Snakes and Stones

Photo #352
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_orwwvm.jpg
BP is a 66% Het for Clown and Lavender Albino.
Stone is a piece of blue agate from the Southwest USA.

Photo #353
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_iufcxb.jpg
A piece of Beryl (from NH) with a 66% Het Clown/Lavender Albino ball python.

If you compare the two snakes from both #352 and #353 you will notice they look very different.
I'm fairly certain that the snake above (#353) is Heterozygous for both genes. :)

Photo #354
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ymmbtu.jpg
BP is a 66% Het Clown/Lavender Albino. The stone is an asbestos-type rock that has been tumbled/'polished'.
I test different asbestos deposits in my region to find out if any of them tumble well...they do not...

Photo #355
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_k7e0no.jpg
Some local granite with a 66% possible Het for both Clown and Lavender Albino.

Fun fact: I went to an operational granite quarry a few years ago in Vermont, USA.
Even with a $100K diamond blade finish saw and the most advanced industrial tech-the polish on *some* of my granite pieces rivals theirs. :)

Photo #356
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_zfqbwv.jpg
Brazilian Agate with a 66% Het Clown/Lavender Albino Ball Python.

In 2023 I crossed a Highway (Gravel/YB) x Spider/YB female. I produced three ivory ball pythons (two of them with the spider gene). I missed the highway morph, but, I couldn't complain with three ivories from an average sized clutch.

2024 I have the same cross and a clutch of 5 eggs. Two eggs have already hatched (shown below).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_i0binv.jpg
I couldn't complain last year, but, if I get no Highways and a statistically unlikely amount of Ivories this year again...I'm definitely going to consider it! ;)

Correction: 6 eggs in Clutch #3, and it appears I don't need to curse the odds gods this year...they were as expected. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_fdvclp.jpg

Those are some very nice snakes and beautiful stones Sorrill.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

Those are some very nice snakes and beautiful stones Sorrill.

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Thanks! I think it is going to be tough for me to pick which snakes to hold back this year...I have project goals, but, I also think some morphs that I have not seen yet-may be interesting.

Just like choosing an ice cream flavor...do I pick one I know I will like...or do I try a new one and find out if I like it more?...decisions decisions...:)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_rxlrt7.jpg

Keep them all, build a bigger house...:rofl:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Keep them all, build a bigger house...:rofl:

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Ahhh, I would if I could. It would solve one issue, but, raise others. :)

Photo #357
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_cjq26r.jpg
Lavender Albino (+66% Het Clown) with a very challenging stone from the Morenci Copper Mine in Arizona, USA.
The stone is a composite Copper Oxide material (e.g. Chrysocolla/Malachite) with hard and soft spots which makes it highly prone to crumbling.
Non-flash photo of the stone with overhead lighting below.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_xzaofm.jpg

Photo #358
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_xhkkom.jpg
Some agate with a Clown (+66% Het for Lavender Albino).

Ooooh, pretty pretty!

Photo #359
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_iu3diw.jpg
Some local feldspar with an Enchi Het Clown. Not the cleanest looking Enchi, but, Enchi nonetheless. :)

Photo #360
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_temhw9.jpg
Enchi Het Clown with some Banded Sandstone (shown wet).

Note: I'm trying to pick out 2 Enchi Het Clowns to holdback from this particular clutch...
This Enchi has better banding than the one in Photo #359, but, all the additional Enchi traits are lower expression...so I would actually prefer to keep the previous one for future breeding...:)

Photo #361
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_kyiqmu.jpg
A good example of a 100% Het Clown with a piece of local iron-stained quartz.

Photo #362
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_gyampl.jpg
Spider Ivory with a piece of Brazilian Agate.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Photo #362
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_gyampl.jpg
Spider Ivory with a piece of Brazilian Agate.

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You should tell people that's her egg...:D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

You should tell people that's her egg...:D

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That is a great idea! ;)

Last season I had two healthy looking clutches in two completely separate incubators die spontaneously. The only connection was that these two clutches were laid by two sisters.

This season it looks like one of my clutches is in the process of dying again. I checked my breeding records and it is from one of the same sisters from last season. This year I used a different male, but, the end result is the same *sigh*. I have been breeding ball pythons for a while now and I've never seen a female lay consistently non-viable eggs...I guess there is a first time for everything...

Unlike last season though: Losing one or two clutches is not going to slow my projects down...
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_rziilm.jpg

So frustrating- I guess it's time to give up breeding that one? Something's not right.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

So frustrating- I guess it's time to give up breeding that one? Something's not right.

