Introducing Speckle

[guidofatherof5]

Just wanted to give everyone a look at our big girl "Speckle".
She has a great attitude and love to be out with us.
She also goes into my schools and was last at a pre-school class.
Sorry for the dirty hands, it was feeding night around here.
Hope you enjoy.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/speckle13.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/speckle11.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/speckle12.jpg

[anji1971]

What a pretty girl!
If I ever get a chance to head west, I'm gonna hunt me down some Radix. They are sparking my interest.:cool:

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

shes very pretty, looks a little chubby tho ;) (double chin)

[ssssnakeluvr]

sweet looking snake!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool:

[Loren]

Nice :)




.

[Snake lover 3-25]

very pretty:)

[count dewclaw]

She is a big girl! All the nice radix are reminding me that I need to be looking for a female for my anery radix boys....

[drache]

Speckle is a nice looking snake
and yeah - a bit on the chubby side

LeAnn
I may end up with anery radix babies this year

[olive oil]

Very nice Steve:)

[gregmonsta]

Big mama :D

[Lori P]

Ohhhh she's gorgeous!!!

[jitami]

Very pretty girl! Love her!

[guidofatherof5]

I walked into the downstairs snake room and saw a newborn looking out of the hide. Speckle is having her babies. 13 so far? All looking good. Moms doing fine.
She refused to eat 2 days ago and though she might be getting ready to give birth. This was unexpected as far as birth goes. I knew from her x-ray that she had eggs but I have not had her with a male for over a year.
Got to go and catch some more baby radi. The 2nd and 3rd photos are of the same baby.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/lot_of_babies.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/spbaby.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/spbaby1.jpg

[gregmonsta]

Congrats :D good size babies :)

[Snake lover 3-25]

awww cute! congrats!!:D:D

[guidofatherof5]

Congrats :D good size babies :)

Funny you would say that, Greg.
I thought they looked small. Hard to believe my other babies are all over a year old. Some of them are monsters. Time flies when you're having fun.:D I love my radixes.

[drache]

yeah Steve - they look like a good size to me also
congrats

[Sid]

Great looking babies, Steve. Congratulations:)

[count dewclaw]

Congrats for the babies. They look great.

[guidofatherof5]

The little radi made it through the first night and look great.
Very active and alert. Will introduce some worms tonight.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09babies.jpg

[drache]

cool
so how many are there?

[guidofatherof5]

cool
so how many are there?

Small clutch compared to the weight she put on. 16 was the grand total. No stillborns or jellies.

[anji1971]

Has she had other litters before Steve, or is this her first?
They're so darned adorable!:)

[drache]

Small clutch compared to the weight she put on. 16 was the grand total. No stillborns or jellies.
at that size i'd say 16 is a good number

[reptile3]

Awesome Steve... they look great!!! I bet they can't wait to eat!

[guidofatherof5]

I offered them their first food, cut-up earthworms. There was a lot of interest but only one started eating. She ate 4 pieces. I will offer food everday for the next few weeks. I'll separate out the eaters. They are very active and all seem healthy. Hope they all make it.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

You will see noticeable interest in food soon enough :D very few of them eat right away, but once I had a baby eastern that wasn't even an hour old start eating!!!

[guidofatherof5]

You will see noticeable interest in food soon enough :D very few of them eat right away, but once I had a baby eastern that wasn't even an hour old start eating!!!

I usually wait 3-5 days but decided to try something different. Hoping to bridge the gap of time as it relates to any possible eaters and those failure to thrives that occur. Hoping with the failure to thrives that there is a small window of oppotunity that I might have normally missed. Trying to up the survival rate.
Still I have that nagging questions about why some fail to thrive and its possible relationship to fertilization order and incubation time. Not sure I will ever get an answer but I sure think it's a plausible reason for failure to thrive. Late fertilization and shorter incubation time may translate into a lack of time to develop the part of the brain responsible for the eating drive. Kind of like premies that have to be on a respirator until their lungs develop. Maybe these snakes with failure to thrive are just premies. We have all seen plenty of underdeveloped stillborns and live borns. Maybe these little one are just shorted the time to develop their brains.

