Hatchlings making their debut

[LotsaBalls]

How old do they need to be to sex them? When are they ready to go to new homes?

[TrpnBils]

They're generally able to be sexed at 1 year old and 100g in weight (for reference, they're averaging 13g at hatch time).

They're known for being problem feeders for the first few meals, so we'll get all that stuff out of the way and we're hoping to get 10 meals or so into them by the time we let them go. We can start feeding trials as soon as they shed for the first time, and they should be ready to go by late March or early April.

If you're interested, PM me and we can talk!

[bioteacher]

Congrats on the newborns! Some really great photos and great variation in color! You should post some photos of the adults that produced these stunning neonates

[TrpnBils]

Congrats on the newborns! Some really great photos and great variation in color! You should post some photos of the adults that produced these stunning neonates

Thanks! I'll get some up later on when I get home.

On a side note, the last yellow one (the one we thought was dead in the egg) finally emerged 2 days after the rest, and it bit me twice while I was weighing it and moving it to its new tub, so apparently it's in good shape!

[DemmBalls]

We're in Erie - we could work out a deal for delivering one to Ohio rather than paying for shipping charges

Can you pm me the rates for them? By the time they are ready, I may be ready for one!

Thanks!

[TrpnBils]

PM sent

[frenchy]

So if I get two I would just be hoping for a male and female??????? Well I am a gambling man sound like fun

[TrpnBils]

So if I get two I would just be hoping for a male and female??????? Well I am a gambling man sound like fun

Yep - won't be able to sex them for awhile yet. If in a year you have them sexed and they don't end up being what you want, you could always contact somebody at a show maybe and see about doing a trade.

And hey this could work out in your favor if you're looking to breed in the future...once they're sexed, that generally skews the prices by making the females more expensive. If you end up getting two females, all you have to do is drop a little extra money on a male and you can pair him up with both the females. It beats getting two males anyway!

[frenchy]

I was thinking the same thing like I said gambling man here so ya im doing alot of research as you suggested what kind of caging size do you suggest

[TrpnBils]

We house ours in tubs for the first year or two, gradually increasing the size as they grow. Right now they're housed in 6qt tubs with lots of perches, but they can be moved into something larger after a few months.

They're like any other snake in that if the cage/tub is too big, they'll fail to become strong feeders due to stress. The container should be tall enough so that the perch is off the ground at a height that allows the snake to coil a meal up underneath it without hitting the ground (this sometimes makes them drop their meal). Be careful though about not making it too high so that the snake can't get down to the ground and back up!

As adults, 2x2x2 foot cage is good, but larger is better if you can manage. They'll usually use the highest available perch regardless of temp, so a horizontal heat gradient is better than a vertical one. We use back heat on our tubs since they're off the ground anyway, but a radiant heat panel is more appropriate for an adult-sized cage as it can safely be put inside the cage with the snake (unlike flexwatt, a UTH, or light bulb).