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Tiny Boidae
03-16-16, 03:26 PM
So... This is Al Capone

I intend to do a progress thread with him while he grows, and develops his adult colors. I may or may not continue it at that point, but I'm stoked to see how his colors develop :D

So, I'd gotten my little Baird's rat snake yesterday and he's been such an interesting snake so far. He was really active for a few hours, and he felt like exploring everything. He's still a little nervous and flighty, but hasn't struck at me yet (I'm a little disappointed, I was hoping for a little more kick to his spirit, but it's still a refreshing change of pace).

I didn't take a picture of this, but he was in his cold hide at one point with his head out at an angle. Anytime I moved, he'd duck back in real quick like I didn't see him. I don't think he knows he has a warm hide yet, as he'd much rather get in the red plant back there or burrow in the eco-earth. Such a character, it was love at first sight for me :)

Anyways, enough with my rambling. Here's some pictures of the little man.

http://i68.tinypic.com/2j2atl5.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/fbksxj.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/igwz7q.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/2welauh.jpg

http://i63.tinypic.com/10p7xx3.jpg

http://i66.tinypic.com/mkay68.jpg

(I know I posted some of these pictures in a different thread, but I wanted to make him an official progression thread so I went ahead and reposted them for everyone to see)

Albert Clark
03-16-16, 03:32 PM
He really looks cool! I was digging the way he snaked his way onto the cables and up to th rim of the enclosure! Flight risk? Nice coloration too.

Tiny Boidae
03-16-16, 03:48 PM
Yeah he'd used the hygrometer probe right there for leverage which made me nervous to watch. I'd never known those suction cups to be the most stable things in the world, and I didn't want him to be any more freaked out than he already was.

He'd calmed down considerably since yesterday, and has made himself a nice little burrow in the back corner, but he was definitely looking for an escape. I had to drill through the screen to fit a thermostat probe and I was worried he'd be able to fit through the hole. He tried it though, and failed.

But thanks for the compliments! He already has some red and white popping up on some of his scales so it shouldn't be long until his next update :)

macandchz
03-16-16, 06:23 PM
lil al capone is probably just biding his time till he takes the place over. very nice snake!

Tiny Boidae
03-16-16, 07:45 PM
Haha, no doubt about it! Day 2 and he's already calmed down considerably. He isn't spunky like he was yesterday, but he's not a shy slug anymore. Like I was just kneeling down in front of the cage watching him, and he approached me with no hesitation on his part. I'm not sure what his motives were, but I want to think he was just being a curious boy. I'm sure if I moved too suddenly or tried to open the lid, he'd freak out in a second, but he didn't even want to approach me from behind the glass yesterday so this is very good news from me. I wasn't going to this soon, but I'm going to offer a fuzzy this weekend and see if he takes it. Fingers crossed I can get him to eat without much fuss!

toddnbecka
03-17-16, 12:49 AM
I cut pegboard to fit inside the tank rim to prevent small snakes from getting between the rim and the screen top. Those clips really aren't very strong. I use 1" wide nylon strap with velcro sewn onto the ends to secure the tops. Was buying the tera tiedowns from Amazon, but they get expensive when you need enough for a large number of tanks.

Tiny Boidae
03-17-16, 04:57 AM
Thanks for the advice! I'll look into getting some pegboard like you said, and I'll see if I can do anything to add any security for now. (I really don't trust those clips either, they just bend too much too easily)

toddnbecka
03-17-16, 11:51 PM
I've found that pegboard and straps are enough even w/out a screen top. Pegboard is cheap, unlike screen tops for 40 breeders, 55 and 75 gallon tanks. Another nice thing about it, I cut out a bit in the middle and then set a 10 gallon tank on top of it. Adds a bit more space to the encloure, sort of a loft, that the climbing snakes do make use of. I doubt the bull or thayeri kings would be as likely to use it, but the Dominicans certainly do. Also keeps the otherwise unused 10 gallon tanks out of the way, lol.

