television.

I am somewhat ashamed of myself, but yes, I watch reality shows. 

And you want to know what I have been watching marathons of recently?

Hoarders. 

Yes, I have a shameful obsession right now watching Hoarders.

Hoarders of stuff, and Hoarders of animals...

Now this brings me to the topic I'd like to discuss...

What makes an Animal Hoarder?

 I have to say, my title with a lot of my non-reptile friends is the "Snake Lady". I have many more snakes than most people will own in their lifetimes, and I am absolutely fine with it. 

Does this make me an Animal Hoarder?

This is an interesting topic, and I have to say I had to think about it for a minute. 

Hoarders are people who CANNOT let go of animals, cannot care for themselves and their animals accordingly, and have too many animals for their own good and the good of the animals. They are people that put animals above their own well-being, but to a fault and dissolution of their lives. Emotional and physical problems in regards to the love of the animals, in loving them too much.

Now I realize that that statement is rather dramatic, and some animal hoarders are not as bad as what you would see on the television.

But here is what I have come up with to draw the line between hoarding and a breeder/hobbyist.

A hobbyist is someone who loves the animals, but will not take them for granted and will care for them as much as needed. They are people who can deal with the problems/challenges that come with owning a pet, be it food, medical, housing or physical exercise. These people are willing to do what they need to do for their animals, but will not take in more than they can handle. They care for the animals, and want the best for them, and provide that in whatever form necessary. If they cannot or choose not to care for the animals, they allow someone else to take care of them and find them new homes.

Of course, in the breeders case, they are absolutely willing to allow people to take their animals into new homes. I know I love seeing new pet owners fall in love with the animals I helped create. And of course, I try to be there for each and every person if they have any questions in regards to care of the animals. 

So there it is.

Yes, I do have many snakes. Sometimes there are days where I feel a bit overwhelmed. But, I still push on, I care for them, and I know that I am doing right by them. And if and when I can't, I know I can find someone else who can. And I am alright with that. 

But that won't be for a while still. Not while I have my health and my sanity.

So to all of you out there watching the television shows and thinking about us reptile/snake people, know that I see what you see, and what you may be thinking.

But it is not like that. 

I care for my animals, my house is clean, my animals are healthy. 

And I really feel for those Animal Hoarders out there. I can see where the love is, why they love their animals, but... there comes a point where other things should matter more.

And I know what things matter. 

The health of all of the creatures under my roof, and the love of my friends and family. 

And I'm sure that matters to you all out there too. 

Have a fantastic day, my friends.

Customer Etiquette

As a person who receives plenty of e-mails in regards to my animals, as well as general inquiries about husbandry (care) and morph information, I want to touch on something that I feel people seem to lack now a days.

Etiquette.

Yes, Eh-tih-ket.

That little thing your mother or father taught you when you were two and didn't know better.

Now, this is not to say that you, my beloved blog reader, are one of these people at all. I'd like to preface my rant by saying that this is NOT in any way meant for any particular person that I have encountered over the years.

But let me begin.


RULE ONE:

Do not tell me that you can and will get X Morph that I am selling somewhere else for cheaper.

My response?

Feel free to do so. With that, you may be getting in over your head with a smaller animal, a problem feeder, or an overall less quality animal. AND, you will be missing out on the customer service in which I provide to any person who chooses to buy from me. Yes, I will answer your e-mails, and your questions, and anything you want to send my way. Yes, I will talk about the weather with you if you so choose. THAT is what I do.

Good luck with that.

RULE TWO:

Haggling is part of the game, but low ball me and insult my intelligence, and I will no longer be willing to talk to you.

Low Balling is a typical move of people looking for the best price they can possibly squeeze out of you.

Here's the problem with that... The only people who are willing to take those deals are those that are desperate. Desperation comes in many forms, family emergency, job loss, etc... There are times when it is necessary to move an animal for the sake of the animal itself. Otherwise, you are more than likely getting an animal that has been sparsely fed, not well taken care of, etc.

Now most breeders are very much in a position to keep all of the animals they produce if need be.
Do we want to? No, not really... But do not try and play it like we are. It's just uncouth.


RULE THREE:

Be polite, type up more than one sentence in an e-mail inquiry, and realize that we want to know that you care just as much as you want to know we care.

