Comparison

Snyder was the largest bp here until the new arrival showed up. This will give you an idea of the difference in their sizes. Also, although it may be difficult to tell, Snyder's brown is much browner than the new arrival's, who looks greyish in comparison. I'm not saying s/he's axanthic, but I do think s/he's has less yellow/orange pigment in comparison to the others.

https://ball-pythons.net/modules/cop...sidebyside.jpg

That's a cool picture, Marla! Definitely shows off the variability in "normal" coloration. They're both very handsome snakes!

Thanks, Judy!

Lookin good there Marla! The new guy looks real thick.

Thanks, Raj. S/he is much thicker in comparison, but there's still room to grow, I think. Wish me luck switching to f/t rats. ;)

Good luck :D

good lookin snakes, the new guys gonna love it with you im sure!!

Thanks, bigslim! S/he seems to be handling the move very well.

I'll bet it makes a big difference that s/he gets to remain in the exact same enclosure that s/he's been in all along. Only the "view" has changed...the established territory has stayed the same.

(Not to take anything away from Marla's exceptional husbandry and snake-momminess!)

LOL, Judy, I am sure that you are right. I think an even bigger factor is the fact that this snake was a household pet who was handled a lot and learned not to startle easily. When s/he was peering under the table as I was comparing the tail to the one in the book, s/he startled for the first time since arrival as Buddha snorted right in his/her face. The girls, roomie, Dobby, Max, Snyder, and me s/he's taken right in stride (that's probably a poor choice of expression when referring to a snake, but oh well).

LOL...right in stride....*snicker*
I'd probably startle, too, if a big ol' Buddha snorted in my face! :P That's so cool that you got such a neat snake. Why were they getting rid of it in the first place? (wondering if I missed a post somewhere along the way...or yet another short-circuit in the memory banks)

I'm not sure if I mentoned it or not. The couple was moving and unable to take SneakyPoo along with them. They had gotten him for their first wedding anniversary just over 4 years ago and were told he was about 8 months old at the time.

I was a bit concerned about Buddha when I first met him, too, and didn't leave the girls alone with him for a minute the first 3 weeks we had him and didn't allow him in the house, near the cats, near my face and throat, etc. Good practices, I think, but they turned out to be completely unnecessary. He is just a big old teddy bear http://www.herpview.com/images/smiles/icon_teddy.gif and generally can convert anyone who dislikes chows as a personal policy to being his good bud, including a vet and three vet techs who all disliked chows. I trust him more with the reptiles than I do Dobby, by a long shot.

Those are some great lookin snakes. It looks like the new snake was well maintained by his/her old keepers, so that is a positive sign. Of course nothing can be so luxurious as being in the care of somebody like you Marla! :)

:blush: Thanks, Eddie. The new ball is in good shape over all, but was kept in too low of humidity and hadn't shed well for him and is also a bit underweight. I'll get that fixed up in no time, though, as she ate Sunday and did it without hesitation.

very cool pics

Thanks Justin.