The Beauty of Life

I have to say, I realize a lot has been going on this week regarding issues within the industry, and that I am mainly approaching the problems.

So, in an effort to make things even and equal, I wanted to bring up one of the best aspects of breeding reptiles, or procreating anything at that matter.

The beauty of LIFE.



You can call yourself a Genetic Engineer of sorts...

You pick and choose who breeds to whom to make a "better" or "more beautiful" animal.
You see the results, and do it again.

You get to be one of the first people to see this new life come out of the egg!

And the greatest part about Ball Pythons, and the reason I do what I do, is that they have so many variations within the species it is INCREDIBLE!

We as an industry have already managed to hit on quad co-doms, combinations of recessives and co-dominants, and there is more and more to be done! We have found so many different morphs within dinkers, with more to be found and more to be done!

I have to say, when I think about it in this way, I am always in awe of the coolness of what I do.

Living Art!

I feel like what I have managed to accomplish over the years has gotten me to a good place, and although I will still have goals for the animals I have, I am actually pleased with what I have and what I can do.

Living Art, with plenty of paint jobs to make more!

I hope this reinvigorates you in terms of reptiles in general, and the coolness factor. It totally overshadows the little problems that can happen.

Shipping problems and what to do about them

Well, yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to my friend Brian on the phone, and he told me the absolute WORST shipping story I have ever heard.

Let me summarize.



He ships with X shipping company, and has been certified to ship reptiles with them for years.

He ships out a box with one animal in it, in a standard reptile shipping box with "Live Harmless Reptiles" clearly marked on the box.

It arrives at the middle hub with no problems, ready to get sent on its final flight to its destination.

BUT!!!

X Shipping company decides to freak out about the box and offload the whole plane that had already been loaded up to remove the box with the harmless reptile in it.

The box with the harmless reptile in it gets sent to a Veterinarian for care.

Brian does not know any of this is happening, and therefore is unawares that the box is not in route to its destination.

After a few hours AFTER the expected arrival time, he calls up X shipping company to ask what the problem is in terms of tracking his package.

X shipping company tells him: "Sir, you are not allowed to ship live harmless reptiles, and we have sent your animal to a Vet for care."

WHAT???????????

Brian has been certified, mind you, for several years!!!

X shipping company, after several hours of arguing and calling and discussing, finally admits that it was in the wrong, after finally calling the Live Animal department of X shipping company, and gets immediate response saying that Yes, Brian is certified and has been for several years.

Now the main problem with this is that the call to the Live Animal department should have been done FIRST, and prevented this issue to begin with.

The package with the live harmless reptile has arrived at its destination without any more problems.

YAY!!!





X Shipping company admitted fault, after all is said and done, but... what to do if this happens to you???


-Make sure you have your representatives number handy in case of problems like this.

-DO NOT give up!!! Just letting things happen when there is a problem could lead to even more problems (aka being placed in a home from a Vet)

-If something seems wrong, don't wait too long to see what is going on. CALL THEM AND FIND OUT WHAT IS HAPPENING.


The problem I always have with shipping is that it is completely out of my hands. I cannot drive to po-dunk town nowhere 2000 miles away to get my snake back if there is a problem. You need to have a resource to help you in terms of this, so do your research and track those resources down.

These animals DEPEND ON YOU to fight for them. They cannot speak for themselves in terms of being jostled around in a box by Joe Shmoe who doesn't care that there is a perishable item in the box. Do not let the ignorance and stupidity of others kill an animal out of your care. Cause if you do, it is on YOU to fix the problem.

The reason I wrote up this blog, on top of having a great discussion with my friend, Brian, is to keep you on your toes in terms of shipping. Most people don't have issues with shipping, but there are issues that can happen. Be prepared.

I hope I didn't scare you in terms of ever shipping an animal. It should be fine.

I want to add that I have been shipping for a while now as well, and I have never had any problems other than delays due to weather, and ALL of my animals have arrived safe and sound so far. (Knock on wood)

Just keep a watchful eye, my friends. Take care of your animals...

I DID IT!!!

I broke down last night after cleaning and I put some males together with some females. I didn't think there would be much in terms of the new boys, so I started them out slow...

It was a new moon... the stars were falling in the sky, so I thought that may be auspicious enough to try. (Did you see the meteor shower?)

This morning, I saw some action already!

Some of them didn't know what they were doing very well...

This is POG and one of my poss hets. At least he is getting the area right.



This is Carmine the Caramel.. He seems to know what he's doing. He's with a Poss Het.



Albino to Het.



Lemonblast to Yellowbelly. He knows what to do, but she is not having it yet...



And one of my favorites, Axanthic het Albino to Albino het Axanthic. Hopefully I will hit on my Snow this year... They are lovers from last year, so they settled in back to business faster than the rest of them.



The new boys haven't quite gotten it right, but we will be keeping a close eye on them and see if they don't get things working well...

Cross our fingers that they do SOON!

Holdbacks and plans

A few days ago, I went thru some of the gals I held back from the season and took some subpar photographs of them. I actually have one I don't think I ever introduced to the fold as well!

What better time then now, eh?

Welcome to the fold, Mojave Sulfur.

What is a Sulfur, you ask? It is a type of Fire, similar in morph type to the comparison between Cinnamons and Black Pastels.



Yes, she is a double "het" Blue Eyed and Black Eyed Leucistic. I really like her, and getting the subtle tones of her colors while taking photos is a bit hard. She is golden, lovely overwash which may look like a washout of color, but it is somewhat true to her coloration.

