Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Lets start with a nice import to have a reference point for how yellow one should be.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Next let us see if caroteen works? This animal was fed lab mice plus a few bonus rats and chicks.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

This animal is the sibling to the one above and was given caroteen for 6 months. Looks alot like a wild coloration? Think caroteen works?

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

As far as I know all yellowtails have the ability to get vibrent yellow. My controle study has been small but I have changed color on nine species of snake so far. I have also changed color on wild light colored yellowtails. My theory is that the wild lighter colored animals were primarily rodent eaters if they were light in color and bird eaters if they were vibrent. My bright wild animals do go for chicken chicks right off the bat. Just theorizing trying to get imput and having some fun sharing secrets.............Enjoy
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

I'll let you know in a few months how my YTs turn out. I recently started adding chicks to Sunshine and Satans diet. Sunshine was an incredibly ultra bright yellow from head to tail when I first got her, but her color has changed and her body is now an olive green/yellow. Satan however was always a light lemon yellow. I have a recent import that is a dark yellow from head to tail after a recent shed so I will try feeding him chicks also to see what happens to the coloration.
I wonder if exposure to natural sunlight contributes to the brighter coloration???

Chicken chicks by themselves will help some. I gut load my chicks with caroteen. I also inject my rats and mice with a mixture of egg yoke from range chickens and fresh squeezed carrot juice cut 50% with water. There is another factor. There is the sunlight factor. My NOCTURNAL case studys will turn yellow or orange after about two shed cycles with no sunlight. Sunlight will hasten the color change in diurnal snakes and the color change is more immediate.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Pink coachwhips will also loose color in captivity as will quite a few other snakes I can think of. Working with nocturnal snake sheds more light on the subject of caroteen. I am working with Trans Pecos Ratsnakes that are orange in the wild. It is interesting to note these orange animals will loose their coloration in captivity. They also seem to prefer a lizard only diet and refuse mice. They do however accept day old quail chicks. Carotene will turn them back to orange and intensify the orange. So my question would be what is their source of carotene in the wild? Lizards or chicks?
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

as they would be ingesting the gut content of both prey items, which is where the real nutrition within most insects can be found.
Lizards are generally insectivorous, while plant material tends to make up the diet of most insects and quail are herbivorous. However, I believe the greater amount would originate from quail…

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I would agree. In yellowtail Cribo it would have to be birds and bird eggs don't you think?
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Hey, Bill,

I believe much would have to depend upon the time of year and availability of prey within the animals given locale, which could help explain the wide variety of color variations we see among WC D. corais.
While most of my Indigos readily accept eggs, most of my Cribos act rather unimpressed when offered such. However, all of my Drymarchon readily accept chicken parts, chicks and quail.

Best regards,

Jeff

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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

That one is a good looker!
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

That is one from Don's '03 clutch. She is now just over 8' and looking even better, should be 9' by the end of summer. The male I received from Don is now over 9' and I am certain he will have no problem reaching 10' by the end of Summer.
I am currently looking for a suitable male to pair the female up with this year and I will be pairing the male up with an 8' female from Germany and perhaps a 7' female I acquired from Dr. G. last year...

Best regards,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

i got 3 leucistic snappers. i'm wondering what sunlight will do to them. make them brighter or darker?

I had a Licistic Texas Ratsnake I put outside in natural sunlight. It fried the snakes retena and the snake went blind. It also turned pink "sunburn" sun lucistic= one unhappy critter. I would go vitamins only!
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

thanks for the advice bill. i dont want to take a chance with these.

Cool
What color are their eyes?
Looks like you've got a protective coating of algae growing on them.
Are there more available?
Thanks,
Max
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"I got out of the business because it's almost impossible to do business without breaking a law some place, whether you knowingly do it or not."
Tom Crutchfield

yes they're allys. i got them from turtleman.com for $325. he has alot more for sale. i believe they turn white as they mature. the eyes are yellowish with a black pupil.

