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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #341
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_u7vil8.jpg
An Orange Dream (+Het Clown), with some assorted stones.
The only stone I can name with certainty is the green agate from India in the center, the others are from central/west coast USA. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
A lot happens in a few months-even a solar eclipse. I had to be in a meeting so I left my camera out to record it.
Without solar filters it doesn't really look like anything lol...it was only a partial eclipse in my area-so no luck there anway...
(25 minute time lapse-partial eclipse at halfway point-12 seconds in)
https://youtu.be/LysGRpQPJ_I
Took a break from photos for a while...now we are into the 2024 season and I have to catch up before the next wave of hatchlings! :)
Photo #342
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_ztbw0p.jpg
A Pastel Mojave (+Het Hypo and VPI Axanthic) with a piece of Montana Agate.
This type of Agate is known for taking a super high shine, but, also being incredibly dense and taking an inordinate amount of time to tumble and polish.
I think this piece took about 8 months 24/7.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_s7pa2p.jpg
I've been using a Silver Snake Coin for proportional scale in 2023, I wanted something different for 2024. I found this (below) in the gravel underneath the breakwater at Hampton Beach, NH (while looking for unusual stones).
I'm surprised no one found it with a metal detector, but, it was in an odd spot.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_cyv4lc.jpg
It is about the same size as the snake coin I have been using in 2023.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_smaaf4.jpg
Last year I had low clutch production/yields to due to toxic levels of arsenic in my water.
Judging by how my females look: This year it would seem that I am not going to have the same issue.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_dmr1jh.jpg
In other news: I went to the Manchester, NH New England Reptile Expo on Sunday 05MAY2024.
There was a graduation ceremony near the Expo and all the parking spots in the garage and surrounding areas were completely full by the time the expo started. Bad news for anyone who showed up a little late, but, probably fine for anyone who came after the ceremony was finished.
I only took a handful of photos...I will upload those when I get the chance. :)
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Wow, welcome "back"! :D Nice snake. I enjoyed the full eclipse where I live, it was strange & amazing to have darkness in the afternoon.
Nice find on that coin! Not a thing wrong with that snake coin either. "8 months" to polish a stone??? And here I thought I was patient...:rolleyes: But it's gorgeous. :gj:
All the best with this years clutches. I take it you're testing your water now? How did you get rid of it?
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Wow, welcome "back"! :D Nice snake. I enjoyed the full eclipse where I live, it was strange & amazing to have darkness in the afternoon.
Nice find on that coin! Not a thing wrong with that snake coin either. "8 months" to polish a stone??? And here I thought I was patient...:rolleyes: But it's gorgeous. :gj:
All the best with this years clutches. I take it you're testing your water now? How did you get rid of it?
Thanks, I remember seeing a solar eclipse as a child and it was a full eclipse.
Yeah, the snake coin is fine, but, I wanted something different so I can quickly ID what year the picture is from.
8 months to polish a stone is a long time...that is why Montana agate is notorious. ;)
As for my toxic well water: Originally the former owner of the house had given me a water test report which showed dangerously high arsenic levels. I had my own lab test and the results were 5X higher than the first lab had indicated (variability is common). I had a big water filtration system installed utilizing greensand media, and the water tested clean afterwards. I was told that if regenerated properly (recharged) the greensand would last about 4-8 years before needing to be replaced. Since we only have 2 people in our house: 8 years was more likely. It costs $200/arsenic test-so it is not something I check monthly.
-I noticed last year that my male Tiger Salamander was getting seriously bloated and sick. He was extremely pale and laying upside down exposed on top of the terrarium (he is usually in a tunnel). Since he is approaching 20 years old-I figured it was probably his time to go. Just in case I changed out all the coconut fiber substrate in his terrarium and switched over to bottled spring water. I poured some spring water on him twice daily-since he was paralyzed and I did not want him to dry out. From deaths door to a full recovery in just 3 weeks...it was amazing, but, also pretty sus. By that point I realized that 75% of my ball python females had either reabsorbed or were reabsorbing their follicles. I had the water tested, and after 4 years, the media was cutting the arsenic levels in half, but, in my case that *still* meant it was super toxic. I payed a few thousand dollars to have the media changed out and we are testing clean again with a happy tiger salamander and a pile of gravid bp females...:) It seems that 3 years is as far as I'm going to get without regular testing.
