Reptile & Amphibian Forums

All 11 eggs hatched, so I'm very happy! Attached are some group photos. I was going to try to take some better group pictures today, but a number of them are in the blue.

What I was hoping to get from the parents were a few intermediate phase offspring, so I am just delighted. Three are high band count MSP with head caps, and the rest are either wide-band/intermediate leonis or regular leonis. I was also pleasantly surprised that a handful of them are pale yellow, considering both parents are grey.

For all you guys who have done this many times before, do you see a big color change with the first couple sheds? Many of the hatchlings that are yellow or tan look greyish in the area of their body that is swollen with yolk.

Thanks to everybody from the previous post for your congratulatory comments!

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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

very nice clutch....I especially love the leonis ones. Great diversity. Good job.
Russ

Russ, you may be right!! I'm not sure that I'll be able to part with any of them. Every one of them has something a little different and unique :^) What can I say? It being my first time with thayeri, I'm just a proud Mommy.

Thanks, Russ.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Hi Maria

They look great! I would say at least half are definite keepers. They generally change their coloration over a peiod of time and they really do not show their true colors before 1-1.5 years of age. Most get darker and some gets lighter. Mey it be getting speckling or a change in the shade of their background coloration. If I were you, I would keep the ones I like and see how they would turn out after a year(esp. the yellow ones). Another way to somewhat predict their adult coloration is to start out with some good clean parental stock. That way you can somehow "guestimate" what they will eventually look like. Hope this helps.
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Jonel @ Selective Propagations
www.spsnakes.com

Salamat, Jonel! You saying that half of them look like keepers means alot coming from you. I appreciate that. I wish the photos showed their colors better; the yellows look all washed out. I'm sure I will end up keeping most of them. I'm looking forward to observing how their colors develop with age.

By the way, that beautiful adult female Knoblochi I got from you last fall laid 11 eggs and 9 of them look good. I'm expecting them to hatch any day now!

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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Hi Maria

Walang anuman (You're welcome). Looks like your having a nice breeding season this year. I don't think people here would mind if you post a couple pics too. I just got a clutch from one of mine and I'm waiting for another to drop(on her pre-lay now). I'm sure you'll have the same problem(although a nice one to have) with your knoblochi clutch as you did with the thayeri once they're out. Glad to see that your having great success for being a first timer. Keep in touch.
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Jonel @ Selective Propagations
www.spsnakes.com

Outstanding, Jonel! I can't wait to see what your Knoblocki breeders produce this year. You have some of the most outstanding specimens I have seen, anywhere!

P.S. I sent you an e-mail
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Hi Maria,

Can you resend. I didn't get it. Thanks.
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Jonel @ Selective Propagations
www.spsnakes.com

....well, actually, I forwarded the message again. I attached six rather large photo files so maybe it's taking awhile. Let me know if/when you get it.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

very very nice.
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1.2 THAYERI
1.2 SPLENDIDA (1.0 ALBINO/ 0.2 HYPO)
1.3 ALTERNA
1.1 CORNS SNAKES (0.1 SNOW/ 1.0 STRIPEDSUNGLOW)
0.1 REDFOOT TORTOISE
1.0 LEOPARD TORTOISE
0.1 PYXIE FROG
0.0.1 TADPOLES

n/p
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

group photos, but I hate trying to take them. I know how it is when you have 10 or 12 squirmers each trying to do their own thing and all you can do is try to keep them together and take a quick photo. I must have tried to take 30 group pics last year and only got 1 or 2 not very good pics.

Great looking group too Maria. I like those intermediates also. You got some really nice keepers in that group.

Jonel is right about the color changes. They usually won't change alot in the 1st few sheds. After about a year or so their true colors will start to show.

Now comes the toughest part........, getting them to all feed regularly.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Yes, Chris, don't those little squirmers know that they're supposed to hold still when you take their picture?!?! I had to sneak up on them and take a quick couple of photos in order to get any that were at all in focus.

That being said, excellent group photo on your website. Was that a hatchling group? They all look really big!

Thanks,
Maria
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Thanks Maria,

That pic is a group pic of all of my adult breeders this spring. The adults are usually alot easier to photograph. Those were taken in my breeding tank and you don't have to get so close to get decent detail.

I tried to get some natural pics of my babies last year but they were going off in 10 different directions. Talk about frustration. I may try it with the babies in the breeding tank this year.

Again you have a great looking group.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Ahh, I see. It's so great to see such a lovely group of thayeri like yours all together in a group. They look like candy.

Thanks for the compliments on my hatchling group. I think I had a bit of an easier time taking a few photos because I had all the babies together in one tub with a few sheets of damp paper towels over them. They all tended to curl up together underneath the towel layers. I got my camera ready first, then slid out the tub and folded back the paper towels. That gave me at least 5 or 10 seconds before they all started to swirm.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

LOL...like candy huh.......That's really funny Maria.

A few years back Tim Gebhard @ Vivid Reptiles had a group photo of some thayeri on his website.

Does anyone remember what he called that pic? John Lassiter and Dan Vermilya are disqualified because I know that they know what it was called.

Anyone else want to post some group pics? Maria is kicking tail here. LOL
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

.....very sweet and highly addictive! LOL!
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

I forgot to guess at what the Vivid group photo was called. I wasn't around back then but I'll submit a wild guess....anything to do with candycanes?
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

or blissfulness.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Nirvana...........mike

Chris' Colubrids

I should have excluded you too.