[drache]

in nature, not all are likely to thrive
and the lion does not lie with the lamb
so your babies are fortunate to have a captive personal god to take care of them

[guidofatherof5]

Speckle is back to eating. I think she would have eaten the day she gave birth but I gave her a day to rest her belly. Now, it's back to eating like a pig. 6 pinkies and wanted more.
Here's another look at the little scrubs.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09babies1.jpg

[drache]

they sure look strong and healthy
no runts in that bunch, huh?

[guidofatherof5]

they sure look strong and healthy
no runts in that bunch, huh?

You're right, Rhea.

All very healthy. Hoping for the best for the little scrubs.

[guidofatherof5]

*Update*
15 out of 16 eating. Worms and guppies. Very calm group. Hand feeding many of them. Some are so curious they come and climb into my hand. Two of the strongest eaters seem to have doubled in size already. Things are looking good for this group.

[drache]

sounds great
let's hope that last one comes around

[Jack Neary]

*Update*
15 out of 16 eating. Worms and guppies. Very calm group. Hand feeding many of them. Some are so curious they come and climb into my hand. Two of the strongest eaters seem to have doubled in size already. Things are looking good for this group.

Steve,
Have you tried offering them small Pinkie parts?
Just curious...
Good Luck with them!
Jack

[guidofatherof5]

Steve,
Have you tried offering them small Pinkie parts?
Just curious...
Good Luck with them!
Jack

You read my mind. That's on the menu today. I usually wait a couple of weeks before I offer that but these guys are doing so well I've bumped that up on the schedule. Something tells me they are going to love it. These are very healthy, active babies. I don't see any that would cause me concern. I'll post about the pinky parts later.
As you can see they are growing. They are 10 days old, today.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09babies_10days_old.jpg

[GarterGeek]

Sorry to just jump in like this but: Those are SO cute! I love the coloration. They even look shiny! :D

When do they slough? I haven't bred garters yet and don't know much about it. Am I even using the term correctly?

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry to just jump in like this but: Those are SO cute! I love the coloration. They even look shiny! :D

When do they slough? I haven't bred garters yet and don't know much about it. Am I even using the term correctly?

Their first shed(slough) came moment after they were born. After the way they have been eating I think they will be shedding again in a couple of weeks. The first shed is pretty cool. The old skin is so lite and thin you hardly know you are holding it. It reminds me of holding ashes.
It's very delicate. I've never seen a complete first shed.

[guidofatherof5]

Steve,
Have you tried offering them small Pinkie parts?
Just curious...
Good Luck with them!
Jack

I mixed some pinky legs and tails in with some worm pieces. All of it didn't last long. This is a very curious group and not much of a startle responce when my hand in in the enclosure. They even come and explore my hand.

[drache]

how fun
i can't wait for babies of my own

[Snake lover 3-25]

cute pics! congrats on getting them to eat!:D:D i can't wait for meadow to have her babies!:D

[guidofatherof5]

They are growing like weeds. Worms, pinky parts, salmon. These little guys are on the fast track to getting big.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09_babies_1.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/09_babies_2.jpg

[Snake lover 3-25]

awww!!!!!!

[guidofatherof5]

Everyone of them is an eater. This is the calmest group of babies I've ever had. Next to no startle responce. When my hand is in they(8 or more) climb right on. I can take my hand out and everybody stays put. They are so curious about me. I don't have to hold onto them. They have already made request to get on my glasses. These guys are so cool. No runts, no slow eaters. These guys are all keepers. I'll get some shots with my macro lens and post them, soon.