Tiny Boidae
03-19-16, 03:58 PM
And eureka! He took a frozen/thawed fuzzy without much fuss (Well minus the fact that I freaked him out when I accidentally tapped him with the tongs). I didn't take any pictures of him feeding, unfortunately, as I really only dropped the mouse in one of his hides and left it there to minimize stress, and when I came back ten minutes later the mouse was gone and he had a little mouse belly on him ;)

For good measure though, I didn't come completely empty handed. I did manage to snap a few pics of him over the course of the week.

http://i64.tinypic.com/11mgmrl.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/502xci.jpg

EL Ziggy
03-19-16, 04:41 PM
Handsome new critter takes his first meal. That's music to my ears ;) . Congrats again Tiny.

Tiny Boidae
03-19-16, 06:05 PM
Thanks, it was music to mine too! I'd accidentally tapped him with my tongs in the process and he shot out of there. He ended up in the corner, rattling his tail oh-so menacingly and I thought I screwed up and he definitely wouldn't eat... Probably ate as soon as I turned my back!

Tiny Boidae
03-21-16, 02:48 PM
I took Al Capone out for a stroll today and he was on his best behavior (which wasn't really saying a whole lot XP )

I've yet to be bitten or musked on, although he's definitely a tail rattler (which is a blessing). A day doesn't go by without him tail rattling, and he rattled away when I first got him out although after a couple of minutes he settled down and was weaving his way up my arm and around. He was pretty calm except he did NOT tolerate fingers near his face (which I'm pretty okay with). Snapped some pics for the lot of you.

http://i68.tinypic.com/15x776s.jpg

http://i68.tinypic.com/35db91w.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/25qu5ib.jpg

And now I have one of Al Capone's scales, which have a lot more orange to them than I originally thought.

http://i64.tinypic.com/34sld2q.jpg

Edit: Also went out and ordered some supplies off E-Bay for him today, most of which are decorations. I'll try to sneak in an updated picture of his enclosure when they get here.

Tiny Boidae
03-26-16, 11:32 AM
Unfortunate news. I've had him for almost 2 weeks now and he's developed a very mild case of RI. My temps were in the low 90's and high 80's which I suspect to be the culprit and have since boosted them to 95-100. I've also been keeping handling to a minimum regardless and have only been taking him out now just long enough to see if the symptoms are gone or have gotten worse. I noticed it Thursday and it hasn't gotten worse, but it hasn't gotten better either. I've noticed clicking sounds when he breathes sometimes but that's the extent of his symptoms. I'm going to try and see if he'll eat again Wednesday but for now I have noticed absolutely no change in his behavior other than the clicking. He's still highly cage active, and right now is pressed up against the corner of the aquarium trying to find a way out. He's musked a few times and still tail rattles a little bit, but he has calmed down considerably which might be due to him having settled in, or this RI.

Again, it's so mild right now I'm debating on whether or not he's actually sick. I'm trying to do my best to see if I can get it to go away on its own, but if it does get worse I have no quarrels with seeking veterinary treatment (although I'm hoping I can get it to go away on its own). Is there anything else in my husbandry that could've caused this? And is there anything I can do to help him fight this off? Here's a simple bulletin of important notes about his husbandry:

-The hotspot is around 95-100* F right now, but the thermometer only reads in Celsius so my conversion might be a little off. Right now the thermometer reads 35.5* C.
-The cool hide is 21.4* C so about 70* F. It usually is in the high 60's or low 70's.
-Humidity is at 36%
-He has two hides, neither of them are humid hides. I'm getting another hide in the mail to serve as a humid hide though and it'll be here by Tuesday.
-There is very little ambient light in the room. The light bulbs had blown out of that room and I have not fixed it yet. There's also no window in the room so it can't get natural sunlight. I have a small lamp next to his cage which I hope is good enough for now, but I also ordered some lights for his cage and they'll be here tomorrow.
-I've handled him twice so far, once Monday for about 15 minutes and another time Thursday when I noticed. I've taken him out of the enclosure once a day for very brief intervals since Thursday to check up on his RI.
-He is acting otherwise like a very healthy snake. He's eaten with me already, he's drinking, cage active, his poop has been solid.