And my beloved Pastel Lesser full stripe female... I didn't get the full stripe in this photo, but I am absolutely in love with her. She is fantastic, and will be staying with me for a long time.



And you remember the group of Pewters? Well, this one was my holdback Pewters.. The one I got to pick. She is Pewtering out beautifully.



With everything I am introducing, it is mainly due to the need to focus and get my act together in pairings and plans.

I have to admit, I have nothing paired still!

I am putting it off to get a few more girls larger, feeding as much as I can, waiting for sperm plugs, and just being somewhat lazy. I still have a clutch of eggs in the incubator! Maybe when they hatch and I can turn off the incubator, I will be more inclined to get ready for pairings for 2010.

But, here are a few set plans:

Sterling to Pewter
Lemonblast to Pastel
Pied to Black Pastel
Pastel het Pied to Het Pied
Pastel Super Mojave to Mojave
Bumblebee to Pastel
Pastel Super Mojave to Spider

A few plans are circulating in my head as well... But that will be for a later date.

Have a fantastic week!!

-How to Avoid being Scammed- (Sorry I'm so late!!)

It's been a busy day.

I have been running around all day, had to go pick up some rat pups for the babies, ran around with a few more chores, talked with a few people on the phone, and this is the first time I have had a chance to sit down and blog.

So one of the reasons I've needed to take some time away from the internet was talking to a friend about scammers.

My friend got scammed out of a few animals, and I want to put a warning out to people..

HOW TO AVOID BEING SCAMMED

Number ONE:

Work with a trustworthy breeder! This is a huge thing. Talk to people, ask questions, ask people about their experiences with the person in question. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT WITH HETEROZYGOUS ANIMALS.
Ask for references, ask for pictures, ask ask ask! It may be a pain in the rear for some people, but if they don't have anything to hide, it shouldn't be an issue, right?


Number TWO:

Cover your assets. Just in case something goes foul, keep ALL communications, etc..


Number THREE:

Make sure the animal you are buying is the same animal you are getting. Photos of the animal are good, photos with animals and dates are better. Heterozygous animals should come with paperwork if you don't trust the breeder. But remember, paperwork is only as good as the breeder who backs it up!


There is no sure way not to get scammed other than working with people you trust.

So the bottom line is, work with people you trust. Deal with people you can count on, and you know will be around after the sale.

Its your money and your new animal. Make sure you are covered.

The problem with shows (and relationship issues)

So here is the problem with shows... you always see something else cool that you want.

In my case, this was a full grown Black Headed Python.



He was on a friends table, and he was also in blue and tame as can be. I am always in awe of the beauty of these creatures. So I stole him for a few minutes to enjoy him. Lots of people stopped me to ask questions, because of the impressive quality of the snake.

I felt the need to take him home with me, but Joel said no...

But, Joel got to take something home.

Lets discuss something really important.

I know lots of couples that are in the reptile industry that only have one serious person in the industry, and the other is just a supporter.

Joel is my supporter, and for the longest time, he only watched and put his two cents in with regards to projects, and maybe cleaned a few times. He didn't love the snakes as I do, didn't even know what morphs were what, and didn't really understand completely what I do.

Things are slowly changing over time, and he is getting much more involved. He still doesn't help me clean, but he comes with me to every show that he can, he helps behind the table, and he does (when I ask) give me feedback about projects he would like to see happen (with the assistance of photos).

So to spark his interest in the snakes, we came to a consensus that he should have one that is all his own.

This species selection took him a whole year of looking around at shows, thinking seriously about the animals, and what resources he had available.

And now???

He finally picked a NOT Ball Python to join our house hold.



I have been replaced.

Welcome to the fold, Mexican Black Kingsnake named Jack.



He spends a lot of time with this snake already, and I will be highlighting some growth over the years, I'm sure.

Jack is a very handsome fellow, and he lives in the living room.

Why a Mexican Black King? Well... Something about it being Mexican and Black maybe.. I'd have to get back to you on that one. He just likes the way it looks, and the husbandry is rather simple. I can't be mad at that!

So yes, my significant other has a snake that is his. It took forever, and granted its not anything I would have picked, but I am very pleased that he is taking a solid interest in reptiles.

Now for those of you out there with a spouse or significant other, are you lucky enough to have someone who is in it as well? How do you convince that person "Just one more!" Do you even have to?

I've had this conversation with a few other couples, and it seems to vary. Some couples are lucky enough to share the passion, and others have one that is on FIRE with passion, and the other just humors the other.

I am on the latter, but we're working on it.

Can't be mad at that. At least I get my room.

I swear this is one of the last...

Well... I just got a new shipment in, and this is the last one of the year. I have been honing my projects in, and this male I got in replacement of my Super Mojave.

When I went to Tinley, a friend of a friend had this guy on his table. I saw him, and I was in love. Problem was, I had just picked up the Super Mojo..

So I wheeled and dealed, sold some stuff, made some trades, and finally was able to finagle this guy away.



So he arrived at the house today, and I am STOKED to be able to add him to my arsenal.

What is he, you ask?

Well... He is a while snake. But he is also a Pastel Super Mojave.



I'm sure you are asking, how can you tell? Well, with a Pastel Super, the head is much lighter, and the body is much more yellow in tone, but very subtly.

I don't have the Super Mojave anymore to compare with, but here are a few pics of him to compare (Yes, I posted this yesterday, but I think it still helps)



As you can tell, the head is lighter, and until I can track down a better picture of the body, you can just believe me when I say that the Pastel Super is a tad bit yellower in the body than the Super.

So there you are.

This guy should be in rotations after his Q period, and I can't wait!!