Leaving home

Its been a month since my babies hatched. Today they all left home (apart form 2.)

I emailed the Japanese Koi Company a couple weeks ago explaining about my babies. They kindly agreed to take them on. 

So after a few weeks of eating they were ready to go. I had been collecting all the food box's from the Mealworms and Locusts. These are ideal for 1 baby snake to fit in. 

After loading them up, i drove over to Henlow where Japanese Koi Company is. 

Job done!!

The next clutch of about 5-6 eggs are due to hatch in 4 weeks time!

Feeding pics

My babies having a munch on pinkies.

Huge meal

The little guys who have eaten

JD getting carried away

I fed the lil guys a few at a time. So far half have ate there pinkies.

Eating

Its been a week since the little hatchling hatched. 3 of them have just shed for the first time. So i decided to attempt to feed them. 1 of them was interested and ate as soon as i dropped the pinkie in. The other 2 don''t seem interested yet. I will feed the rest of the hatchlings as an when they shed.

Babies

pipping pics

Pipping!!!!!!

What a day, 1st Angel lays her 2nd clutch, now the eggs are starting to pip.

Pipping is when the baby snakes cut through there egg shells and poke there head out of the egg. they will sit like this for a few hours. 

So far there are 10 that have pipped, 1 of these has fully emerged from his egg!

More eggs

Angel decided to lay her eggs yesterday afternoon. I arrived home from work about 3pm, to find that Angel was curled around 5 small eggs, after a couple of hours there were 10.

  Unfortunately i had to go back to work (i was on a split shift) By the time i had got back, about 11pm there were 26. I left Angel in her nest box over night an sorted out the eggs this morning. Half of them are brown and oval (so expect they are infertile.)

So the counting days has begun, i have estimated that they will hatch in the 1st week in september, 60 days to go!

JD

JD has been looking pretty happy with himself the last couple of days. Normally he keeps himself to himself and sits quietly in or behind his cave. But now he is always looking around with what looks likes pride ( if snakes could show emotion this would be what he is showing) 

Waiting games

News from the snake house, Angel is gravid again!

A few days ago Angel started to get restless, searching day and night. After a chat with Kevin (reptile man) we came to the conclusion that she is carrying more eggs. 

I then decided to put the nest box back into the tank for her. I gently allowed her to crawl over my hand and managed to count at least 10 bumps inside her.

Last time it took her 60 days to lay her 1st clutch of eggs. So i expect her to lay in 2 weeks. 

The eggs also have 2 weeks to go as well. So it will be a busy few days!

2 weeks to go!!

This is it, the last few days, 6 weeks have passed. So only 2 weeks left. 

This pic was taken this morning.

The brown ones are not any good. I managed to get 2 of them out but the other ones are still stuck to the other eggs. 

After reading  other blogs and websites eggs can hatch up to 70 days after laying so it might be longer then 14 days. 

Hot weather

With all the nice weather we have been having them temps in the tanks has risen. I am turning the heat lamps off about 2pm so i will not over heat the snakes. The incubator is reaching the high end of the temps (about 29-30) so i have turned it down and allowed more air to enter.

 

On top of turning lights of i have put a fan in my room which i can put on during the day!

JD's grand day out

After cleaning out JD's tank i must have left the door slightly open. In the time it took me to eat lunch JD had decided to go for a slither round my room. Panic! I however did not notice he had gone until i had to go to work. Oops! So i quickly blocked the door and shut the window (just in case!) I went to work worrying loads. About 9 oclock i got a phone call from mum. "I found him!" Great news!!! Apparently he was sitting in Angels nest box, which is now sitting on the floor ready to use for the baby snakes when they arrive. Angels scent is probably still on the moss. Mum managed to pick him up and place him bank inside his tank, making sure the doors were shut!! So JD has had a mini adventure, ending in a easy capture! 

He is now shoving his cave out of the way so he can sleep behind it. Not sure if he likes sleeping inside!

Angel

Its now been 2 weeks since angel laid her eggs. She is doing very well. After shedding she has eaten a rat and perked up. Yesterday was really hot so i took her outside, which she enjoyed. 

Bad eggs

I have been able to remove the 2 yellow eggs, they have now started to collapse inwards. This is why snakes lay so many, not all eggs will survive.

Week 1

Hey hey, its 1 week down for my eggs. Only another 7 to go! The 2 yellow looking ones have started to die off, turning a bit slimy and brown. All the others are doing OK, still all white and looking good. Been totally paranoid on the temps in my incubator. got 3 thermometers going. 

