Update on my snakes in foster care. :D

[Bruce Whitehead]

Just a quick update on my critters.

I have been trying to keep in touch with all my foster homes, and admittedly it is all pretty hit and miss (due to my schedule mostly).

But it sounds like they are all doing good. Even gotten a few compliments on my sessy snakes.

But hey, I already knew they were sexy so that is no surprise!

Linda has laid 5 eggs, she was coiled around 4 and had excluded one. It promptly went bad, seems that she knew something we did not. Rumor is that Stephan (METTLES) has a pic of the elusive eggs that I am sure he can be cajoled into posting.

Yvon and Antoinette`s clutch has gone bad.

I had few hopes it would survive, but admittedly am really really really bummed about it. Yvon is one of my favorite boys, and this was going on a 2.5 year project. Even as far as p-hets go, I think they would have thrown some very stunning babes. And raising up his daughters was going to have a special place for me. Producing blue hypos was one of the reason that I decided that I wanted to try my hand at breeding.

Violaine, my goth pink corn is moments away from laying. She has been through a few sheds and we figured she may be eggbound, but she was seen by a herpetologist (yes a real one) last night and he said *UH NUH!*. She is ready to blow and will do her own thing in time.

Nathasha looks like she may have re-absorbed... and Stella (AKA Boudica) is looking like she may have taken afterall!

Olive... who knows with that nutter. She looked very gravid when I pulled her from the fire, and still does... but she is one of those snakes that will make a man lose his mind. She has taught me patience in spades. So fingers crossed that my girl gives me lots of sweet healthy babes.

One of my rehabbed WCs is taking FT ASFs (thanks to Norm at Dino Reptiles).

Other than that they are all good, and are all doing their snakey bests.

The girls I have with me are doing well. Samantha tried to escape her bungee corded lid and lost a few scales off the top of her head. Maude is eating again and is looking lovely.

Demonika has taken to tail rattling, and it always makes me laugh. (thayeri king).

The new corn is the sweetest thing I have ever met. She is FAST though.

And second to lastly... my little hairless rat Rissa (Clarissa) had pups. I had pulled her from the rats I was delivering to Ottawa and put her in with our hairless adult male Stanley. She was the only hairless I had produced (still not sure HOW) and I thought she was too young to breed.

Well, I was wrong. And before anybody says it... yes, I know that hairless females should NOT be bred, but this was an accident. If I had any concerns about her ability to keep them going I would have euthanized the pups the first few days.

That being said she is doing amazing! She has 7 pups and all are healthy, and she is doing great too. We are giving her lots of protein rich foods and keeping her fat and calcium content up.

Admittedly I do want to keep everyone of these pups (and did I mention they are all dumbos hairless?). Cute cute cute!!!

LASTLY... I had snakes that were a few days from being shipped when the place went up in flames, and have decided to have them shipped this Sunday. My 1.1 het clowns are on their way and I could not be happier.

Guess that is it... thanks for listening, once I get back online and get everything set up I will be around more. Just doing drivebys as it is.

But once we move we are setting up the snake room that night and getting the snakes back the last weekend in June. I am so excited. This has been such a hard thing to go through and I really want my babes back and cannot wait.

Bruce

[llovelace]

Great news for the most part Bruce , post pics of those pups! This time next year you will be all settled in your new place & will be having a fantabulous season.

[kc261]

Bruce, I'm really glad to hear that things are (mostly) going well with your snakes! It is too bad you lost that clutch. Is that the one that was in the incubator when the fire struck?

I'm sure you can't wait to get in your new place and get all your critters back home with you!

[rabernet]

I do love your updates Bruce! I'm so glad to hear all the critters are doing so well - but I'm sorry to hear you lost the clutch!

I can't wait for the update when they're all home!!!!

[TheOtherLeadingBrand]

Awww, I can tell you love and miss them... I'm so sorry you've had to deal with all that stuff.

[Bruce Whitehead]

Thanks all for the support.

I am so grateful for all we have been blessed with, but still admittedly have days of immense sadness for all we lost. I am sure it is all part of the process and we are working through it as we can and as time permits.

And yes, the clutch we lost was the one in the incubator when the fire struck, it went 10 hours in the house with the incubator off, then was moved several times, had another 48 hours without appropriate heat, and then had a four hour drive.

It really saddens me to lose that clutch, but as noted, we could have lost so much more.

Bruce

[Shin86]

awww that is really sad...hope ur doin aight

[Mettle]

Considering what could have been lost, I still think a clutch of eggs isn't the worst that could have happened. Still, given how much you were looking forward to the babies I can see it as being a bit depressing just the same. They went through a lot - the fire, being removed from the fire, the time with inadequate heat, the drive from Montreal to Ottawa, the drive around Ottawa, finally being settled into their new incubator - it was definitely more than any egg could probably handle. But ya know what, at least we gave it a shot, right? Ya never know unless you try.

Oh yes... and I did snap a quick pic of those four eggs (and the not-so-good egg) over in Norm's incubator.



My recommendation is to leave them there until they hatch, I think.

[Mettle]

Here's a quick shot of one of the snakes at Zoe's feeding. The stubborn thing had been refusing f/t while all the others were happily eating them. So Zoe got a live mouse and tried that. Sure enough it worked, but the silly ball python bit into its arse-end. Luckily it coiled quickly and all was over for the mouse... The whole eating it part was interesting too as the little bugger had some issues eating it in reverse. Ah well, all's well that ends well!

[Bruce Whitehead]

Thanks Stephan!

Them are some sexy eggs! I know that they are going to hatch out as.

Egg1: Female Fire
Egg2: Female Yellowbelly
Egg3: Female Pastel
Egg4: Male fire (TWINS!!!)

And that snake eating is Wednesday. My little het albino female. I got her not long before the fire and had not cajoled her to eat yet, so Zoe is her first feed.

Attagirl Zoe

I got her from Simon Hamelin at the last show in March of this year. She did not acclimate well, and then all the moves, no wonder she has not eaten yet.

I agree, we did our best with the eggs, and if nothing else that clutch had so many people pulling for it, that it did not lose out for lack of concern.

Thank you so much for the pics!

Bruce