A year In The Life Of... [Archive]

kurtnagel

09-20-2008, 02:26 PM

All,

I was just thinking how much I have enjoyed the "Stefans Garters" thread. It is fun watching his little critters grow. I suspect we are all a little bit of "Proud Parent", except that here we actually don't mind other parents braggin on their kids!

So I was thinking it might be fun to start a thread dedicated to the growth of our kids. Of course, I wouldn't want to exclude those of you who have "adopted" older kids, so I think it would be fair to include the milestones for newly caught or purchased kids as well.

What do you think? I can start things of with Agua, my baby Puget...

Snake lover 3-25

09-20-2008, 02:33 PM

neat!!! what a great idea:D i'd do it:D

infernalis

09-20-2008, 04:05 PM

Kurt, you don't need to ask us:D Start your thread.........

Everyone here loves to talk about the pets, so it will be a popular thread at that:D

kurtnagel

09-20-2008, 04:57 PM

Okay,

So to start things off... Here is Agua my female baby Puget. I have had her about 3 weeks now and she is roughly 5 weeks old. I have already introduced her in a previous thread, but these are new pictures taken today, 09/20/08.

She has not yet shed and has only eaten night crawlers so far. I have been offering pinky parts and salmon, but she has so far ignored them. Today I will be offering pinkies again, with an abundance of night crawler scent.

So upcoming milestones: 1st shed, first pinky or salmon. More to come...

http://greatthingsgreen.com/agua1_092008

http://greatthingsgreen.com/agua2_092008

http://greatthingsgreen.com/auga3_092008

http://greatthingsgreen.com/agua4_092008

Snake lover 3-25

09-20-2008, 06:13 PM

aww very cute:D

kurtnagel

09-21-2008, 12:03 PM

Well, I switched the substrate in Aguas viv from aspen to CareFresh yesterday. I decided to do this when I witnessed Rosa, my adult Plain, swallow some aspen shavings along with her last pinky. Rosa does fine with the occasional swallow, but she is an adult and I don't want to risk it with Agua. I switched Rosa to CareFresh as well, better safe than sorry.

I really like the look and feel of the CareFresh. The downside is that Agua can easily burrow in it. Not that this is bad for her mind you, it just gave me an awful fright the first time I couldn't see her! Of course it didn't help that I had just been reading all the recent threads about escapees!:eek: So I shuffled around in the substrate and she came shooting out.:rolleyes:

Even though it is not so fun for me, it will probably be good for her. Rosa, my plains is W/C and she spent most of her first week buried in the substrate. Helped her adjust and I suspect it will do the same for Agua. in the meantime, I'll have to wait on more pictures :(

Snake lover 3-25

09-21-2008, 12:05 PM

lol that's why i feed mine in a seperate cage:D:p can't wait to see more pics:D

jitami

09-21-2008, 03:44 PM

Great pics of the baby Kurt! It's going to be so fun to watch her grow up and reach those milestones :)

kurtnagel

09-21-2008, 08:47 PM

The score is 2 for me 1 for Agua..

Today I mixed 3 pinky parts (2 back legs and tail section) in with some cut up night crawler. Came back a while later to find one lone pinky butt in the bowl. So perhaps I fooled her on the legs, but no way she was gonna eat the butt!

Well at least I can feel better about her getting more nutrition than just worms, even if I have to fool her for now:rolleyes:

reptile3

09-21-2008, 10:27 PM

Came back a while later to find one lone pinky butt in the bowl. So perhaps I fooled her on the legs, but no way she was gonna eat the butt!

She is a smart snakie!!!:p

kurtnagel

09-23-2008, 06:14 PM

The milestones seem to be coming fast and furious! Took a look at her today and yep, cloudy eyes. Her first shed with me is imminent! Pictures to follow!

kurtnagel

09-23-2008, 06:33 PM

Feeling Oh So Blue....

http://www.greatthingsgreen.com/agua_first_shed1_092308

Aundrea

09-23-2008, 08:13 PM

awwwwwwww what a cutie!!! Looks like he/she is getting ready to shed :D

kurtnagel

09-23-2008, 10:45 PM

Yes,

It seems many folks haven't caught the "blue" phase, so I thought this would be a fun picture. She should clear by tomorrow and then strip out of those old clothes.

Aundrea

09-24-2008, 06:34 AM

Strip outta the old clothes.. I like that!!! :D

Shes gonna be so pretty and bright today. I cant wait to see a pic of her in her new clothes :D

jitami

09-24-2008, 09:52 AM

Great picture Kurt :) One of mine was slightly blue yesterday morning.. they both spent the day hiding yesterday and today I have one shiny new baby and one dull dry baby :)

kurtnagel

09-24-2008, 09:20 PM

Eyes cleared today, but no shed by bedtime. It'll probably be there in the morning..

kurtnagel

09-26-2008, 08:04 PM

Agua hasn't come out long enough to confirm her shed. I have noticed pieces here and there, but not a full shed. I'm thinking it is in the substrate somewhere. She is definitely bigger and is showing more blue!

http://greatthingsgreen.com/agua_peek_092508

Aundrea

09-26-2008, 10:04 PM

awwwwwwwwww I just LOVE that pic!! She may be shy about showing off her new clothes LOL:D:p

