View Full Version : The Life Of Mercy
Hi all i figured i would make a thread all about Mercy that way when i have photos i would like to share or update you all on a milestone in her life i can post it here. Enjoy :)
A few photos of her just the other day exploring the garden.
curious.boa.guy
02-09-16, 03:55 PM
absolute gorgeous snake, how old is she ?
I don't know the exact age unfortunately i never asked her previous owner, I'm open to opinions :)
LespaceSerpent
02-09-16, 09:13 PM
She is absolutely gorgeous! I look forward to more pictures of her ^-^
That's a really pretty CP, looks no older than a yearling. :)
I agree with Sam, no more that a year old I think. She's beautiful, what species?
EL Ziggy
02-09-16, 11:30 PM
She looks like a yearling to me as well. Have you weighed her yet Klaire?
LespaceSerpent - Thankyou :) !
Sam - awesome thanks for your opinion :)
Herpo - Thankyou! she is a morelia spilota cheynei however she is Julatten that's why she is black & white/grey (and tan when she is getting close to a shed) rather than the typical black & yellow :)
Ziggy - Thanks for the opinion :) I know it's very important to do so however if i am to be completely honest i haven't gotten around to it yet, I have been moving house alot lately and this is my fourth time moving within the space of a couple months (Hard to explain why) and i lost my last scales throughout the moves so have been meaning to buy a new one but as soon as i do i will update this thread and let you know :)
By the way, The container she came with had this sticker on the front with this date, If it's her Birth date when she came out of the egg then that would make her older than a year which doesn't make sense giving her size as i'm sure you all agree so i have no idea what that date would be relating to with her ??
I thought so. Julattens are gorgeous, I love her head! The pattern is one I've never even seen remotely on another python!
Could be the date her egg was laid. Popeye is almost a year old, he's 11 months now, turning a year old in March, and he is probably 1.1m.
Thanks Sam! I love her to bits and already adore her but when other people agree that she is pretty it's kinda like the icing on a cake haha :). Ah ok that makes sense, I love popeye by the way his eyes are so beautiful just like Mercy's they are that awesome granite looking silver. Congrats on his birthday coming up soon :)
toddnbecka
02-10-16, 01:32 AM
If that is the hatch date she's not much more than one year old now. My IJ/jungle cross is probably a few months older than Mercy, very well fed, and a bit more than 1 meter long. A bit bulkier though, gets more mice than necessary because they breed/grow so quickly.
Ah ok awesome thanks for that :). I have heard that they grow quickly and that is becoming apparent quite fast with Mercy as she is starting to get hungrier quicker these past few days and her last shed skin is alot bigger than her first
Thanks Sam! I love her to bits and already adore her but when other people agree that she is pretty it's kinda like the icing on a cake haha :). Ah ok that makes sense, I love popeye by the way his eyes are so beautiful just like Mercy's they are that awesome granite looking silver. Congrats on his birthday coming up soon :)
Thanks, still don't know what to get him lol. There's a progress thread on him coming on after his shed by the way. ;)
oooh, Count me in to be subbed to that thread! :)
He should shed soon, he's in blue right now.
LespaceSerpent - Thankyou :) !
Sam - awesome thanks for your opinion :)
Herpo - Thankyou! she is a morelia spilota cheynei however she is Julatten that's why she is black & white/grey (and tan when she is getting close to a shed) rather than the typical black & yellow :)
Ziggy - Thanks for the opinion :) I know it's very important to do so however if i am to be completely honest i haven't gotten around to it yet, I have been moving house alot lately and this is my fourth time moving within the space of a couple months (Hard to explain why) and i lost my last scales throughout the moves so have been meaning to buy a new one but as soon as i do i will update this thread and let you know :)
By the way, The container she came with had this sticker on the front with this date, If it's her Birth date when she came out of the egg then that would make her older than a year which doesn't make sense giving her size as i'm sure you all agree so i have no idea what that date would be relating to with her ??
Damn, she's almost the same age as my Inland CP, Bowie. He was born in January 2015. Right now he weighs around 70g, what's the weight of Mercy? :)
EL Ziggy
02-10-16, 07:18 AM
@ Klaire- I'm thinking that's her hatch date too. She looks like a yearling to me. She's a beautiful carpet.
