So this happened

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Stunning lil snake :)

A photographer suggested to me to cover the snake with a plastic washing up bowl or something , hold it in place for 20 seconds or so , have the camera ready and in place ( tripod or whatever ) then when you lift the cover or bowl you will normally get a few seconds where the snake is motionless ... it worked for my King snakes anyways ..


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

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Ive used this trick, it works for my other snakes, not the retic lol

Lol was going to say, you stuff something over Caesar and he is going to push it off and continue onward. Nothing stops his forward progress, not even his face being beaten up like Rocky Balboa from a glass door lol.

And on a side note, not sure what got into Rango last night but he was beating up his warm hide like a bad redheaded stepchild. I was seeing that thing lift into the air and shift around lol. And Luna went crazy and somehow managed to move her water bowl almost across the width if her 4x2 cage. Not sure how she did that.

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

He is gorgeous! Snakes are sooo hard to photograph! :( Since they won't ever sit still it always causes the photos to be blurry, because the camera can't focus. Photos never do them justice anyway, because cameras and unnatural lighting just don't come close to capturing their true colors. Flashes are definitely a huge no-no! I'm actually going to be setting up a little designated photo shoot set soon for taking professional pictures of my snakes and i'm going to heavily light the set with full spectrum bulbs...

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Yeah, i made a makeshift photo booth, for fairly cheap and just used florescent lights i had for my light fixtures around the house. It comes out pretty nice, but still nothing compared to seeing with your own eyes
https://i.imgur.com/0kGkYt3.png
https://i.imgur.com/Ac5z4ER.png

Heck, the cat will put up with my shenanagins more than the 'tic lol.
I just used a tutorial from youtube, and ive used this one many times so its pretty banged up. I think im either going to make one thats heavier duty or just buy one online.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Lol was going to say, you stuff something over Caesar and he is going to push it off and continue onward. Nothing stops his forward progress, not even his face being beaten up like Rocky Balboa from a glass door lol.

And on a side note, not sure what got into Rango last night but he was beating up his warm hide like a bad redheaded stepchild. I was seeing that thing lift into the air and shift around lol. And Luna went crazy and somehow managed to move her water bowl almost across the width if her 4x2 cage. Not sure how she did that.

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Rambo has as of late decided to completely abandon his hide, he forces his way under his water bowl and sleeps with it leaning on his back. And Enzo has always been a re-decorator. She destroys everything haha

Lol yeah all of the snakes have been out lately. Gina has abandoned her hides the past few days and sleeps behind them or buries herself under the aspen with just her head poking out at the front by the doors. I thought she pooped or pissed in them so i checked and nope, they are clean. Louie has been out the past few nights too which is surprising as he usually just sits in his hides unless i pick him up. I think he is finally feeling more comfortable. Dinner time is Friday so maybe that is why everyone is starting to perk up and wander around at night except Caesar and Dottie who are both in shed.

As for the photo booth, looks nice. I'm too lazy and just plop my snakes either on the bed, the floor or outside on a chair or myself for photos lol. I'm also only using a little point and click pocket job camera. If i actually invested in a good camera and a made a photo booth, i bet i could make my snakes looks a lot better than the pics i get them in now haha.

Is something going on?! My snakes have all been acting odd as well and leaving hides and just sort of hanging out. What is going on, is it the snakepocalypse?

Funny enough, today is day 6 since Sonny's last meal and when i woke up this morning he had flipped his water bowl and pushed all of the reptichip out of one corner of his boaphile. Maybe he only pushes in secret.

That bowl trick can work great with most snakes but I do notice when I try it with a retic, as soon as the bowl is lifted, BAM, they are zooming all over the place. Easier to just take photos of them in cage when they are resting otherwise wriggly noodles are stretched out with a mission on their mind and no time for our photo tomfoolery.
:D

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

That bowl trick can work great with most snakes but I do notice when I try it with a retic, as soon as the bowl is lifted, BAM, they are zooming all over the place. Easier to just take photos of them in cage when they are resting otherwise wriggly noodles are stretched out with a mission on their mind and no time for our photo tomfoolery.
:D

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exactly

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Originally Posted by SDA

Is something going on?! My snakes have all been acting odd as well and leaving hides and just sort of hanging out. What is going on, is it the snakepocalypse?

