Holy cow & Wow! all in one day yikes

[infernalis]

This morning was unreal, as I was feeding my dekay yearlings, my one and only copper phase baby from Xena spit out her slug, I then noticed she was convulsing and could not breathe:eek:

So I grabbed her up, and looked into her mouth that was stuck open, and all I could see is this big orange ball of gooey tissue! Has my baby puked up her own tummy?? Well we used tweezers and Dorothy pulled out the blockage, flick flick went the little tongue.. YES good save.

What I determined this to be was the slug secreted some sort of yuk, and it stopped up the babies plumbing. it's almost 12 hours now, and she is doing fine:D

Ok, so now I'm really happy, I go and change the water in my milk snakes enclosure, and found this lying on the floor in there....

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/eggs.jpg

[Zephyr]

Whoo! CB milk snakes!
:D

[adamanteus]

What a day! Those slugs sure do produce some 'muck' sometimes. Was it a different species to the ones you normally use?

[Zephyr]

What a day! Those slugs sure do produce some 'muck' sometimes. Was it a different species to the ones you normally use?The yellow slugs tend to make that orange mucus... The general tan garden variety does not "crank it out."

[infernalis]

When we were out by the marsh gathering baby toads for the red sideds, I found these orange slugs, never again.

If you could imagine a half arsed 3 stooges like paramedic emergency, that was what it was like.

The whole time, I'm thinking why this one?? Of course I would flip with any of them, but she is a rare nearly identical clone to her mom.

[crzy_kevo]

congrats man milk babies alright

[Snake lover 3-25]

congrats and great save!!!!:D:D

[Garter_Gertie]

Note to self: We will NOT feed our children slugs.

JEEZ, Wayne! I don't see how you're still sane. (Well, that is relative...) Gods bless Dorothy!

And CONGRATULATIONS on the new egglettes!!!!!!!!!!!

What a day! SHEESH!

[jitami]

Nice Save Wayne & Dorothy! Sweet little pyramid of baby milk snakes, too!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

what kind of milk snakes wayne??

congratulations!

[Zigmund]

wow i was thinking of feeding my eastern babies slugs. now ive thought twice though. nice baby milksnakes. and nice save too.

&|:>)

[bio6464]

Wayne I'll definitely be looking for advice if my Brown is in fact gravid...at least I know to be careful with the slugs. On another note, do you have any advice for my eastern milk? I have had it about 2 weeks now and it will not eat. Other than pinkies is there anything else I can try? Otherwise the snake seems to be in good health, he/she shed last night and is constantly flicking it's tongue.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/milk2.jpg
By the way congrats on the milk eggs...hopefully you'll have healthy babies.
Jerry

[anji1971]

Wow, what a great rescue effort! Glad to hear she's okay.
And congrats on the eggs. Hope it's a successful litter for you!:)

[infernalis]

Thanks everyone, luckily there are a couple full tilt milk breeders who will actually share knowledge, and for that I respect them...

Yesterday I purchased some broken down moss, a probe digital thermometer and humidity display, when we got home the power was out, so I have not yet had a chance to set it all up..

Shanon they are from Carmella, our Eastern milk.

After the little fiasco with the baby dekay, finding those eggs was a real uplifting surprise.

Those who are worried about slugs, we have fed THOUSANDS of slugs over the years, this was the very first time ever to have a problem, for the dekays, slugs are a staple food item just avoid the orange slugs found in swampy woods.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/1/carmelo.jpg

The proud mom:)

http://www.reformedsniper.net/GSM/eastern.jpg

[drache]

great save Wayne
and those ms eggs - sweet

[infernalis]

Why thank you Rhea:D never a dull moment....

[Lori P]

Alright Dr. Wayne, way to go! And can't wait to see how the milksnake eggs turn out. :-)

[count dewclaw]

Wayne I'll definitely be looking for advice if my Brown is in fact gravid...at least I know to be careful with the slugs. On another note, do you have any advice for my eastern milk? I have had it about 2 weeks now and it will not eat. Other than pinkies is there anything else I can try? Otherwise the snake seems to be in good health, he/she shed last night and is constantly flicking it's tongue.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/milk2.jpg
By the way congrats on the milk eggs...hopefully you'll have healthy babies.
Jerry

Could be getting ready to lay eggs.

[infernalis]

Is it a WC?? if so you may have to feed live mice.

Mine simply will not respond unless it moves on its own.

She did stop feeding for 2 weeks before the eggs came.

[infernalis]

A milk snake breeder told me what to do, and another gave the same exact advice, so here is what I was told worked.