@ Sam- 70g is a little small for a yearling but your guy will grow fast. Did you get him as a hatchling? Sometimes breeders will keep them on the smaller side. What's your feeding regiment like now? My coastal was hatched in June 2014. He was 85g when I got him on 9/2/15. He was up to 505g when I weighed him on 1/30/16. My jungle was hatched in late July 2015. I got him on 9/22/15 and he was 31g when he arrived. He was 212g when I weighed him on 1/30/16. I'm feeding them both 15-20% of their body weight every 6-7 days. I'll slow them down a bit in 4-6 months when they turn 1 & 2.
@ TnB- Is your carpet on mice exclusively? If so, I'd consider switching to rats. Like you said, they grow fast and who wants to feed an adult jungle 6-7 mice per feeding? :)
Electra
02-10-16, 07:31 AM
Hi Klaire, Mercy is beautiful. Look forward to seeing how he progresses! I've just got my first snake and I know how u feel, I absolutely love mine. Not as exotic as most others, she's a 5 month corn snake. Our whole family has fallen in love with her. All the best with Mercy!
Sam - I haven't weighed her in a while when i do i'll update her weight on this thread :)
Ziggy - Thankyou :)
Electra - Thankyou loads your girl sounds wonderful! you will have to post some photos of her on this forum when you get a chance if you haven't already :)
The F14 Pic was taken by the breeder and was the first one i ever got sent of her, the one with her coiled in an s position around my hand against the wall is my first ever hold of her :) and the rest are some recent ones.
macandchz
02-10-16, 01:13 PM
klaire, she is just beautiful! i love the markings on her face.
jpsteele80
02-10-16, 04:57 PM
Absolutely beautiful, love the coloration and pattern on her
Hey guys :) I weighed her today (still a slight bulge in her belly) so she won't be this weight once she defecates however she weighed in at 90g so she is close to Bowie's weight Sam :)
EL Ziggy
02-10-16, 09:45 PM
That's perfect Klaire. She's right where my yearling was when I got him. She's going to grow FAST once you up her prey size :).
Cool glad to hear she is up to normal standard :) i wasn't sure whether you would see either thread so i posted her weight on the other one too so just disregard that :). I may up her it just depends the pinkies she's on leaves a pretty good bulge IMO and is still visible the next day , I did happen to take some shots of her just after she ate of the size of bulge, they aren't that good quality but i will post them so you can get an idea :)
Grr photo's don't do justice ever regarding size but anywho this was about a couple minutes after she swallowed her meal :)
EL Ziggy
02-10-16, 10:57 PM
Klaire- I love her colors and pattern. Trust me, she can definitely handle larger prey or at least 2 of those pinkys. I was a bit leery about feeding my carpets larger prey in the beginning and I still won't push the envelope too far. I started my 85g coastal on 17-20g rat fuzzys. I talked to the breeder 2 weeks after I got him and he told me that my guy could easily handle a jumbo mouse. I thought NO WAY! He's a very well respected breeder, I figure he knows a lot more than I do, so I decide to give it a try. I was beyond surprised and actually pretty impressed. This was last September. For his most recent meal he had a small rat and a chick. That was 3 days ago. He's already prowling his enclosure and would definitely eat if I fed him but he won't eat again until Saturday or Sunday. I love how he comes to the front of the glass begging but then goes back to doing his thing when he realizes no food is coming. :)
EL Ziggy
02-10-16, 11:04 PM
Will move to different thread.
EL Ziggy
02-10-16, 11:08 PM
Sorry Klaire, I wasn't trying to hijack your thread.
It's funny you say "I figure he knows a lot more than i do " Because i was thinking the same thing about your advice and i figured well you obviously have been into the whole "reptile" thing alot longer than me and own your own carpets so i trust your advice on stepping her up even though they grow them quite large here. I will get some fuzzy's in a few days :) do you recommend keeping her on a 5 day schedule still or since her food will be larger should i stretch her feedings to every 6 days instead?
That's crazy that he still slithers around his enclosure after that kind of feed they definitely are garbage disposals lol. I can imagine that "begging" look as i kind of see mercy do it when its coming close to feeding day and she sits on her log looking at me like "please mum, food now?" haha :)
Sorry Klaire, I wasn't trying to hijack your thread.