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Haha... Im glad to hear you are all experiencing this too. Coco has 2 lovely hides yet still loves to force herself between the viv side and the cave hide... was wondering if she was ok...

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Ive used this trick, it works for my other snakes, not the retic lol

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Oddly enough , last time I tried it I'd used it successfully with about 5 different snakes ( and types ) then I tried it with one of my most docile ones - an adult Albino Florida King and she immediately went CRAZY biting and lunging in every which way .. I realised then that the smells of all the previously photographed snakes had presumably driven her to distraction !! ( kings are snake eaters )

I tried her later after wiping the table top and the black cover down thoroughly and she was perfectly calm !

So i went ahead and fed sonny two small rats this past thursday (6 days ago in about 12 hours), and was hoping to see how much time before he started roaming and pushing again. He went 5 days. I came home last night and his bowl was flipped, hides moved, and reptichip cleared from the front of the enclosure. I can tell he's hungry also because whenever i come by the cage he perks up and pokes his head out of his hide. I wouldve thought that doubling the food wouldve have slowed him down a bit but i guess not. I was kind of worried it was a bit on the larger side but he pooped and by his looks and behavior you'd think he is starved haha. I was planning on giving him a single small again this week (i was planning on feeding today but my supplier is closed until tomorrow) and seeing if it holds him over the same before i definitively bump him up to 2 per feed. He seems way too slender for mediums but smalls dont leave much of a lump like they used too.

Also, ive got a brand new chest freezer that will be ready for pick up friday so i can cut out the middle man and buy in bulk as well as get sonny some variety, pretty stoked about it.

and slightly off topic i found a 6'x3'x18" vision cage posted on craigslistfor 250... im so torn because thats a steal but im planning on getting him an 8 foot ap cage later on..... damn you craigslist

Here's a couple of comparison pictures, the first is the day i got sonny 10/1/17, the second is about a week and a half later, and the last was today (1/1/15/17) when i pulled him out to clean a nice pile of poo.
https://i.imgur.com/oJKl4wW.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nunuidQ.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/PAj9lOt.jpg

Photo dump! Sonny is about 7 months old now and around 5 feet long. Here’s some pics taken throughout the past couple of weeks.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/CTXCWC7.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zVlR6iD.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/cJEjo4Y.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/TG1ZM43.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/eXbkilQ.jpg
And this last one is his favorite hiding spot, once he’s in he stays put while I get to clean his turds and flipped water bowl
http://i.imgur.com/rg51sKB.jpg

Lookin' great!
So difficult to get a good full body shot, they are always on the move.

Enjoy it while you can. Soon, it will take 2 hands, 2 arms, 2 shoulders and half the snake will still be dragging on the floor when you walk haha. I looked back on Caesar's pic the day i got him and was able to hold him in 1 hand. Now i literally have to half wrap him around myself to keep him from dragging on the floor haha. Just so glad he is a giant attention craving lush.

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Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

Lookin' great!
So difficult to get a good full body shot, they are always on the move.

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Yeah, he does NOT stop moving lol

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Enjoy it while you can. Soon, it will take 2 hands, 2 arms, 2 shoulders and half the snake will still be dragging on the floor when you walk haha. I looked back on Caesar's pic the day i got him and was able to hold him in 1 hand. Now i literally have to half wrap him around myself to keep him from dragging on the floor haha. Just so glad he is a giant attention craving lush.

