WOOHOOO!!!

Yesterday was a great day, for me and for the Nation.

I usually try to things on this blog on snake topics mostly, but I have to put this out there.

Osama Bin Laden has been dispatched.

Thank you to our Military for all that you do and God Bless America!
What a momentous and glorious occasion, and as the President said it best "Justice has been served."

This isn't the end of the war, but it is something that has been a long time coming. 

While feeling all warm and fuzzy (yet vigilant and pensive) about what was happening, I didn't forget to go into the snake room to finish watering the adults.

And when I went in the room, other than feeling jubilation and a bit sweaty, I felt the need to check on Scar.

And guess what?

NOTHING.

Seriously.

So I went about my merry way, watering snakes and dancing around the snake room as I often do.

Lo and behold, I find this!

This wasn't one of the girls on Egg Watch 2011 yet, but I'll take it!

She was bred this season to the Mystic male mostly, but also the Special male just as a backup. So this clutch should be a good one either way. Six good eggs, my friends!

What a way to start the week and the month, eh?

I love it.

Have a fantastic, patriotic, love filled day, my friends!

TODAY IS THE DAY!

I have been putting this off for way too long, and I really need to get my act together, people.

TODAY IS THE DAY I TAKE NEW COLLECTION PHOTOS!!!

And by this upcoming Monday, I hope to have the new site up and running.

THAT, my friends, is the plan.

Will I get to it? Will I finish what I started?

I damn near have to. Procrastination on this has gone on way too long.

This is the problem with being a Ball Python Breeder/Full-time Other things person. My time has to be spread out accordingly, and unfortunately for the website, some things get put to the way side for a bit.

But I have spoken, and it shall be done.

I also went over to a friend's house last night, had a great time talking snakes, guns, fishing and the like. And of course, saw a chart on her wall...

I snagged a copy, and wanted to share with you all as well. I know it has made the rounds before, but I've never had a physical copy.

NOTE: I have removed it since posting because I didn't realize it had a copyright on it. I will develop something that is similar to post up for you all to see.

Print it, love it, learn from it. This is what I try and explain to you often in my frustrations with the females I deal with.

So now, it's in chart form.

Hope this helps, I'm off to go take some photos!

Have a fantastic weekend, my friends!

Oh weather...

The weather here in Southern California is known to be somewhat odd, but it is getting a bit ridiculous already this year. The rains and the heat keep coming and going. Yesterday there was a heat wave, with highs in the 90s, while the week before, it was raining.

This concerns me more because of the females that are still developing or getting thrown off by the weather. I know I am. I dislike the extreme heat of Southern California, but this is where I live.

So I believe the heat will pass in the next few days, and we will get cooler weather again, and then it will get hot again. AWESOME! This may be the reason why the females I am watching to lay are "hinky" so to speak, as in off their timing.

It puts me in such a bad mood when it gets too hot out here. I don't like being too hot. Sweat is not my friend. And add working in a heated snake room to the mix? Not a good combination. Summers in Southern California are great near the ocean... Not too great inland.

But such is life, and we continue on with it, as we must.

Oh, by the way.... No eggs still.

Scar is now on my boo-boo list. I'm hoping for the eggs to come before the weekend, but I will give it until Monday. That is an almost sure bet. Am I putting any money on it? Not on your life.. Not the way things are going.

So of course, to go with my random ramblings, I have included random photos of animals. I hope you enjoy them!

I have been sharing a lot of the 2010s because they are just easier to photograph. I need to get in there and get some better pictures of some older stuff. Maybe tomorrow... I've been moving critters around and am not sure who to pick first.

Have a great day, my friends!

Contortions and Ultrasound

There are days where I look at my females and think... 

Wow. I'm glad I don't have to pass a bunch of eggs from my rear end. (Don't you?)

Today was one of those days. These gals are next on EGG WATCH 2011, and they look horribly uncomfortable.

 I'm hoping to get some eggs soon, as Scar has STILL yet to drop hers. At this point, she is taunting me. She is making fun of my anxiety.

And of course, most of this would be avoided if I had an ultrasound.

And I intend to invest in one at some point to prevent seasons like this from occurring again. The problem lies in which one, and how much. As you may well know, technology is awesome, but also expensive. The cheapest ultrasound I have been able to locate is still around $4000.

So will it be worth it? Absolutely! 

Will I get one tomorrow? No way in hell!

Ultrasounds can be used to determine the actual diameter of follicles that are developing in the females themselves without the need for palpation. 

That would be SWEEEEET! I know several larger breeders that actually use them, and use them well. It would cut down on the guesswork involved in breeding and the amount of time that males are in with females. 

So can I use one? SURE!!!

And I will have to wait until next season to see if I can use it for real. 

Have a great day, my friends.

