Fail (Not for the faint of heart)

Well, I didn't get to do as much as I wanted to do for the Website, but the snake room is IMMACULATE!

That is something to feel proud of...

And I am!

But with the fact that I accomplished some, I didn't accomplish all.

I hope that today after work I can actually get in there and make it happen.

I have been slowly organizing so that it will happen.

There is a lot of background work that is required before I actually have everything ready for the website, as you can understand.

.....

And to top it all off, the Bunchi het Hypo to Spider clutch is hatching, and the babies are mostly deformed, with one Stinger Bee dead in the egg.

I'm not sure what is going on, but the eyes are bugging out, short jaws, and the tail is completely curl kinked on one of them.

This was a sad realization, and I honestly have not had this bad of luck with a season as I have this year.

I am trying to remind myself that this is part of what happens when you breed animals, but it still sucks really bad. I am not even sure if this guy is able to see, much less eat and function properly.

I am stuck trying to figure out what to do, which right now I'm not sure.

There is at least one more animal that has the same eye problem, but I haven't seen it out of the egg yet, so we shall see what else is going on.

As for me... I'm going to try and suck it up.

It happens, it is part of life, and although this is not ideal, it happened.

Handle it, Heather.

And to those of you out there that may not have experienced this yet, if you do this long enough, it will happen. And it's not fun.

Remember that this is part of life, part of breeding animals, and not everything comes out perfect and beautiful. There are the special cases that make you do some soul searching as to what to do. 

What would YOU do to this little baby?

Have a great soul searching day, my friends.

Egg bound female

Well... I thought it may happen, and it did.

Right now, life has been hectic to say the least, and then this happens...

My super exciting last clutch of the season ends up being a huge bust.

I have never had an egg bound female before, and this girl looks like she is in pain.

Her cloaca is hugely swollen, and three large eggs are still left to be laid. She laid two, one day at a time, and neither of them were fertilized.

I had high hopes for the other three, and then she ends up egg bound.

She is probably at the vet as you read this, being taken care of. I expect that the eggs will be aspirated (have fluid drawn out of the eggs to make them easier to pass) by the vet, and that the clutch will be a bust.

But as long as my first Enchi girl that I ever hatched is alive and well, I'm willing to accept the inevitable.

I just look at her and feel horrible.

I soaked her in warm water, and tried to help her passing, but her cloaca is so swollen and tissue is exposed (prolapsing), I didn't want to risk damaging internal organs.

I've helped other females before, but this is different.

So off to the vet she goes.

Again, these are the things you can't plan for at all, and just have to handle it accordingly. I'm sad I'm loosing the clutch, but I'd be much sadder if I lost her completely, which could be a possibility if I let her try for much longer on her own.

Wish us luck today as she goes into the vet.

I need her to be alright.

Have a great day, my friends.

Breeding and Blood

As a living, breathing creature, you have blood and you have reproductive organs. Sometimes, these things end up mixing together. It's not the best situation, when your reproductive organs are bleeding, but... it happens.

Rough and tumble, bad angles... etc.

It can and will happen.

This is especially true of male ground dwelling snakes. Sometimes, they drag their junk around before it is even needed, which tends to cause a bit of bleeding and redness.

Now, as a female, I don't want to make any sexist assumptions here, but I would like to point out that if the males are doing it to themselves and they haven't stopped it from happening again, I would be a little less concerned. They can feel pain, and they should have a basic instinct not to destroy themselves.

BUT, as animal caretakers, we must limit this exposure when possible.

YES, Ball Python males drag their junk around the floor when introduced to a female. YES, they can and will cause themselves slight harm.

Is this horrible and terrible and worth putting snake diapers on them?

No...

It's part of the magic of reproduction. Sometimes you don't get it right the first time.

So if you see the blood on the vent, just pop your males and make sure there are no infections or internal foreign materials that have been absorbed by exposing and absorption. If there are either, then please take care of it, be it clean it up yourself or take him to a vet.

Blood around the vent is bound to happen... It even happens with animals that aren't even in breeding rotations.

If it is more than just a very slight crusting, I would be concerned. Any swelling, foreign objects, puffiness or hestiation to pop out a pene are all bad signs.

Blood in general is not a bad sign unless there is a lot of it. A lot will be quantified by being able to scab over something. That is a bad sign. Before that is a warning sign...

Bottom line is if you are vigilant with your males, and know what is normal and what isn't (slight crusting is normal), you should have no problems.

Keep breeding them the way you have been breeding them, but at any sign of foul play, separate and diagnose.

I hope this helps those of you out there with the same questions.

Check some of your animals and you will see that blood does tend to accumulate oddly on some animals around the vent. Take note at the amount. I will see if I can get a picture of someone soon for you all as well.

When in doubt, send me a picture and I will help you figure it out!

Have a great day, my friends!

Abnormalities and how to deal

As a breeder, you will experience problems, trials and tribulations. You will also experience joy and great pride in the animals you produce.

