Blade Pics

[katach]

Here are a few pics of my oldest step=son's snake Blade. She a beauty!

[guidofatherof5]

Blade is a good looking snake.
How long has Blade been part of the family?

[katach]

Since 6-15-11. She is still a little skittish when you hold her. I like to keep trying just to get her acclimated, so the kids can eventually hold her without dropping her.

[guidofatherof5]

Hand feeding seems to help with them settling down.
Associating you with food time will help her trust you.
Take your time as it must be done on her schedule, not yours.

[katach]

She does take food from my husband when dangled in front of her. I just spend a few minutes a day holding her. She has been letting me hold her longer and longer. Willow was just as calm and sweet as can be right from the get go, but Blade is not Willow. She'll calm down when she's ready. I just love having the different personalities emerge from them. Such fascinating creatures!

[guidofatherof5]

You've got it bad.
You have been assimilated. Welcome to the collective.:D
It's Ok, we make good pets for our garter snakes.
Garter snakes are the best kept secret in the snake world.
We truly are the lucky one.;)

[katach]

I've always loved snakes. My Dad isn't too keen on keeping them as pets so I had frogs and lizards as a kid. I missed having such cool creatures so we went looking and found our little bunch. They are the coolest thing and I love watching them. Yeah I have it bad!! :D

[katach]

Oh and resistance is futile... ;)

[RdubSnider]

Blade is really nice looking

[katach]

Thanks! I'm thinking that I'm going to try and breed her next season. We have a young male NW and I am wondering what the babies would look like.

[kibakiba]

They're pretty polymorphic. My babies, aside from pumpkin, look nothing like either parent. It's kind of fun having a little grab bag of babies :D

They can get pregnant/gravid when they feel like it, though, it makes it kind of complicated. That said, she could have multiple litters from breeding just once or twice, I'm sure. Northwesterns are such fun little snakes.

[RedSidedSPR]

Blades awesome. Great lookin' snake

[flickerfriend]

Lovely snake you have there!

[katach]

Thanks!!

[katach]

Has anyone every had a snake with a depth perception problem? Blade is have trouble eating and it seems like she can't see exactly where the food is. We have tried with a little success at tapping her nose with the food. Just curious if a vision problem is something that she could have.

[kibakiba]

Runt does that all the time. She's done it since she was a baby, even with the dish she used to eat from. She'd dive at a piece, but go and bite the end of the dish. I've come to the conclusion that she might just be partially blind.

[katach]

Ok. That is sort of a relief. She had a live fish about 10 days ago, Bill had to put it on a spoon and follow her head around to get her to eat it. We fed the other 4 some salmon chunks today, but Blade didn't take any. Maybe she just isn't hungry yet...

[kibakiba]

What kind of fish? Try not to feed too much salmon, theres a lot of mercury and pcbs in it. IMO, it should never be fed as something more than a treat.

[katach]

I have some pinkies on order, it was just a snack. A local pet store is bulk ordering for us at 99cents a pinkie... is that a good deal? The pre-packages one are 3 for $5.99 around here.

[kibakiba]

It's a better deal than 3 for 6, that's what ours are also. You can buy them bulk online for 13-16 cents per pinky, the shipping is pretty high sometimes, it's 30 dollars (or more), and it usually costs more than the mice.

[katach]

I don't order online, unless it's with a gift card. The pet store is with-in walking distance too :)

[katach]

We measured everyone today and she is 19in.

[katach]

So I have discovered that Blade is a "shy shedder". She likes to just stay in her hide all day during her shed time. Almost as if she is saying, "Don't look at me, I'm ugly!".

[kibakiba]

Silver did that. He stayed under the hide the whole time. I don't know why, he's the prettiest little baby :D

[katach]

Maybe she has a self esteem issue. I tell her she is pretty all the time though. :D

[katach]

Blade shed today and she is even redder now! So pretty!!

[RedSidedSPR]

Oh wow.:eek:

[kibakiba]

Dang! Snakey would love her! She's a real beauty. :D

[guidofatherof5]

Blade is awesome.

[katach]

Thanks. I've never seen such a red, red-striped before.

[RedSidedSPR]

Me neither!!!

[katach]

I think she knows how pretty she is, she has a diva attitude. :D

[kibakiba]

I love the divas :D

[katach]

You would love Blade then. She only lets me hold her though. She puts up a fuss for my husband or, like yesterday, musks.

[kibakiba]

That's how Snakey is. He doesn't like anyone touching him, sometimes he doesn't like me touching him... But, when he does, he lets me rub his neck. It's so sweet :D Maybe we should breed the two together and have red drama queen babies. ;)

[katach]

That would be awesome!!! Lets!

[kibakiba]

Haha. Snakey would be in heaven. He's been on a food strike for the past 3 months, eating off and on... Mostly if I let him court with Mama before feeding him. He knows just how to get me to get him with Mama :D

[katach]

We should set something up. I would love to see if 2 red stripes would produce and red stripe babies.