Sidenote: The plumber I hired to swap out the arsenic media did not wear any protective gear and emptied out the contaminated media in the bed of his enclosed truck with a hand shovel and a shop vac. I went up to him and suggested he may want to wear a facemask (at least), but, he wouldn't hear it. Found out later when I called his office that he went to the ER that night-horribly ill. He wasn't able to finish the additional work I had hired him for until several weeks later...Of course that could just be coincidental...
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
...As for my toxic well water: Originally the former owner of the house had given me a water test report which showed dangerously high arsenic levels. I had my own lab test and the results were 5X higher than the first lab had indicated (variability is common). I had a big water filtration system installed utilizing greensand media, and the water tested clean afterwards. I was told that if regenerated properly (recharged) the greensand would last about 4-8 years before needing to be replaced. Since we only have 2 people in our house: 8 years was more likely. It costs $200/arsenic test-so it is not something I check monthly.
-I noticed last year that my male Tiger Salamander was getting seriously bloated and sick. He was extremely pale and laying upside down exposed on top of the terrarium (he is usually in a tunnel). Since he is approaching 20 years old-I figured it was probably his time to go. Just in case I changed out all the coconut fiber substrate in his terrarium and switched over to bottled spring water. I poured some spring water on him twice daily-since he was paralyzed and I did not want him to dry out. From deaths door to a full recovery in just 3 weeks...it was amazing, but, also pretty sus. By that point I realized that 75% of my ball python females had either reabsorbed or were reabsorbing their follicles. I had the water tested, and after 4 years, the media was cutting the arsenic levels in half, but, in my case that *still* meant it was super toxic. I payed a few thousand dollars to have the media changed out and we are testing clean again with a happy tiger salamander and a pile of gravid bp females...:) It seems that 3 years is as far as I'm going to get without regular testing.
Sidenote: The plumber I hired to swap out the arsenic media did not wear any protective gear and emptied out the contaminated media in the bed of his enclosed truck with a hand shovel and a shop vac. I went up to him and suggested he may want to wear a facemask (at least), but, he wouldn't hear it. Found out later when I called his office that he went to the ER that night-horribly ill. He wasn't able to finish the additional work I had hired him for until several weeks later...Of course that could just be coincidental...
Wow, what a scary ordeal with your well water. I'm so glad your Tiger salamander didn't die & that your BP girls survived okay too, albeit without the usual productivity. Close call, I'd say. As for your plumber, you warned him & tried your best...I bet next time he'll take the hint to take protective measures...at least I hope so! :O
Rotten luck having water with so much contamination that you have to test every few years. I hope you knew before you bought the place- not a very good surprise, but at least you weren't without warning.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Wow, what a scary ordeal with your well water. I'm so glad your Tiger salamander didn't die & that your BP girls survived okay too, albeit without the usual productivity. Close call, I'd say. As for your plumber, you warned him & tried your best...I bet next time he'll take the hint to take protective measures...at least I hope so! :O
Rotten luck having water with so much contamination that you have to test every few years. I hope you knew before you bought the place- not a very good surprise, but at least you weren't without warning.
Yeah, the former owner of my house had given me the water report prior to purchase to explain why she had 1 gallon cannister filter on the kitchen sink...which for the level of arsenic in the water was laughably inadequate. Considering she was into 'spiritual healing' and 'metaphysics'--they didn't help her when she became so ill that she lost her job and had to sell the house. It was obvious to my gf and I that she had arsenic poisoning (pigment in her skin was splotchy).
Of course what you don't know can hurt you. My real estate agent mentioned off-hand that I might want to radon test the basement: 36 piC/L of radiation. With 1.4 being average and a score of 4 being considered actionable...36 is unreal-I had it tested twice to confirm the result. Usually a score that high is from a house on the edge of a lake where the radon gas under the lake spreads to the edges.
