I just thought I'd post some recent pictures of my remaining juvenile D. typus from last year's clutch. I was going to sell this little guy (or possibly girl, hard to tell with such slender snakes), but after all the work I've put into him, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. These snakes were hatched in Sept of '03. Initial attempts at feeding didn't go well. I tried f/t and live pink mice, young anoles, young green treefrogs, crickets, even slices of chicken (hey, the adults loved it). Two friends decided they didn't want to wait, so they went ahead and bought two of the babies from me. Both ended up dying. The third died earlier this year, likely due to stress from the assist/force feeding. When assist feeding these snakes, they would sometimes grab the pink and take it down with no problems, but sometimes have to have it forced down. This last one I have remaining is the only one that would more often take it himself, than need it forced. Nine long months after hatching, this snake finally took his first meal completely on his own, the day before these pictures actually. All I did was dangle and f/t pink on some hemos in his enclosure. I thought I saw a strike at the hemos, and sure enough, he realized the food was on the end and went after it. He ate 3 of them in this manner that day. It was a good day for me, especially after all the frustration. Anyway, enjoy the pictures. I'm looking forward to watching his color change over the next several months.
-Chance