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!

Taking a minute

I have a test today, so I need to remove myself for a few hours of blogging time to focus.

I will be done with all of this by June, so bear with me!

Plus, next test I will have it pre-written earlier than right now, where I am trying to cram the last bits of human skeletal system anatomy and physiology into my brain, which is housed by the cranium, which consists of 8 bones, two pairs and four individual bones.

Wanna learn what I'm learning? Here is an image...

Yeah, and that is just the head.

I get the rest of the bones too... all 206 of them.

Wish me luck!

I'll be back to snake-ing in a few hours, I promise.

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.

Wild Caught and Captive Hatched

So Rex asked me a good question about Wild Caught animals.

Do I have any?


Yes.

I have not, however, bought gravid females from Africa or the like. I have gotten established WC females from people, animals that have been in the US for a few years. This is what we call Long Term Captive (or LTC).

And here is what I learned from them.

Sometimes, they do not adjust well to captivity. They do not eat well, they do not breed well, they just don't adapt. Some flourish! I know several people who love their LTC females. I personally have a female that I LOVE, and I have had for over six years.

But in general, I have had bad experiences with the WC animals that come in.

Ticks, emaciated, and sick come to mind, in animals that I have seen. 

Now, let us touch on the Captive Hatched baby animals that come in every year in mystery bags.

Have I bought them?

Yes!

But I got to go thru several thousand before I bought any. How? Well, I had friends that were importing animals for pet stores, and I got to go thru the babies for several years. But here is what I want to share with you all.

Africa is not stupid.

Africa knows what a morph looks like.

Maybe back 10-15 years ago, when people didn't know what to look for, did some Fires, Vanillas, Sables, etc fall thru the cracks and get sent in the boxes of thousands of baby ball pythons over here to the United States.

Now, however, with the internet and the ability to learn about morphs just as quickly as you and I do, the importers and breeders in Africa know what to look for, and charge a premium for new blood lines of morphs that they send out.

So now? I don't bother with the mystery bags, or even going thru the thousands of baby ball pythons anymore. I have found great normal animals that are just a smidge different, but nothing to really dink around with seriously.

Now, let me say that it is still worth it to dink around should you feel the compelling need to do so. There are new things out there! There will always be something new out there. And you should take advantage of the time you have to dink if you want to. The sooner you do, the sooner you prove things out!

But, to depend on finding a new thing in your mystery bag of hatchlings in Africa? I wouldn't bet on it.

So with that, I leave you to ponder what you will do with your dinkers and your money for hatchlings.

And good luck, my friends.

Have a fantastic day!

My Game Plan

So some of you out there are wondering what is going on in my head in terms of what I want to get, and what I plan to do over the next few years for my collection.

Well... Me too.

I am not 100% convinced that I know what I am doing some days, but I try.

And trying is half the battle, yes?

Anyway, I had to stop and think about what my intentions are for this year in terms of acquisitions.

And you may be thinking, "Heather, damn, you have a ton already! What is it that you need?"

Well, as my friend Colin Weaver has mentioned before, in lamens terms, you must spend money to make money in this industry. (I am not quoting him directly, this is my own interpretation)

I agree! You cannot, as a breeder, stay stuck with what you have if you intend to branch out and be competitive with other breeders out there.

Case in point. Yes, I hatched out a goal snake last year. My Super Pewter, which apparently I am stuck on talking about all week, is with me, and forever will be until the day she dies. BUT!!!!!!! Do I intend to never do that pairing again, or not to attempt to make more Super Pewters because I have the one? Absolutely not!

I don't intend on using her parents to make more this year (as they are separated and already involved with other people right now), but I have other ways of doing it in the next few, and yes, I will be attempting for Super Pewters and more over the next few years. I want to make more than Super Pewters, and this is why I full invision owning a Sterling Bee or Sterling Pied to put back with that Momma Pewter I used.

And thus, I need to spend that money or trade for that animal to get there, so that I can have what I want and MORE.

Because, granted you can work your projects into oblivion with just a few co-doms and a crap ton of time, the time is part of the problem. To stay competitive, time is not on your side unless you have a BRAND NEW MORPH THAT NO ONE ELSE HAS!


So, after all that, what, pray tell, is your game plan, Heather???

Well, in the situation I am in, I intend to hold back and acquire double and triple co-dom females. As many as I feel fit, which tends to be more than I should, but never less than I want.