I feel like I'm overreacting a little bit, but if this is an early RI I want to try and curb it before it gets to the point where a vet visit would be in order. Can anyone give any advice?

Albert Clark
03-26-16, 12:17 PM
Well TB, glad to hear overall that he is adjusting well. As far as the RI is concerned , are you only hearing clicking noises when you hold him and thats it? Because if that is the only symptom i think you may be overthinking as opposed to overreacting. Its good to be suspicious of abnormal sounds. Certainly i would look for any fluid in the nose and or mouth, any abnormal positioning such that he looks like he is looking straight up into the air? Any sign of him keeping his mouth open for extended periods of time. Sometimes when a reptile is held that stress from being held can cause a increase in the respiratory rate and transmitted sounds of breathing. I would definitely bump up the temps a bit. i dont think it needs to be 100f though. Consider adding a little 100% cypress mulch to the substrate too. And not that garbage from Home Depot. Lol.

Tiny Boidae
03-26-16, 12:32 PM
It's only the clicking. I haven't noticed any fluid discharge or any behaviors that seem concerning to me, however he has been clicking in his cage as well. It's not something that he does constantly when I have him out either if that helps, just a couple of clicks every now and then that concerned me. His temps are very usually around 94-98* F now that I adjusted the thermostat, although I have seen them reach 100* once so I thought I'd include it. It's an on-and-off thermostat so the temp range varies a lot, I wanted to cover all of my bases. I will dial down the thermostat a little bit though.

But I'll look into adding some cypress mulch and such. I've never really dealt with RI though so I probably panicked myself. Glad to know it probably wasn't that bad, but I'll still keep his heat boosted a few more days just to be safe.

Albert Clark
03-26-16, 01:21 PM
I believe sometimes the dry air can cause a clicking or a wheeze to start up in some reptiles. I had it happen when I was only using small amounts of cypress mulch with my ball pythons. I know rat snakes are not tropical species but yours coming from the Everglades probably can use a higher humidity percentage. What do you think? Maybe like 50/ 60%. I don't know for sure though. Was he cbb or wc?

Albert Clark
03-26-16, 01:31 PM
Oh, thought he was a Everglades rat snake. My mistake. Not sure of the bairds rat snake distribution and taxa. The percentage on the humidity may vary then.

Tiny Boidae
03-26-16, 01:39 PM
IUCN redlist puts their range in southwest Texas and a small bit of Mexico, which is pretty arid, although they don't come from the deserts.

But he is CB so I wouldn't think he'd come in with any underlying problems or predisposition towards stress. I'll set up a makeshift humid hide for today though if that might be the problem. I don't have cypress mulch on me, but I have plenty of sphagnum moss which will have to do.

Albert Clark
03-26-16, 01:42 PM
Gotcha! Sounds even better then! That humid hide is great.

Tiny Boidae
03-26-16, 08:03 PM
He's already torn into the humid hide I made him (just a paper towel roll with spagnum moss thrown in). The clicking still hasn't stopped, but I still don't see any mucus, gaping, or anything that would normally point to an RI. If it hasn't gotten better by Friday or if it gets worse, I'll make a vet appointment just to be safe. Fingers crossed that the clicking goes away soon and he's a-okay!

Tiny Boidae
03-28-16, 03:35 PM
Quick little update: he's still clicking a little but it has gotten a lot better (thanks Albert for the help!). He's also still eating and this time I managed to catch a low quality photo of him taking a fuzzy.

http://i65.tinypic.com/1z39yyw.jpg

He about spat it out when I took the picture so I didn't get closer or put the camera in the enclosure to keep from freaking him out. On another note, he was so calm about taking his mouse. He just took a minute to find the head and slowly opened wide! Definitely not the typical food reaction I'm used to, and anyone with a sand boa can attest to that lol

Albert Clark
03-28-16, 07:28 PM
Great news TB! Yeah , that's understandable about the exotic vet. Good move. I hope it's just something that the bumped up temps and a little extra humidity can help. It's definitely good that he's still taking food though. Fingers crossed. YW. Glad to offer a bit of help.

