Coachwhips. Not for the timid. Or the brave. Or pretty much anyone who believes in keeping their blood inside their body or their sanity (what's that?)

So--not enough coachwhips in my life--no-o-o-o-o-o I needed more, more! Cujo, my biggest male Texas pink bred with a lovely brick-red female with cute black neck bars (coachwhip beauty marks). She played hard to get but he's over five feet long and built like a water snake so she had little choice. Five of seven eggs hatched although one baby died after a few days--that one will be thawed one day for Regal ringneck snake food--waste not. The Cujo hatchlings are lightly patterned, dull green on duller green and I'm interested to see how they turn out--pink coachwhips don't show their full color for several years.

Glades Herp owner Robroy Macinnes has a few pairs of Texas pink coachwhips that he breeds every year. Usually they sell out before they hit the pricelist but this year I was able to get two pair. Robroy's baby coachwhips are classic Texas pink hatchlings, light tan with faint markings.

After a few weeks here, one of the Glades babies has taken a live unscented pink mouse. Another has fed voluntarily on brown anoles a few times, the rest are still figuring out what their mouths are for, other than biting me. Two of my home-grown hatchlings are eating anoles, the other two are holding out for some delicious snake keeper blood.

I haven't acclimated baby western coachwhips since I got my two big males years ago. Deja vu all over again. Times eight. It's going to be a long autumn.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Hide Replies ]