Reptile & Amphibian Forums

He just arrived yesterday. I don't know what his lineage might be. Most likely he will just be a pet, unless I get real lucky and find a nice mate for him. My focus is pyros and pits; but this snake was irresistible even though I was a little suspicious of only $20 for him.
Got him for $20 because he musks a lot. He didn't musk me when I received him and handled him for weigh ins and health checks, though. He weighs 228 grams, and is an 08. He is substantial for just an 08, a big beefy clean animal! He is estimated to be about 30 inches long.

Guzmano eating FT's. He was VERY hungry this morning! When I went to take his photo the damn camera batteries went dead so when I got back to the snake he had eaten almost all those fuzzies already. Lifting him out of his nest was easy, no panic, putting him in the feeding container, still no panic, but after he ate he had a panic attack when he couldn't leave the container so I threw a towel over him, which immediately calmed him. After awhile I transferred him into his new big tub with no problem.

It's odd how he has that one big black dot on his back. Very distinctive!

Very pretty....
I saw it advertised as well.....

My opinion.....
I hate to burst your bubble....But it may not since he is a pet....and a nice looking snake to boot....

Not a pure thayeri......
Looks like some Triangulum in it.....Pueblan or Hondo.....
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

I agree he may not be a pure Thayeri, He is so big and most of the actual Thayeri I have seen are smaller. That's okay, he is just a pet.

>>I agree he may not be a pure Thayeri, He is so big and most of the actual Thayeri I have seen are smaller. That's okay, he is just a pet.

He is still KILLER looking........

And...I have a couple 2008 Mexicana and Thayeri that are over 30 inches......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Now I just need to find a $20 female! LOL!

I think it's stunning! Very beautiful colors on this guy. I agree not pure Thayeri but still an awesome deal for 20 bucks! I know I would have bought it, lol.

These are my breeders right now. The one on the bottom left is pure, but the other two have Ruthven in them.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

I think mine sort of looks like yours in the top of the photo. Nice snakes, by the way.

What is the general opinion on breeding mixed types? Guzmano has many fine features, such as great feeding response, vigorous large physique, and of course his pretty colors. Currently I have nobody suitable as a mate, but if anyone has any ideas yea or nay let me know please.

Well for me personally I purchased all those guys a few years ago when I kinda considered all the Mexicana to be preety much the same. After doing a lot of reading and see some posts here I am leaning more toward getting pure strains but I'm not a hard liner. I will probably get a pure male to go with the female and continue to breed the Ruthven/Thayeri mix together. I have some babies from last year from that red male and the Thayeri female and all are very pretty and differ from each other. I like working with snakes that will give you surprises. Some people are very much against mixing even subspecies. The price will often reflect their purity also. Just like dogs, you're gonna pay more for a pure breed, yet many people won't mind the mixed. In that picture by the way both females are in shed so they are much prettier in real life.

Here are some of the babies

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Those a really nice babies. If you get tired of them I will give you $20 for them...oops, think I forgot to add on another zero to that sum! LOL!

Thanks, but I only had one female out of 6 eggs. You need a female don't you?
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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Actually I don't need a female right away, as my long range plans are to breed my two 08 pyros to the unrelated pyro male in 2012, when the females will be old enough. It probably would be possible to breed the Thayeri mix to one of them but then I would have some odd ball little babies that maybe nobody would want. So I will wait. The breeder of my pyros also does Thayeri; maybe he has a female suitable for Guzmano.

>>Well for me personally I purchased all those guys a few years ago when I kinda considered all the Mexicana to be preety much the same. After doing a lot of reading and see some posts here I am leaning more toward getting pure strains but I'm not a hard liner. I will probably get a pure male to go with the female and continue to breed the Ruthven/Thayeri mix together. I have some babies from last year from that red male and the Thayeri female and all are very pretty and differ from each other. I like working with snakes that will give you surprises. Some people are very much against mixing even subspecies. The price will often reflect their purity also. Just like dogs, you're gonna pay more for a pure breed, yet many people won't mind the mixed. In that picture by the way both females are in shed so they are much prettier in real life.

