Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My baby mandarins are finally here. There heads always remind me of the masked "bad guys" in old cartoons. An interesting note---all their little heads faced the same direction---East. All ten hatched in 48 days, incubated at 82 degrees. First pic. are the parents.
I'll post baby pics. soon.
Jeff

>>My baby mandarins are finally here. There heads always remind me of the masked "bad guys" in old cartoons. An interesting note---all their little heads faced the same direction---East. All ten hatched in 48 days, incubated at 82 degrees. First pic. are the parents.
>>I'll post baby pics. soon.
>>Jeff
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wow
congratulations!!!!
Beautiful little hatchlings
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Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"resistance is futile"
Jimmy (draybar)

Draybars Snakes

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You must have great chi in your herp room--congratulations! The photos just blow me away--especially the second one where all of the little heads are pointed East--wow! Actually looks like a small army of bandits. Looking forward to the baby pics.

rgds,
Carol

Thanks Carol & Jim. I've been very lucky over the years breeding snakes. I live in the highest city in PA.---maybe it's the altitude, and I take very good care of my animals. When the mandarins, coxi and albino thayeri hatch---words can't describe the pleasure; especially the thayeri---variable kings---you have no idea what you'll get. When those little masked mandarin heads start popping out---WOW!!
Isn't it such a shame the majority of people hate these animals? They don't know what they're missing.

Jeff

There is just something about a snake that is naturally so bright and beautiful that gives a person reason to pause and reflect upon why we need to breed morphs in this hobby? Nature creates what is beautiful.
Thanks for sharing!

rgds,
althea

Man, those are great looking Sichuan Mandarins you have there! From whose lineage are your adults: Bushmaster's, Pro Exotics', Karl Krumke's or Robert Seib's? We could sure use some of your stock (the offspring) here in Holland!

Good work!

Regards,

Bert Grit
Holland

Unfortunately Bert, I'll never know. The guy I got them from a few years ago, bought them at the Daytona show and didn't remember from whom. I've never sent animals overseas and don't know the procedure. I'd love to get the cherry-red Vietnamese phase, but have never seen them available. If anyone out there has any, please contact me.

Thanks, Jeff

Jeff, I know a German breeder who is breeding outstanding Vietnamese Mandarins (check out his website at the link I posted below; mind you it's entirely in German) and has shipped some of his Sichuan offspring (he also breeds Sichuan Mandarins) to the United States. Forummember John Firneno ( "jfirneno" ) has recieved some of these. However, there is a waitinglist for Vietnamese Mandarins already in Europe. Early 2005 I got a CB 2004 male from the mentioned breeder and I am still on the list for a female! In general Vietnamese Mandarins seem to be slightly more difficult than Sichuan or "Eastern China" Mandarins. The hatchlings are frequently problematic feeders (my male for example didn't feed voluntarily during the entire first year; now he's feeding on live prey items, but still not very consistent) and the adults are more difficult to breed. It's not standard that they will breed annualy once they have reached adulthood.

Fortunately, you've got amazing Sichuan stock in the U.S.A.; I haven't seen them as stunning here in Europe. I think that the European stock tends to darken considerably with age.

Regards,

Bert
Elaphe.info - Euprepiophis mandarinus

Bert, as far as darkening with age, I've found that my mandarins change color quite a bit throughout the year. Has anyone else out there noticed this? These pics. are of my best male breeder, both post-shed. He's very bright in the Spring and darkens thru the year, kept under the same conditions. The female yearling in my previous post often has a light silver ground color but at times these silver scales turn slightly reddish. I don't know why they change.
John, I hope you start producing soon. You have some of the finest animals out there.

Jeff

Jeff,

By looking at the pictures you've provided I can see what you mean. I haven't noticed this phenomenon in my male, however he's still small in size (he's close to 2 years old, but not a great feeder), so after each shed he's very bright and then slowly becomes a little bit darker and paler until the next shedding cycle follows; basically the typical scheme for every young snake.

Jeff, I would like to thank you for posting all these pictures of your fine specimens of E. mandarinus on this forum. I love seeing pictures of top notch Mandarins; they're my favorite colubrid by far in the looks department!

Regards,

Bert

Please make sure you keep that line going. It's a very beautiful line and seems to produce large numbers of healthy offspring. Keep up the good work!!!