-In response I had a Radon ventilation system installed and the score dropped to 0.4. The radon ventilation fan had a three year warranty-and after 1 year it burned out...so I got a free fan, but, had to pay labor for the replacement. After 1 more year: That fan burnt out, and when I contacted the company for a replacement they said that the 3 year warranty only applied to the original ventilation fan and I would have to pay for the new fan and the reinstall, but, I would get a three year warranty on that one...ughhhh... In the meanwhile I had started raising my rodents for my snakes and I had built a custom ventilation system to exhaust the rising ammonia. Since mice stink really bad: I had to make the airflow out of my basement pretty significant. I measured the radon levels at chest height with my rodent ventilation system alone and it was a score of 3.7. Considering I don't sleep down there...and the overhead fans keep the radon from climbing out of the basement into the house-good enough...:)
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You've had quite an "adventure" with your house! All that arsenic & radon too! :rolleyes: Sad about the former owner not taking it seriously enough.
Didn't know you're a "fellow mouse breeder" too- they sure can stink up a place...ventilation is essential.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
You've had quite an "adventure" with your house! All that arsenic & radon too! :rolleyes: Sad about the former owner not taking it seriously enough.
Didn't know you're a "fellow mouse breeder" too- they sure can stink up a place...ventilation is essential.
Yes, ventilation is essential with all the rodents-they all smell (even pygmy mice). I use Zeolite (Horse Stall Freshener) in the warmer months to cancel out some of the ammonia, but, it is no substitute. I keep my snake collection on the down-low and my neighbors have no idea why all the vultures in the area are constantly hanging out in my backyard. The scent of rodent ammonia to them must be like fresh baked apple pie to us...
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
...my neighbors have no idea why all the vultures in the area are constantly hanging out in my backyard. The scent of rodent ammonia to them must be like fresh baked apple pie to us...
It just keeps getting better: Arsenic in the water, radon in the house, & surrounded by vultures? :D You couldn't even make that up...
And what's more, who could imagine, what with the extraordinary beauty you produce there in the form of snakes, polished stones & flowers. :sweeet:
I think you're right about the vultures being drawn to rodent "cologne" wafting on the wind..."like fresh baked apple pie to us"- :rofl:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
And what's more, who could imagine, what with the extraordinary beauty you produce there in the form of snakes, polished stones & flowers. :sweeet:
Yep, it's a dirty job, but, somebodies gotta do it. ;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
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Oooh, I want that Taiwan Beauty rat snake! Looks a lot like the ones I had, only mine had a bolder pattern of black diamonds. The hypo does nothing for me- I like the normal coloration. Now those are snakes that I'm sure would fish things out of a water bowl...:D Pity I never thought about testing it when I had them. Such alert, fun snakes, but they get SO big. Mine weren't biters, just restless, not good at sitting still- & beautiful! Love those eyes. And boy do they EAT!
I like the bold colors on that scaleless rat snake too, but I wouldn't want one- I likes my snakes with scales. (He should be cheaper too, since he's missing some "equipment"? :rolleyes: )
Hey, thanks for sharing with the rest of us poor souls here that don't get out much to these things.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Hey, thanks for sharing with the rest of us poor souls here that don't get out much to these things.
Yeah, I don't get out as much as I used to either. I think I missed the previous 2 New England Reptile Expos after missing none for many years.
Photo #343
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_hwqngo.jpg
Low Expression Orange Dream/Het Clown with a tumbled ThunderEgg.
Note: The brown parts of the thunderegg are soft rhyolite and the opaque is a hardened agate core which makes tumbling a larger piece without it fracturing-tricky business.
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Wow! ^ ^ ^ Beautiful snake AND stone! I know we're not seeing your "goofs" here, but you're still quite an excellent rock tumbler. ("rumbler"?) ("lapidist"?) Very patient too- :D
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Wow! ^ ^ ^ Beautiful snake AND stone! I know we're not seeing your "goofs" here, but you're still quite an excellent rock tumbler. ("rumbler"?) ("lapidist"?) Very patient too- :D
Hahaha Thanks! I am an expert with rock tumblers only because I have a lot of them and I have been doing it for several years. I wouldn't consider myself any sort of lapidary pro unless I had all the toys and had mastered them (rock saws, angle grinders, flat lap polishers, cabbing machines/grinding wheels etc etc). My parents offered to buy all the fancy machines for me to advance my rock tumbling hobby to lapidary work, but, my main hobby is breeding ball pythons...everything else is just a secondary interest. :)
Yeah, you don't see goofs because the great thing about rock tumbling is that you can just toss them back in the barrel and aside from internal fracturing: any mistakes can be corrected at the cost of losing mass on the stone...
