Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For those of you who remember our black opal project, here's the latest! We're pretty excited about them.

Let us know what you think!
Aaron and Bob

could you fill us in? That is a great looking. What's the story?

Thanks and congrats
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Kevin Earley
Gila Monsters - Beaded Lizards - Ball Pythons

http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch.php?id=1289175,1289175&key=2007

If it doesn't work, I used the search engine and just used black and opal. Scroll down the main post to see the pics, and I believe the questions start within the 2nd post or so.
Love both the the Black Opal and the Super Black!
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In Loving Memory of the best Brother God gave me
Sgt. Arnold DuPlantier II
(Army National Guard, Charlie Rock Co.)
06/03/1979-06/22/2005
Support Our Troops

np
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Kevin Earley
Gila Monsters - Beaded Lizards - Ball Pythons

You guy's arerockin it out...Keep us updated and post pics when it sheds..
Kevin Stoltz

Is that the 'super' Black Opal?? WOW

I'm lovin' that dirty wash of melanin in the pattern.

Congrats!

BB
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"Have you hugged your drummer today?" --- Me

So how about some pics of others produced and some info on the project for those of us that either don't remember much or anything at all

Grats on the baby!

Jared H
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~ ASK ME ABOUT MY BALLS ~

I cant wait to see that thing out of the egg!!!!!!

Here’s a little background on this project up to this point.

In 2004 we bought a group of cool looking normals from Brian Barczyk. One of which was a neat looking dark granite-ish animal, which we kept and raised to adulthood.

In 2006 we paired this female with a male that we expected to be genetic but turned out not to be. The clutch, however, produced two very interesting males that looked like very extreme versions of their mother. At first we weren’t sure what to make of them but started calling them Black Opals.

We weren’t able to have either male to size by the 2007 breeding season so we bred this original female to a yellow belly. The clutch was weak and we failed to produce the cross. We produced two normals and a black opal that was a runt and didn’t make it.

Black Opal as a yearling

This year our males were finally to size and we were able to do the Black Opal x Black Opal cross that we had been waiting for. It was a small clutch again, with only 4 eggs but we think that we may have hit the super. We are waiting for all the babies to come out so that we can see exactly what we have.

We will post updated pictures as we have them!

Thanks!
Aaron and Bob

nice and DIRTY!!!!!
They will probably make nice albinos!

Good work and I hope you hit a super.

PS. Is the mother a "small" adult female? Not a runt but not topping out like a lot of other normals. My dark/melanisitc animals tend to be small adults.
Joe Compel Reptiles

Actually this particular animal pretty average in size for her age and is well over 2000 grams. She just likes to lay small numbers of huge eggs. haha I have noticed the same thing as you though with certain types of melanistic balls staying a little smaller than average. Thanks!