Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Pardon the lousy photos. I use a lousy photographer. Me.

Those are so beautiful. I was admiring Randy's at the Chantilly show a couple of weeks ago. You have some gorgeous animals.
Steve

Thanks for the kind words Steve.

Regards
John

Those are really nice. Where did you get them, if you don't mind me asking?

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Matt Kauffman

They are the beginning of a breeding project involving both old and new bloodlines. I have very high hopes for this project. Of course it'll take a while to see what develops but the clutch was very nice and reflected the good qualities of both the lines involved.

John

i like the pattern on their back!

>>i like the pattern on their back!

what kind of snake is that?

please email me directly as i never come to this forum. i really like the colors.

does it stay the same colors as an adult?

Pitoon

It is a mandarin ratsnake. Mandarins are very variable. As with most snakes there is generally some darkening with age due to melanin development. This particular line is selected for light ground color and bright yellow. It should retain its colors very well.

Rgards
John

Hey John,
Beautiful mandy! You produce this baby?
Ryan

Hi Ryan:

It's a joint project. My partner prefers to remain behind the scenes but I wanted to see what people thought of this line. For me the light ground color combined with clean yellow is the Holy Grail of mandarins. I'm hoping this line has all that. Time will tell.

Regards
John

Wow, John,
Best of luck with that project...
Keep us posted on their progress..
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Regards, Bill McGighan

Thanks Bill. The positive feedback is much appreciated.

Regards
John

Looks like you did it John, congrats!! That's as good as it gets.
Here's one of my 08's.

Jeff Cerula

Thanks Jeff.

That's a real beaut you've got there. And you have to know I have plans for that pair I got from you in the not too distant future. The long range outlook for mandarins is looking very bright from my point of view. The real challenge I see is maintaining the best lines over the course of more than just a few years. We'll have to build up a larger circle of keepers who will breed the best stock and expand the gene pool.

It would be a shame to let the good genes that have been assembled to go to waste.

Phew! That is a LOOKER!

Matthew

>>Phew! That is a LOOKER!
>>
>> Matthew

>>Pardon the lousy photos. I use a lousy photographer. Me.

John, that's a gorgeous Mandy. I would appreciate being put on your list for babies when you get them. It has classic qualities, imho. I love the clean, light, gray ground color; the beautiful yellow blotches; and the bold black outlines to the blotches and head pattern. Like I said, a "classic."

Does that snake have any Vietnamese blood in it??

PS: The best part about Mandarins, however, is the quality of the species. I believe these snakes make awesome captives if you can provide the few essentials they need. Mandies are one of the best, at least of the Old World ratsnakes....hmmmm!

Regards...Terry
Ratsnake Haven

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Conserve reptiles by helping protect habitat.

>>John, that's a gorgeous Mandy.>>

Hi Terry. Thanks for the praise. Coming from you it is greatly appreciated.

>>I would appreciate being put on your list for babies when you get them.>>

Absolutely. I'm hoping to get that line in the hands of experienced breeders. Of course I haven't really proved the line out yet so it will be awhile.
>>It has classic qualities, imho. I love the clean, light, gray ground color; the beautiful yellow blotches; and the bold black outlines to the blotches and head pattern. Like I said, a "classic.">>

I feel the same way.

>>Does that snake have any Vietnamese blood in it??>>

No my viets are still young. And they're so different looking I can't see them mixing with this other project. Here are a few old photos of the viets:

Lately the colors have been changing quite a bit on the viets. It'll be another season before I even know what they'll look like as adults. I've raised them rather slowly.

>>PS: The best part about Mandarins, however, is the quality of the species. I believe these snakes make awesome captives if you can provide the few essentials they need. Mandies are one of the best, at least of the Old World ratsnakes....hmmmm!>>

I agreet they are cool snakes to work with. Even the psychotic ones. Most of them are flighty and Garbo-esque. But pretty interesting.

Best regards
John

>>>>I would appreciate being put on your list for babies when you get them.>>
>>
>>Absolutely. I'm hoping to get that line in the hands of experienced breeders. Of course I haven't really proved the line out yet so it will be awhile.

Thanks, bud. Let me know how they are doing. Any more info on the light gray line?

Cheers...TC
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Conserve reptiles by helping protect habitat.

Terry:

The light colored mandarins are a combination of a very nice male that I got from Rex about four years ago with a very nice female owned by a friend of mine who wishes to remain nameless. The whole clutch resembled each other very closely. They seem to combine the best qualities of the parents. Hopefully they retain their appearance as they mature. I probably should have waited until they matured to show them off but they exceeded my expectations so much that I felt I had to brag on them a little.
Regards
John