Thanks.
I appreciate the info.

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"I got out of the business because it's almost impossible to do business without breaking a law some place, whether you knowingly do it or not."
Tom Crutchfield

How about some pics of two animals side by side, in the same location?
Seperate pics in different locations don't really cut it.
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"I got out of the business because it's almost impossible to do business without breaking a law some place, whether you knowingly do it or not."
Tom Crutchfield

You will need to come out and help me wrangele them. You try to keep two yellowtail in the frame! Bring gloves. One of the females is in Canada now. Come out anyway I am sure I have more compairisons we can do. I will see you on Sunday.......Bill
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

You can wrangle them yourself; you just need to be creative...
Don't feed them for a few days, get them excited with a chick, or rat, or whatever...
& then put them together - One will grab the other & they will be ready for your pic!
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"I got out of the business because it's almost impossible to do business without breaking a law some place, whether you knowingly do it or not."
Tom Crutchfield

Maby I can scent my hand. See if they can both grab onto one hand. I will still have one hand free to take a picture. I need time to find the right color of spraypaint before I do this. I might go for something real bold for impact.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

I tried it your way Max but could not get the second one to commit. I do however of a Cribo bite!

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Where's the comparison of the tails?
I honestly do appreciate the fact that you take my suggestions seriously
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"I got out of the business because it's almost impossible to do business without breaking a law some place, whether you knowingly do it or not."
Tom Crutchfield

I do have a before and after of my hand! Notice that when they really bite down that the internal row of teeth in their upper jaw kick in and help to hold onto prey or what they think is prey.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

NICE!!!

DOUBLE NICE !!!!!!!!

Rob Charmichael usualy has something to say to discredit my findings as do a few others. So in an effort to save space for others to post I will concede and admit whatever anyone posts to discredit me is correct.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

LOL!!! :0)

Hi Bill!
if you need fresh pics of her, or the male, i'll be happy to send you some if it can help your study...I feed them only rats and fish

I have her twin sister and brother now. I will be doing a before and after session with one of them if I have time. Did you get eggs or did she re-absorb? She was young so an extra year will do her good...........Bill
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Maby she she re-absorb, or she ovulated later... so think i'll hope for next year.

What type of fish do you feed you snakes and how do you present it to them?

Thanks

I feed them entire tawed sardines and eperlans. It change bad the smell into horrific. Hahahaha!

LOL!!!!!

I think you are correct on this. From my days as a vitamin salesamn,I used to sell a cartonenoid called Astaxanthin. Most crusteceans are tinited red from Astaxanthin,which usally comes from marine algae like Antartic Krill,which of course they consume.

I know at zoos,they give Red Krill to Flamingos to make their plummage "pinkish" and s
Salmon farms routinely feed it to their Salmon that pink coloration to give it that wild caught look.

So why not for your Yellowtails,which are beatuiful by the way..

Let's not forget canthaxanthin which gives us human that great orange,fake, no sun needed tan..

See alot of that here in Scottsdale lol

I actualy have some canthaxithin and have tried it in a very limited capacity. No hard data as of yet. Thank you for the compliment.

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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

Hi Bill!
I would be very interested to experience some vitamine for my herp coloration. There is only 1 problem :canthaxanthin, carotenoids, carotene...I don't even know how to write those word so you can imagine i don't know anything about those products and where or in witch food to find them. If you could send me simple words about what to feed them i would be really happy to experiment it.
Do you have success with the tiger rat?
Thank's
Justin

I should get 3 clutches of eggs from my Tiger Rats including Mexicanus. The safest way to introduce increased carotene into their diet is to find someone who selld range chickens that have very orange yokes. Mix egg yoke only 50/50 with water and inject into dead rats or mice. I add carrot juice but I do not know if it might have any adverse effects on them. I have been using that mix for seven years so my hunch is that it is safe.
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"Life without risk is to merely exist."

N/P