Here's what i keep now.

[SnakeyJay]

Hey, I haven't been active on the forums lately so I thought id make a ittle threa about the animals that i keep now and what they've been upto.... :)

I don't have all my pics here at the moment but ill post a few of what i have. Recently i've been playing around with my camera and macro shots so im sorry about all the mantis photos if i get to those hahaha...

First up theres a few pics of "Sasha" my female BRB...

[SnakeyJay]

Another quick one of sasha....

[SnakeyJay]

I also keep an 08 male BCI called Mario, a spotted python called Drogo, a reticulated python called Floki and last but not least (for the snakes) we have Bellatrix the Californian redsided garter... I'll throw in a mix of photos for all these now.. D)

[SnakeyJay]

Here's a few more, i couldnt find any of Mario the BCI so ill dig one out later.. :)

[dannybgoode]

Nice collection Jamie. You've got some beauties. I like the spotted in particular and garters are growing on me.

[SnakeyJay]

Ok, next we have my cave geckos... Currently i only have three adults now, a female G.hainanensis called Ziva and a pair of G.kuroiwae called Abbey & Mcgee.

However im plesed to say the Abbey has had her first ever season of being paired up and shes produced 9 eggs for me... Just 2 are left incubating.

Here's some pics of ziva and a couple of her babies from last year. :)

[EL Ziggy]

Very nice critters Jay. I really like the garter and geckos.

[SnakeyJay]

Heres the Kuroiwae, unfortunately i only have photos of their hatchlings on my phone at the moment so ill post those photos at a later date.

[SnakeyJay]

And my favourite out of the kuroiwae pics. :)

[SnakeyJay]

Tyrian is next, he's my Ackie monitor... :)

[SnakeyJay]

Last but not least we have the mantis.... I've kept a few species over the last couple of years. I find their relative short life span both a blessing and a curse, It means you get to keep quite a few different ones but im always gutted when they do die... lol

[SnakeyJay]

A few more...

[SnakeyJay]

..............

[Magdalen]

Rainbows are so pretty. Wish they didn't get so big tho. Limited space here.

Can I say I am in love with your mantises, especially that first one. Such neat weird looking insects.

[dannybgoode]

Those Kuroiwae are gangster. Look like proper street ninja geckos. Do you breed them. I need one of those in my collection. Been looking for a gecko that does it for me and they certainly do.

What camera and lens are you using also as they're nice shots...

[SnakeyJay]

Nice collection Jamie. You've got some beauties. I like the spotted in particular and garters are growing on me.

The spotted is going soon to a friend, I bought him for my GF but she's lost interest so I'm giving him to a friend on principle. Lol..

The garter is my little worm, she hates me and is pure evil but that just makes me love her more! Hahaha

[SnakeyJay]

Very nice critters Jay. I really like the garter and geckos.

Thanks, the geckos got me hooked with their red eyes... Absolutely striking when I saw them for the first time! 😃

[SnakeyJay]

Rainbows are so pretty. Wish they didn't get so big tho. Limited space here.

Can I say I am in love with your mantises, especially that first one. Such neat weird looking insects.

The first one is a male orchid mantis at adult stage... They're one of my favourite species of mantis too, along side the Devils flower mantis (Idolomantis diabolica. )

[SnakeyJay]

Those Kuroiwae are gangster. Look like proper street ninja geckos. Do you breed them. I need one of those in my collection. Been looking for a gecko that does it for me and they certainly do.

What camera and lens are you using also as they're nice shots...

I call all the cave geckos "night ninja's"... My mate coined the term and I stole it lmao... Your actually in luck, 2yrs ago my hainanensis got paired and she produced a bumper load that year, like 12... She then retained and produced last year again, bloody 16 of them!

So my kuroiwae got pushed back a year and paired this year... Had 6 babies hatched so far but 3 are hold backs for myself. So there's 3 that will be available soon! ;)

Here's one of the babies just to tempt you now that I'm using my phone haha

[SnakeyJay]

If you want to see more pics of the babies feel free to look up my FB photography page... Fauna photography - JHiggins :)

[SnakeyJay]

Here's a photo of Mario my BCI.... I've had him and Sasha the longest out of the snakes I've still got, they're CB08.