The bowl is filled with damp peat moss, and sealed to keep humidity around 90% on top is a digital thermometer with humidity reading.
the probe is nested with the eggs to monitor them at 75-80 degrees F.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/milk/bowl.jpg

then the bowl sits on a platform above some water as well, to keep it from drying out.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/milk/tote.jpg

[crzy_kevo]

that looks like it will work

[Sid]

A little late but congratulation on the save, Wayne and good luck with the Milk Snake eggs.

[infernalis]

Thanks Sid.. We can't all live on the computer:D

[infernalis]

Last night I fed the little dekay again, I noticed that this one has a very slender neck, and seemed to swallow smaller prey more comfortably.

After the near choking incident, I think that maybe several smaller items would be a better choice for this snake, if she has a hard time swallowing larger items, that may very well contributed to her choking on her food.

[dashnu]

Cool :D Cant wait to see the outcome, GL Wayne

[infernalis]

Well it is drawing near time for the milk snake eggs to hatch!:D

I removed the cover from the bowl so the babies can escape when they hatch, and cleaned out the water from the bottom of the big tote.

I mixed repti bark and coconut together, got it really moist and placed that mixture in the bottom of the tote.

Upon inspection, the eggs all look great, no mold or rot:D

Hopefully any day now, there will be baby milks in the box!!

[Garter_Gertie]

("Do-do-do, do-do-do-do..." singing the "Jeopardy" song...)

This is exciting!

[GartersRock]

Whoohoo! So exciting!

[Charlet_2007]

cant wait man!!!! i want to see pics.. :D:D

[Aundrea]

WOW I cant wait to see them babies!!! Are milksnakes hard to take care of? Are they mean? LOL :D

[dashnu]

Nice Wayne. Milk snakes in my area have been grumpy for the most part Aundrea.

[infernalis]

Milk snakes are easy to care for (provided you have one that eats for you) and thrive on rodents.

They eat pinkies from birth in the wild, they will seek out field mouse nests and gobble it all up.

Carmella is an eastern milk, and they do by nature have aggressive temperaments, However she has been a real sweetheart and never even offered to bite.

On that same note, if I do not pre-kill her mice for her, she tends to get bit up really badly, silly fool always grabs the mouse by its hind legs!

And BTW they will eat Garter Snakes if given the chance:eek: Ask Brett

her story......

Milk snake eggs (http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/milk.html)

[Aundrea]

WOW what a stroy!! Im glad that shes all better now. She sure is a pretty snake. I was asking about milksnakes because I kinda want another snake maybe a BP butttt I can handle feeding it prekilled mice and rats. I cant feed it live or kill the mice or rats for them LOL.

[dashnu]

And BTW they will eat Garter Snakes if given the chance:eek: Ask Brett
Milk snake eggs (http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/milk.html)

Yea, that is there prefered food in my neck of the woods.. FWIW ive never seen a mouse around here. Also I think the population of milks is slim here due to all the garters I have around.. I have only found three milks. 40+ garters

[infernalis]

WOW what a stroy!! Im glad that shes all better now. She sure is a pretty snake. I was asking about milksnakes because I kinda want another snake maybe a BP butttt I can handle feeding it prekilled mice and rats. I cant feed it live or kill the mice or rats for them LOL.


Aundrea - I would suggest a Corn snake, they are docile, will readily eat frozen/thawed mice without much effort, and have many pretty colors.

BP are very docile, but they get very thick, and Cain has constricted my arm enough to turn my hand blue.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/cy/cy1.jpg

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/cy/cy2.jpg

[jitami]

There was the cutest little tiny cornsnake at our local petco over the weekend. It was slimmer than a pencil, pink and white, and quite active. It was so very cute and it took a lot of willpower to walk away!

[Aundrea]

Do you have one? Are they friendly? Hmmm maybe ill get one then also :D

[infernalis]

Go to the local pet store, you will be doing the snake a big favor:D

I got mine from petco as a christmas present..... Dorothy picked him out.

We were supposed to be getting garter snake supplies:D

No regrets, CY is a really cool snake.

[jitami]

Nope, I don't have one and had never really considered getting one... but this baby was just adorable!

[jitami]

We were supposed to be getting garter snake supplies:D


Haha... that's why we were there... finally went ahead and bought a commercial made screen top :o I tell you if I would have held that baby it would have all been over :D

[GartersRock]

I have actually fallen for okeetee corns. I have a young adult female, not quite breeding size and am looking to get clean abott or love line okeetee male. But with all the crazy genes. I won't be "doing" corns at all. Just a pair of nice okeetees.

[infernalis]

Same here, CY is a pet... The only way another corn snake will wind up in this collection would be a rescue animal.:D

[Lori P]

I like the okeetee as well. Must have one some day. :-)