Hmmmmm...

So again, I tried to catch a few locks, but only found one while the camera was on. 

Back to the basics. Albino to Het Albino. 

Hopefully this weekend I can catch a few more. I have palpated a few, and I have to say that I am really pleased at the progress of the first few females. We should see at least ovulations in droves in the next weeks. 

But of course, until then...

Photos! Above, a Hypo.

Below, a Super Pastel.

And of course, this female has been hiding for a while. 

Sulfur Mojave. No flash.

 

I am intending to get a great many photos this weekend, as I will have help. I need it to get the website updated as well. 

The collection page has to be updated like CRAZY.

Anyway, enjoy the photos, and have a great weekend, 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!

Get R Dun

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

So I did.

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

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

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

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

Peek-a-boo!

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

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

Crossing all crossables.

So there you go, my friends.

Until tomorrow, have a great day!

Getting prepped

The season is nearing fruition within a month or two and I am getting ready.

This weekend between studying and papers, I got some help getting the incubators out of storage. Not all of them, mind you. Just the two big honker-tonkers that I use (Big Apple Herp) for now.

I would love to have something larger, maybe even a dedicated closet like I know some people have in their houses, but since we don't have that in our capacities right now, I get to wheel out the incubators every season.

Its kind of a ritual of sorts, and I have to say, it makes the season feel "real".

No, I don't have eggs yet, but hey, in a few weeks, I may! And these bad boys will be humming and ready for action.

Here is one of them, kinda. Not running, nothing in it, but getting ready for it!

Of course, when I get around to plugging them in and getting ready for eggs in a few weeks, I will be touching on how to prep an egg tub, as well as what to do in situations of breeding problems, which I'm sure will come up as it always does in every season.

I anticipate my first clutch coming at the end of this month, so we shall be rocking and rolling soon!

Until then, I will be taking pictures of babies and going back to suggestions about what to write about over the next few weeks.

And do homework.

Yeah.

I'm afraid that when I get into my Master's program, I may have to cut back on the blog, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it, eh?

Have a fantastic day, my friends!

Blue Balls?

AHAHAHAHAHAH!

(I'm sorry, Mom...)

Yes, I caught the bluest Ball Python I have ever had the chance to see.

This is my Hypo poss het Pied male, who is in the blue. Hypos or Ghosts get VERY blue when they are "in blue" which as we well know is the pre-shed indicative state of ecdysis. So in a few days, we should see this guy nice and shiny with new skin. He is still trying to breed his one and only girlfriend this season, the Pied poss het Hypo female. Let's hope they both prove out, yes?

This particular female has five to six follicles the size of gumballs, so we should be seeing something come up real soon in terms of ovulation. I hope to catch it on camera! 

Anyway, I went out of my way to take some pictures for you guys this week, because as I recall, I had not put up any photos at all last week.

How shameful.

Anyway, here we go.

This photo is a photo with flash of my Pastel Super Mojave.

The one below it is without flash. I have yet to perfect the White Snake Photo syndrome, but I wanted to take these photos to show you the yellow overtones of her back and neck, as well as her faded head. 

She's getting big, and I can't wait to have the opportunity to decide what the heck I want to put her with!

And of course, the infamous Black Pastel Lesser that was mistaken for a Pewter back in the day. Yeah.. I won't let myself live that one down.

 

I am always so proud to show off my G-Stripes.

This gal is actually one that I acquired from another breeder, and compared to the line of G-Stripes that I work with, she is darker. But I can't complain, cause she has the complete stripe that I love, so I am glad to have her in the arsenal. 

Black Pastel? Why yes, thank you. 

This girl is Het for Hypo, so she may be paired up with that Blue Guy up above. We shall see.

And last but not least, my Pinstripe poss het Hypo. She may go with that Blue guy too. We shall see if he proves out to be Het Pied (as she is as well), and then we will make decisions based on that. 

This season should be a determining factor in a few pairings. That is always fun!

So there we go. More pictures to come, more animals to share, more stuff in general. No slacking this week.

Have a great day, my friends.

I'm ALIVE!!!

I'm so sorry people...

I am alive.

I have just had a few situations in life that require more time than I had initially planned. (Cough cough School)

And since I am doing a lot of them online, after a long many hours online staring at class, blogging is at the back of my mind.

I even have to write a paper.

Eeeewwww.

So I am going to go to the library and get some resources, and cite them in ALA format.

And then I'm going to clean some snakes.

And take some pictures.

And plan out a few blogs ahead of time so that I don't let you guys down.

Sorry, again.

Have a great weekend!

Phew!!

Test is done, I feel like a weight is lifted, and I can get back to work with my snakey friends.

Granted, I am still a bit miffed at the dirtiness, maybe because I have been overly cleanly since I had been watching Hoarders.

I did a huge clean of the house, people. I went top to bottom. Now just to get rid of the junk in the garage... and in my closet.

Maybe a garage sale?

Anyway, I am reorganizing the snake room a bit too, since I have not so much space left, and too many things I want to shove in there. I need a smaller work table, but I can't find one as of yet.. Or maybe one on wheels? Hmmm...

So I took a few pictures of some of the animals that I have been moving for various reasons.

Here is someone that I am annoyed with. You remember the rant about animals that are not snakey for whatever reason?

Well, this guy is that kind of snake. I moved him into a smaller tub, and so far no change, but it takes a few weeks sometimes for them to adjust.

He's so SMALL still.

Grrrrrr...

And this guy too.

This guy decided he was going to eat well for a few months, then stop for a few months.

So he has been moved, and is now eating very well again.

YAY, but BOOO for the problems before.

Yeah, he knows he's awesome...

So in terms of what is breeding, things are being paired, but nothing super exciting right now. Boys are in the corners, so I moved them around, which is why there are no pictures.

I hope to get some type of action shots soon, my friends.

Until then, have a great day!