[SnakeyJay]

And sasha for a comparative on size between the two of them... :)

[Tsubaki]

Great looking collection you have there :D

[dannybgoode]

Lovely pair of boas you have there (don't tell your gf I said that!).

That BRB is a particularly fine specimen.

[SnakeyJay]

Lovely pair of boas you have there (don't tell your gf I said that!).

That BRB is a particularly fine specimen.

I doubt Rachel my GF would bat an eye these days lmao..

Sasha the brb is my pride and joy tbh... Apart from my pup. :)

[SnakeyJay]

Great looking collection you have there :D

Thanks, havnt posted photos of everything and hopefully I've got a couple of corns coming from a friend as a swap for the spotted Python... Anery motley and a Tessera corn. Although that doesn't really mean much to me as in really not a morph kind of guy. :)

[Albert Clark]

Amazing collection and so much diversity! Grats.

[macandchz]

what an interesting collection! i've never heard of anyone keeping a mantis before. we get them in the garden here and i'm always happy to see them because they eat the critters that eat my plants.

[SnakeyJay]

Amazing collection and so much diversity! Grats.

Thanks, I do try and keep a variety of species and still have a few more obscure species to add soon hopefully... :)

[SnakeyJay]

what an interesting collection! i've never heard of anyone keeping a mantis before. we get them in the garden here and i'm always happy to see them because they eat the critters that eat my plants.

They're quite commonly kept around the world amongst invert keepers.... Thousands of species around and such a wide range in the way that they look and behave....

Fascinating little badass's of the insect world in my opinion! ;)

[Magdalen]

I didn't know you could keep mantis either. Of course your post had me looking into it and wanting to give it a go. The tiniest little green guy stayed in my flowers for several days years ago. I got some neat pictures of him somewhere.

[SnakeyJay]

I didn't know you could keep mantis either. Of course your post had me looking into it and wanting to give it a go. The tiniest little green guy stayed in my flowers for several days years ago. I got some neat pictures of him somewhere.

You should totally give it a go!! Mantis are awesome to keep and if you get them at the earliest stage possible its amazing to watch them grow with each shed... :)

[Magdalen]

I might just. They don't seem like they require much space. What a good beginner mantis?

I mean the colorful ones are pretty but I would need something that wouldn't mind a mistake here and there.

[sirtalis]

Always good to meet a fellow dwarf monitor keeper! The rest of the collection is awesome as well :D

[SnakeyJay]

I might just. They don't seem like they require much space. What a good beginner mantis?

I mean the colorful ones are pretty but I would need something that wouldn't mind a mistake here and there.

Tbh most of the mantis are pretty easy... I'd try an orchid mantis, they're stunning!

[SnakeyJay]

Always good to meet a fellow dwarf monitor keeper! The rest of the collection is awesome as well :D

Haha thanks, I did have a freckled monitor a good few years ago but decided an ackie was the way I wanted to go. ;)

[dave himself]

That's some collection you have there Jay of course the retic is my favourite :D

[Magdalen]

Tbh most of the mantis are pretty easy... I'd try an orchid mantis, they're stunning!

Ooooh wow they are! I wonder if I can find them in the states. Thanks!

[SnakeyJay]

Ooooh wow they are! I wonder if I can find them in the states. Thanks!

You'll probably find them easily enough mate, good luck :)

[Magdalen]

Found few sites that sell them but all sold out. Kind of makes me think I might have missed the hatching season, if there is such a thing for mantis. Some of the leafy looking ones are neat too.

[SnakeyJay]

Found few sites that sell them but all sold out. Kind of makes me think I might have missed the hatching season, if there is such a thing for mantis. Some of the leafy looking ones are neat too.

Theres such a variety of mad looking species of mantis available that there's something for everyone's tastes!... Nah you'll find that the orchid mantis pop up for sale quite often. It's one of the most popular ones that's bred :)