Ophiophagy

I thawed out the last of my fail to pip carpets the other day. They've been in my freezer for around 8 months but smelled, and apparently tasted, just fine. It was interesting to compare the speeds in which these two consume snakes. The Drymarchon took less than a minute while the Aspidites took closer to 5 minutes to finish swallowing, head to tail. These indigos truly are the fastest eaters I've yet to witness.

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...pse0php3h4.jpg


http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...pst17ljmvd.jpg

I had no idea you had a black head, I want to see more pictures :)

Wow John, you've been holding back on us. I knew about the Indigo but not the BHP. Always got another ace up your sleeve aye? :)

The female is a 2014 critter produced by Matt Jablonski. I call her "Patience" because she's always waiting at the door for food. She was taking f/t mice right out of the egg and I'm hoping this is a somewhat heritable trait, maybe after a couple more generations of holding onto easy starters anyway. It's hard to get her true colors to really show in photos but she's a nice looking animal with those dark top blotches and rusty red side bands, excellent contrast all around:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psbvjnbf3p.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps4hxiciyr.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...pstzvatyx4.jpg



The male is a 2015 hatch by Derek Roddy from his tangerine dream line. His parents are "Fantasia" and "Clockwork Orange" so, sticking with that theme, "Halo" is his moniker. Adding a couple youngster pictures then one of him at around the 1 year mark. I have no problems getting his colors to show in outside pictures! The female is around 6 feet and the male 4 feet. If he keeps growing good this summer, I'll probably give them their first introductions this coming winter for a shot at some 2018 eggs:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psayjzifmo.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps5ppzri29.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psr2akeoqk.jpg

Simply amazing critters there John. You're an inspiration brother. ; )

Your snakes are beautiful! Were the carpets dead when you froze them or did you cull them? Just wondering because I wasn't sure if fail-to-pip meant they just weren't strong enough to do it or they weren't alive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlynnTheBP

Your snakes are beautiful! Were the carpets dead when you froze them or did you cull them? Just wondering because I wasn't sure if fail-to-pip meant they just weren't strong enough to do it or they weren't alive.

---

Thank you. Freezing isn't a humane method for culling snakes, I pith when the need arises. These were already dead when I manually pipped their eggs after the rest of the clutch hatched. They got a quick rinse then into the freezer with the rest of my snake food. Waste not, want not. I personally would never cull a perfectly healthy snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John1982

The female is a 2014 critter produced by Matt Jablonski. I call her "Patience" because she's always waiting at the door for food. She was taking f/t mice right out of the egg and I'm hoping this is a somewhat heritable trait, maybe after a couple more generations of holding onto easy starters anyway. It's hard to get her true colors to really show in photos but she's a nice looking animal with those dark top blotches and rusty red side bands, excellent contrast all around:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psbvjnbf3p.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps4hxiciyr.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...pstzvatyx4.jpg



The male is a 2015 hatch by Derek Roddy from his tangerine dream line. His parents are "Fantasia" and "Clockwork Orange" so, sticking with that theme, "Halo" is his moniker. Adding a couple youngster pictures then one of him at around the 1 year mark. I have no problems getting his colors to show in outside pictures! The female is around 6 feet and the male 4 feet. If he keeps growing good this summer, I'll probably give them their first introductions this coming winter for a shot at some 2018 eggs:
http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psayjzifmo.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps5ppzri29.jpg

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/z...psr2akeoqk.jpg

---

They are amazing I have always loved black heads, I can only imagine your excitement for the upcoming season.

wicked snakes! those Black Head Pythons look like some sinister Woma's. how are they to handle? my judging them by looks, they look bitey and blood thirsty. lol :twisted:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ax01

wicked snakes! those Black Head Pythons look like some sinister Woma's. how are they to handle? my judging them by looks, they look bitey and blood thirsty. lol :twisted:

---

They do seem to go through a crazy "get in my belly" stage where handling can be a little dicey. My older female grew out of it by her second year, still waiting on the younger male. Their food response is nothing short of insane so you always need to watch your butt on feeding days. Mine aren't in the least bit defensive and handle very easily. If you pay attention to their body language, you shouldn't lose blood. They almost always nose prod a couple times before chomping so if I get poked I simply direct their head elsewhere. They also seem to have a trigger spot dorsally, just behind the head, where if you apply a bit of pressure they shoot around and try to grab you. Maybe it's an adaptation for picking off prey that treads too close while they're basking with just their heads above ground? With frequent sessions I don't doubt they would "outgrow" these habits but I truly enjoy our interactions as they stand so I keep handling interactions to a minimum.