One is in the eggs reading 29-30 degrees

Another is in the incubator reading 28-31

The last is on the outside of the incubator reading 24 (which is room temperature in my room)

Angel has perked up over the last couple of days, she is going to shed again soon. JD is getting restless again and is spending time roaming his tank. Its still the breeding season so he thinks he has another chance with Angel (not going to happen!) Sparky is curled up on top of his heat mate with Quicksilver sitting on top of him. 

So its all good on the egg front!!

Mum to be

Angel is doing fantastic, she had a crazy day on monday and laid 33 eggs, Which are now in the incubator. She has managed to eat a large mouse, which is a good sign she is recovering. As i am typing Angel is curling up under some moss. She is starting her post lay shed, when this is complete i will start feeding her as normal. 

videos

New videos on my youtube page

http://www.youtube.com/user/Rjorca22

Into the incubator

Put my eggs into the incubator. I counted about 33, but i think there may be one or two more.

 

I used damp vermiculite on the bottom, placed the eggs on top and covered with damp moss to keep the humidity up. They are now in the incubator at 86. These will be left to do there thing for 50-60 days. There are a couple of yellow looking eggs in the corner of the clump, i am not expecting them to do much. They are stuck on the clump so i couldn't remove them.

I am expecting the neonates to pip in the middle of july!!

Colour types I am expecting in my clutch

These are what i got last year-

Normal and Anery.

Examples of the 3 types i might get this year.

Normal

Anery

Amel

I don't have a complete history on Angel and JD's parents so i do not know what genes they have. 

The colour will change slightly as the grow, so you can never know how the adult will look.

Eggs

Finally after 58 days Angel has decided to lay her eggs. 

Got up at 7am to discover Angel curled round a small clutch of eggs. There is at least 10 that i can see. I turned my incubator on straight away, it only takes a couple hours to warm up. 

When i know she has finished laying i will remove the eggs and get them into the incubator. 

Angel is still not ready.

Angel has still not laid any eggs. Its been a week since she shed so i am expecting them any day now. Angel has been going round her tank loads, in and out of the nest box and has even managed to pull the light rig down. 

JD is totally chilled out, he is getting ready to shed his skin. 

Sparky ate 2 small mice so he now has a huge bulge in his body!

Quicksilver is getting there, starting to get lighter and lose the black which is now going light brown.

Updates

Angel is getting restless, she shed a few days ago and has spent the weekend moving around her tank all day. 

JD has been sleeping in his hide for most of the week, he ate last week so is digesting his meal. 

Sparky is growing bigger and is reaching the 3ft mark. 

Quicksilver is still not eating on his own and is doing really well being hand fed, he is getting lighter and slowly growing. 

Shedding done

Angel has completed her shed, so in a few days i am expecting eggs. 

Still waiting

Still waiting for Angel! She is still shedding her skin, will be a few more days though!

Sparky's day out!

The weather the last couple of weeks has been amazing. Really warm and very sunny, which makes a change, summer is on its way!!

So i decided to take Sparky on his 1st trip outside. I think it does them good to spend a little time in the fresh air. Acts as a bit of enrichment for him.

I didnt have him out to long just incase he picks up a bug or parasite. 

Shedding completed

Angel has started to show signs that she is about to shed. I have been rambling on how she might not be pregnant, but i am not giving up. its been 42 days since she and JD mated so the timing is still right. So i have to sit and wait a few more days.

Fingers crossed!!!!

Pregnant????

Its now 39 days since Angel got together with JD and i am starting to wonder if she is pregnant.

She is showing no signs of her pre natal shed (which they should do) before she lays.

She has also not put on that much weight. This is only her 2nd time, it might just take a bit longer?

Just have to see what she does in the next few weeks.

Any day now!!!

Angel is soon to lay her 1st clutch this year!

Its any day now. She has been in her nest box for 5 days. 

Fingers crossed!!

Hovabator

Set up the incubator the other day. 

This is a Hovabator, it is the simplest incubator available. Only cost about £20 so it was a bargin. 

Think i worked out how it operates. Had a test run so i could get the temperature right. It took a while but i managed to set it at 85-86. Which is a good temp for the eggs.

Date of egg laying??

I have been trying to work out the exact date that Angel will lay her eggs.

Last year she mated on 23rd of June and laid her eggs on the 1st of August, which is 40 days. So I am working on 40, so i am working out when it will happen this year.

She mated on 20th of March. Counting on 40 days brings me to 29th of April.

Which is in 7 days time!!

I will keep you posted on any developments.