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Yes, and again her sisters clutch is looking a bit 'off'.
I was feeling pretty proud of my current hatching statistics so far (@94.7%), but, two imminent lost clutches is going to put a big dent in my numbers. :skullbone

Photo #363
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_x5tfzq.jpg
Some porous Nipomo Agate with Marcasite inclusions and a Firefly (Fire/Pastel), 66% Het Clown, 50% Het Blade ball python.
The pores in some of these agates are like ant tunnels and grinding the stones down does nothing to improve them.

Breeders Note: Because I cannot identify yet which snakes are actually carrying the Blade gene...I am going to track it as a possibility until I can pin the trait down.
Parental cross was: Pastel/Blade/Het Clown x Fire/Het Clown.

Photo #364
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_popf8g.jpg
A piece of thunderegg that broke apart during tumble, and a Spider+Het for Gravel or YB.

Photo #365
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_dbtihc.jpg
Firefly Clown Pos. Het Blade, with some yellow/green Beryl (looks light blue under camera flash), and a few pieces of Amethyst.
Beryl from NH, USA.
Chevron Amethyst from Zambia, South Central Africa.

Clutch #9 Hatching - 10AUG2024
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_q6wqsa.jpg
Super Pastel/Spider/Het VPI Axanthic/50% Pos. Het OG x Het VPI Axanthic
Out of 12 breed age females as part of my VPI Axanthic projects: only 3 laid eggs. Next year I will have 20 females...so I guess I can expect 5 clutches then lol...:)

What do you think: Axanthic Bee in lower left corner, or bright Bumblebee? I've checked this one about 10 times in the last 2 days-suspense...

Clutch #9 is still hatching. I still cannot confirm whether that is an Axanthic Bee or Bumblebee in the lower left of the clutch. I saw a little bit more of the neck today-and I'm thinking a bright Bumblebee. I will post a photo of the clutch when it hatches out.

In other news: I went to the Londonderry NH flea market today. There was a cool guy from Florida who had all sorts of stuff he had collected on the beaches. Among those items were shark teeth, dinosaur bones, unusual shells, small rare mineral specimens, and other assorted fossils. He told me that most people on the Florida beaches are so intent on finding shark teeth that they ignore or fail to identify everything else they encounter (which makes things easy for him).

While he had a lot of interesting stuff: I only wanted a few items, a big heavy fossilized oyster (because it is neat), and some dinosaur bones (which I am going to tumble and polish). He charged me almost nothing for these items and I made sure to give him a few dollars extra. :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_tdm1gg.jpg
Lavender Albino ball python is from Photo #357. Silver coin on bottom of oyster for scale.

Photo #366
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_cvalmg.jpg
The stone is from the Snake River, Idaho, USA. The ball python is a Fire/66% Het Clown/50% Het Blade.
The rock was originally one piece with a crack in it, and I split it and tumbled the two pieces. I'm sure there is a joke here, but, I'm not going to make it. ;)

In the meanwhile my Clutch #9 is still in the process of hatching. Results are a bit unexpected as it seems that my female had something allelic with Orange Ghost, and my male was not Super Pastel.

Photo #367
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_dqbl2p.jpg
Firefly/66% Het Clown/50% Het Blade with a piece of Quartzy material I took from the Connecticut River.
Occasionally I will find stones like this with small metallic gold streaks in them...An 'expert' assured me that it was Pyrite and not actually gold. *Doh!*

I just wanted to post an image of this one from Clutch #9: Since I don't often see too many good photos of Orange Ghost ball pythons.
Most of them lose their orange as they get older unless paired with another complimentary genetic morph.
I'm not certain if this one is benefited by being a 66% possible Het for VPI Axanthic, but, it has really nice color (for now).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...024_nlpmhc.jpg

My last egg from Clutch #9 is hatching today.
Here we go again! Axanthic Bee or Bright Bumblebee? *Holding Breath* :)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_kiy9ym.jpg

Photo #368
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_fi8k1r.jpg
A tumbled/polished Thunderegg, with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Blade ball python.
This one is an oddball: Shattered alien heads, high saturation black pigment, light head stamp with white nose scales.
If I wasn't working with a dozen recessive genes-I would hold this one back to prove it out. :)

So my Clutch #8 had reached 71 days yesterday and still had not hatched @88F.
I noticed two of the eggs were darkening-so I was uncertain if they were goners.
This morning I get up and I see this:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_c3tyut.jpg
With a Parental Cross of (Het Lav Albino/50% Het Pied) x (Het Lav Albino/50% Het Pied), 2 Lav Albinos produced with only a 25% chance each! Whooo! :)
Now, the question is: With the breeding pair-I'm fairly certain I used Heterozygous Piebald markers correctly to choose the male, but, the females I used whatever I had....sooooo...is one of these going to be Dreamsicle...more suspense!

