Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What a little cutie-pie!!
Enjoy, Jeff

Jeff, nice little milk. Is that one of your Cherry County animals?

Scott

Either that is some big vermiculite, or that is one tiny snake.

What do you feed those hatchlings?

>>What a little cutie-pie!!
>>Enjoy, Jeff
>>
-----
Mark G

Whitewater rosies, normals and albinos
A few milks, kings and pituophis

Yes Scott, I have one pair of Cherry county animals that drops these little beauties. Another came out a few hours ago with a significant patternless area on the dorsum.
Next year should be even better as other great nates come into the breeders circle.
OK, no lie here...they're a pain to feed. Once they accept lab rodents (vs Peromyscus scent)they're able to consume tiny pink heads and finally 6-8 months later, can take very tiny pinks. Hopper tails provide enough nourishment to keep them growing for the first 2-3 months until they accept rodents voluntarialy.
Walt used to just pump them for about 4 months and then start the tiny pink feeding.
All for now, Jeff
ps Scott, you have to see these Polyzona...they're brutes! I'll try to post pics here this spring. They bred last night. Jeff

Jeff, how many of the Cherry County multistriata do you expect to have this year? They're really knockouts.

Which polyzona are you referring to?

Scott

when do you brumate to get neonates so early in the year. mine are still a good 10-12 weeks down the pipeline.

also, i'm suprised you mention them as so small. mine sometimes prefer peromyscus or lizards at first, but are always large enough to take a domestic pink if they wish to.

pretty little thing.

No mystery here: I'm in Minnesota and the adults often stop feeding in August and I'm praying for a real drop in temps in October so the cold room gets below 70 asap. They're out and breeding ~end of Feb/March. Oddly, it's just the North American milks that are aware of the coming fall season.
They can take tiny Peromyscus but I've lost hatchlings that choked on a meal too large. Tiny pink heads fit the bill just fine until they've got the muscles to force the meal down.
Stay in touch! Jeff

Wow Jeff,
That is a great photo, and a better snake. How many babies are you looking at from this clutch?
Good luck with the feeding of those neonates. Will you start trying to feed them after their first shed?
Nice job, Dell Despain.

This was a miniscule clutch-looks like 5 good eggs this year. They'll get hopper tails for a month or so, then I'll start offering heads with various scents.
Trust me, I tried offering heads every week before sliding a tail down into them and have never had a Pale take a rodent within a month of hatching. This year could be different with the Peromyscus colony-if they would hurry up and breed...grrr.
Your on the list mate, no worries...Jeff

Beautiful, Jeff! Pales are great. How small are the neonates from your pair (length and mass)? You force feed for the first few months? How large are your adults?
thanks
-cole

Congrats Jeff...well done !
Greg

Stop, you're making me blush! Lots more cool stuff to come this year with a bit of luck.....Jeff

The adults (that produce the gems) are small in comparison to the other similarly aged adults. I doubt these will reach the 3 foot mark.
The larger adults just lay more eggs, not larger eggs or obviously, larger nates but other breeders coming into the loop next year are over 3 feet (huge in my experience)and I'd really like to see a hatchling Pale that can easily swallow a pink for a change.
Jeff

So Jeff,
In response to your answer to sunherp. If the nates are hard to get to eat pinkie mice, and you have said you can't get them to eat lizards for you, what is it in the wild they are eating? Small baby lizards? Lizard eggs, or maybe something I haven't thought of.
And is there any work by Walt D. to read out in magazine, book, or internet space that you know of?
Thanks for your time.
-Dell

My experience with Pales in the wild is nill but here goes.
First: eachother. And they will attack/eat eachother right out of the egg or soon after hatching.
then, whatever they can find in the small lizard, snake category.
Think about this: Pales would likely hatch sometime in August in north Nebraska. One very good meal (like a sibling) would carry that snake through the fall/winter/spring and the feeding would begin again in March/April. The diet would likely continue to be small snakes and lizards until the snake is less intimidated by the smell of rodents; a year old or more. Some of course will prowl for Peromyscus but I believe (given the choice) a hatchling would choose a reptile meal over a rodent knowing that rodents will attack and eat small snakes.
Walt had an article published in Reptiles mag many years ago, I should scan it and upload it for you.
All for now, Jeff

Jeff,
Thanks for the quick reply. Eat siblings, I haven't heard that one befor but it makes perfect sense.
I knew Pales were tied to lizards in the wild but it never accured to me that they might eat each other for sustenance.
Do you keep your neonates in separate boxes then?

When you find the time I would appreciate the Walt D. info, or if you could give me the magazine with the year and month I'd back order it, if it is still available.
Thanks again for your time.
-Dell