Tiny Boidae
03-29-16, 04:05 PM
It probably is. I haven't seen much of him today but it's understandable why. I'm certain he's fighting it off now, if there was any infection in the first place. I'd taken him out Thursday and he was making loud clicks so I was a little freaked out. When I messed with him a little yesterday I had to bring him to my ears to be able to hear any clicking, and even then it might've been my imagination getting the better of me.

A little mini-update: the lights I ordered off E-bay came in yesterday but they sent me the wrong ones! Gah! Another week of using a desk lamp to give him a proper day/night cycle.

On a more positive note, I've already started the process of trying to make a clay rock wall for him. I'll be making a separate thread about it when I'm finished. Really excited about it.

Andy_G
03-29-16, 04:32 PM
Since these guys are in texas/northern mexico as you mentioned, a gradient of 78-95 is ideal. I wouldn't let the temps drop under 74 ideally. The humid hide was a good move as bairdi can dehydrate easily as young ones but the species doesn't do well with humidity besides that. As long as your temps are good and you have humidity covered with the hide AND he's eating, I would say this is a case where "less is more". I'm thinking that you may have just been over-thinking things and that's ok. Yours looks to be the texas locality, as the north mexican bairdi tend to have a hint of red on their heads.

Tiny Boidae
03-29-16, 05:06 PM
Since these guys are in texas/northern mexico as you mentioned, a gradient of 78-95 is ideal. I wouldn't let the temps drop under 74 ideally. The humid hide was a good move as bairdi can dehydrate easily as young ones but the species doesn't do well with humidity besides that. As long as your temps are good and you have humidity covered with the hide AND he's eating, I would say this is a case where "less is more". I'm thinking that you may have just been over-thinking things and that's ok. Yours looks to be the texas locality, as the north mexican bairdi tend to have a hint of red on their heads.

Oh wow thanks! I'm going to be doing some heavy modifications to the enclosure within the next couple of weeks so I'll mess with the ventilation a bit. I'll be covering the top completely in favor of side ventilation so the gradient should be easier to control then. For now I'll mess around a bit to try and see if I can get the ambient temperature up.

But you hit the nail on the head in regards to locality goes. I initially wanted the Mexican locality although I saw this guy on Kingsnake and snatched him up. To be really specific, he's a Loma Alta locale. Sorry if it sounded like I didn't know what locality he was! I was implying that the species seems to have a lot of variety in it as far as color goes, so I'm just excited to see the final product if that makes sense?

Thanks again Andy! Your post really helped clear things up for me.

Tiny Boidae
03-30-16, 05:44 PM
Checked him out again today and I can discern that, without a doubt, it's RI. The popping was noticably louder and the lips of his mouth didn't close quite right, not to mention he'd open them slightly when he flicked his tongue sometimes. I already made an appointment with the vet to try and get him checked out, and his appointment is Saturday. I covered the top and went ahead and drilled holes in the side, so his temps are in the low 70's now which I'll take as a victory for now.

Andy_G
03-30-16, 08:13 PM
Oh no! I'm surr the vet appointment is a step in the right direction. Do your best to get that ambient temp up to the high 70's in the meanwhile.

Tiny Boidae
03-30-16, 08:42 PM
His appointment is tomorrow is what I meant to say... I'm frazzled about this and I must've gotten mixed up.

I'm fairly hopeful that since I've caught it relatively early that he'll have an easy recovery. I haven't noticed any mucus or bubbles, or any odd funky positions, or any abnormal behaviors at all really. He hasn't regurged the mouse from Monday either. I'm just hoping to get him in, get a culture, and get him on the proper medication as quickly as I can. Really like this little spunk and it'd be a shame if I lost him.

But I'll be heading to the petstore after his vet appointment and picking up a ceramic heat emitter, which will replace the heat pad. I'm sure that will do the trick as far as ambient temperature goes.