But, in this case, we are talking about the not so good times.

Abnormalities and deformations are a problem for any animal breeder. Of course, when life happens, things can go wrong.

In my personal experience, I have only had a few deformations with incubation issues or hatchlings.

Last year, I had one animal I had to freeze due to being deformed, and a few other issues in years past that have been logged in the blog.

With that being said, one problem deformation within a year and 30+ clutches is not a lot.

But, depending on the morph and depending on the incubation temps/mediums, that number can change drastically.

Take Caramels. Yes, they kink... Do you cull something that can survive if given the chance? That is up to you, the breeder.

If you do cull them, the numbers go up. If you don't, the numbers stay the same.

I personally only cull if there is NO possible way that the animal can survive alone and without assistance.

If assistance is needed (aka assist feeding, health issues, etc..), it is given. If the animal is just "messed up" but can survive, I give them to people I can trust to keep only as a pet.

Animals that are especially "messed up" should not be bred at all. That is a fact.

Problem with that is, what is your definition of "messed up"?

Spiders spinning may or may not be a big deal to you, but it may be to someone else. Same with small kinks and other issues. That is why some people breed or avoid specific morphs all together.

But when an animal can't eat or move or breathe correctly, that is a sure sign it needs to be humanely euthanized.

Another can of worms is how to humanely euthanize a snake... We can touch on that another day.

I know a few people that have had train wrecks of clutches where all the animals have needed to be put down. I also know many many others that have had no problems at all...

So it really is a matter of how you do your setup, how you breed, what you breed, and your incubation. And sometimes, it really doesn't matter what you do, and the genetics of the animal tends to lean towards problems.

Just know this as a final parting thought.

No matter what you do, you will have problems.

Deal with them appropriately and accordingly.

Live and learn, and teach others if you can.

That's what I try to do.

Have a great day, my friends!

Regurge.. What to do?

So, you got a new baby, and it seems healthy and spritely.
You enjoy it for a few days as it settles in, and then you feed it.
Maybe you feed it a mouse hopper, maybe a rat pup.

No surprise, it takes it, wraps it up, wham-bam-thank you ma'am.
You go on your merry way, happy that your new baby is eating well for you.

A few days go by, and you go and check on your baby... Something is not right.
Something smells like old rotting cheese barf...
OH NO!!!

You rush to the tub, checking frantically to make sure none of your snakes are dead...
To your relief, none are...

But there is a disgustingly misshapen semi-furry wad of BLECH sitting on the bottom of your new babies tub.

What is it?
Well, its not fecal matter... that would be browner and less furry.
It must be snake puke.
Regurgitation, my friends.
NOT a pretty sight, nor smell.


What causes regurge and how do you prevent it, and what do you DO???

1) Regurge is caused by stress, the inability to digest the prey item, or illness.

2) To prevent it from happening, make sure your critter is happy and safe and sound in its new surroundings. Give it a few days to relax in its tub, and then feed a SMALL prey item. If it normally eats large mice, offer it a hopper. And only one... Do not overfeed your critter, as this is another reason (IE inability to digest) for regurge.

3) If your critter does regurge, do not be dismayed... it happens. Give it at least 5 days off. A full feeding cycle or two. Make sure it has water, and a safe place to hide should it need one. When in doubt, give it more time off.

Then, offer ONE SMALL prey item. If it eats it, rejoice!!! AND DO NOT GIVE IT ANOTHER ONE. Let your critter digest the prey item. If there is no additional regurge after the smaller prey item, and no other issues come up, give it a normal prey item the next go around. There should be no problems after this, and the feeding cycle should be continued as normal.

IF THERE IS ANOTHER REGURGE, give the animal another at least 5-7 days , if not two weeks off. Water, clean tub, etc... NO FOOD. NO STRESS. Try and give it some time off.

And begin again at the beginning of Number 3.

I hope that helps, and know that occasionally, this happens. If it happens often enough, I would take your animal to a veterinarian.

Know that it happens, but frequent regurge is a bad sign.

So with that, live, learn and have a fantastic day, my friends.

Sadness and Happiness (Not for the weak of heart)

Since this weekend, there has been ups and downs and highs and lows.

If you notice, I hadn't really updated you guys on the other clutches that were due to hatch out a few days before the other...

Well, there was a good reason for that.

The Genetic Stripe het clutches that were meant to hatch out were devastatingly bad.

Meet an animal I had to cull.

 
Yes, it was alive when it tried to hatch out. It did not get completely out of the egg, and was still connected to the yolk. I had cut the egg a few days ago, and that is the only way it got out of the egg. When it was out of the egg, I thought it was dead.

When I saw the face, which was missing part of the upper jaw and most of its face, as well as many kinks in its spine and was not able to move other than to breathe.

So... I had to cull it. (It was frozen in our deep freezer)

The only reason there was blood was that when I was trying to move it, the umbilicus ripped off and started bleeding as well, so I knew it wasn't going to survive no matter what I tried to do.