One of my costliest goofs was using a beautiful 468g. Red-Blue Corundum (Ruby/Sapphire) I imported from a mine in China. I put in a tumbling barrel with petrified wood chips: My thought was that since the Corundum was harder than the petrified wood-and the same hardness as my silicon carbide grit-that it should wear down very slowly. This would have been true, but, the higher hardness stones don't scratch-they splinter and chip. At the end of two weeks of tumbling I had a 20g sphere of ugly grey-blue sapphire and everything else in the barrel was liquified by the corundum dust...they say not to tumble Rubies and Sapphires-'they' are right...:oops:
Photo #344
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_s9lztk.jpg
Lesser (+Het Gravel or YB), and a piece of pink chalcedony from the West Coast, USA.
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Ouch on the Red-Blue Corundum...but we all live & learn. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #345
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_zoxacp.jpg
Black agate from Madagascar with a Pastel/Orange Dream/Het Clown ball python. :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Oh, and 9 eggs for clutch #9 yesterday-how fitting... :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ubmdzk.jpg
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #346
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_pdh6ee.jpg
A chunk of snowflake obsidian with a Hypomelanistic BP (+Het VPI Axanthic).
Fun fact: The 'snowflakes' are called spherulites and are composed of a type of quartz (cristobolite), and the small red spots commonly seen are usually hematite inclusions.
Breeders Note: 2024 seasons is going great!
I had to bring the entirety of my incubators online. This has never happened previously and as I was setting them up I found that my gf had scavenged some of my thermostats over the last 2 years for her terrariums (without telling me).
Luckily I keep a small hidden stash of spare VE-200s (just in case). ;)
Regardless of my good production this year-there were five bp females I really wanted eggs from this season-and four of them reabsorbed, and I'm uncertain on the fifth. Figures right? :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
So, it did not take long for someone to debate my claim that Photo #346 is a Hypo...so for reference:
1. Sheds clear/Patternless
2. Parental Cross was Pastel/VPI Axanthic/Het Hypo x Hypo.
3. Dark Eyes (Not Green/Blue)
4. Color Comparison to 'WT' below:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_lo7tts.jpg
:)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #347
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_gt5quc.jpg
Pastel/OD/Het Clown ball python with a stone from Lake Michigan (Basalt suspected).
2024 breeding season is going well-my incubators are about to be overwhelmed.
I thought about placing two clutches laid at the same time (with different potential outcomes) in the same egg bin, but, I'd rather not because a lot of the clutches are already taking up a lot of real estate.
My first clutches should start hatching the first week of July-so I just need to hang on a bit longer to free up some space.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_mt5oir.jpg
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"Your cup runneth over..." as they say. Or it's about to. :D
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
"Your cup runneth over..." as they say. Or it's about to. :D
My cup runneth over with serpents...sounds like a good christian statement... ;)
In other news: I like to take photos of my snakes with my iris gardens, and I do enjoy my online anonymity. This year: someone from a popular Massachusetts horticultural group photographed the front of my house and gave everyone my address (to check out the gardens). I didn't think many people would bother-or care. I was wrong...tons of people have been visiting my property-photographers-painters-amateur artists. My gf has been flattered by all the attention and welcomes the guests, but, I have been annoyed with all the randos wandering around (I have a few acres). I wasn't able to take many snake and flower photos because my property has been under the magnifying glass. Hopefully next year will be 'quieter', but, I suspect the same people are probably going to be showing up again...time to charge admission...lol...hmmm...*thinks to myself* maybe that is not a bad idea....:)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_euuc42.jpg
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Your place is every bit as beautiful as your serpents, I'm sure, but I'd not welcome the intrusions on my privacy. I guess there is such a thing as eye-candy over-load, if only for the excessive attention. Have you tried scaring them off with all the snakes? :twisted: :rofl:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Your place is every bit as beautiful as your serpents, I'm sure, but I'd not welcome the intrusions on my privacy. I guess there is such a thing as eye-candy over-load, if only for the excessive attention. Have you tried scaring them off with all the snakes? :twisted: :rofl:
The majority of people who visit my property are merely stopping to take some quick photos to post on social media platforms. The last thing I need is to go viral swinging a snake around and hurling insults like a madman. I did run into a few people that saw me taking pictures with an albino ball python and they kept exclaiming 'What is he holding?'--and I was so annoyed that they were bothering me on my property-I felt I did not owe them an explanation and went back into my house.