As for my Clutch #9 the last egg has not finished hatching, but, *spoiler alert* I see the neck and I think VPI Axanthic Bee is likely!
Again, I will post a photo of Clutch#9 together when they are all together.

I was also working on my rock tumblers this morning and I was ready for another batch of rough stones. I choose which stones to tumble based on which shipping box in my garage bursts due to the compression weight of those stacked on top. It looks like I'm going to be doing a lot of Montana Agate! This is also a relief because it is so much easier to tumble hard stones than soft stones, and Montana Agate takes forever, but, comes out awesome...
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_wqk3jn.jpg

After a long wait: Clutch #9
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_yxmc4i.jpg

Worth the wait, I'd say! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Worth the wait, I'd say! :D

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I would say so! :)
My Clutch #21 might have been able to do 'better' than an Axanthic Bee, but, it doesn't look like it is going to make it.

In the meanwhile:
Photo #369
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_dxb3wi.jpg
Tumbled/Polished Fossilized Layered Cyanobacteria (stromatolite) with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino Ball Python.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

I would say so! :)
My Clutch #21 might have been able to do 'better' than an Axanthic Bee, but, it doesn't look like it is going to make it....

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:( Sorry... win some, lose some. Still :( though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

:( Sorry... win some, lose some. Still :( though.

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Yep yep...I've had a bunch of win so far, so I can take a few hits and not slow down. :)
9 Clutches hatched and I have lost two eggs-this luck doesn't hold out forever.

Photo #370
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_epqk8h.jpg
66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino Ball python with a piece of Jasp-Agate from the Southwestern USA.

Breeders Note: No piebalds in Clutch #8, but, I see Het Pied Markers on at least one of them. I have a few more clutches upcoming which should allow me to pin down the Het Piebald status of some of the breeders.

Side Story: My gf and I went to Southwick Zoo today (in Mendon, Massachusetts). I was talking with one of the zookeepers who specialized in hyenas. She let us watch them get fed and as they were eating their raw meat (bones and all)-it occurred to me that all that extra calcium had to go somewhere. Snakes eat their prey whole and they excrete the extra calcium in white pellets...do hyenas do the same thing? The answer is yes, yes they do (pun intended).
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_btecmz.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_pzrmmb.jpg
How many people can say they examined Hyena Poop today hmmmm? ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

.....

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_btecmz.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_pzrmmb.jpg
How many people can say they examined Hyena Poop today hmmmm? ;)

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Not many...and even fewer would admit it! :rofl: (For some reason, this made me think of that old movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"- wherein the biologist Steyn is studying the wildlife dung & thought to be quite crazy by the locals. :D )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Not many...and even fewer would admit it! :rofl: (For some reason, this made me think of that old movie "The Gods Must Be Crazy"- wherein the biologist Steyn is studying the wildlife dung & thought to be quite crazy by the locals. :D )

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Lol, I never saw that movie. I imagine a lot of people would think that breeding ball pythons is quite crazy as well. :yes:

In other news: It is cute how sometimes an entire clutch will just have their heads sticking out of the eggs... It is a cruel world out here...I would stay in my egg as long as possible too....
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ted_l4njjr.jpg


GHI/Fire/Lesser: seems like a simple combination, but, only 3 on MM.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ser_cgpq1q.jpg
I suppose adding a brightener like 'Fire' to a dark patterned snake is an unusual breeding goal.
I do like high contrast though...:)

You bet! I'd stay in there too! I've actually had rat snakes come all the way out & then go back IN after they had a look around. :rofl:

(You might get a kick out of that movie- it's definitely not "Hollywood" fare. :D )

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

(You might get a kick out of that movie- it's definitely not "Hollywood" fare. :D )

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Ahhh, so I just watched: The Gods Must Be Crazy.
I thought it was OK for a movie released in 1980.
As a scientist: I can't pretend to idealize life without modern advancements.
I did not agree with its theme that good people can be so easily corrupted by envy (in this case by a glass bottle) on the same scale of: Tolkiens 'One Ring'. But, meh...just a movie. :)

Photo #371
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_qtfh2y.jpg
66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino Ball Python with some odd green stones I find occasionally in my area.
Not quite sure what the stones are, but, they don't tumble well...doesn't stop me from trying though...:)

Breeders Note:
My Clutch #10 was GHI/Fire x Lesser.
All 6 of of the hatchlings have GHI (1/64 chance)-which seems a bit sus...
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_hd5ge2.jpg
It did take me a while to ID them all, but, aside from the 100% GHI anomaly: Results for the additional genes were within normal predicted values.

