Every new morph has a backstory. This is the Reaper's...
The Reaper project began in the Spring of 2008 when I acquired the WC female (pictured below). Collected as an adult(even has a cool scar on her neck), she had been captive-kept for about a year in another collection. Her weight was not all that good when I got her and she was a problem feeder for me over the first 8-10 months she was with me.
I have just 5 WC animals (females) in my collection -- "Reaper Mama" and a group of 4 Yellow Bellies I picked-up in May of 07. I acquired the Yellow Bellies because I wanted the experience of working with/getting eggs from WC animals -- kind of an "old school experience thing" -- just to know that I could do it. I would NOT acquire a WC animal in the future.
I decided that I would adopt the "leave them alone and offer them ONLY live rats" pholosophy. My thinking was that if they got comfortable and hungry enough -- they would eat what everything else at my place eats -- plan ol' RATS!!
It took just under a year of intermittent eating/fasting before they began to eat routinely. Today, all but 1 of the five girls feed and act pretty much like captive bred animals. One of the Y.B. girls is still "pissy" and will hiss and look like she is going to take a shot at me every so often -- but she feeds just fine. *** One of the Y. B. girls ovulated last week after being bred to my Cajun Butter male!! Waiting for her to shed and lay - fingers are crossed.
The founding Reaper female was paired with a Yellow Belly in 09 and produced 4 eggs -- 2.1 Reapers and a Normal. The second male Reaper looked just like the 1.1 below ( a bit more extreme in pattern I think), but failed to thrive after a few assist feedings and so I decided to put him down. His 1.1. sibs below are AWESOME feeders thus far.
The plan for the project this year will most likely be to pair Mama Reaper with my Pastel Ivory and breed the male Reaper( if he is willing) to a couple of different girls this spring. He is now a PORKY 500 grams and will be 6 months old the first of March. He has sperm plugs. I would like too get another 100 grams and month or 2 of age on him before I give him a go with the girls -- and then again maybe not. I figure I can go try and prove the super next year (I am sure you can guess what it will be named ).
Naming: I have a chosen to name new PROVEN captive hatched animals that I produce rather than choose a similar existing morphs name. I feel "piggy-backing" existing morphs in name is problematic for MORE than a few reasons. ;)
While the Reaper is most likely/certainly a variety of extreme Granite, I feel more comfortable with a name ascribed to it. If others prefer to call/refer to the Reaper as a "Buchman line Granite" that is fine with me -- no worries. In the end, it does not change/affect the genetics and appearance of the morph. " A rose by any other name..." and all that.
Long-winded post for sure!! But I thought pictures with a one sentence description would simply not do. :colbert:
Thanks for looking. :)
1.1 Reaper Offspring
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_5.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_6.jpg
Reaper Mama
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...er_project.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_2.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_1.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_3.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil..._project_4.jpg
