Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Mine are herp related. My new AP plastics racks (Qty 4, 10 slots high, CB110) are on the final delivery truck headed towards my house as I type. My weekend plans are to assemble the new racks and populate my new snake room with racks, cages and occupants!!! The wifey will be quite happy as she will get her living room back!! Been storing all the additional racks and cages in there while in the build cycle.

Bad news/good news, my sunglow boa dropped a pile of slugs last night. Duh, that's the bad news, the good news is Mom is fine and with her no longer gravid, that clears two of the cage stacks for relocation. And with the new drawer racks, I will have extra spaces to hold the adults while I move their cages!!!

The remaining gravid boas will stay right where they are until after they drop their litters.

I love it when a plan comes together, I'll try to take pics as the move progresses.
-----
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

Dave,
...I have to admire your enthusiasm and positive outlook. Most folks would not have found a good news side to having a pile of slugs.
...I have a Sonotrax 3mhz doppler fetal heart monitor on the way. Hopefully it will get here tomorrow. After it gets here I will be playing with it and then post results here on the forum.
Jeff

>>Mine are herp related. My new AP plastics racks (Qty 4, 10 slots high, CB110) are on the final delivery truck headed towards my house as I type. My weekend plans are to assemble the new racks and populate my new snake room with racks, cages and occupants!!! The wifey will be quite happy as she will get her living room back!! Been storing all the additional racks and cages in there while in the build cycle.
>>
>>Bad news/good news, my sunglow boa dropped a pile of slugs last night. Duh, that's the bad news, the good news is Mom is fine and with her no longer gravid, that clears two of the cage stacks for relocation. And with the new drawer racks, I will have extra spaces to hold the adults while I move their cages!!!
>>
>>The remaining gravid boas will stay right where they are until after they drop their litters.
>>
>>I love it when a plan comes together, I'll try to take pics as the move progresses.
>>-----
>>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, I was not even convinced she had anything, really did not look gravid, she definitely was not a ballpark frank - was not plumping as she was cooking.

LOL, mine just arrived earlier this week, only tried it a little and was unable to find anything in her so was not optomistic about her at all. I did find heartbeats in another one the really looks gravid - all plumped up.

>>Dave,
>>...I have to admire your enthusiasm and positive outlook. Most folks would not have found a good news side to having a pile of slugs.
>>...I have a Sonotrax 3mhz doppler fetal heart monitor on the way. Hopefully it will get here tomorrow. After it gets here I will be playing with it and then post results here on the forum.
>>Jeff
>>
>>
>>>>Mine are herp related. My new AP plastics racks (Qty 4, 10 slots high, CB110) are on the final delivery truck headed towards my house as I type. My weekend plans are to assemble the new racks and populate my new snake room with racks, cages and occupants!!! The wifey will be quite happy as she will get her living room back!! Been storing all the additional racks and cages in there while in the build cycle.
>>>>
>>>>Bad news/good news, my sunglow boa dropped a pile of slugs last night. Duh, that's the bad news, the good news is Mom is fine and with her no longer gravid, that clears two of the cage stacks for relocation. And with the new drawer racks, I will have extra spaces to hold the adults while I move their cages!!!
>>>>
>>>>The remaining gravid boas will stay right where they are until after they drop their litters.
>>>>
>>>>I love it when a plan comes together, I'll try to take pics as the move progresses.
>>>>-----
>>>>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
-----
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

Dave,
...What were the fetal heart rates? I was watching the video Jeff Ronne posted over on the boa forum and was surprised he did not talk about that steady rate in the sixties very probably being blood flow through an artery in the mother and not a fetal heart sound. He did momentarily find some at a much higher frequency which seemingly would be fetal heart tones. I do have some experience using a couple different dopplers to find circulation in injured human arms and legs and also in flap closures over large wounds. I have only a few times used a doppler to check human fetal heart tones. "I don know nuthin bout birthin no babies".
Jeff