Again: I keep my identity as a ball python breeder very secretive as I am only a few miles from a town with an incredibly high crime rate, and theft is common.
By July most of my irises have finished blooming and I expect the sightseers to stop. I hope they find some new flavor of interest to entertain them next year.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #348
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_veegvt.jpg
Brazilian Agate with a Pastel (+Het Gravel or YB).
Breeders Note: There have been violent thunderstorms in my area the last few days, but, I did not lose power. Last night I noticed one of my incubators was offline and the fuse in the thermostat had been blown. I check my incubators briefly every other day-so in the worst possible scenario: the incubator was disabled for 36 hours. I keep water bottles stacked inside to sustain a stable temperature, but, the thermal energy had been fully depleted-and the incubator was at the room temperature of 80F. The incubator was the first in my series and is holding eggs that are between 45-55 days old. Temperatures in nature are not perfectly stable, but, nor do they guarantee a successful hatch. Anything above 20% mortality on a clutch I consider unusual...I guess we will find out in a week or two...
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Beautiful snake and agate! & I sure hope those eggs are okay. Like you said, nature's not perfect either. Finger's crossed!
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #349
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_scfxed.jpg
Het Clown BP and a chunk of Amazonite from Brazil.
Breeders Note: With 4/5 of my most anticipated females reabsorbing eggs-my 5th has laid!
I almost cheered...until I saw the eggs...then I felt pretty disheartened...take a look at my worst clutch so far this season:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_wl7nja.jpg
You don't get a good sense of scale from the photo, but, all of these eggs are too small and/or weigh 50% or less than they should.
The egg on the far left is the largest and the lightest-most likely a dud
The egg on the far right feels dense and has a wet spot-I'm fairly certain it is dead.
The three eggs in the center seem viable, but, are so small-that if they hatch I will have to force feed the offspring to keep them alive.
This is the first clutch from this female-and it should be no surprise that she was hatched from a small egg (like one shown above).
I had to force-feed and then assist feed her for months before she took food on her own.
I don't look forward to repeating the process again with any of her offspring (regardless of genetic outcomes).
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So sorry for your disappointing clutch...I don't think I'd keep breeding that female, it seems like you'll just get more of the same. :( Breeding snakes can be very frustrating at times, especially when those most-anticipated snakes resorb their eggs. But look at the bright side, maybe "nature" knows what it's doing- not everything is meant to be.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
So sorry for your disappointing clutch...I don't think I'd keep breeding that female, it seems like you'll just get more of the same. :( Breeding snakes can be very frustrating at times, especially when those most-anticipated snakes resorb their eggs. But look at the bright side, maybe "nature" knows what it's doing- not everything is meant to be.
As someone from the medical field: I do my best to defy Nature. :)
While I could stop breeding this female: Her mother just recently produced a solid clutch of 6 healthy eggs-which would suggest that past performance is not indicative of future results.
In addition: The clutch from this female has a 1 in 8 'egg chance' of meeting one of my final project goals (my first focused breeding goal-which I started 15 years ago).
Just in case: I have two females next year that will be reaching maturity from a separate breeding line, they will have a 1/16 chance of meeting the same goal...however I would prefer not to produce copious amounts of Hets if I did not have to...
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
As someone from the medical field: I do my best to defy Nature. :)
While I could stop breeding this female: Her mother just recently produced a solid clutch of 6 healthy eggs-which would suggest that past performance is not indicative of future results.
In addition: The clutch from this female has a 1 in 8 'egg chance' of meeting one of my final project goals (my first focused breeding goal-which I started 15 years ago).
Just in case: I have two females next year that will be reaching maturity from a separate breeding line, they will have a 1/16 chance of meeting the same goal...however I would prefer not to produce copious amounts of Hets if I did not have to...
I figured you'd have a bunch of reasons to keep trying- ;) And yeah, I take your point. Better luck next time then.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Photo #350
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_bs5p97.jpg
Hypo Mojave (+Het VPI Axanthic) with some Atlantis Wonder Jasper from Utah, USA.