Dry moss

After leaving the nest box in for 2 days i noticed that the moss was starting to dry out. I realized i had put it on top of the heat mat. 

oops. 

after soaking the moss in warm water i relocated the nest box to the opposite side of the tank. i cling filmed the top of the nest box to increase the humidity. 

After inspecting the nest box this morning i noticed Angel had been in it overnight. This is a good sign, she know where it is. 

Only 2 weeks to go, she should be starting to shed soon. 

2 weeks to go!!

Its now 2 weeks till Angel is ready to lay. She did not eat her food this week. 

Today i set up her laying box in the tank.

Got moss in the bottom for a nice comfy material.

Colour changing

Little Quicksilver is slowly starting to turn from a black and silver to light brown. As he has no red pigment it wont be a orange brown like his dad. 

3 weeks down

It has been 3 weeks since Angel and JD mated. So thats about half way there. I am looking for a suitable nest box for her. I will place it in when she starts to shed.

JD is still restless

He has done his part, but JD is still restless!

He spends all his time moving round his home. Crazy snake!

Mating

After 2 weeks of being in the same viv JD and Angel have finally mated. The spent the first week curled up together. Yesterday i found them with there tails together and flickering. 

So i guess it was a success, only time will tell.

The countdown has started!!  

40-50 days to go!!

Bye bye Indianna

Indianna has gone today. I took him to the Serpentarium this morning.

Last ever pic of Indianna

Hope he lives a great long and happy life!!

Bon voyage Indianna

Indiana spent is on his way to a new home. I sold him to The Serpentarium today. He will be on his way to a new home soon.

Bye Bye Indianna

A few pics from his 5 months with me

1st pic, as soon as he hatched

The rest of the clutch

Growing up

After eating

After running late from work i couldnt get Indianna to the Serpentarium today, so it will have to wait until tuesday!

Angel is not ready.

I put Angel in with JD yesterday, she was not impressed. JD got a little to excited and tried to mate with her, Angel was having none of it. I left them for a couple hours befor taking her out. Got bit as i did this!

I will give it another month and try again!

Angel is ready

Angel has now shed her skin and should be starting to send out the pheromones. I am feeding her today then i shall give it a week befor putting JD in with her. 

Boys will be boys...

Both JD and Sparky have gone off there food. As its the start of the breeding season most male corns will go off there food. didn't think Sparky would as he is only a year and a half. JD is now 3 so he is getting into the mating thing this year.

JD is restless

As the start of the breeding season is about to start JD is getting restless. He is moving around his viv a lot more during the day. Climbing over the logs and in the plants. 

Angel is not ready for him yet as she only just shed. I am going to feed her today and give it another week, then put them together again. 

JD close up. He was moving around loads, until i turned on the web cam he got a lil stage fright. Now the camera is of he is moving around again, looking out the tank to see what i am doing. 

Shedding completed

Both JD and Angel have completed shedding. Got a couple of nice juicy rats for them tonight. Mmm tasty. 

Shedding

JD started his shed cycle a couple days ago, so in a week he will shed his skin.

Angel has started to show signs of shedding. So in about 10 days she will have shed and be ready to start breeding.

New blog on my geckos

Hey 

http://rjgeckos.blogspot.com/

my new blog for my geckos.

Mmmm feeding time.

Wednesdays are snake feeding time.

Angel gets a small rat, JD gets a large mouse, Sparky gets a large mouse and the kids get pinkies.

After defrosting there meals in a bowl on top of the tank i popped them in and watched the fascinating way that snakes eat. Its amazing, snakes are truly adapted to eating food double the size of there head and with no hands.

The great Leopard Gecko caper.

As many of you may know i used to own Leopard geckos. These died of unknown causes. I am determined to get Leo's again. I have a spare tank ready for them. All i need to do is convince mum to let me get them again. Shouldn't be too hard!!

The great Snake Escape...Part 5...What was lost is found!!

Yay, Sparky has been found!! 

9 days after he went missing he has returned.

I was sitting on my bed sorting out picture on my computer and i hear the cat scratching at the door. Sassy wanted some attention so i let her in. 

Sassy started to have a sniff, which both cats do when they come in my room. She made her way to the bookcase under Sparkys tank and had another sniff. After that she looked at me and jumped onto the bed. That's the 2nd time she had done this today, which got me wondering if he could be there.

I slid of the bed and checked the space between the books.

Hurray!!  Sparky was there, curled up on top of the books. I gently picked him up and gave him a cuddle! I then put him straight back into his tank.

He has had a 9 day adventure around my room. Sparky must have been at times under the bed behind the wardrobe near the 2nd bookcase and back again. What a relief, i can sleep better now i know he is back safe and sound!!

Sparky back in his home.