ARGH! And Jack

Seriously, this season is already messing with my head.

I gotta tell yah, I spent many many minutes in the snake room yesterday looking into that female's tub for eggs. 

And as of 9:15PM Monday evening, this is what I saw. She passed some urates (as you can kind of see in the top left corner), but NO EGGS.

ARRRRGH!!!!

Now, I know these eggs are coming. They have to. She is absolutely bloated. But they are taking WAAAAYYYYY longer than I thought they would. Which of course is what I get for thinking. No matter what you expect in snakes, something else throws you a curve ball.

Thanks, Scar. I love you, but you are totally making me crazy.

So to get me away from my crazy, I decided to step away from the snake room all together.

And then, the suggestion to see Jack popped in my head! PERFECT! A snake that I am not expecting anything from will get my mind off of my crazy.

And of course, he goes and acts crazy.

Let me tell you about Jack, the Black Mexican Kingsnake. He likes his hidey-holes. And Joel likes to provide them. Apparently a paper towel roll makes a perfect Jack hiding spot.

Jack does not like leaving his roll. He checked me out a few times while I was taking pictures, waiting for food possibly.

Being the photographer I am, I hoped to get him out of his hole to get some pictures, but thought that some of them with him in it was pretty funny. And yes, he can fit his entire self inside of it, given enough contortionary time.

Eventually, I was tired of him hiding, and pulled him out. Here he is in all of his glory. Not too much bigger now, but bigger than before. That coconut husk hide used to be his go-to hide, but now he doesn't fit in it.

I have to say that he is a handsome snake, but he wiggles too fast for my liking. He spazzes out!
Of course, this coming from someone who deals with "Slugs" all day... HAHAHAHAH!

Anyway, I FULLY EXPECT to have eggs today or tomorrow. I ALSO EXPECT to be wrong, which seems to be the trend so far.

Have a fantastic non crazy day, my friends!

What you should look for

Since Friday, I have been watching often in the snake room to see if there are other females that are ready to blow. I have palpated many to get myself up to snuff in terms of who is what where. I am AWARE AND READY FOR ACTION!

And this is the next girl to blow.

I expected her to lay her eggs on Easter Sunday, but as I type this, she has yet to lay anything.

And here is what I have been looking for and what you should see when a female is about to lay. This is Scar, my female Pastel that was attacked by a rat.

As you can see, her spine is well defined, as we call it, the flat tire look. Spine prominent, but bloated on the sides. Also the sucked tail, where you can see the definition of the bulge (eggs) versus the rest of the body. The photo above was taken around 11AM Sunday. The photo below was taken around 5PM the same day. Notice the difference in bulge location?

 This photo was taken around 10PM on Sunday, and I honestly was expecting something SOON!

Maybe this morning when I get into the room I will find some big pearls!

Until then, I am going to be looking into an Ultrasound. (Thanks for the reminder, Rex!) I've considered it for several years, but this year is one that would have been very nice to have. Blog to come about those soon!

Have a great day, my friends!

VIGILANCE

So I was cleaning yesterday night, checking up on animals and just in general opening up tubs. I had moved a few males around, and had put the Pastel Lesser male in with a Pastel female that I didn't think was ready yet a few days ago.

OH BOY WAS I WRONG.

I opened up the tub yesterday to see the male, the female, and some eggs. The eggs were not coiled up on at all, they were actually on top of her, but I think she had laid them recently (within the last few hours), as there were veins and albeit they were colder than I like, they were safe.

So here we have clutch #1 of the 2011 season here at Heather's Herps.

And damnit all if it could have been a bad bad thing had I not checked up on this tub. I am expecting them to be fine, so lets cross all crossables.

Pastel Lesser male to Pastel female, five good eggs!

And thru it all, the female was a good sport. No biting, no nothing really.. She seemed just confused. I failed her. And of course, it made me feel that much worse when I pull everything out and she looks like this.

Post egg laying females are the sorriest sight in the world..

But the tub was cleaned up, she was washed off, the incubator was turned on (I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE It ON YET!), and things are rolling right along.

I deserve a face palm for the way this season has started out, people.

Really.

Oh well. I am glad it has begun, however it did.


Anyway, I also wanted to take a bit of time and help out a friend that has requested it.

My friend Brandi is helping run a fundraiser for MNSNAP, the Minnesota Spay and Neuter Assistance Program, which is a 501c3 that "fixes" strays, rescues, as well as low income family pets.

The fundraiser is called "Pins for Pets"..  (called so because at the end there is a big Bowling grand finale)

www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/brandihockaday/pinsforpets


If you are in the area of Minnesota, if you just want to help those less fortunate animals that need it, or if you just feel the need to give for tax purposes, this is a good place to do it.

Give freely, my friends, if you can.

And have a fantastic day!