Photo #350 conveniently marks the end of my 2023 breeding season. My 2024 picture series to begin in a few weeks.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Just for fun: Here is a brownout color comparison between two of my Pastel VPI Axanthic Ball Pythons.
The one on the left is from 2022 (~2 years old-Photo #280), and the one on the right is from 2018 (~6 years old-Photo #31).
Tempest Fugit.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_mikmop.jpg
Note: I seem to fail to add Fire every breeding season-2024 included-lol...:)
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I was concerned that a 24-36 hour temp. drop down to 80F might have impacted my first few clutches: I checked the eggs today and they all seem to be in good condition.
I also have my first pip of the season!
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...tch_pbimgu.jpg
This one is a winner for me-as the cross was: Het Clown/Pos. Het Lav Albino x Het Clown/Pos. Het Lav Albino...
Which means I just locked down the genetics of the parents as both being 100% Het for Lav Albino! :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
I just went on Morph Market. Lavender albino clowns fetch a pretty penny. Congrats.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
I just went on Morph Market. Lavender albino clowns fetch a pretty penny. Congrats.
Ahhh they do, but, this one is out of the egg today and is not a clown- it is a Lavender Albino/66% Het Clown only. :)
I have 2 more clutches by this male with additional Het Clown/50% Pos. Het Lavender Albino Females...so there is still the possibility of a double recessive.
To hedge my bets: I also have another set of 3 clutches incubating by a separate Het Clown/Pos. Het Lavender Albino Male x Het Clown/Pos. Het Lav Albino Females.
I'm just happy that one of my males proved to be Het Clown/Het Lav Albino-This makes it easy for me to breed him with all my females in that Grail project next year.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
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Thanks for sharing...all except for the dead rattlesnakes in bottles, which I'm quite sure did not die from natural causes...:tears: :mad:
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
How could you pass up a bargain like this? If the egg sac comes with it, that works out to about a penny per. Raise them up and sell them for $20 per. Now, that's how you make money!
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Thanks for sharing...all except for the dead rattlesnakes in bottles, which I'm quite sure did not die from natural causes...:tears: :mad:
Yeah...I talked with the girl and she insisted that all of the animals in jars were pets that had expired... A quick examination of several species I am familiar with showed no sign of unusual body condition...of which I would expect from a sick animal. Prices were also much higher for a preserved specimen than a living one...this always makes me very uncomfortable...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
How could you pass up a bargain like this? If the egg sac comes with it, that works out to about a penny per. Raise them up and sell them for $20 per. Now, that's how you make money!
How could I lose?? People are just lining about to buy Black Widow spiders!...
I mentioned it to my gf and she said that most people want the females only...so that cuts your projected profits right in half...:)
In an unrelated story: Last night I woke up at midnight and thought I smelled a chemical burning scent. I traced it to my gfs frog room. She runs an air conditioner in there at night to keep them from overheating in the summer. She has a lot of electrical lines to various terrariums. It was late and I just wanted to sleep: so I went down the basement and tripped the circuit breaker to the room turning everything off until I could examine it better in the morning. When I went back to our bedroom my gf heard the uncanny silence (no water pumps running) and asked me what I did: and when I told her-she was Furious. We then had a sleepy lethargic midnight battle over animal care vs. home safety. Regardless of my concerns: she had me re-enable the circuit breaker. About a minute later: the air conditioner stopped working and the room started to fill with smoke. No complaints were had about disabling the electricity the second time...
Photo of the culprit below. A short due to deteriorating protective sleeves on electric wires.
Luckily we weren't away on vacation-this had also started burning a hole in the wall.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...let_x8cs88.jpg
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Lord Sorril, you live WAY too exciting a life. I'm so glad you got to that hot mess in time, & nothing worse happened. :O
As for the rattlesnakes, I can't imagine preserving any of my pets for sale as a "snake in a jar"-:( Normally I bury my pets, though I do have the bony remains of one in particular in a classic blue speckle jar (as an informal urn) that says "Kiss my grits". He's not for sale either... ;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Sorril
How could I lose?? People are just lining about to buy Black Widow spiders!...