"Hey, is that snake still available?" is not quite the e-mail we as breeders expect from a prospective customer. I personally like to know that the person inquiring actually cares a bit about the snake that they want to buy, be it asking for more information, more photos, etc...

Plus, if you don't leave a name on the e-mail, am I supposed to call you Sexyman123@gmail.com in my response to you?

The same goes for phone calls.


RULE FOUR:

Please call once as an inquiry, leave a message with your phone number and name if we cannot pick up the phone, and wait for a response back.

This is kind of a roll over from Rule Three, but valid none the less.

I have had children call me at all hours of the night asking about Ball Pythons, and also calling non-stop until I pick up.

One boy called 15 times in 20 minutes. That rankled me a tad as I was in a business meeting, but once I got him on the phone, I explained to him that I work full time as well as breed snakes, and that if I cannot get on the phone, please leave a message and I will call him back as soon as possible.

Life tends to get in the way of e-mails and phone answering, so please keep that in mind when expecting immediate responses.

I know I try my darndest to answer things as soon as I can, but sometimes things slip thru the cracks. We are human too.

RULE FIVE:

If we as breeders ask for you to send us an e-mail to make sure your shipment arrived safely, please remember to do so.

This is a slight issue, not something that really comes up often, but I do have anxiety, just as you do, about your package arriving correct.

Please, as a courtesy, just as we would do for you.... Pretty please with sugar on top.


RULE SIX:

We are human, you are human, treat us as you would like to be treated.

This is something that I think everyone in the world needs to be reminded of once in a while. We are all human, we are all people, and we all deserve respect. Treat your fellow man well, and you will be rewarded.

Always a nice thing to remember.


These rules are not all that there are, and I'm sure I could come up with a few more.

There are days which I feel like pasting these rules to people's foreheads that I see around the forums, or at a show...

Remember that even though you want your snake, your hamburger, your car wash, etiquette and politeness goes a long way.



Have a fantastic, polite, smile filled day, my friends!!!

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!

Responsibilities

I'm going to be honest here.

There are days when I just don't want to deal.

Yesterday was hot and I was tired from work, and just beat.

It was like 5000000 degrees in the house, and in the snake room, 5000000 x 2.

Now I realize I am being overly dramatic, but I want to make a point.

I went in there, and I spent 3 hours cleaning and watering everyone.

It was not fun.

It was not enjoyable.

I almost got bit several times.

I was sweating like crazy. 5000000 degrees is not a pleasant experience.

But I did it.

The snakes can't do it themselves, and I don't have much help. It's just me and them.

And I, and you, can never forget that.

I'm sure your own snakes have you and only you as well.

Responsibilities.

Sometimes its rough, but its something we as pet owners have to deal with.

So basically, I did it, but I didn't get any motivation to write anything interesting other than to remind you and myself that you gotta do what you gotta do.

So there you go.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have something more interesting to share. And it won't be 5000000 degrees.

Cutting eggs, maybe.

Yeah, that sounds good.

Have a fantastic day, my friends.

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.

Who to believe???

I've noticed a lot of questions about what is what and who is what and what is who and so forth...

And let me put it to you straight.

There is, for the most part, no right answer.

In this industry, there seems to be several right answers to the same question.

Let me explain why this is even coming up.

Kerig asked me why I choose 1200 grams as the go to weight for my females. I have found that 1200 grams is a safe MINIMUM for my females. Bigger is obviously more preferable, but...

Have I had females that size not take? Sure! But I've not had any slug outs from females 3 years old and 1200 grams. I've had slug outs from larger females that were younger, so it is absolutely subjective in terms of what is best for what particular animal.

Which is why there is no right answer. It just depends. Trial and error so to speak.

The same goes for morph names, terminology, and genetic terms as well (to a point).

Spelling and phrases are also up for debate, but... not as much. There is the general consensus, and those that don't agree. But such is life, no?

So even with my blog, take what I say with a grain of salt.

There are the absolutes, however.

Let us cover them.

ABSOLUTES:

Care for your animals well and with compassion
Feed and house and water your animals
Appreciate them and their personalities, even the love bites
Share them with those who want to learn about them


There are plenty of other things you need to know in terms of breeding and health care, but the basic basics are now presented to you.

Overall, even in general its pretty simple. Its just a matter of who to listen to.

Hopefully I'm eloquent enough and answer your questions well enough to handle what you need to know!

If not, I can at least point you in the right direction!


Have a fantastic day, my friends.