Everytime I see things like this, it makes me very sad.

This particular animal had two other siblings in the clutch as well, and one other died in the egg, while the first and only survivor is doing fine. 

Part of the deal as a breeder, having animals that do not thrive, cannot thrive, and will suffer in life.
It's hard.

I actually didn't just lose this animal this weekend, I also lost a non-feeding Axanthic today. So with the ups comes the downs.

But again, remember, this is a small bump in the road considering how many animals I have hatched out sucessfully so far this season.

So with this reminder to those of you out there that were considering breeding, or have been breeding, don't forget that these things happen. Be prepared.

But again, this is not to prevent you all from trying it... just to remember that it is a possibility.

Without trying, you cannot succeed.

Don't forget that.

Have a great 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.

Frustrations with the ONE

I think I have mentioned I have yet to see some males lock up at all...

And this one is the most frustrating of all.



Dearest Pastel Super Mojave...

I had many many plans for you, and yet your inaction have foiled them all.

Your beautiful blue eyes betray the fact that you are aware that you are messing with my head. You know what you are doing to me, and you enjoy it.

Enjoy my lament, as it will be my last on you, my friend. If you do not do your job now, you will do it later. It is only a matter of time. I am just not prepared to wait any longer.



You are aware of your foibles, and yet you flick your tongue at me, slither around like you own the place, and pick the nicest and most comfortable areas of the tub to relax in.

I will only ask you once more. Please enjoy and entertain your ability to reproduce. It would be most helpful.

Thank you.

Have a wonderful day, my friends.

Some breedings, but not enough

I don't know what is happening this season, but it is NOT going to plan.

I am getting frustrated a bit, but... WOOSA.

Some of the males aren't doing what they are supposed to be doing. I have yet to catch the Pastel Super Mojave doing anything, as well as the Bumblebee. They are making sperm plugs, but they are not locking when I look.

Even Gee, the G Stripe is getting lazy. I have yet to see him lock with any female again this year either.

But there are a few males I can count on.

The Pastel het Pied is doing his thing.



The Sterling is focusing on breeding more than eating, but he is doing his job!



And the Albino is a great breeder as well (I tried to get a Pene shot, but I didn't manage it)



So I am trying to stay positive, since there is a lot riding on a few of these males who I have yet to see breed.

WOOSA

A few males are also still on break, so hopefully I can share more different males working soon enough. But until then, random photos of the collection will abound!

Any words of encouragement would be appreciated.. I'm getting annoyed.

Have a great day, my friends!

What kind of problems have I seen?

As long as I have been breeding and caring for Ball Pythons, I have seen a few problems happen in the collection.

I have had Mites, Respiratory Infections, Belly Rot, and rat injuries. In terms of breeding, I've had twisted umbilicus in the egg, dead babies in the egg, and females that have egg binding issues.

Most of these are preventable, and thru learning and experiencing them, I have to say I feel more prepared and ready for problems.

Death is also a big part of the problem arena.

Babies that just decide not to eat sometimes happen, severe bodily injuries, as well as the random death of an animal due to internal issues.

I have had deaths in the collection, but I always have necropsies done to find out what the problems are.

Over the past five years, I have only lost four animals.

One necropsy that was performed informed me that the animal in question had a liver issue, and would have died no matter what I did.

I have heard of people dropping animals and breaking their spines. I have heard of feeder rats eating snakes when left in too long. I have heard of severe belly rot and skin issues becoming necrotic and killing the animal. I have heard of deaths due to mites dehydrating an animal to the point of no return. Respiratory infections that get too deep set, and are too far involved can kill a ball python as well.

So death is a part of working with the animals.

And as the caretaker of the animals, you need to be on top of these problems. Be cautious and aware, and treat animals pre-emptively.

Be friends with your Vet. He or She will be your go-to person.

And of course, problems are going to happen.

So here are a few things I have learned from my own experiences with problems:

-Pretreat any incoming snakes for mites, whether or not you see mites on them.
-Be aware of the feeder rodents you feed if you feed live. Rats will fight back, and can do damage. The larger the rat, usually the more fight in them, and the more damage they can do.
-Hissing and popping can be signs of a problem. Keep a very close eye on animals that make funny noises.
-Get your husbandry spot on, and make sure that your humidity isn't too high in one area and too low in another. This will cause problems.
-Eggs are complicated, and treat them nicely, but know that not all of them will survive, no matter what you do.

So there you go.

Did I scare you off yet?

Don't worry, that's why I tell you these problems! So that you can forgo them and enjoy your collection without stressing out as much.

Remember this, my friends...

You are doing this to create new life. To make more beautiful animals. So take care of them as well as you can, and when you can't, ask for help. There are people out there that can and will help you, including me!

And I am going to end this weeks blog by sharing a breeding photo of the POG with a Het female.

YAY!

Have a great weekend, my friends.