Lori P

09-27-2008, 05:45 AM

That's a great pic! I think she wishes you'd put up a privacy screen for her... lol

jitami

09-27-2008, 09:02 AM

Too cute! :D

kurtnagel

09-27-2008, 07:25 PM

Well I finally got a good look at Agua and unfortunately her shed was incomplete. She was clean and shiny about 1/4 the way from her head but dingy and dull the rest of the way to her tail. So I gave her a good soak and helped her peel off the rest. She looks great now, but the skin is in quite a few wet pieces, so no comparison for the next one :( Agua is quite skittish still and doesn't take to handling well, so I will let her settle for a bit before I try for a picture of her new clothes.

kurtnagel

10-03-2008, 11:21 PM

After a week of mixed worms and pinky parts and then scented parts, Agua decided she likes pinky. Tonight I offered nothing but un-scented pinky. She quickly devoured half a pinky, cut in quarters. Hmm, I guess that would be four pinky eighths :D After they were all gone, she continued to search the bowl and even seemed to look at me as if to say, "Sir, may I please have some more?". "Maybe tomorrow sweet baby", I replied :rolleyes:

jitami

10-04-2008, 08:52 AM

Awwww... very sweet Kurt... great job getting her to take pinks :)

Garter_Gertie

10-04-2008, 09:31 AM

I'm liking this little story. It's fun to read what others do. It cracks me up the way even men can get guishy over garters/snakes. Even men call Hoggies "cute." LOL!!!

kurtnagel

11-09-2008, 04:11 PM

Okay,

I haven't updated this in a while, so a little update is in order. I don't have any new pictures because Agua has turned out to be very shy. She spends most of her time under her waterbowl. She eats well and will come out to take her pinky halves, cruise around a bit and then retreat back to her hide under the bowl.

Since she has been eating well and has had two successful sheds, I'm not all that worried. I am thinking that it is the cooling weather (although my radix, Rosa has seemed to increase her cruising of late) and perhaps that she is still a baby, but it is a bit disappoiniting that she isn't out much. Certainly not "garter like" at this point. Sounds more like other snake varieties I have read of here.

What do you think?

adamanteus

11-09-2008, 04:19 PM

I kept 'Black Necks' (T. cyrtopsis occellatus) for a while last year, Kurt, and I found the same thing.... rather 'un-Garter-like'. Always hiding, very shy etc. Unfortunately one died unexpectedly, and I traded the other because I just got bored of her!
Pugets on the other hand.... I love 'em!
This is a great idea for a thread, Kurt, I must have been away when you started it. Is it for anyone to add their snakies to?

kurtnagel

11-09-2008, 04:24 PM

This is a great idea for a thread, Kurt, I must have been away when you started it. Is it for anyone to add their snakies to?

Sure, I never intended for this to be just my Agua, but it seems to have started out that way.

kurtnagel

11-09-2008, 04:26 PM

I kept 'Black Necks' (T. cyrtopsis occellatus) for a while last year, Kurt, and I found the same thing.... rather 'un-Garter-like'. Always hiding, very shy etc. Unfortunately one died unexpectedly, and I traded the other because I just got bored of her!
Pugets on the other hand.... I love 'em!

Well I am hoping thta Aga will "come out of her shell". I have heard so many great things about Pugets and I am hoping that this is temporary. Anyone else had similar experiences?

adamanteus

11-09-2008, 04:51 PM

Sure, I never intended for this to be just my Agua, but it seems to have started out that way.

That's great! In that case I will keep a record of a female T. radix here, from birth to giving birth.......

This picture taken at two days old... I have no idea which one 'she' is.... but I will pick out a healthy female and chart her progress from now on.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data/539/medium/Baby_T_radix_1.jpg

She is three weeks old tomorrow and eating very well. She takes trout, pinky parts and earthworms. I expect her first 'proper' slough later this week........ updated photo to follow.

kurtnagel

11-09-2008, 08:28 PM

Great James!

Thanks for adding to the thread.

You know I am always amazed by the photos of babies. I was literally shocked when Agua arrived. She seemed so TINY! Since I never had a baby before, my expectation were set by the pictures I have seen here. Every picture I have seen is deceptive in that it is taken so close up, there is very little to provide a size reference. After two sheds, she is now up to the size I thought I would see as a baby! Nevertheless, it is so cool to watch her grow, when I see her outside her hide that is! :o

kurtnagel

11-15-2008, 01:32 PM

Tricky little snakey! So I got kind of frustrated at never seeing Agua. She was always under her waterbowl and rarely out cruising around. I thought I was fairly clever as the last time I changed her water, I moved away the substrate (care fresh) and place the bowl directly on the tank bottom. Hah! I thought, now try and hide there! She has plenty of above ground hides, so I didn't think I was being cruel.

It worked! For a day... Now she is invisible again... She isn't in either hide, so she must be under the carefresh. Oh well, if she hadn't continued to eat, I would just leave her be or consider brumation, but she comes right out and attacks her food as soon as it is offered, but then is back to hiding.

Is she telling me she wants to sleep?