Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Someone has kindly reminded me to post an update of the golden corn project, so here it is:
First of all, my life has been quite busy and most of it has been spent overseas. I am once again (for the last time), finding myself going overseas. I do have two older sons that will assist me in caring for my animals while I do my last tour overseas (Iraq/Afghanistan) and then come home for good. I only recently returned from Afghanistan (this summer), so I have only been home for about two months.
This year has been a BAD YEAR for ME (and the golden corns):
I had asked my son to breed the four female hets and the original golden female with the male hets. All of the cages were well marked with sexes. My son accidentally mixed up two of the hets when he was cleaning their cages, which also resulted in getting two more hets getting placed in the wrong cages. When he pulled them out in April and paired all the golden hets, all he really paired correctly was ONE PAIR!!! The other four cages had: two males in two cages, and two females in the other two cages. When I came home early in the summer I noticed that he only paired ONE PAIR properly. So I got seven good eggs out of only one female(het), and they DID hatch recently with dissapointing results: All hatched but one got stuck in the egg and died due to a kink in its' spine. The only golden corn out of those seven eggs was the one that died in the egg... The other six are doing fine, but are all hets...
This year has not been very producvtive.
I will be overseas again for a good part of next year but I will be home in APRIL for a short vacation so I can ensure that all of the golden corn hets will be paired up properly!!! If all goes well, I should have all five females producing eggs!!!

I currently still have the original golden corn mom and two juvenile golden corns that are a little over two feet long and are doing great (one male and one female). And of course twelve older hets - four females and eight males that are all at least three feet long and ready to go for next year...
I strongly believe that by next (late) summer, I should have a few extra golden corns AND some hets on hand...
Once again please accept my apologies and THANK you JP for the wake-up call... I am currently out of state but will return home for a weekend and take some more updated pics of the young and the mother golden corn and post them here next week.

A little history: The original golden corn was found by myself and my son in late September 2004, in Cumberland county, North Carolina, while cruising the back roads in hopes of finding a male corn snake for my sons' pet female corn. So if hadn't been for my son I would have never went out that day....
(Here's a recent pic of the golden corn momma that I took about a month ago. She's just over four foot and her colors have faded a little. Since I found her as an adult, I am not sure of her true age, but I guess she's getting old/er)

Thank you.

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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

Zee, glad to see you are still around and that the project is still under way. Thanks for the update. Also, if you need a place to make sure they are taken care of I would be more than willing to house the golden and a few others for ya (figured it was worth a shot) during next breeding season.
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South Texas Herps

Thanks. Hmmmm.... I apreciate the offer.
If all does not go well,
I may have to give you a call...!

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

glad to see you're well and the golden corn is still out there... i look forward to what happens next year!! are you gonna breed 1 of the hets to a caramel to test that theory out as well??
~kin
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~Sober Serpents~
www.freewebs.com/soberserpents
Corns, Creamsicles, A Black Rat, A pair of Leucistic Black Rat X Leucistic Texas Rat Intergrades, Thayeri, Cal Kings, A Jungle Corn, Ball Pythons, Leopard Geckos, Green Anoles, 2 Snapping Turtles, a White Cheeked Mud Turtle, an Eastern Box Turtle, a Bearded Dragon, an Adult Rescue Iguana, and A Baby Iguana

Yes, I do plan on breeding one of the females to a caramel.

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

Thanks for the update, man. Neat project. I can empathize...I've got a SNOW suboc inside of an egg right now...all the rest are out.

The first one hatched on Sunday, and the second to last hatched this morning. The Snow was still alive at 1:30AM...so, it's wait and hope.

Dusty

Good luck with those this coming season Zee. They look even better in person.
Have a safe trip overseas and keep your head down.
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Randy Whittington

Thanks Randy!
I am already saying: "I CAN'T WAIT TO GET BACK"!!!

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

Sounds like you have some very nice subocs!
It won't hurt for you to gently put a small cut (1/2" - 3/4" on top of the egg (if you havn't done so already). I have done this in the past and it pretty much guarantees that all the (live)babies will make it out (the few that are formed without an egg tooth, or the occasional two headed ones, and even the deformed ones - unfortunately)

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

Have you tried a pairing with a Caramel?
I don't remember if you have or have not.

If you don't have one or easy access to one, if my caramel girl is ready next season (unsure that she will be) I wouldn't mind sending her your way to pair with one of your male hets just to find out if it is the same gene. As long as I get her back.
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

YES, a female caramel WOULD be better, since I am very low on female hets. I have plenty of males! How big (long) is your female?
(And if I did (borrow her) - YES, I WOULD RETURN HER TO YOU)

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

She's about 34 inches right now - snout to tip of tail
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Is your female an 06' or 07 ?

Zee
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"I am an expert on everything, but I know so little and have so much to learn!" -Carsten "Zee" Zoldy-

She's an '07 - Don S stock
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Arrrggg!
It's like Shalom, but for pirates.
- iCarly

Zee, its good to see you still kicking my man! Long time no see. Good luck with the project and like someone else said, keep your head down over there!
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Ron Sims