Tiny Boidae
03-31-16, 03:40 PM
We took him to the vet but today was a bad day for anything. We had a nasty storm system move in and the veterinarian couldn't get into work... So we left him with the vet and they said they'll call me when they get to him. He does have a mild RI and they've prescribed some Baytril. He'll have to stay overnight unfortunately because it's normally an hour to get there and back, but with the storm system and bad weather it'll probably take twice as long. I'll be heading back first thing in the morning to get him though.

I've also gotten a ceramic heat emitter and his cold side is now 80-ish*, so we won't have a repeat of what happened. Hoping Al has a speedy recovery!

Albert Clark
03-31-16, 03:56 PM
Wow! Ok. I guess its always the right move to consult the higher minds of science. Glad to hear he will be getting back on track soon. Did you request a culture or are they treating him symptomatically?

Tiny Boidae
03-31-16, 04:32 PM
I requested one when I left him at the vet, so I assume so. However, it wasn't discussed at all when they called me to give me the news. I'll double check that it's been done when I head in.

Andy_G
03-31-16, 04:57 PM
I hope a culture was done. Baytril won't do a single thing if it's viral. Insist on it.

Tiny Boidae
04-01-16, 08:44 AM
I got him back today and he's doing a lot better already. He'd gotten his first injection yesterday and he's due for another Sunday, and he's NOT happy with me.

http://i67.tinypic.com/dqg655.jpg

I asked if it's been cultured and they had taken a culture yesterday, so I trust that he'll get better soon.

toddnbecka
04-02-16, 12:09 AM
When we brought home our group of sub-adult DRMB's one of the males had a prolapsed hemipenis. He was taken to the vet for surgery since it had been out for about a month before we got him, and was 3/4 dead tissue. He had to have injections of antibiotics after the surgery, and though the vet also gave us pain medicine it had to be given orally, and I was too concerned about not getting it properly down his gullet after the first attempt to continue dosing him with it. Throughout the whole ordeal he never acted defensive or even tried to get away when given the shots.
The main thing is to get him healthy, I don't think he'll hold a grudge over the treatment.

Albert Clark
04-02-16, 02:24 AM
OCongrats TB. Glad to see he is on the path to healing.

Tiny Boidae
04-02-16, 11:06 AM
When we brought home our group of sub-adult DRMB's one of the males had a prolapsed hemipenis. He was taken to the vet for surgery since it had been out for about a month before we got him, and was 3/4 dead tissue. He had to have injections of antibiotics after the surgery, and though the vet also gave us pain medicine it had to be given orally, and I was too concerned about not getting it properly down his gullet after the first attempt to continue dosing him with it. Throughout the whole ordeal he never acted defensive or even tried to get away when given the shots.
The main thing is to get him healthy, I don't think he'll hold a grudge over the treatment.

And I have full faith that he'll get better soon. I was jokingly making that comment about how he was miserable, because he was spazzing out in the travel container probably because he was stressing out over the trip and such.

I'm sorry you had to go through that with your male though. I'm glad everything worked out okay for him :)

OCongrats TB. Glad to see he is on the path to healing.

Thanks! I sure hope so. He's still clicking and he's a lot more nervous than he was before we took him to the vet. I was just changing his water and I hadn't noticed he had burrowed underneath it. I picked up the dish and he wigged out on me, striking and tail rattling and such. Like a whole different snake. I'm sure with time and antibiotics all of this will go back to normal, but for now he hasn't improved much. I'm debating about offering some food when I feed him Monday. It'll be the day after the 2nd round of injections, so I'm pretty sure I won't be at risk for a regurge when I inject him again on Wednesday. I'll probably see how he is that morning and decide from there.