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Yeah at this rate it won’t be long haha. Looks like I might as well just go ahead and get his 8ft AP now, he looks so small coiled up but he almost reaches half the perimeter of his boaphile now

Sonny is growing so fast! It’s really hard to get a decent picture of him stretched out, so I posted what I was able to get. I’m 6’2 if that helps at all. My arms are longer than average and my hands are really big so he never looks as big as he actually is in the pics, but he’s definitely at LEAST 5.5 ft and growing fast. He ate two large rats 5 days ago and he’s already acting like he’s ready for another meal. He hasn’t started pushing yet though so I’m going to see how much longer he’ll let me go without feeding him.
http://i.imgur.com/kp3vtIs.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ZF0RTw9.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/BJrr2v4.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/JgTJQQW.jpg

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Sonny is growing so fast! It’s really hard to get a decent picture of him stretched out, so I posted what I was able to get. I’m 6’2 if that helps at all. My arms are longer than average and my hands are really big so he never looks as big as he actually is in the pics, but he’s definitely at LEAST 5.5 ft and growing fast. He ate two large rats 5 days ago and he’s already acting like he’s ready for another meal. He hasn’t started pushing yet though so I’m going to see how much longer he’ll let me go without feeding him.
http://i.imgur.com/kp3vtIs.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ZF0RTw9.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/BJrr2v4.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/JgTJQQW.jpg

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Wow I missed this from start to now.

I’m sorry I did.

Beautiful animal!

Here’s some more pictures of sonny, the first is a ways back, the rest are all from tonight. The girlfriend is 5’2 for reference this time around.
After having him out I also am leaning towards he’s actually already 6ft long, and he does span half the perimeter of his 4x2 without doubt.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/vYbcu4U.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/wQR9Zzk.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/4UmFgqo.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/8wPJSyh.jpg

What an adorable noodle, love his coloring his really getting to be a big fella congratulations

Getting some handling time in. I've been pretty busy with a new job but now that everything is settled it's time to daily handling. He is still doing great but he gets real jumpy if i let him slither on the floor or any flat surface and then try and pick him back up. He gets those dilated eyes but hasn't attempted to tag me yet. So anyway back to everyday socializing. Heres some quick pictures i got today, i cant get over how big he is already. He's been getting 2 large rats per feeding and feeding every 7-10 days but were on day 10 now and he hasn't been pushing much at all *knock on wood* so we're gunna go a few more days and give him a single large next feeding.

https://i.imgur.com/rshSKSz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/VUFJbzu.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/MFNmB2Y.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GCdu5Oo.jpg

Sonny decided to leave me with a nice fresh shed and a good sized turd this morning! Took him out for a few minutes of sun. These are just crappy iphone pictures, but hopefully ill get a good camera out and have a second set of hands to get some good shots, tried it alone and he's too long to get good ones by myself anymore.
https://i.imgur.com/i0aGNN4.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/r23oatv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/wobbp8C.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NgUYXuH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/GJGlMy2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/0uT4Mai.jpg

A bit of forced perspective , I’ll admit, but Sonny is growing like a weed. He’s been on XL rats (using rodentpro’s sizing) for about a month. I give him one and he’s out roaming for another within 4-5 days. I went out of town last week 3 days after he had last fed, and came back 3 days later and he had banged his face up pretty good, so looks like I’ll need to either bump the size up or give him 2 at a time. I have 6 XL rats, 6 2xl rats, and 1 5lb rabbit (i ordered one in the 2lb range but they sent me the 5lb). Looks like it’s almost time for a new order...

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ebjBkjr.jpg

All Clean! Sonny had destroyed his enclosure (poo'd EVERYWHERE) so i went ahead and got his boaphile scrubbed heavily, gave Sonny a bath, and took out his pvc jungle gym since he just keeps breaking it anyways. Looks like its time to go ahead and pull the trigger on a larger enclosure too.
https://i.imgur.com/aLOjQFN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qvaKlPr.jpg

He's gotten a lot bigger since that first pic lol. And get used to the destruction. I swear, retics arent happy unless they are breaking or pushing something haha.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

He's gotten a lot bigger since that first pic lol. And get used to the destruction. I swear, retics arent happy unless they are breaking or pushing something haha.