Photo #372
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_a0a2sl.jpg
If you look carefully you can see the body of the snake showing through the top of the translucent snowflake obsidian.

BP: 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino.

I never would have noticed that the top of the snowflake obsidian is translucent enough to see the snake- :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I never would have noticed that the top of the snowflake obsidian is translucent enough to see the snake- :D

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Yep, since obsidian is just volcanic glass...it has varying levels of light diffraction/translucency which can make it difficult to use flash photography. :)

Photo #373
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_o8kqs6.jpg
Some larger pieces of Atlantis Wonder Jasper with a 66% Het Clown/50% Het Lav Albino.

For reference: This snake has a lot of good markers for Het Clown, but, nothing for Lav Albino. :)

The stone on the right I considered splitting along the fracture line, but, this material can be porous and I didn't think it was worth the risk of ruining the piece.

Wow! 3 Million views! :omfg:
Thanks everyone!!

I should probably write something profound, but, I have one cat sleeping on my shoulder and another one biting my toes as I type this: so my '300 Spartan Style' appreciation speech will have to wait.

I can give you an update on my collection and breeding efforts in 2024 though:
-10/28 clutches have hatched. I have lost 2 eggs from the first 10 clutches.
-All of my hatchlings (so far) have had no issues with accepting food. I am not certain if this is a result of selective breeding...or pure luck.
-Even though I stopped my mating pairs a month ago-I see a few females with advanced follicles which means that I *may* have additional clutches in the near future...
-I have been talking with a breeder regarding a rare recessive ball python morph and he has offered to sell me a 100% Het Male holdback he does not need-at a deep discount. Adding another recessive project is not what I had planned, but, I must admit that it is a tempting offer. I am not going to name the morph and the price because I can guarantee everyone here will encourage me to buy it-and maybe I should... :halohorn:

Anyhow, Thanks Again For The Views!

Back to business,
Photo 374:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_q5dcvt.jpg
66% Het Clown/50% Het Lavender Albino with half of a tumbled/polished Thunderegg originally collected from Oregon, USA.

Would you "settle" for a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS here? :D For all you're doing...:gj: And good luck deciding on that potential new addition...;) I'm staying out of it. :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Would you "settle" for a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS here? :D For all you're doing...:gj: And good luck deciding on that potential new addition...;) I'm staying out of it. :cool:

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Thanks! I will take a Huge Congratulations! :)

As for a potential new recessive addition...I'm definitely leaning against the option. The gene in question is largely untested...and while it may be cool to make 'Worlds First' this-and-that...I haven't seen any 'must-have' morphs that have been produced yet.

Photo #375
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_s3jvph.jpg
Highway ball python with a piece of Iolite from India.

Iolite is a hard, but, brittle mineral. The rough iolite pieces I purchased (sight unseen) looked like they were blast mined and were impossibly fractured to start with.
Fun fact: Iolite is also known as Cordierite and has the ability to rapidly heat up and cool down repeatedly with no damage. Synthetic Cordierite is used to make the lattice structure of catalytic converters which are coated with either platinum or palladium.

Oh, and my gf and I went to the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield MA today.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...r-1_aflfht.jpg
The site is a functional farm/museum open to visitors, but, not a Shaker village anymore.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...r-3_rxj26a.jpg
I may have left them a drawing at their historic school house. ;)
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...r-4_qnobpq.jpg
It is about 750 acres. We don't go there for the religious angle (a lot of people do), we just like to walk around and check out the farm.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...er2_vleypo.jpg
We also visited the Berkshire Museum while we were in the area, and aside from a Diadem rat-snake and an impressive mineral collection (including a topaz a bit smaller than my head)-it was rather lackluster.
Bad lighting and restrictions on photography made my pictures of the museum a bit of a mess.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...r-6_vpxksf.jpg
Note: My gf was mad that they were co-habbing two male ball pythons at the museum, and they both looked like they were in tough shape.

Aside from driving a few hundred miles back and forth from our home-we thought it was a fun trip. :)