>>Well, I was not even convinced she had anything, really did not look gravid, she definitely was not a ballpark frank - was not plumping as she was cooking.
>>
>>
>>LOL, mine just arrived earlier this week, only tried it a little and was unable to find anything in her so was not optomistic about her at all. I did find heartbeats in another one the really looks gravid - all plumped up.
>>
>>
>>>>Dave,
>>>>...I have to admire your enthusiasm and positive outlook. Most folks would not have found a good news side to having a pile of slugs.
>>>>...I have a Sonotrax 3mhz doppler fetal heart monitor on the way. Hopefully it will get here tomorrow. After it gets here I will be playing with it and then post results here on the forum.
>>>>Jeff
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>Mine are herp related. My new AP plastics racks (Qty 4, 10 slots high, CB110) are on the final delivery truck headed towards my house as I type. My weekend plans are to assemble the new racks and populate my new snake room with racks, cages and occupants!!! The wifey will be quite happy as she will get her living room back!! Been storing all the additional racks and cages in there while in the build cycle.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Bad news/good news, my sunglow boa dropped a pile of slugs last night. Duh, that's the bad news, the good news is Mom is fine and with her no longer gravid, that clears two of the cage stacks for relocation. And with the new drawer racks, I will have extra spaces to hold the adults while I move their cages!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>>The remaining gravid boas will stay right where they are until after they drop their litters.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I love it when a plan comes together, I'll try to take pics as the move progresses.
>>>>>>-----
>>>>>>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
>>-----
>>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 was also surprised to find them around 60 - 80 but then again, they are ectotherms so maybe don't need to pump as much blood around as a mammal?
-----
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

Dave,
...If you are finding them with the same pulse as the mother I would think you are hearing blood flow through her arteries rather than fetal heart tones. At work we use an 8mhz Doppler to find peripheral blood flow. With it I can usually find a pulse at several different locations in a hand or foot. I will have to play with the 3mhz after it gets here to see how less sensitive it is. In Jeff Ronne's video his 2mhz Doppler is displaying a signal in the 60s that to me sounds like arterial flow rather than a heart beat. He also had a few times that there was a distinct noise around 200 BPM that sounded more like a little heart to me. I have seen developing snakes in dissected eggs that had a heart rate in the 180s. Though this may be a rate that reflects the distress that opening the egg induces upon the developing snakelet rather than a normal heart rate. Perhaps a normal fetal snake heart rate really is in the 60s? Anybody know what heart rate is supposed to be for fetal snakes? I bet Sunshine knows or can find something about this subject.
Jeff

>>I was also surprised to find them around 60 - 80 but then again, they are ectotherms so maybe don't need to pump as much blood around as a mammal?
>>-----
>>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 got my Doppler today. I have been playing with it with a few snakes. First I started off trying to find the heart sounds of some subadult BRBs. I found very loud heart sounds listening around the 12th dark spot on the side. Because snakes have a heart that is very different than we mammals with our four chamber heart the heart sounds are very different. Each beat is broken down into three slow whoosh sounds. My subadult BRBs have a resting heart rate from the low to high 30s. Next I tried some adult male and non gravid female BRBs. They have a resting heart rate from the mid 20s to mid 30s. This leads me to guess that adult Boa Constrictors might have resting heart rates in the low to mid 20s. The rate in the 60s that Jeff Ronne was finding with his gravid Boa Constrictors must really be fetal heart sounds. My Doppler will momentarily display rates in the 180 to 225 range when moving the probe around and picking up the sound of the probe moving against the snake's scales. So far I have checked a few snakes that I suspect are gravid and I have not been able to hear definite fetal hart sounds. I have also found that if the snake will not hold still it is impossible to detect any sounds other than the movement of the scales against the probe.
Jeff

>>Dave,
>>...If you are finding them with the same pulse as the mother I would think you are hearing blood flow through her arteries rather than fetal heart tones. At work we use an 8mhz Doppler to find peripheral blood flow. With it I can usually find a pulse at several different locations in a hand or foot. I will have to play with the 3mhz after it gets here to see how less sensitive it is. In Jeff Ronne's video his 2mhz Doppler is displaying a signal in the 60s that to me sounds like arterial flow rather than a heart beat. He also had a few times that there was a distinct noise around 200 BPM that sounded more like a little heart to me. I have seen developing snakes in dissected eggs that had a heart rate in the 180s. Though this may be a rate that reflects the distress that opening the egg induces upon the developing snakelet rather than a normal heart rate. Perhaps a normal fetal snake heart rate really is in the 60s? Anybody know what heart rate is supposed to be for fetal snakes? I bet Sunshine knows or can find something about this subject.
>>Jeff
>>
>>>>I was also surprised to find them around 60 - 80 but then again, they are ectotherms so maybe don't need to pump as much blood around as a mammal?
>>>>-----
>>>>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

My 53 pound female Surinam Redtail Boa has a resting heart rate of 18 BPM. She looks gravid and was bred by two different males but she has not had POS yet and I detected no fetal heart sounds. My adult female Brazilian Rainbow Boas have heart rates in the mid 20s. I cannot hear fetal heart beats in any of them. As late as my BRB litters were last year I was not seriously expecting to hear fetal heart tones in the BRBs yet.
Jeff

