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Just wanted to share a few pics....ENJOY !

Home Grown Herps

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Thanks
Jim
Home Grown Herps

one more

Home Grown Herps

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Thanks
Jim
Home Grown Herps

Wow, what a nice sight!!!!!! Those look awesome! Congrats!

Billy
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Genesis 1:1

so awesome! they look like they're ready for everything. congrats!

Wow!
congratulations! That's a sight that we all love to see as breeders! I don't even know if I'll have Northern Pine babies this year! Thus I'm jealous! Guess there is always next year! Thanks for posting pics! I'm looking forward to seeing your other baby pines and especially the Stillwater Hypo Bulls! I keep coming close to buying a pair every year. Maybe this will be the year?
Russell

Wow- BEAUTIFUL!!!

//Todd

Congrats..........How do you get your pits to cycle so early in the season? My northern female is just now undergoing her pre-laying shed.

I started their Burmation in mid October. (is that early) ?
She also appeared gravid before her first shed, so I am thinking sperm retention.

I also have had 2 of my bulls (only 2 years old & never been with a male) drop eggs, 1 female 9 eggs - all infertile the other female 7 eggs, and 2 of them appear to be good !
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Jim
Home Grown Herps

Every time I have bred northerns they did not shed immediately out of brumation, they in fact mated, then went right into her pre egg laying shed, they seem to be different from other colubrids in this respect, the shedding cycle is not a reliable source of ovulation, I noticed my rat snakes come out, eat /shed etc... mate shed lay eggs. My Pines come out eat/no shed mate shed lay eggs, so I don't think it's sperm retention, they simple don't conform to the usual cookbook approach to captive propagation which is why some people have trouble breeding northerns, they wait for the shedding cycle to tell them when to introduce, that is where most make their mistake with this particular type of Pine snake. The same amount of time passes with the rats and pines, in other words they start breeding around the same time, just my pines skip that initial pre ovulatory shed I see in my other colubrids

Hope this helps

Also you can breed colubrids year round if you hibernate them in a refrig (open daily, I have used small fridge they sell at Costco and on lowest setting exactly 50 degrees, if properly conditioned you can make your snakes breed whenever your competition isn't getting babies, it can be done, I have achieved this in the past, you have to reset their reproductive circadian rhythm.

Frank Roberts
R&R Herpetologcal
Roberts' Realm of Reptile Research

But this female was not put with a male this season, so wouldnt that be sperm retetion? If not what would it be?
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Jim
Home Grown Herps

sperm retention in my opinion, only parthenogenesis (reproduction without use of a male)I have seen documented scientifically is the Typhlops Bramina Blind snake

So now I have heard of sperm retention in Northern Pines, mentally noted, Thanks I learn something new everyday, and think we don't even have degrees in Herpetology, NJ has realized this and actually recognizes amateur herpetologist, we have learned more than Professional Herpetologist in the area of captive propagation at a quicker rate of speed as well

Frank

is what I meant, when she ovulated she fertilized ovum with stored sperm (in my opinion)

Frank

Do you have a picture of yourself holding that northern pine?

Looks like a giant but I can't tell from the picture.

I would love to see it with some scale.

Thanks in advance.

No pics w/ me, but she is about 5-6 ft.
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Jim
Home Grown Herps

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Thanks
Jim
Home Grown Herps