My breeding season thus far 4-2-07

[Russell]

Well, quite frankly it's turning out to not be the best year I've had... Here's how it's breaking down.

Bullsnakes--laid seven eggs - five looking good at this point

Northern Pines, three of the four females laid eggs with fertile eggs. Big Girl laid five good eggs and six slugs! Argh! One of the four totally slugged out on me. But the great news is the little female laid six very nice fertile eggs for me. I'll be watching her clutch like a hawk.

Jani, aka Northern Mexican Pine. I only bred the one female this year. The two young females though big enough, I felt I wanted to wait yet another year with them. I'm in no desire to swamp myself with tons of baby jani around here! The adult female gave me 16 very nice eggs.

Black Pine is very gravid, has shed now, and due to lay any day.

Gray Rat, also very gravid and due to lay any day.

Corns...I'm not sure what happened here! I'm thinking somehow the males got overheated cause there have been mostly slugs in the four clutches laid and some females aren't looking like they are full of eggs but rather also slugs!!!

Charlotte, my Charleston locale female bred to a first timer, a bloodred, actually did fine. Laid 16 fertiles and a few slugs.

Monster, bred to my Charleston male and a few times to Edmund, threw mostly slugs and five fertile eggs. She normaly throws twenty plus good eggs every year! She's nine this year. I don't know if she's going to breed next year. I was just schocked that I got so many slugs. Old age or fertility problem? Or both?

Hypo Okeetee female laid early, all slugs but ONE egg. The Hypo Okeetee male seemed sluggish coming out of brumation. I'm really beginning to think I need to leave well alone and not put these guys down so early and bring them up so early, cause this old house is just too cool for breeding snakes in the winter time.

Ember. One of the most anticipated breedings, as she and Edmund were paired for the first time. Well, she only threw me seven good eggs and a ton of slugs also! ARGH!

All three of the Ghost females I have don't look promising to me at all. The Candy Canes are looking serious though...so high hopes there. Lucy the other Okeetee is due to lay any time. My Amber who was bred to my hypo lavender first timer, looks gravid...probably my most anticipated cross after the Ember x Edmund project. Then the Snow, who was bred with Sterling, my Phantom...is questionable at this time. And the Crimson, we'll see. So anyhow, it seems Murphy is alive and well at my house this year. I'll keep him here for all of you out there yet to breed... LOL!

But I guess I do need to remember, at least I do have some eggs. And should be thankful I won't be swamped with baby corns this year like I was last year! last year was crazy!

But it's going to be a good year regardless of how the corns are doing. Cause I'm going to Daytona or bust! My one big trip I'm going to take, and I've saved up plenty of vacation time already for it. So I'm excited about that. I'll be the short guy walking around with a camera taking ten billion pictures and talking to no one...LOL!

I hear a bird calling to me...they want their birdie bread...So that's news here on the thawing out tundra.

[Caroline]

I am really sorry Russell.I really hope the rest of the season will go better than this. Here is a big hug for you.

[Russell]

LOL! Thanks for the hug. Seriously though all things happen for a reason. And I'm not actually too bent about having a, well, so so year. Though I've had so many slugs, I still have plenty of eggs incubating. Good thing this is just a hobby for me, so I just take whatever is given my way. But oh man, for those who really depend on this, well, like I said, I'll keep Murphy here! LOL! And who's to say the few eggs I've gotten won't throw something that'll make me go, OH WOW! It has happened! When all is said and done, sometime in August. I'll look back and still call it a good year. Seems I always do. And I'm not done yet, I'll be watching that Amber like a hawk!

[Tom Thompson]

Sorry to hear how it's starting out! It's still early though, I hope there maybe a turn of luck for you!

[Russell]

oh it's all good now, eggs left and right with the rest of the bunch.
Just started out with a few not so good clutches is all.

[vanderkm]

Very surprising to have such a high percentage of slugs - sure hope you get lots of great hatchlings from the fertile eggs that you have. Do you think it was related to bringing them out of brumation early? We have had temps very low during brumation (down to 40 to 455 some nights in past years) without impacting fertility, but we don't tend to bring them up until late February or early March. Will be very interested to hear what you plan for next year and what results you have. Always appreciate it when people share the failures as well as all the successes.


mary v.

[Joni Garcia]

Sorry to hear how things are going so far. I hope the rest of your season goes well.