I mentioned it to my gf and she said that most people want the females only...so that cuts your projected profits right in half...:)
I knew that I should have put a winking emoji, or some such, after my comment to show that I meant it in jest. Hard to imagine anyone getting rich off spiders. Now, cockroaches! That's totally different. There's gold in them there roaches.;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
I knew that I should have put a winking emoji, or some such, after my comment to show that I meant it in jest. Hard to imagine anyone getting rich off spiders. Now, cockroaches! That's totally different. There's gold in them there roaches.;)
Just make sure you specify what kind of roaches you're selling...;)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Lord Sorril, you live WAY too exciting a life. I'm so glad you got to that hot mess in time, & nothing worse happened. :O
As for the rattlesnakes, I can't imagine preserving any of my pets for sale as a "snake in a jar"-:( Normally I bury my pets, though I do have the bony remains of one in particular in a classic blue speckle jar (as an informal urn) that says "Kiss my grits". He's not for sale either... ;)
Exciting a life? Sounds like the Chinese Curse 'May you live in interesting times'. :)
I know some people are into taxidermy--totally not my 'thing'. I've necropsied some of my reptile pets in the past-and I think if I preserved one in a jar...I would probably get nauseous every time I looked at it... That said: When I was in Pre-Med classes in university-I did study a lot of 'remains'. It helps a lot when you don't know anything about the life of the specimen and then you can just view it as an intriguing structure instead of a unique individual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
I knew that I should have put a winking emoji, or some such, after my comment to show that I meant it in jest. Hard to imagine anyone getting rich off spiders. Now, cockroaches! That's totally different. There's gold in them there roaches.;)
Lol, I know you were joking. If I was going to breed insects it would be Blue Death Feigning Beetles. People have learned how to be breed them captively (eggs have to be incubated), but, all the vendors I see are still selling wild caught at the expos... I was also talking to vendors about the Red-Eyed Katydids. Those sound like a lot of fun. Not sure if anyone has captive bred them yet-sounds like something that would be up my alley (if I had the time...which I don't). :)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
So, while I wait around for my eggs to hatch for 2024...I get a chance to take a closer look at my 2023 holdbacks.
I noticed that two of my clown ball pythons look very different from each other (to my eyes). Both of them are 50% Possible Het for Lavender Albino.
A bit of Het Lavender Albino interaction on the one on the left perhaps?...Only time will tell. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_yoee5g.jpg
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Oooooooo... If I ever find myself in the market for a ball python, I'm going to give you a call.
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Homebody
Oooooooo... If I ever find myself in the market for a ball python, I'm going to give you a call.
Lol, I keep a low profile irl. :)
First Snakes and Stones photo of 2024!
Photo #351
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ATERMARKED.jpg
Ball python is 66% Het for Clown+Lavender Albino.
You are going to see lots of Hets this year.
I have double and triple recessive projects in the works.
The stone is a quartzy variant I took out of the Connecticut River.
People in the rock forums make fun of me for collecting this material as it is very common in different parts of the USA.
Where I live there are not very many good stones to tumble and this material is rare in my area...so I will take what I can get (for free). :)
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Re the stone: Yeah, but so what? It's pretty! (The BP is pretty too- nice shine!)
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Re: Snakes and Stones
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bogertophis
Re the stone: Yeah, but so what? It's pretty! (The BP is pretty too- nice shine!)
Yeah, I am not really concerned about the 'class' of my stones. If they look nice: then whatever. $1/lb vs. $100/lb...so what...and yes it is a tough job getting a good polish on a ball python! ;)
In other news: My clutch #2 has started to hatch.
Same breeding config as my clutch #1 (Het Clown/Pos. Het Lav Albino x Het Clown/Pos. Het Lav Albino).
Clutch #2 uses the same male involved in Clutch#1-so we know that the male is already a proven 100% Het for both Clown and Lavender Albino.
I took this photo below and I thought this hatchling clown looks more 'orangey' than normal (going to note this in my records-for future reference).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_exz1wd.jpg
Then I looked closer at the photo:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...d-2_ica2ec.jpg
I see Lavender Albino in that egg!
This means that this female I used in this mating is now also a proven 100% Het for Lavender Albino.
This may be droll information for some people...but, exciting for me! :)
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Hey, we're all happy for you! :gj:
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