Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since I'm starting to get some more boas, I was wondering how detailed should the records I keep be? How much information to you guys keep track of? Do you record every meal? Every shed?

I'm hoping I have a gravid female due in May. What kinds of records do you keep for them?

Thanks!
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Rachel Squier

1.1 '03? BRBs (Blaze and Shimmer)
1.0 '07 Albino BCI (Cupid)
0.2 '07 100% Het Albino BCIs (Lia and Suzie)
0.1 '07 DH Sunglow BCI (Daisy)

Date of Birth
date of meals and size of rodent- LH (live hopper) F/T H (frozen thawed hopper) PK (pinky rat) RP (rat pup) etc.....
sheds
poops

and that would work for me but on top of the card, list which parents they came from as well

hope it helps
Bob

I agree with all that except I don't record poops, bad enough I have to clean them!!!

Also, I record breeding activity and periodic weights.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Well when they are constipated you let me know Davelol
Mike did this on his cards as you prolly know and I liked that. Also the weights which I forgot but I knew you were gonna catch me on something
Bob

So far I've not had any identifiable problems with constipation in my animals, on the contraty, that crap seems to come out pretty regularly!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

you know I was joking, now don't let me tell PETA on you

And you record all of those details their whole life? Or just up until a certain age?
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Rachel Squier

1.1 '03? BRBs (Blaze and Shimmer)
1.0 '07 Albino BCI (Cupid)
0.2 '07 100% Het Albino BCIs (Lia and Suzie)
0.1 '07 DH Sunglow BCI (Daisy)

I record every meal and refused meal, sheds, and age, i use index cards and will keep for about three years then toss, the most recent is only needed or if there is problems then i will keep all to see a pattern, i could care less if it's hopper, pinkie etc.
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1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi,confessa,custody,Ms.Demeanor)
0.1 BRB Abalone; ABBI
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
2.0 cats (Simba, Morris)
fish & feeders

My cards will hold 8 - 10 years of history. Each is a half sheet printed on card stock with 8 columns, 22 rows on each side. total of 352 record spots. I plan on filing them away once full.

I do have a seperate card for recording breeding details. ALL to be KEPT for statistical analysis. The breeding cards are the same 1/2 sheet on card stock but are only two sections wide so much more room for narrative.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Since I have several species of reptiles, my cards include species (subspecies as well if it applies), the common name (ball python as opposed to python regius), the nickname I have for the animal, as well as an ID number, the date of birth, parents if I bred the animal (the seller if I bought it), gender, a description of the snake (heaven forbid I mix up cards), and any special notes on the animal.
All of that goes across the top of my sheet, and underneath that information I draw a line, and then record meals and size of prey, whether it was live, prekilled, or F/T, sheds and the quality of them (dryest part of my year is in December and August, I've found), occasional weights, and any significant events such as breeding introductions or visits to schools.

It sounds like a lot more work than it is - once you develop the habit of jotting down a note, it comes easier.

I also have a copy of a generic animal pedigree program that I enter in old cards with. I don't think it was originally intended for use with reptiles, but I make it work.

I also keep track of all of this information for the entire time I have an animal. I didn't always keep track, but I have been for the past couple years and it's been the best thing I ever started doing.

Hope that helps!

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

and forgot to include in my prior post....

All pertinent details about individual snake. I even go so far as to include a sketch on my BRB's, many look a lot alike and a drawing of their first few dorsal markings is usually enough to distinguish one from another.

Really the effort involved once you get used to it is minimal and can be quite valuable to look back and see trends. For example, 1.2 BRB's together for breeding and a shed is found. When breeding I try to note opaque so I know a shed is coming but even if I missed marking down the opaque, just looking at the three cards is usually enough to show which one shed.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I have to draw pictures of the markings on my hatchlings to tell them apart the first few weeks. I've even been guilty of using a sharpie to mark tail tips when they look too similar. :-x

Better record keeping has led to better care for my animals. I've never kept more animals, and they've never been healthier, than they are now that I am keeping track of what the heck I'm doing with them.
That alone makes it worth it!

~jenny
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"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire

LOL, telling them apart, that's what individual labeled tubs are for!!!!!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
26.49 BRB
20.21 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I house all my babies in one tub until they have their first shed, after which they get their own tubs.

~jenny
-----
"Polysyllabism in no way insures that what you're saying is actually worth being heard." - Blake (an e-friend of mine)

"I have never made but one prayer to god, a very short one: "O lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And he granted it." - Voltaire