Cave-Dwelling Rat Snake update "PIC"

[Simon R. Sansom]

Hi everyone,
I thought I'd share this pic of my female Elaphe taeniura ridleyi. She's been mating twice a week for several weeks now, and she's deep in an opaque cycle at the moment. She's also been looking very "girthy" lately. I'm assuming that she has ovulated and is now in the post-ovulation shed. I think this pic shows her increased thickness pretty well. If I hold her up with the rear third hanging down, I can see irregular "swellings" very clearly, which I assume are developing ova? All fingers crossed.
Anyway, sorry about the blurry pic, but it'll have to do.
http://image.inkfrog.com/pix/simonsansom/440074picture.jpg
Thanks for looking.
Simon

[Burmies]

Very nice rat snake.

Burmies

[Katt]

CONGRATS!!!!

Great looking snakes!! Please keep us posted!

[ranmasatome]

ohhh. simon i can't wait too see the eggies...hee.hee... like i said b4...i just love theses guys!!!heh..heh.. Good luck!! and she's awesome!!:)

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Nice pic, thats a big one.

[Simon R. Sansom]

Thanks everyone!
I'm very excited about the possibilty of eggs.

Ranmasatome: You mentioned in an earlier post that you had observed them in the wild; that's fascinating. I have not been able to post for a while due to a glitch somewhere, but I can ask now...
Do they REALLY live in caves, or did someone happen to find one in a cave and call it a Cave-Dwelling Rat Snake? I do know that my guys like it cooler than I would have expected for what I consider to be a "tropical" snake. May I ask the exact location of where you observed the wild ones? I'm still trying to get a handle on the actual climate and temps where these guys come from.
Thanks for your time!

Simon

[Tim and Julie B]

Cave dwelling rats too! Lucky *@#^! What else you holding out on telling us? Radiateds, Stinking goddesses, Red Heads all the species I like probably!

[Simon R. Sansom]

Ahhh...Tim,
You mention several species of interest to me, also.
No, I don't have any of them, but Elaphe moellendorfi and Elaphe carinata are at the top of my list. As a matter of fact I was just checking out a web-site; "Ophidiophile Farms" I think it was. This guy breeds all kinds of amazing colubrids, like Stinkers and African Mole Snakes (Pseudaspis cana), and Aurora House Snakes. Very neat stuff. I don't know where he's located.
His pics of the Stinkers are great! I find them extremely attractive. I'd really love to get some, but they are difficult to come by here in Canada. At the last couple of Toronto shows I've been to, Darren Boyd, at Reptile Rainforest, has had a single young female. I've thought long and hard about purchasing the animal, but I really hate buying singles of anything, much less a fairly uncommon snake like this. It can be hell to pair it up.

Cheers!

Simon

[Katt]

Simon, I'm with you all the way regarding 100 flowers, and Vanan has a spoft spot for the carinatas.

When your eggs hatch, what'll be the going rate for the babes? Cavers, aaaah!!

[Simon R. Sansom]

Hi Katt,
Sorry I didn't reply sooner.
You know, I'm not even sure what I'm going to ask for babies, if I'm lucky enough to produce some.
We'll talk...

Take care,

Simon

[silke]

she is absolutely amazing
so gorgeous...

[Nanashi04]

congrats! hope all goes well! :D
I'd like to see some babies.

[ranmasatome]

Hey Simon,
sorry i took so long to reply...cave dwelling rat snakes are really cave dwelling ratsnakes...meaning yeah..they do live in caves...which explains the cooler temperatures... My mom and dad live in singapore and i go back everynow and then to visit them...ocassionally i go to cameron highlands in malaysia with some friends just for the fun of it..and i remember seeing them a couple of time in the caves there...usually on the ledges and stuff..probably looking for delicious munchies..hahaha...
temperature wise...i would go with...say...20-24 degrees celcius...because that's what its like at cameron highlands...it is also sunny all year round with most rainfall happening in december...but being high up explains the lowered temperatures and light rainfall is usually in the form of mist and stuff...in fact its almost always misty at night...i would presume it would be colder in the caves but as i said its an estimate...
i absolutely adore them and if i could obtain them CB would be great but i also can't bare to buy them over here because they usually cost over a grand a pair. When over in the tropics they cost like dirt (relatively). if only there can be some sort of way for me to be like some importer..hahahahaha...
i also think they breed over here easier with the seasonal change and stuff...i think fall and winter would be a great time for breeding!! granted my WC never bred...but it was real difficult because being in the tropics..i have to stuff them into an air-conditioned room and then regulate temperatures...which was really hard to do both time wise and pocket wise.
hoped that helped.
wish you all the best with the eggs and stuff!!
post some pics of the future babies!! i would love to see them...i miss my WC now...:(

[gonesnakee]

Hope you get some good eggs & hatch out some babies. Myself & my friend will probably be interested in potential offspring as well so be sure to let us know when you get eggs etc. Looking forward to seeing your babies. Mark IsBell - GONE SNAKEE!

[Simon R. Sansom]

Mark,
I'll keep you posted. Like I said, I've got my fingers crossed on this one. I have absolutely NO prior experience with Asian Rats, and I'm kinda wingin' it (with good advice from experienced keepers, though.).
I can say that after all the mating that's been going on the female just refused to feed for the first time (she's been ravenous), which I'm assuming is a hpoeful sign. She's also as big as a house, LOL!
I'm just hoping for some good eggs.

Cheers!

Simon

[marylyn101]

I love babies. the always look so cute