Don't be silly! i really enjoy getting advice/stories from other people you didn't have to move your response :)
toddnbecka
02-11-16, 01:08 AM
@ TnB- Is your carpet on mice exclusively? If so, I'd consider switching to rats. Like you said, they grow fast and who wants to feed an adult jungle 6-7 mice per feeding? :)
Mice most often because they breed and grow faster than I feed them off, but I offered a f/t fuzzy rat a couple times and they were taken too. I actually suspect rat pinks were what Bogey was started on, had a hard time getting him to take a mouse (never occured to me at the time.) Once the ice was broken with the first hopper mouse he took them w/out any hesitation. Rivers is another story, may have a bit more work getting her to take rats when she outgrows mice.
toddnbecka
02-11-16, 01:25 AM
Cool glad to hear she is up to normal standard :) i wasn't sure whether you would see either thread so i posted her weight on the other one too so just disregard that :). I may up her it just depends the pinkies she's on leaves a pretty good bulge IMO and is still visible the next day , I did happen to take some shots of her just after she ate of the size of bulge, they aren't that good quality but i will post them so you can get an idea :)
Bogey will take a "jumbo" mouse or 2 smaller/weaned mice and be looking for another. I usually do feed 2 medium size mice (same size as fuzzy rats) simply to help keep their numbers down, those are barely noticeable when swallowed. I've also noticed that most of his waste is urates, relatively little brown poop like the boas and colubrids typically pass. I presume that's because more of the prey is digested and absorbed rather than passing on through.
Rivers is still a baby, though now a bit larger than Bogey was when I brought him home. She will happily take 2 large fuzzy mice or 1 hopper, and would eat every 4-5 days if I'd feed her that often. So would Bogey for that matter, but they're growing quite fast enough already, lol.
Generally speaking, a hopper mouse is about the same size as a rat pinky.
Iv'e decided to move her up to rat fuzzies :)
I think she could go higher. Some breeders start their pythons on rat fuzzies. But maybe go with fuzzies and see how well she goes.
Never mind, I think I'm confusing them with pinky rats.
Someone decided to have a look at the forum with me
@ Sam- 70g is a little small for a yearling but your guy will grow fast. Did you get him as a hatchling? Sometimes breeders will keep them on the smaller side. What's your feeding regiment like now? My coastal was hatched in June 2014. He was 85g when I got him on 9/2/15. He was up to 505g when I weighed him on 1/30/16. My jungle was hatched in late July 2015. I got him on 9/22/15 and he was 31g when he arrived. He was 212g when I weighed him on 1/30/16. I'm feeding them both 15-20% of their body weight every 6-7 days. I'll slow them down a bit in 4-6 months when they turn 1 & 2.
I bought him as a yearling, he probably weighed around 50g or less. The breeders were no doubt keeping him under a maintenance feeding regime. I currently have him on weaner mice, once I run out of them I'll be switching him to rat fuzzies or adult mice.
I had a whole thread around Bowie's weight concerns, don't you remember? haha
EL Ziggy
02-11-16, 08:54 AM
It's cool to see our carpet clan growing. It's great that we can all learn from each other as we go :). I love my colubrids but I'm smitten by my carpets :).
EL Ziggy
02-11-16, 09:45 AM
@ Klaire- I like to mix up my feeding schedules, prey items, and meal sizes. Have fun with it :). If she gets a smaller meal, feed her sooner. If she has a larger meal make her wait an extra day or two.
Ziggy - Okay thanks, I will do that :)
EL Ziggy
02-11-16, 07:26 PM
I'm going to open up the ASF's I got with my last feeder order and offer it to the carpets this weekend. I'm curious to see how they respond to a new prey item :). So far they've both eaten everything I've given them.
Let me know how that goes sounds like it will be interesting :)
EL Ziggy
02-11-16, 08:49 PM
I'm looking forward to hearing about Mercy's first fuzzy ;).
I'm pretty excited myself, i'll update on here with pics :)
Some photos from today. 15.2.16
Just chillin' against your leg there. ;) She's a beautiful snake, get's more gorgeous with every pic!