[kibakiba]

Yeah, it would be awesome. Snakey is free any time you want to use him. ;) I'm sure I could ride the bus to where you are some time. It'd be cheaper than mailing him.

[katach]

Yeah you only live a couple hours away, we could come there too. That would be cheaper than riding the bus. Let me talk to my husband about it since he is the driver. We only have one car and it's a stick (I'm stick disabled :( ).

[kibakiba]

Haha, and we don't have a car, so I'm car disabled. :D

Whatever we end up doing to get him to you, I'm sure he'll be happy ;)

[katach]

My husband said "set it up". So whenever would be best for you we'll come there.

[kibakiba]

Well, I'm good whenever. Any time this week is good, next week might not be, because I might be getting my wisdom teeth pulled that week. The week after that, I also have therapy on Monday.

[katach]

Let me check my PTA schedule and get back with you. Do you still have my number I PMed you?

[kibakiba]

I think. I wrote it down, but could you send it to me again, just in case? My mom decided to "sort" my paperwork and notes. :rolleyes:

[katach]

So Blade as an arranged mating coming up soon. Hope to see what Snakey and Blade can come up with!

[kibakiba]

Excited for it :D
I hope Blade can keep up with Snakey, he'll court anything that moves ;)

[RedSidedSPR]

ok. Kat doesn't have room to breed, and your mom is pissed with the idea of babies...

I don't see this working..:D

[Didymus20X6]

You know what I say to that? "Damn the resonance cannons! Full speed ahead!"

[kibakiba]

Honestly, I don't care. Haha. Even if she doesn't want more babies, it'll take two years just to have them eating more than what they already do. It's not like I'm making her go broke with buying 3 dollar worms every once in a while.

Besides, NWs are tricky to breed sometimes, so she might not have babies until a year later. Either way, Snakey needs it, he's on another breeding food strike. He's been courting with Ember, but leaving Snap alone... :rolleyes: I think he's both too confused and too into it to care.

[katach]

I told Blade she is getting a boyfriend so she can make cute little red babies and she gulped down 2 pinkies and a worm and a half. I think she's excited too!

[RedSidedSPR]

Well, I hope it works, I'd love to see babies like that made!

[kibakiba]

I do too. Snakey is still rejecting, I'm hoping a pinky might convince him to eat... He's gotta be strong to get the women :D

[katach]

Yeah. He needs to bring his A game, she's a diva.

[kibakiba]

And he's really in the mood ;) He never gives up on difficult ladies.

[katach]

Good. Let's hope he stays that way until we can get up there to pick him up.

[ConcinusMan]

Nice

[katach]

I took this today. Thought I would share.

[kibakiba]

Geez she's pretty. Snakey will be one happy little man!

[katach]

Hopefully soon.
I just had an interview for a part time job, so we may get over your way sooner than I thought. :)

[kibakiba]

Nice!!

[katach]

Blade is fully opaque right now. She is purple instead of red. Can't wait to see if she is still coloring up. I'll post some before and after pics tomorrow sometime.

[katach]

Here are some before shed pics. She should be shedding Tuesday or Wednesday, so I'll get some post shed pics up then.

(** Sorry about the poop, I need to get some more carefresh tomorrow.**)

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg163/scaled.php?server=163&filename=dsc03072z.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg840/scaled.php?server=840&filename=dsc03081q.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg265/scaled.php?server=265&filename=dsc03084c.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg341/scaled.php?server=341&filename=dsc03086.jpg&res=medium

[BUSHSNAKE]

awesome, nice pictures Kat

[katach]

Thanks Joe!

[RedSidedSPR]

Pink stripe!

[katach]

Almost looks lavender in person. I am so excited to see what she will look like after she sheds.

[katach]

Blade shed around 4:30. I had to get ready for work so pics will be done later. She is gorgeous! Snakey seems to think so too. I think I saw him putting the moves on her. :)

[kibakiba]

He loves it when Ember sheds... He's always flirting with poor little Ember after he sheds. Haha.

[katach]

Here she is all her red glory!!

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg257/scaled.php?server=257&filename=dsc03097x.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg442/scaled.php?server=442&filename=dsc03096cj.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg510/scaled.php?server=510&filename=dsc03095k.jpg&res=medium

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg97/scaled.php?server=97&filename=dsc03094q.jpg&res=medium

[kibakiba]

Awww. So pretty. :D

[EasternGirl]

Beautiful girl!

[katach]

Thanks!

[guidofatherof5]

We'd love to see the new and improved version when it arrives, please.

[katach]

I posted a few on the end of page 7. :)

[chris-uk]

I love the way the colours are so much more vibrant after a shed, I want to see our cuitzeos after a shed... still waiting for their first.

Great looking snake you have there Kat.

[RedSidedSPR]

holy crap she's on fire.

[kimbosaur]

So pretty!