I think you bought the whole Nirvana group up Mike. Man and talk about some eye candy. You need to do a group pic of your killer pack of thayeri. I'd luv to see that.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Thanks Chris.......I wish Tim at Vivid would post on this forum.......mike
Chris' Colubrids

Mike....
I am sure he lurks from time to time to check out other thayeri breeders.........HELL.....He's gotta see what you guys are up to with all his snakes......LOL!
John Lassiter

np
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Kinda coincidental that you can find Nirvana in Utopia, Texas.
Tim has done a great job producing line bred thayeri while throwing in some wild blood to boot. And don't you just love his descriptive words????
John Lassiter

Here are a few of my Clutch Pics....the first is my favorite from 2003 and then there is two of last years' clutch pics........BTW.....All Vivid bloodlines......
Earthtones and oranges......

are not bad especially knowing that you took those pics on your wifes black purse. Now talk about some female influence.......Maria,.....Aubrey. LOL

BTW John I've been trying to convince my wife to get a nice black velvet purse too LOL
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Good thing she doesn't read this forum unless I call her over here to look at something........LOL
Have you guys heard about the blender she gave me after finding out what I was using it for...........Now that was funny.......LOL!!!!!
I EVEN got mice hidden in the house freezer....but don't tell Deborah........haha
John Lassiter

It's not nice to blend up pinkies with your wife's appliances. Now talk about a dirty rat. You are worse than ME and that's saying something. Hahahah
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

....right next to the frozen chicken breasts.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

...those group photos are just awesome! Great looking thayeri.. If it were up to me they would all be keepers!

In regards to the snakes photo on your wife's black purse....if you had a zoomed out version of that photo it would make a great anti-snakeskin purse campaign poster!
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

The first clutch is always such a thrill! It is almost as exciting every year when they start hatching too. You are now hooked - lol. I counted about five that looked good enough to keep to me; I know it is hard to whittle down your choices, especially with your first clutch. I always start thinking I’m keeping most of them and then narrow it down to one or two. There always seems to be one or two that you remember and wish you would have kept – then it starts over every year.
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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

Hi Rick! You guys really must have specially-trained eyeballs to be able to pick out keepers from such a mixed-up ball of snakes. I am curious to know, though, which 5 would you keep?

The photo below has my top 3 current favorites. The one with the light orange head and the triangle-pattern has the nicest shade of yellow and the bands are nice and even. The one right next to it is a brighter shade of yellow...more fluorescent...so I'm hoping this one will develop some green tones. My third favorite is the one on the top just showing the first third of it's body. The yellow is more faded and it doesn't go all the way down its body, but it has a great intermediate band pattern and I just love it's head coloration.

I am just continually amazed at the incredible diversity and magnificent beauty that thayeri embody. There really are no two that are exactly alike; true snowflakes of the animal kingdom.

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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Remember, we all have different tastes; I am partial to Leonis phase

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Rick
Never Enough
Reptiles

Excellent use of editing tools, Rick. I'll have to try that myself!

After they all shed I'll post some individual pictures to see what you and the others think. I welcome the opportunity to see how they all look through different eyes. I too, am partial to leonis phase, by the way.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Now I REALLY can't wait to have my own pile of baby thayeri! LOL!!

Those hatchlings are looking fabulous!
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1.1.0 Leopard Geckos (Booger & Gimp)
1.0.0 Veiled Chameleon (Lucutis)
0.0.1 Quince Monitor (Pollux)
1.2.0 Thayeri Kingsnakes (Korben, Leeloo, Artax)
0.1.0 California Kingsnake (Maraca)

Maria,
Those are fantastic.....there are at least three i would hold back....That is if at least 2 of them were females.....I am definitely biased toward leonis and two of those yellow ones have some gorgeous split bands......The intermediates are killer as well.
Now I hope mine hurry the heck up so I can see thayeri hatching over here........I feel soooooo behind now.......HAHAHAHAHAHA
John Lassiter

Hi John, In the immortal word of Mike Myers...I'm not worthy!!!!

Seriously though...It being my first time with these guys...I was just hoping for some healthy babies. I really appreciate all the nice comments though. You guys (in this forum) will no doubt will be hatching some killer babies in the near future and I for one am extremly excited to see what they all look like. I sincerely hope that in a month or so, when I'm immersed in the majestic mountains of Alaska, you will not all write me off. I may be far away, but I will, in spirit, be closer than you can all imagine.
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."

Did you find a rodent breeding setup that fit your need for containing the smell? Hope all goes well with your move to AK.
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Vichris

Vichris Variables

Thanks for asking, Chris.

I've put my mouse breeding plans on hold for a bit to see how well I can do with frozens only. If I decide to breed them, I will probably have to build an exterior insulated shed as Rick suggested. However the extra time, cost and smell may not be worth it afterall. I'm also allergic to mice, which is why I would need to keep them isolated. My allergies have seemed to get progressively worse after being exposed to mice and rats in a research setting for nearly 15 years. I did find a few companies that sell frozen mice for pretty good prices, so I'm going to buy bulk and store them in a chest freezer. This will also prevent the problem of reaching into the freezer and grabbing what I thought were egg rolls :^)
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Maria
"Life is like a box of thayeri eggs..."