EL Ziggy
02-15-16, 04:31 AM
Sweet pics Klaire. Mercy is very photogenic. Looks like some great weather there too! ;)
Herpo - She's such a cuddle pot which is strange for her type or so iv'e heard but she always finds a spot either on me or close to me and loves laying there haha :)
Ziggy- Thanks Zig, I think so too hence why i try to accentuate that fact :) and it certainly is finally! the whether here on the sunshine coast has been so temperamental this past week its good to finally have some constant sun throughout the days :) I'm getting really keen to post her update on fuzzies. not long now only 3 more days!
macandchz
02-15-16, 08:18 AM
what nice markings ! when she puts her head down, it looks like an arrow.
toddnbecka
02-16-16, 01:03 AM
Herpo - She's such a cuddle pot which is strange for her type or so iv'e heard but she always finds a spot either on me or close to me and loves laying there haha :)
Not typical for most pythons, or snakes in general for that matter, but there are always exceptions. Looks like you got one of the exceptionals. :)
Electra
02-16-16, 05:58 AM
Hi Klaire, just been catching up on your picks. Mercy is gorgeous, she has obviously found the right owner! Looking forward to seeing how she progresses. I'm a first time snake owner, Electra is nearly 6 months, love her to bits.
ToddnBecka - It works out quite well because then i can do stuff on my laptop without having to constantly watch over her because as we all know they are like toddlers. take your eyes off them for 2 seconds and they are already getting into trouble! :P
Electra - Thankyou heaps :) That's awesome to hear as i'm sure you already know it's such a rewarding experience. Does Electra have a thread of her own ? if so i would love to check it out and sub to it :)
LATE UPDATE:
Mercy took the fuzzie down without a problem, the bulge had gone down abit but was still visible on the third day so they are a good size for her will weigh her when she finishes this pack of fuzzies and when she hasn't got anything in her belly to see how much she has grown, i can tell noticeably (also because i have been away for a couple days) that her head looks larger and neck looks thicker :)
EL Ziggy
02-21-16, 11:22 AM
I've been looking forward to this update Klaire. I figured that fuzzy wouldn't be a problem for Mercy :).
It's always cool to see a snake move up a food size!
dannybgoode
02-21-16, 03:13 PM
Coming on nicely Klaire. Lovely snake. I will start a progression thread for my boa as promised.
Was meant to do it the last couple of weeks but I lost my mum last week following a short, brutal cancer diagnosis and was nursing her at home before she passed away.
EL Ziggy
02-21-16, 03:51 PM
I'm sorry for your loss Danny.
Sorry for your loss Danny, at least you were with her in her final moments.
AwesomeGuy376
02-22-16, 12:02 AM
Really sorry for you loss Danny :(
macandchz
02-22-16, 10:13 AM
dear danny, I just read the post about your loss. I am so sorry. "Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there, I do not sleep. I am in a thousand winds that blow. I am in the softly falling snow." by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
I am so sorry to hear that Danny. You have my deepest condolences :(
On a happy note everyone i have finally gotten a youtube going so you can all watch mercy in the flesh, i have uploaded 2 videos which are similar of her eating a fuzzie in slow motion. hope you all enjoy. this is the link to the best video out of the 2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq6Y2PRv3wQ&feature=youtu.be
and be sure to know that this youtube will flourish with videos of mercy to come as will this thread with updates. thanks all :)
jpsteele80
02-24-16, 08:05 PM
That was a pretty sweet video, you should definitely do more in slow motion like that
Thankyou Jp! i intend too, definitely ones that will be captured/angled better etc but for now that was from today not too long ago :) (please excuse the black plastic stick i currently use i am getting proper feeding tongs soon)
jpsteele80
02-24-16, 08:13 PM
lol the tool that works is the right one
EL Ziggy
02-24-16, 08:21 PM
Very nice video Klaire. Mercy is a beautiful and ferocious little beast. I love it! ;)
Thanks Ziggy! Her behaviour towards food is definitely newly adapted. She never used to be aggressive she used to just slither up to it and start eating (hence why i don't have feeding tongs) but now she lunges and wraps it up really well so i will have to start dangling the prey for her once i get these tongs so she can have a more realistic experience and use her newly adapted behaviour better :)
EL Ziggy
02-24-16, 10:20 PM
Yeah I'm going to need some longer tongs soon Klaire. Their strike range, speed, and strength increase pretty quickly :) . I'm always amazed at how slow and gracefully they move and yet how fast and intensely they strike.