>>I got my Doppler today. I have been playing with it with a few snakes. First I started off trying to find the heart sounds of some subadult BRBs. I found very loud heart sounds listening around the 12th dark spot on the side. Because snakes have a heart that is very different than we mammals with our four chamber heart the heart sounds are very different. Each beat is broken down into three slow whoosh sounds. My subadult BRBs have a resting heart rate from the low to high 30s. Next I tried some adult male and non gravid female BRBs. They have a resting heart rate from the mid 20s to mid 30s. This leads me to guess that adult Boa Constrictors might have resting heart rates in the low to mid 20s. The rate in the 60s that Jeff Ronne was finding with his gravid Boa Constrictors must really be fetal heart sounds. My Doppler will momentarily display rates in the 180 to 225 range when moving the probe around and picking up the sound of the probe moving against the snake's scales. So far I have checked a few snakes that I suspect are gravid and I have not been able to hear definite fetal hart sounds. I have also found that if the snake will not hold still it is impossible to detect any sounds other than the movement of the scales against the probe.
>>Jeff
>>
>>>>Dave,
>>>>...If you are finding them with the same pulse as the mother I would think you are hearing blood flow through her arteries rather than fetal heart tones. At work we use an 8mhz Doppler to find peripheral blood flow. With it I can usually find a pulse at several different locations in a hand or foot. I will have to play with the 3mhz after it gets here to see how less sensitive it is. In Jeff Ronne's video his 2mhz Doppler is displaying a signal in the 60s that to me sounds like arterial flow rather than a heart beat. He also had a few times that there was a distinct noise around 200 BPM that sounded more like a little heart to me. I have seen developing snakes in dissected eggs that had a heart rate in the 180s. Though this may be a rate that reflects the distress that opening the egg induces upon the developing snakelet rather than a normal heart rate. Perhaps a normal fetal snake heart rate really is in the 60s? Anybody know what heart rate is supposed to be for fetal snakes? I bet Sunshine knows or can find something about this subject.
>>>>Jeff
>>>>
>>>>>>I was also surprised to find them around 60 - 80 but then again, they are ectotherms so maybe don't need to pump as much blood around as a mammal?
>>>>>>-----
>>>>>>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've got loads of pix to take of the various litters of babies that are rapidly growing around this place. I'm going to putter in the garden, go dig around in the logs out back to see who might be waiting to be found and generally enjoy hanging around the place without any work obligations.

I'd like to take a really, really long nap, but I've got 2 ferret babies that need handfeeding every 4 hours around the clock. The first 10 days was every 2 hours, at least 4 hours is a sleep cycle. After 3 weeks of that, I really need a nap!

Overcast, rainy t-storms doesn't allow me to go out in the desert where i would rather be, some streams and a lake are opening up, but no license for that, so i guess ill figure out how i can add more feeder tanks and probably upgrade the babies to new homes the normals i got locally, ahhhh got my second section of my second 7' cage (boaphile what else ) and find out who can live where, feed and drink beer...hicccuuppp cheers!!
-----
1.4 various boas(Flicka,Felony,Nova,Alias,Alibi,confessa,custody,Ms.Demeanor)
1.1 BRB Abalone;(ABBI), Radar
1.0 Rott X (OSO)
1.0 cats (Morris)
fish & feeders

Wow, Dave, sorry to hear about the slugs. At least mom is ok.

My plans for the weekend are already done. I went field herping with some friends today and we found some neat stuff. I'll be posting pictures and details later.
-----
Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

my weekend plans consist mostly of working on cages, the list includes things like;

-sand and seal all unfinished edges

-wire heat and switches

-mount electrical boxes

-caulk all interior joints.

i have all weekend to do this so there will be plenty of time to fit in other things like a bike ride or a hike in the mountains
-----
-Stephen-

0.1 soon to be wifey (hopefully)
1.0 rotwiler/chow (Boomer-wifey's pooch)
1.0 norm corn (Jake aka grumpy old terdhead)
0.1 col redtail boa (Dixie-my baby girl)
0.1 ball python (Bella- wifey's baby girl)

hopeful for not to distant future:
--brazillian rainbow boas 1 female for sure
2 or 3? maybe a breeding pair?
-- bearded dragon for the wifey my list got to big...

No major plans - just traditional grilling with family and friends on Sunday!
-----
Mike

7.13 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King