Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Today, urged by Kerby, I decided to get pictures of the snakes, new recent ones rather than the old ones I'd been using. So I pulled out Jester, our wonderful aberrant banded cal king we bought from Kerby, and he went totally schizo. This is a snake who always seems to want to be held, loves people in fact. A snake, moreover, who the one time he escaped from his cage.... climbed into bed with his people. (Quite the shock at 4 am to discover a snake in bed with you!) Well today he had a personality change. He hasn't eaten much since he's been wanting to breed, but when I pulled him out of his cage he latched onto my finger. It didn't hurt (though it bled) and I just thought he was confused and vowed to provide him with a mouse once the photo session was done. But he just went berserk. I sure hope Kerby appreciates the bloody fingers I got just trying to get a picture of this snake. I set him down and he advanced on me with mouth gaping wide, must have struck a dozen times. I'm wondering, could it be that since we don't keep him in the mouse room like some of the snakes, could it be that since I was taking pictures in the mouse room the smell of mice got him hungry again? or was the smell of the other snakes in the mouse room what set him off. He's never been like this. But I hope you enjoy his picture. We didn't breed him this year, as he's much smaller than our other male, but next year we might find a good mate for him and see what he's "made of".

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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

Here's a picture of "Lady" which is really an unsexed pyro Kerby so nicely gave us (as per the laws of the state of Arizona). We call her Lady but I was looking at her tail thinking she looked more like a he. Ah well. She's one gorgeous snake and seems to be thriving.

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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

Sasheena, if you are going to meet me at the PHX on Tues to pick up the ground snake you can bring the pyro and I will probe it for you.

I can't believe how big she/he is! And not fat, which is good.

I gave Jerry Kersey a nice one last year ( a female since he caught a male while he was here) and I kept a nice female from last year as well. Both my females are gravid again this year. Maybe after we figure out what you already have (male/female) then we can complete the match depending upon what hatches.

Kerby...

We're hoping to be there. We'll bring Lady with us. That's our last day of "in-service" and check out at work is hte next day. Summer vacation sure is great!
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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

This is Phantom, the father of Pandora's eggs, if she's gravid. He's our oldest and largest snake, though one of our newest purchases. He's a great snake. Seems to be off his food ever since we bred him to Pandora. Since he regurged the second time he was with her, perhaps he is just a bit under the weather. He has taken a fuzzy or two since then and kept it down, so I think it's more that he's pining for Pandora than anything else. We're excited to see what sort of offspring these two will produce (if they produce anything!)

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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady

Didn't know who Jester was, but I remember THAT cal king; very unique! And he might have smelled the mice...........

Kerby...

has the snake been an enthusiastic eater? If so, taking it into the mouse room wasn't the best idea (well, it's not like you really got hurt anyway). To some snakes, the smell of the rodents will just sort of get them in the mood and they will bite at anything that moves around them.

later

He was enthusiastic last year, then he got finicky, and finally was brumated. When he woke up he was still a finicky eater, eating now and again, but not nearly as often as the other snakes. Often he would slither up to a mouse and just cuddle it, confusing the mouse. During this incident he bit me before I ever took him into the mouse room, and even when he did bite, it was more like an "attack" than an "i'm hungry and gonna eat you". I've had "mouse scented fingers" attract bites before, and it takes a while for the snake to figure out that you aren't a meal. But Jester just bit like he was pissed off at me. Silly snakey. I'm not too stressed about it, I've been bitten now several times by the snakes, and it's NEVER as bad as a mouse bite.
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~Sasheena

and the kids: Tantilla, Tantillas, Lightning, Kinkee, Maple, Castle, Bishop, Queenie, Jester, Pandora, Phantom, Aphrodite, Athena, Hermes, and Lady