Jorge....
You do know that Ruthveni are not in the Mexicana Sub species, correct?
They are a single Lampropeltis species as is Alterna......

And you are correct.....Many do not care if snakes are mixes......But many....So it is very important that you continue to label and sell (or give them away) as Thayeri X Ruthveni crosses.....Hybrids......

I am at least glad that you know they are hybrids in the first place......many hybrid owners don't even know they have hybrids due to the misinformation given by breeders.......

BTW.....They all look very nice.....Mexicana and Montane Kings are my favorite......So much variability and no morphs needed for variable clutches.......Like Xmas in the summer when thayeri eggs hatch......
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

yeah I know that now. Years ago though even Alterna was under Mexicana wasn't it? I don't think Ruthven was. I am very honest about what I have, I breed for the fun of it not for profit, lol. If I can make a little money back that's great but I would still be doing it if I couldn't. In fact I have been selectively breeding local Corn snakes from here (Polk County, Fl)for about 5 years and I have been letting what I don't want back into the local population. But the ones I have kept are smoking. I just came from looking at them and wow they are nice! Too many males though, lol. Here are a few. (I know there not Kings but..)Thesepics don't capture their true appearance but you get an I deah.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

Nice reduced black pattern there Jorge....
Looks like some of the first mis labelled hypo corns I used to see advertised.....

BTW...Has anyone ever seen a true Hypomelanistic corn?
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

This is not one of my home town snakes but it qualifies as a true hypo if there is such a thing.

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King Snakes! Who can make a better mouse trap?
J Sierra

>>This is not one of my home town snakes but it qualifies as a true hypo if there is such a thing.
>>
>>

I agree that the black pigment is reduced.....Very nice.....That is the second one I have seen that I would call hypo.....All the others just have reduced pattern not pigment......
There's not many of those around.....Now I wonder what a TRUE sunglow looks like.....Probably like any other hybino....the amelanism cancels out the hypomelanism.........
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John Lassiter
Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part...
www.coastalbendcaptivebreeding.com

Cool looking snake but I think their is something else other than just thayeri in the mix.
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Randy Whittington

If he has some milksnake in the mix that might explain his jumpy temperament. At least that is what I have heard about milksnakes many times, especially younger ones. I have a Cali king, six pyros and 13 pituophis, and nobody is prone to startling and panicking like Guzmano is. Handled very gently he is fine. He is sort of like a nervous horse; if you put a towel over him, like blinders on a horse, he can't see and calms right down.

Very nice looking guy. I remember seeing him advertised. Definitely looks mixed with something else, but that doesn't mean is isn't a handsome fellow!
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Aubrey Ross

©
www.SlipstreamSerpents.com

Your forum moniker is very punny, by the way. I enjoy the descriptive, clever humor.

Your post reminded me of myself, getting a new snake in years past. Always a thrill, isn't it? Getting a new specimen and learning all over again how they are typical or untypical of their lineage?

Yes, very nice black dot on the back. Each snake has some unique, distinguishing feature. My male Cal King has a "V" for his nuchal blotch (typical of northern San Diego county), a crescent on his head, and blue eyes. My female has dots forming a triad where the nuchal blotch would be, greenish-blue eyes, and matching slits on her throat.

Enjoy the new item, and the new learning. In time, if you handle properly and understand snakes the way I suspect you do, the musking will become rare. (When my new snakes musked, I rinsed them in warm sink water. Seems to get the message across quickly, and musking usually stopped soon afterward.)

Below is a link of my snakes & one biome, if interested.

Ameron
Portland/Vancouver

1.0 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Carlsbad Wide-banded)
0.1 Lampropeltis getula californiae (Los Angeles County Coastal Banded)

Link

Pretty snakes!
That tank set up is beautiful!