Agreed! they are such beautiful creatures :)
since you all spoke about loving her head pattern.
Mercy is a beautiful snake Klaire! I loved the video, how the soil just rolled over the rat, awesome!
Thanks Herpo so is Popeye!. Yeah it was crazy that was the first time that has happened where she accidentally wrapped some soil up too haha
Albert Clark
02-26-16, 07:05 AM
Very impressive K! Keep up the good work.
EL Ziggy
02-26-16, 08:09 PM
What a pretty girl she is. I love those Julatten colors.
UPDATE OF HER SIZE. Photo's taken just before. 27.2.16
She's growing! How old is she sorry?
She sure is! And don't be sorry! :) she is a year & roughly 2 months :)
Thanks Klaire, was just curious because I didn't know if the coastal gene made much of a difference to Popeye's size. It's amazing though, because he is younger than Mercy and is eating weaner rats! I underestimated the gene XD!
EL Ziggy
02-27-16, 01:20 PM
Klaire- How do you get Mercy to stay so still to take her pictures? My guys won't stop moving! Anyway, she's very photogenic :).
@ Herpo- How old is Popeye and how much does he weigh?
Popeye is 11 months, a year old soon. He is currently 351g. And I agree, Popeye is a blur once he's out!
Hey guys :) It's not without struggle thats for sure but i'll admit sometimes to get a good photo if she is being too mobile i will video tape her in slow motion then pause the video at points i like and screenshot them! there you go secrets out now you have to repay me with beautiful photos of your lovely ones! ;)
It's that time again!! Mercy is in blue. i can't wait to post some photo's of her after shed :)
Can't wait to see her! Let's hope for a complete shed!
Mercy shed perfectly and ate. here she is 2 days after eating. 16.3.16
EL Ziggy
03-15-16, 10:20 PM
Mercy looks better and better with each shed Klaire. Looks like she's growing nicely too.
She's really something Klaire, beauty!
Electra
03-16-16, 04:11 AM
Just been catching up on Mercy. She's looking great!
Thanks everyone :) yeah she's growing like a weed! i always love taking pics of her after shed because she goes back to that nice grey & black :)
EL Ziggy
03-16-16, 10:35 PM
She really is a beauty Klaire. We don't see many Julattens on this side of the pond. Do you have any breeding plans for Miss Mercy?
I don't unfortunately for you all haha she is my first snake and this is my first time getting into the hobby of owning one so i feel i am no way near educated enough and i don't have the time to learn as i am too focused on other things so she is just going to be a pet :)
Some new photo's of mercy. 31.3.16
These are photo's with a weaner mouse in her belly :) plus a nice shot of her and the iridescence on her tail (f.y.i) She is always/ has been on rats guys don't worry she is just on mice until she finishes her 10 pack :)
30.5.16
An update for you all! i haven't been on the forum for a while so mercy's thread is due for a much needed update :) I have re arranged her tank around and added a few new things, to say that she absolutely loves her new log is an understatement! unless she is on her branch chilling out she is always in her log curled up all snug. she is yet to inspect her new big rock which i have just put in :) i also created a new hiding spot for her underneath her water bowel. mercy herself is going great! she is the sweetest girl and i can now gently touch her on the head and have her just chill there without her moving backwards which is awesome because i want her to feel safe that i won't harm any part of her body when i handle her :). I will update some photos of her in the next few days.
Sweet looking setup! I'm overdue for a Popeye update soon, probably next feeding day or whenever he decides to be a derp. Good to hear our favourite Julatten is going well.
Thanks herpo ! I'm thinking I should incorporate some vines/leaves etc into it all. You can be assured I'll be keeping my eye out for his update :)
Vines tend to look great in a carpet enclosure, and they love using them. I recently added some greenery in the form of fake plants into Popeye's cage and he has ditched his hide to sleep under them.
EL Ziggy
05-30-16, 09:45 AM
Nice to hear that Mercy and Popeye are both doing great. I've been waiting for updates from you two ;) .
That's super cute that Popeye loves his plants I'll definitely have to try it :).
Thanks Ziggy!
vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2025, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.