[Snake lover 3-25]

awesome! can't wait for more pics!:)

[drache]

that sounds so cool

[GarterGeek]

They are adorable! How long are they, approximately? :D

[reptileparadise]

Shes a beauty! She might just go perfect with Agent Orange... :D

[guidofatherof5]

Shes a beauty! She might just go perfect with Agent Orange... :D

Send me a photo and I'll see what Speckle thinks.:D As long as no money trades hands I don't think we can get in trouble for getting them together.:D

[reptileparadise]

its just a loooong swim for Agent orange ;) Crossing the ocean...
I've posted a few pics on this forum and I have a few on my website...I'm getting a nice macrolense on monday so new pics will be posted soon

[guidofatherof5]

Here's an updated picture of Gabby holding out biggest girl Speckle(radix) .She a real pleasure to have around.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/gabby_Speckle.jpg

[count dewclaw]

Speckle is a big girl! She looks happy and healthy.

[guidofatherof5]

Speckle is a big girl! She looks happy and healthy.

She gives great babies, also.

[guidofatherof5]

Speckle is amazing. I just put her on the scale and she's 254 grams of rock solid radix. She's not gravid. She's radixzilla. She'll be moving up stairs soon. I would like to get her more family time. With the loss of Spot, Speckle will be going into the schools with me this fall.
It's like holding a small Bull snake.:D
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/big_speckle.jpg

[drache]

nice
Speckle is quite a snake

[guidofatherof5]

I had some time to work with Speckle this morning. She went off food for 1 month but has started eating again. She has always seem a very aggressive snake towards the other radixes so I had been keeping her by herself. I have since changed that idea and moved her in with a group of large female(Big Girl, Brownie,Inforcer,Lucky-lookalike) She's been doing great and seem to have blended in with those females. My girl Big Girl is a large radix(in my opinion) but with Speckle in there she seems so much smaller.
I got a weight and length on Speckle today. 36 inches(3 feet) and 260 grams. Her size has always amazed me. She is the biggest radix I have ever seen and she came from right outside my front door. I have a beautiful light phase I'm going to breed her with next Spring. She looks like a Bull snake compared to the others. She appears to be a young snake and I hope to have her company for many years to come.

[guidofatherof5]

Speckle gave birth today. 25 healthy little, I mean big scrubs. It's like they're a month or more old.
For the Record:
3/4/10 Conception 242g
3/12/10 276g
4/28/10 379g
5/2/10 400g
5/7/10 Delivery
64 days gestation
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/speckle_new_2010.jpg

[Tyrel26]

beautiful snakes! Wish i could get my hands on a couple lol

[infernalis]

Congrats Steve! (again)

I will spare you the dancing cat. ;)

[ConcinusMan]

Here's an updated picture of Gabby holding out biggest girl Speckle(radix) .She a real pleasure to have around.

And the snake is pretty cool too. :p That last pair of concinnus I had, the female reached 36 inches at around 10 years old. Took her another 10 years to get just about 6 more inches. Don't breed her and don't spoil her with a lot of food and I'm sure she'll be around for some years to come.

Before you know it, you'll be saying "She's a real pleasure to have around" and "She gives great babies, also"

But you'll talking about Gabby. :eek:

I mean, she's growing fast! I have a 20 year old daughter that just had her first baby not too long ago. It sneaks up on you!

[ConcinusMan]

;)

[guidofatherof5]

Speckle gave birth today. 25 healthy little, I mean big scrubs. It's like they're a month or more old.
For the Record:
3/4/10 Conception 242g
3/12/10 276g
4/28/10 379g
5/2/10 400g
5/7/10 Delivery
64 days gestation
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/speckle_new_2010.jpg
I forgot to post that Speckle had no stillborns or jellies. I expected a much bigger litter but instead got a smaller number of big babies.
I'm hoping that Speckles large size will be passed on. These are some big babies for what I would call a short gestation period.
Speckle is back eating tonight. I'll limit her for the next couple of weeks as she adjusts. This is 3 groups in less than 2 years. She's a baby making machine.

[Odie]

She smells good to the boys :rolleyes:

[drache]

very nice litter
great mama garter
congrats to you both

[gregmonsta]

Congrats :D

[Mommy2many]

Way to go Speckle!