Tiny Boidae
04-04-16, 03:35 PM
Mini update:

I gave Al Capone his injection yesterday, and he took it a lot better than I expected. Didn't try to run or bite or musk. He flinched a little, but that was the extent of it. I also noticed that he's gone into shed yesterday too, so I gave him a little bit of a bath today (I like to give my snakes 2 baths when they begin to shed: one right when I notice they've gone into shed, and one when it looks like they're about to actually shed). He's still clicking, it was really bad when he was in the "bath" (It's just wet paper towels with a small bit of loose water), but before he went in there I didn't really hear a lot of clicking. I assume that's a good thing?
It's also feeding day here and I went around feeding the sand boas, and while I didn't expect him to eat I thought there was no harm in offering. I went to set the mouse down in his warm hide and right away his little head poked out from nowhere and was inspecting it. He didn't miss a beat at all, and it was down the gullet in a few minutes.
Oh and ONE more thing I thought I should add. He pooped today and it was pretty solid, not watery.

Tiny Boidae
04-28-16, 04:22 PM
One month update:

It's been a month and a half since I've had him and I'd just thought to give everyone a little update so far. He'd gotten over his RI and is doing great. When I'd first gotten him, he was 74.3 grams, but now a month later he's added on a lot of weight and is now at 81.4 grams.

http://i63.tinypic.com/xg5dw.jpg

I waited until after he pooped to get a measurement, and sure enough he had today. I cleaned out his cage, and while I was doing that I weighed him and took him out for a photo shoot.

http://i64.tinypic.com/jshpo1.jpg

(As far as his cage goes, I took out the Eco Earth for now although I'll be replacing it in May probably. He's been driving me crazy about getting under the paper towel. I also put in some deer antlers that I found during a hiking trip, although he hasn't used them much as a climbing opportunity.)

http://i68.tinypic.com/ak7ol2.jpg

http://i67.tinypic.com/j5cqo2.jpg

He's also starting to develop a lot more orange, especially towards his tail. He's getting some white and black along his spine, although it's not a drastic change.

Andy_G
04-28-16, 04:48 PM
Glad to see he is well on the mend!

Tsubaki
04-29-16, 05:38 AM
He's looking good! deer antlers as decoration, haven't seen that before. great idea though!

Tiny Boidae
04-29-16, 07:13 AM
Glad to see he is well on the mend!

Thanks! He's doing a lot better now and growing like a weed!

He's looking good! deer antlers as decoration, haven't seen that before. great idea though!

Thank you! I do nature hiked regularly and since deer shed their antlers seasonally, I sometimes find discarded antlers on my hikes. I have a cooler full of em in my shed, and I just had a thought that they'd make an interesting decoration. He'll climb on them when he's trying to get out, but other than that he likes to try and curl up underneath the antler tucked away in the corner (they're not that heavy but they do have some weight to them which is good for him). They're also pretty rough towards the bottom which I thought he could use when he shed. I'll probably wrap it in some plastic vines to encourage him to use it more often.

macandchz
04-29-16, 09:38 AM
keep us posted on how Lil Al is doing.

Albert Clark
04-29-16, 01:12 PM
Wow! What a great story. He looks great too. Grats. I thought all the multicolored decorations in his enclosure was a birthday celebration for Al, lol.

Tiny Boidae
04-29-16, 04:25 PM
keep us posted on how Lil Al is doing.

That's what this thread is for ;)
Unless something major happens, I'll probably skip out on an update until his colors start to really break through.

Wow! What a great story. He looks great too. Grats. I thought all the multicolored decorations in his enclosure was a birthday celebration for Al, lol.

Thanks! I always appreciate hearing from you. But no, lol. I ordered some cheap aquarium decorations off Ebay and because it was one of those things where you couldn't select a color, I got sent a blue and purple bonsai tree. I figured that it'd look weird if I filled it with natural looking vegetation though, so I went all out with the odd colors! Al Capone doesn't seem to mind the colors though. One of his several favorite hiding spots is hiding in the little red bush.

Tiny Boidae
05-18-16, 02:27 PM
He's definitely getting purdy. A lot of red towards his tail but more orange and yellow towards his head. Not to mention his stripes are coming in and he's getting white and black blotches, and in some places I can even see a little bit of dark purple (although I don't think it'll ever be real noticeable). It baffles me that Baird's rat snakes aren't more common in the pet trade.

