Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know there must be some others out there. I'm keeping an eye out for a future mate for my male, and all I see is hypos. While they're nice in their own regard, I just have never been attracted to them personally. Kind of bland and colorless. Does anyone breed high yellow "brooksi"s anymore. If so let me know, and I'd love to see some pics.

I'm looking for a match with this guy, or something close, I just haven't seen any with his yellow.

-----
Matt from Minnesota

Some of my het Hypos look very similar. Not easy to see which will become more yellow than others as babies though
Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

I spent 2 months in FL a few years back. I went into pet shops and told people I would pay top dollar for nice wild caught Floridana. They all looked at me like I was nuts, as if I was interested in the lousiest snakes money could buy. I told them I had cash and would especially be interested in high yellow normals and anything considered to be not typical. I did not score a single snake. If I had I just may have been the guy offering het for nothing babies by now. I will try again some other year, but it is true normals are about as rare as pure normal het for nothing Corns. Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

Florida kings, with the exception of a few populations, are a very rare find. Except on protected land, not very many true high yellow "Brooks kings" are found anymore. I've been looking around locally in areas where high yellow FL kings had previously been found, with no luck at all (as far as kings go, anyway). I'm going to step up the effort a little bit this coming season. Most, if not all commercially collected FL kings come from agricultural land around Lake Okeechobee. I've found 50-60+ in that region in the past few years. The best looking king (truly a classic brooksi looking king) I found out there was found shot dead in the grass. Most are brown with faint lighter brown to dirty gold speckling. Pictured is one of the better looking kings I've found out there, in an area known for having brighter and cleaner looking kings than other areas. Still not quite what I would call a "high yellow".

Do you think that linebreeding a snake like that may lead to a brighter yellow King? Tom Stevens
-----
TomsSnakes.com

That was my original intention with that snake. I had a very nice looking female I had found several miles away in the same county. Had clean yellow coloration, and a super high band count. The speckling didn't take up as much of the scales as I would have liked it to (I'm including a poor picture of her below), but I think those two snakes would have been the right material for selective breeding. The female died along with a couple other kings I had at the time, for no apparent reason, and I haven't found a female quite as good (or even close) since, but I haven't really been hunting the best areas to find kings like that, anyway. I just gave away that male, too.

I'm sure selective breeding could create some much nicer/yellower snakes from kings like that. Just look what it has done for Will Still's S.GA eastern king line. That said, I think it would be easier to selective breed existing captive lines of brooksi, though probably not as much fun.

Kudos on the effort foxturtle and step it up!!! I would like to come down there and poke around and may not be as picky, lol! I like the wild phenotypes the best but those high yellers are awesome to see! Hope I can get down that way next year.
Todd Hughes

If you want to find kings in FL, let me know. I know some pretty good areas near the big lake (about 3 hours from here). The cooler part of the year is the most productive, and the warmest months can be 100% unproductive.

Good luck with that search too!
-----
Matt from Minnesota

I agree on your bland/colorless thoughts on the hypos. I think a lot of people, not just yourself, would like to see some nice, high yellow normal brooks back on the market. I see some at reptile shows every now and then. I remember Keith Hillson and Jeff Lecompte (jjl) had some project where they put together their best normal brooks, and the babies came out looking pretty good. My buddy Lindsay Pike had some pretty killer looking normal (het for hypo) brooks this year.

I want them back on them market!
I haven't found anyone selling normal Brooksi that are not het for something or other. I'm begining to wonder if nature is the only breeder left.
-----
3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

I get plenty of very nice yellow babies that are hets evrry year. I sed to pick out the neonates before the hypos made the scene and when normal high yellows were all the rage. It takes a good eye and experience. I have that eye and I can tell you they are still out there . I don't know why someone would care if a normal is a het or not as long as they turn out to be high yellow adults. I have nenate brooksi with undisclosed genetics for sale right now. I say undisclosed because I am selling them for $20 each and I will not tell what type of reccessive genes are floating around in there. I do this every year and some are going to be the top notch yellow brooksi that people want. The first problem is there is no market for them anymore. Not since the hypo brooksi came on the scene (it is the ultimate yellow brooksi). The other problem is buyers that are not savy with what make a good high yellow normal are hesitant in buying good normals because they "think" they don't look like high yellows when they are born. Third problem witn avaliablity,.. you need patience to grow them up until they turn high yellow. In todays world people want instant everything. Back in the day (pre morphs)it was a joy to watch them grow and get lighter with each shed. We did not know about the hypos because they did not exist yet.

an example:

This is not a high yellow neonate . But it was unusually silvery and white. I sold it when it was a yearling for $30. at a show in 2005. I wish I new what happened to this snake because it was smoking as a yearling. Would like to see how it turned out.

My Point is normals just don't interest people that much. I had hypos sitting next to this yearling that just hatched and people were buying them for $60. way before I sold this snake. People just want to see the end result and not wait for an animals to grow. Thats why the morphs are more popular.

That sure was a nice looking animal, haven't seen one quite like that.
-----
Matt from Minnesota

Peter Jolles of ECC breeds them. Here is his web page with the High yellow Brooksi female breeder at the bottom. Here is one I got from him. Derek

http://www.eastcoastcolubrids.com/Main/LG/LGF/Brooks/brooks_King_Snakes_Index.htm

Thank you!
-----
Matt from Minnesota

Hey Keith post a pic of the male I took off of your hands. He is one of the best I have ever seen. I have plugged him into a few nice females, and produced some awesome offspring. I will try to get some pics of the babies. I think a nice normal blows away any morph. And I love the morphs!!!

Here he is Jeff. How is the yella boy doing ?

-----

STUNNING!

Keith. He's nice for sure. I have a hard time believing he is from wc animals???
Shoulda put him with a female I have...
:Mark
-----
Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

HA Arent they all from WC animals ? lol Im kidding he isnt traceable or anything in fact I found out he was het for Hypo as was his sister (parents were normal from what I understand) when bred together. He is a 1998 hatch.

Keith
-----

Yeah I think I remember now that you had mentioned that before...
A beauty.
I would like to see a more "creamy" (as opposed to crayon yellow) looking and faintly patterned "brooksi" but I haven't seen one posted.
:Mark
-----
Surrender Dorothy!

www.crimsonking.funtigo.com

Yea that's what I'm talking about. I guess it's true that people just don't want to wait for a snake to develop into that color. Happen to have any pics of that snake as a youngster??

Pic of my king a couple years ago...

-----
Matt from Minnesota

He is doing great. Just a big old stud. I will call you soon.
Jeff