With that, invest in a quad or quint male, or a  visual recessive double co-dom male... (HAH! In my dreams.. well, yes!)

THIS is my intention over this year, although I have several other pressing matters financially to attend to this year... (Cough, cough, wedding...)

So that is my plan as of right now, March 2011.

And yes, it may change in May 2011, but it is now etched in stone here on the blog for me to revisit later and reminisce.

So what is it that you, my friendly hobbiest/breeder, should take from all of this?

Plan accordingly. Work your animal plans in a way that fits your budget, your space, and your time.

I could have a bunch more animals if I so choose, and breed more animals in the process. But I don't. I do not want to take away from the quality of life that each animal deserves.

Remember this, my friends... You are only one person. Do not over-reach. Dream big, make it happen, but do not do so in a way that will harm or otherwise hurt your animals/yourself.

Dream big, but breathe.

I do, every day.

It's fantastic.

Have a fantastic, dream big, breathing day, my friends!

I love your questions!

Alrighty!

This makes my life easier by answering comment questions, especially since I am in the midst of doing a few other things online, like always.

Let's begin with Rob:

"what do you use for hatch racks??"

Well, I have three different racks I use for hatchling racks.

The first and my favorite is the Boaphile Hatchling Racks, which apparently are not being manufactured much anymore. I have a few of these, and I use them for the newly hatched babies. They do very well in there, and the humidity and temps hold very well in these guys. Thumbs up!

The second and also very nice is the Jason's Jungle Hatchling Racks, which are a bit more basic in structure, but I really love them. 6 qt tubs, and good solid construction. Apparently, however, he is getting out of building racks, so the comparable rack I would suggest would be Animal Plastics, which makes excellent products. Thumbs up!

The third and albeit very nice, not my favorite, is the Vision Hatchling Racks. I have a hell of a time getting the humidity correct with these tubs, especially for the smaller animals. But, they look and work well for what they offer. And with 72 slots, I am happy in terms of the space it offers. Thumb up! (Yes, one... Not both)

So there is one question answered.


And on to the next one.

Chris R. is asking about breeding plans and what one should have:

"how about a blog regarding owning males vs females of certain morphs, hets, etc. Which morphs do you specifically want females for or males and so on."

Well, let's touch on this briefly, and I will go into it in a bit more detail another day.

In the perfect world, with lots of money to spend on snakes, what do I suggest you do?

Get whatever you want and breed it.

If that is not the case, which I know isn't the case for me, and for most of you all out there, what should you do if you have a limited amount of cash and a limited amount of space?

Well, let's do it two ways.

Recessives? Get Recessive females if you can, or 100% hets if you can't. Get a co-dom visual recessive, i.e. Pastel Genetic Stripe or Spider Pied. If you can't do that, get a visual male. Breed what you can when you can, and trade or sell up for what you want to achieve in the end.

You want to make Super Pastel Genetic Stripe Ghosts?

Well, if you can get visuals of everything, that would be awesome. That way you are cutting down on the time that it would require to breed your animals to get to the top of that mountain of your goals. If you can't? Get some Visuals and Pastels. Breed in, get out your gals, and look for your power male while you have your females growing up.

For this project, in the perfect world, other than just buying the animal outright, I would start with a Pastel Genetic Stripe female het for Ghost, a Pastel Orange Ghost het for Genetic Stripe male. Or vice versa, which ever you can find it. 

If not, get a male POG, breed it to some Visual or Het Genetic Stripes, and hold the females back. Or get a male Pastel Genetic Stripe and breed it to some Ghost or Het Ghost females.

The project will take a while, but hey, it'll be worth it!


Co-doms. Get them! Get many females of base morphs if you want, but if you can, get some double or triple females to grow up. While growing them up, wait for a power male. A power male depends on what you can afford, be it double co-dom or quintuple co-dom, make it happen.

You want to make a Super Pewter?

In the perfect world, Sterling to Silver Bullet. Or Super Pewter to Super Pewter... Duh.
If you can't do that? Pewter to Pewter. Or, get a Sterling male or something else powerful (Silver Bullet) and breed it to a Pastel or Cinnamon female. Take those females that you hatch out and grow them up too. That way you can get your Super Pewters in a few years.

Now I will touch on what I do specifically another day, with examples of my own holdbacks.

I hope that has gotten you a bit interested and in anticipation.

MWAHAHAHAHAH!

It will be awesome, I promise.


Alright, off to do some homework. Have a fantastic day, my friends.