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yeah, you were right, he's a bottomless pit haha. 90% of the times i get him out you can typically hear a crash followed by "dammit sonny".

Haha, tonight, i opened Rosey's door as she was being a pain and windshield wiping. When she does that, i can usually just open a door and she will sit on the litter dam and be good for hours. Well i went upstairs to finish making tacos and come back down to her behind the TV on top of the PS4 stretching out for the chair. Usually it's Caesar making trouble but tonight Rosey got in on it too haha.

I pulled Sonny out to deep clean his enclosure again, and figured i'd try and get some pictures to show about how long he is. Holding him, id say 6.5 feet easy, no doubt about it, MAYBE 7 feet long. When i get him in his T8 though, no BS he can fold in half and still cover the full 4 foot length of one side. So Sonny is forsure somewhere in the 7-8 foot range. I haven't gotten a weigh on him in a while, ill try and get one soon. He's right about 9~10 months old.
https://i.imgur.com/GNla4AM.png
https://i.imgur.com/66A3GaG.jpg

Again the picture with me doesn't make him seem huge but im 6'2 200lbs, and i have pretty large hands for my size.

Beautiful snake. Great colors and nice size.

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Originally Posted by Gio

Beautiful snake. Great colors and nice size.

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Thanks! Ive been lurking on wallace's thread i just havent gotten around to commenting much. These animals are amazing.

He looks great, keep the pictures coming.

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Thanks! Ive been lurking on wallace's thread i just havent gotten around to commenting much. These animals are amazing.

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No worries. It’s hard to keep up with all of the threads.

I miss a bunch. Obviously your thread was one of them.

Glad I saw this.

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Thanks! Ive been lurking on wallace's thread i just havent gotten around to commenting much. These animals are amazing.

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No worries. It’s hard to keep up with all of the threads.

I miss a bunch. Obviously your thread was one of them.

Glad I saw this.

Man, purple albino retics will forever be one of my favorite albino snakes. Never forget the first time I saw one at my buddy’s pet shop years and years ago... your guy is looking great. Keep the updates coming!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome looking snake! I can't wait to one day have a purple albino.

Some pictures that capture his colors a little better. Most of the ones i get make him look like a yellow blob.
https://i.imgur.com/6B9d97m.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/C4nc1xM.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Jem7cfH.jpg

He is looking great, Dxw! My Kalatoas just turned 1 year old in May and June and it blows my mind how much smaller they are with only 25% SD blood in them! I'm thinking mine probably won't top out much larger than yours is right now if I continue keeping them on a moderate feeding schedule...

Gorgeous animal.

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Originally Posted by Aedryan Methyus

He is looking great, Dxw! My Kalatoas just turned 1 year old in May and June and it blows my mind how much smaller they are with only 25% SD blood in them! I'm thinking mine probably won't top out much larger than yours is right now if I continue keeping them on a moderate feeding schedule...

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Nice! I’ve really got the urge to get a normal but I also know that i don’t want two giant snakes haha. I was thinking about getting a pure SD, but that will be years out if I do. How often are yours feeding and what size? Sonny was (and still is, for the most part) on a fairly conservative feeding schedule, but he will tear his face up if he doesn’t get fed when he wants.

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Nice! I’ve really got the urge to get a normal but I also know that i don’t want two giant snakes haha. I was thinking about getting a pure SD, but that will be years out if I do. How often are yours feeding and what size? Sonny was (and still is, for the most part) on a fairly conservative feeding schedule, but he will tear his face up if he doesn’t get fed when he wants.

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Like I always say... I like cats, but I don't necessarily want a 400 pound, man eating lion in my house... lol

Currently, i'm feeding my SDs a weanling size rat every 10 days, which believe it or not, is an appropriate size meal for them at their current sizes. They're doing great and no signs of pushing so far.

