2009- A Ball Python Year in Review

[PythonChick]

I was flipping back through my pictures from the past year and feeling a little nostalgic. It seems like only yesterday I got my first ball python, and this year I produced my very first clutch. So here is my last year in picture review.

December '08-January '09:
Started breeding my first Pair ever, Apple (Female BHB line Cinnamon) to PB ( Male Pastel):


Feburary:
More pairings between Apple and PB. Everyone else is growing. Little J (Male Mojo het for Hypo) has grown from just over 100 grams in August '08 when I got him to nearly 400 grams.

From this:


To this:


March:
Apple receives the strangest bite wound ever during feeding. The injury was actually to the INSIDE of her mouth. Only feeding injury I had ever had. She was taken to the Vet and given a short course of antibiotics. This is the wound right after it happened. The swelling was gone by the next morning. I figured the stress meant she wouldn't lay for me this year and stopped pairing her:


April:
Apple remains off feed even after going through her course of antibiotics and the wound healing. Everyone else is still on food and doing well. Towards the end of the month, just about the time I am really starting to worry, Apple starts glowing:


May:
Apple still doesn't eat, so I keep worrying until suddenly there is ovulation:


June:
Apple Goes all the way to day 37 POS and FINALLY lays 7 perfect eggs. A great number for a girl with such a stressful start to the season:


July-August:
I obsess over the eggs while mom immediately goes back on food and starts gaining weight again.


September:
Babies hatch!!! 0.2 Pewters, 0.2 Cinnamons, 2.0 Pastels, and 1.0 Lone Normal. Great odds for a first clutch. Needless to say I was so happy:





October:
Babies shed and take their first meal, all except for two slow starters that need a little help getting the idea:











November:
First Baby (Female Cinny Pictured above) goes to her new home. Everyone else is fattening up like little porkers, except for the two slow starters, who are still reluctant to eat on their own. Here is a picture of my other large female Banana, porking up for breeding season:




December:
Both slow starts begin eating at exactly the same time and haven't stopped since! Apple is back up to weight and may be bred again late this year. Also, my first pairing for the '10 season locked up on the first try. Next year looks like it could be just as great as last year:









Thanks for looking, and thanks to everyone on this forum for sharing the excitement with me! I hope everyone else has great 2010!