Great Plains Ratsnake eggs are HUGE!!

[vanderkm]

Finally on day 16 post shed, the great plains ratsnake we bred to one of our creamsicles laid her first clutch. Reading that GPR eggs are bigger than corn eggs does nothing to prepare you for how HUGE they are! She only had 10, most look to be fertile though there are some shell irregularities (bumps and ridges). Mom is doing fine, and hopefully in August we will have some 'rootbeers'.

Just had to share pics of these eggs - they are at least the size of cal king or hondo eggs

Mom with clutch
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6304_June_28_Crockett_Cheddar_4_reduced.jpg

Clutch of 10
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6304_June_28_Crockett_Cheddar_15_reduced.jpg

Corn clutch in same size incubation tub for comparison - this shot is much closer zoom, but the white racks are the same dimensions

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6304_June_7_Ivy_Nibblet_Sabados_clutch_4_.jpg

The GPR mom pre-breeding - she looks like a corn, and breeds with a corn, but I am now more convinced the new classification that separates these species is right - sure have bigger eggs!
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/63Crockett_b_reduced.jpg

And yes Mousekilla - some of these have your name on them!

mary v.

[Simon]

Congrats~!!!

I really like emorys~~
they do really look like corns....heck sometimes telling them apart is a real pain in the butt.

But you're right..the egg size and the size of the clutch is quite different. Usually emory produces around 10 eggs or so...where corns can easily double that.....

Hope to see some rootbeer photos soon~~

[vanderkm]

Just a picture of the pair - the female is not a lot longer, but has a markedly broader head, with different eye from the male creamsicle and a much thicker body.

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/6304_April_24_Crockett_Cheddar_24_reduced.jpg

Question for Simon - or anyone else who may know - is the albino gene that has recently been developed in GPR an allele to the albino in corns?? You mentioned in another thread that several breeders suspect there may be different amelanistic genes floating around the corn population and that got me wondering about the albino GPRats - figured since you have a couple, you might know.

thanks,

mary v.

[Jeff_Favelle]

GREAT stuff Mary! You are having an excellent year!!! :D

[Katt]

Oh wow!!!! I'm defininetly interested in seeing how the babies look and maybe even grabbing one or two. Wow!! Very nice, the muted colours and neat head.

[Simon]

Originally posted by vanderkm
Question for Simon - or anyone else who may know - is the albino gene that has recently been developed in GPR an allele to the albino in corns?? You mentioned in another thread that several breeders suspect there may be different amelanistic genes floating around the corn population and that got me wondering about the albino GPRats - figured since you have a couple, you might know.


Nope. The albino emory gene and the albino corn genes are different. Breeding an albino emory with an albino corn would NOT produce any albinos out. In that clutch, the only results would be normals (but of course assuming that the emroy and corn didn't carry the albino genes of each other right?) So basically the normals would be double het albino emory and albino corn.

The reason why I would say that there should be a few other amel genes floating around is because right now, we have at least 4 hypo genes and 4 anery genes in the corn population. But what I really don't get is why there isn't any other types of amel genes with the corns. Its just weird. So that is why I would think that there are different amel genes out there that we haven't found out yet~~

But getting back to your question, the albino emory gene doesn't have anything to do with the albino corn gene.

Hope this helped out a bit to clearify your question~

[MouseKilla]

Originally posted by vanderkm

And yes Mousekilla - some of these have your name on them!


You read my mind. lol!

That's excellent because it keeps me from getting excessively jealous that your GPR was willing to do it for you.

Can't wait to see what the hatchlings look like!

[Jeff_Favelle]

Fear and Loathing ROCKED!!

[MouseKilla]

LOL! I know every word of it. My favourite movie and favourite author by far.

[vanderkm]

Thanks Simon - that is what I thought I remembered, but couldn't recall where I had seen info on the albino GPRats. I think it might be interesting to see how these two closely related amel genes work together. Know what you mean about the number of anery and hypo genes that are turning up - very exciting times in corns and would be really interesting to work out how these relate to similar mutations (and with amel to the T positive, T negative business - or how these fit in with the hypos) in other species.

Killa and Jeff - why is it not suprising you are both fans of Gilliam!! He is among the greatest!

mary v.

[Jeff_Favelle]

No Mary, the Gonzo journalist himself! Hunter S.!!!!

Mousekilla, check out the Rum Diary. His best book so far!

[vanderkm]

Ah - fans of the written word - even better!

mary v.

[Simon]

Originally posted by vanderkm
Thanks Simon - that is what I thought I remembered, but couldn't recall where I had seen info on the albino GPRats. I think it might be interesting to see how these two closely related amel genes work together. Know what you mean about the number of anery and hypo genes that are turning up - very exciting times in corns and would be really interesting to work out how these relate to similar mutations (and with amel to the T positive, T negative business - or how these fit in with the hypos) in other species.



Oh~~
the fun will never end with corns....
those genes that are poping out are just amazing...
and it is all hats off to all those corn breeders out there that spends years and years of time working those genetics out~

I still don't get why corns are not nearly worthing as much as ball pythons.....
we have a whole lot more genes out there that are proven compared to any other snake out there in the market....but still the price is so low....?

I guess people don't want to pay for years worth or project money and pay big bucks with unproven genetic genes....LOL~

But yeah getting those T +/- into the gene pool would be great!!
Makes your head spin more~!!

[MouseKilla]

Jeff and Mary,

You're both right. Gilliam and Thompson are both geniuses. The Life of Brian might be my second favourite movie so I can't think of anyone better than Gilliam to put Thompson's mind on the screen. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the movie accomplished that perfectly I thought.

Jeff, I have The Rum Diary on my book shelf along with Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72, Generation of Swine and Songs of The Doomed... I thought there was more but you know how some people "borrow" your books and then you never see the book again? Always trade books, never lend them.