Finally Cyrtopsis Ocellatus - Eastern Blacknecks!

[MoJo]

I have been busy this summer with corn snake hatchlings and was anxiously awaiting the birth of these garters. In the end only one of my 3 females was gravid - which did not surprise me since the male was very small and ran from all the other females except for this one! In all there were 12 babies 2 of whom never made it and 5 still have openings from where the yolk was attached but I am hoping that a few will close up well. Here are a few photos from their birthday - yesterday!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Blackneck_babies_3.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Blackneck_babies_2-1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/Blackneck_babies_1-1.jpg

[Elliot]

Very nice babies, I love their color!

[ssssnakeluvr]

SWEET!!!! I want to get some of them also....someday.... :rolleyes:

[GarterGuy]

Very cool and very pretty! They're very high on my "want to get list" as well.:D

Roy

[MoJo]

Thanks guys! As soon as I am sure these guys are eating well and their "belly buttons" have closed up they will be available!

I forgot how tiny baby garters are. These guys are just killing me they are so cute!

[Josh]

kool
i like them
their coloration is very distinct
congrats

[Gijs & Sabine]

Congrats with those beautifull babies !! They look really pretty :)
I hope you'll get them to eat, blackneck babies can be a pain, but once they start to eat, they eat almost everything ;)

[Snaky]

Very nice ones! Congrats with them.

[reptileparadise]

really cool babies!!! congrats!!!

[Sid]

Really great looking babies:D

[Lulu Bennett]

mojo thoes babies are absolutly adorable and the colouration is fantastic. you have some stunners there hun congratulations. xxx

[ScimitarX]

Congratulations!! they are stunning.:) I'm hoping to breed my pair next year.

[Stefan-A]

Congratulations, they look great! :)

[drache]

congratulations
those are very beautiful babies
and yes - high up on my wish list as well
some day . . .

[MoJo]

Thanks again guys! I was reading on Alan Francis's site that his babies often don't eat for 2 -3 weeks! I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Joanna

[enigma200316]

Another congrats very pretty snakes.......:)

[Snaky]

Thanks again guys! I was reading on Alan Francis's site that his babies often don't eat for 2 -3 weeks! I guess I have my work cut out for me.

Joanna
Like Gijs&Sabine already said, it's a challenge, but once they eat they'll be easy eaters. A trick with them is to feed live fish, that triggers them a lot. My cyrtopsis cyrtopsis are not really fond of earthworms, haven't eaten them yet.

[MoJo]

Thanks. I was planning on trying live fish and then once they take that mix in some pinky parts.

I had some frozen fish around so I tried it yesterday. One or two took a sniff but there was no real interest. I'll get some live fish and try later this week.

I am more concerned that it is taking so many days for some of them to close off the opening where the yolk was attached. They all seem healthy and have shed though.

Joanna

[adamanteus]

Beautiful looking snakes, Joanna. I'm getting a pair off Alan Francis any day now....I can hardly wait!!:D

[vwsrcool]

do you have any pictures of the parents joanna?

[Thamnophis]

This is one of the most beautiful (sub-)species in my opinion.Congratulations.I also would like to keep this species in the future.

[MoJo]

Here's Mom. I'll get a photo of Dad next week!

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/Cheetah5_28_07.jpg

[reptileparadise]

amazing looking girl!

[drache]

she's beautiful!
can't stop looking

[adamanteus]

Beautiful looking snake, Joanna.:)

[GarterGuy]

Aww crap! LOL Now I've got to get one, what a beautiful snake!!! Actually there's been a subadult male T.c.ocellatus at a local reptile show for the last couple of months. Looks good, but the guy says he can't get it on mice, so no one wants it. He's asking $85 for it, if it's at the next show AGAIN in Sept. (he's had it at the shows since June!!!) I think I'll offer him $60 cash and see if he bites. The only thing I'm worried about is getting a female for him eventually.

Roy

[MoJo]

These guys are tough to get eating. I had them all grouped together and had only 3 that would eat so I separated them. Well that added one more to my eating list. So I have 4 that are eating rosy reds consistently.

I sent my kids out to a local pond in search of a frog to scent some pinkie parts. They came back with King Kong the bullfrog who obliged me by letting me rub pinkies all over his body and face. i even rubbed the plate on his face. I really thought he would eat my fingers or a few of the pinkies but he behaved very well. Unfortunately we disturbed him for nothing. Only one of the babies that was already eating ate a oinkie part! Today we dug up a work but it looks like that was a bust.

Anybody have any other ideas? I don't think I could get baby toads or tadpoles anywhere but if anyone had any ideas that would be great. They all seem to be doing well but I really hate to lose any of them because I could not feed them.

Thanks,
Joanna

[Snaky]

For me, the best thing to try was to give fish still alive. I don't know if the rosy reds are still alive? I put them in a small dish, so they splash a bit. This usually triggers them to eat.

I've never had any good results with earthworms, but you can always try this.

If they really don't eat, then the best thing to do is forcefeed them 1x. Most of the time, they will eat after you've forcefed them once.

[ScimitarX]

i never had trouble getting mine to eat mice they just take anything i offer them, my female eats anything, male is a bit picky, he loves his mice, but wont touch fish or anything else.

[Lori P]

Joanna, these are just beautiful!!! I really wish you well in getting them to eat...

[enigma200316]

Nice snake..............very pretty dorsal stripe.......:)

[salzar]

ohhh I WANT A BABY NOW!! WAAAAAAAA WAAAAAA
must seek out more snakes,
them is fine looking juvies
bye
michelle

[RZL36]

They look great. Available females?

[mikm]

Hello Joanna, First I would wash the f/t pink off to remove as much mouse odor as possible, then dry it well. Then I would slice skin or slivers from frozen leapord frogs and stuff the skin or meat in the f/t pinks mouth. That worked for all of the E.Blacks I got as babies that came to me as frog eaters. I got the frozen frogs from the guy I got the E.Blacks from.

Best of Luck to You,

[MoJo]

Thanks for all the advice. Anybody have any ideas on where I can get captive bred tadpoles or a frozen frog!

Joanna

[Lori P]

Joanna, there's some ads on the classifieds on Kingsnake for feeder frogs... I didn't look for tadpoles tho... :-)

[MoJo]

Thanks, I checked it out but they are wild caught and that makes me very uncomfortable.

Joanna

[Lori P]

Ahhhh. Sorry, I didn't read them in detail. Now I'm on a mission to find you frozen captive bred frogs....

[KITKAT]

If you have a JACK'S AQUARIUM, check them. THey often have bullfrog tadpoles that come in with the goldfish by accident. You can freeze them, then thaw them, for use as scenting material.