Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In the mid. 90's, I searched ALL AFTERNOON at the International Reptile Expo in Orlando to come up with this female 50/50 Cal. King!.....although there were a good number of them for sale, many just didn't quite meet the criteria I was looking for. They were either aberrant, yellowish,cream colored,dark brown(not black),or had VERY dark skin underneath!!.......What I was looking for, was a female that had nice symetrical 50/50 bands that were "snow white",and had "jet-black" bands,and wasn't aberrant, as well as a lighter skin underneath the scales.....many hours later, I chose this little girl, which in my opinion, was one of the nicest in the entire expo!!........when she became of age to breed, I paired her up with an exceptional looking male that was similar looking to her......well, the babies they produced were some real "screamers"!!. Some of the people that bought them said they were the nicest they had ever seen!!!................Doug

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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

Wow! She is beautiful! Are you still breeding her?
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I wish I did still have her, but I was pretty much "forced" to sell her by necessity a few years ago,...thanks for the post.................................................Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!

That is super nice, and you know I have done the same thing at reptile shows. I walk around for hours before I buy anything. For something somewhat common that is on every other table it pays to take your time and pick the best of the best. I also agree that on some vividly colored Cal Kings the color in between the scales can diminish the appearance as it ages. I have seen some knockout Bananas and High Whites that as adults had so much dark coloration in between the scales it pretty much ruined the snakes appearance. I know plenty of people who do not think like that, but for me the ones that have the least color showing in between scales are the nicest. Great score you have there. Tom Stevens
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TomsSnakes.com

Tom,......thanks so much for the kind words, It seems we think very much alike when it comes to searching for a real beauty for a breeder collection!!. Also, I'm sure you have also noticed the many individuals that were very white on top, but also had a very "yellowish" venter, which was another thing I wanted to avoid when getting her!!. She was pure "snow-white" on the belly as well!.......best regards,............................Doug
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Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!