But I'd taken him outside today since the weather was nice and he's absolutely stunning in natural sunlight.

http://i63.tinypic.com/4h5gmv.jpg

He'd shed Monday so he's all nice and bright! I've since decided to do a small update every time he sheds, which is about every month and a half now.

I'd also cleaned his cage while he was at it. He defecates like crazy and he already discovered the joy of going in his water dish (which he doesn't even soak in mind you, but it's happened twice).

http://i66.tinypic.com/2cf5nbs.jpg

I've also noticed that since I decorated the cage with a bunch of those little plants, he spends a lot more of his time out in the open "hiding". His favorite spot is in the big fern-looking plant in the corner, although he doesn't usually going into either of his actual hides which is nice.

macandchz
05-19-16, 08:45 AM
little al seems to be coming along nicely. like the decorations.

daisymaisy
05-19-16, 05:14 PM
Baird's are definitely on my "want" list so I'm glad to see yours doing well! Looks like you're taking great care of him. He's a gorgeous snake!

Tiny Boidae
05-19-16, 07:26 PM
little al seems to be coming along nicely. like the decorations.

Thanks mac! He's growing like a weed.



Baird's are definitely on my "want" list so I'm glad to see yours doing well! Looks like you're taking great care of him. He's a gorgeous snake!

Thank you for the compliments! Their colorful appearance is definitely what sold it for me. To know that such a beautiful animal was slithering around right in my backyard... It was only natural that I chose one. I'd been cycling through possibilities for years, but when I was looking at speckled kings on Sunshine Serpent's page I saw their baird's rat snake section. It was just like "Wow!" but the picture doesn't do them their justice. In person, I can definitely agree that Al Capone is way more stunning than any photo I take of him. Such a great personality too. He's inquisitive and surprisingly calm, and in fact I can't even get him to strike at his own food. He'll just calmly take it out of my tongs. So if you do ever get one, I'd definitely be interested in seeing the cutie!

Tiny Boidae
05-31-16, 12:12 PM
I'm going to California for a few weeks Friday and in anticipation of a shed while I'm gone, I'm preemptively posting a "post-shed" update ;)

I'd taken him outside today since it was a nice day, and I got a couple nice pictures of him.

http://i66.tinypic.com/2a62hb7.jpg

Ain't he getting big?

http://i66.tinypic.com/of7y93.jpg

Why hello there!

http://i64.tinypic.com/ngd0mb.jpg

He's starting to lose the dull grey and browns that they hatch out with and he's definitely getting colorful (as evidenced by the cherry red lipstick he's sporting.

http://i65.tinypic.com/2cwn18w.jpg

Albert Clark
05-31-16, 03:42 PM
He'll always be special! What a great species. I will have to put Bairds on my "to get" list.

Tiny Boidae
05-31-16, 05:10 PM
He'll always be special! What a great species. I will have to put Bairds on my "to get" list.

Haha, definitely! Such an underappreciated species. Having this guy definitely helped me to realize that I'm more of a colubrid person than a boid person, and as such I'm even considering getting him a girlfriend in the near future! Still, that will have to wait until the move. I've got no room for anymore snakes right now lol

toddnbecka
05-31-16, 11:30 PM
Growing like a weed in a garden, lol. Looking forward to seeing the colors come out too.

dave himself
06-01-16, 08:11 AM
Beautiful boy you have there Tiny :) and those colors are really starting to come through

Tiny Boidae
06-01-16, 08:50 AM
Growing like a weed in a garden, lol. Looking forward to seeing the colors come out too.

Oh yeah in the first month I had him he gained a hefty 10 grams, although I'll need to weigh him again before I leave. He's definitely going to be a big boy, that's for sure though!

Beautiful boy you have there Tiny :) and those colors are really starting to come through

Thank you Dave. I've been looking forward to seeing his colors come through since I'd got him, and I feel like I'm starting to get a really clear picture of how he'll look.