Sonny update!
seems like he's easing up a bit on the food. His last two meals have been XXL rats by rodent pro standards (roughly 1lb each). After the first i believe he went 12 days or so before bugging me for another meal. This second one was given about aa week ago, and he went into blue a couple days after so definitely no pushing from him until after his shed. We've also switched to a more minimalistic enclosure set up. Im using newspaper as substrate, i get it free from the university by the stacks - no one ever misses the barely touched stacks of the school paper. This is working pretty well until i get corrugated paper shipped. while the newspaper isnt visually appealing, it is super easy to clean and he surprisingly doesnt destroy it. I've also upgraded his water dish to a cat litter box, which holds a lot more. I did have to fill it with thoroughly washed aquarium substrate. I bought a clearance 5lb bag and sifted out the smaller pieces as i washed them. This way he cant tip his damn bowl anymore. It got to the point where within 30 minutes of a complete cage change he would dump his bowl and soak a large amount of the reptichip - NO MORE!

I figure he gets regular and decently lengthy handling sessions to provide for enrichment for the time being. Eventually i want to make perches like JM crook has done, i have the posts and mounting parts and everything, but the boaphile isn't quite tall enough. He'll be upgraded soon.

Heres him tucked neatly under a paper, hiding away the blue.
https://i.imgur.com/VakjeeS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/jJkWiGt.jpg

Looks amazing. Looks happy hiding as well.

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Looks amazing. Looks happy hiding as well.

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Thanks! I was looking at how big Rainbow is now compared to when you first got her and had to go appreciate that my boy has been taking it easy on me lol

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Thanks! I was looking at how big Rainbow is now compared to when you first got her and had to go appreciate that my boy has been taking it easy on me lol

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Tell me about it. She has added almost 20 lbs and 3.5 feet in a few short months. Love her though. Hope she maxes out at 16 feet that her mom was. If not she might try to set her own record. LOL. Did you read her update today?

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Originally Posted by Skyrivers

Tell me about it. She has added almost 20 lbs and 3.5 feet in a few short months. Love her though. Hope she maxes out at 16 feet that her mom was. If not she might try to set her own record. LOL. Did you read her update today?

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Yeah i did. I would've replied but i was browsing it on my phone at lunch so i didnt bother. She looks great!

Fresh shed and a nice big poop from Sonny this morning! Got him outside for a few minutes of fresh air after cleaning his enclosure. In the house, he wants to go go to. Outside he likes to hug me pretty tight and stay put. I love this snake. And it’s amazing how quickly they grow.
http://i.imgur.com/Ic4gTFZ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xmMjdr5.jpg
using my ear as a perch, he stayed there for a few minutes lol
http://i.imgur.com/kDiDcyQ.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/av396ti.jpg

This guy has been keeping me super busy lately. I come home from work the other day, he’s fine. I pop in the room mamybe two hours later for something and it reeks. He peed and damn near floods his boaphile. So I get him out, scrub his enclosure, scrub his water dish, put down new paper etc. then I have to rinse him because he reeks, although it wasn’t nearly as much of a chore as I had thought it’d be. Get home from work the next day, all is well. Checked on the snakes before bed and sure enough he’d done it again except this time he crapped all over also. So I repeat the whole scenario from the day before. The next day is absolutely feeding day since Sonny pooped because now he’s began to rub his snout raw and trashed his usually righty encloser. So I give him a 1lb Rat which he takes with gusto, but he spends all night searching for another. The day or so after - he’s peed all over again. This snake is putting me to work.

Heres some one recent pictures
http://i.imgur.com/kWPL4Fm.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DMVMN46.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/yOdoPoz.jpg

The last two are right after feeding, and you can see the lump the rats left. Based on his behavior and lump size, I’d say he’s about ready for a bump in meal sizes. Any experienced opinions? I’ve got 3 XXL rats left so after he eats this week I was going to put in a new order. I still have the 5lb rabbit but that seems a bit extreme