and the children come out to play...*pic*

[silent_truth]

Snapped a few more shots of the children's python today. It's difficult to get this guy to stay still for a photo! This is the best I could get...

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Oct/200410145304651867702774.jpg

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Oct/200410142521557162461251.jpg

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Oct/200410143243533117371219.jpg


To others with children's pythons, what size of prey item are you feeding? Just curious, because this guy is pounding two rat pups a week and digesting them with no problem. Is this too much? Should I cut it back to just one per week? As well, would love to see pics of other people's childreni.

Thanks,

-Adam

[vash]

looks like a spotted to me....very nice though

[silent_truth]

actually it is in fact a children's python. It was identified as such from the seller and further reading seems to indicate the same. He is still young, so his pattern has yet to begin to fade. Here's a link explaining the classification of childreni. It states that the pattern fades at around 6 years of age.

http://www.a1pythons.com/childrens.html

[vash]

well, im not trying to start anything negative here, but the pattern isnt the only thing thats off the colors off as well,
this is one of my adult childrens,and she is under 2 years old

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/vash13/My%20Animals/DSC01888.jpg

[silent_truth]

no worries, I'm always willing to listen to what others have to say. However, colour can also vary within the same species of animal. I did just get him a couple months ago and he is still young, so I am still betting that he will fade as the water bowl picture I posted was taken closer to when I first got him and the previous two pics were from today. Lighting is a factor in pictures, so it's difficult to tell how light or dark an animal is over the net. (ex. your pic is under a basking lamp I assume, so the focus of light would cause the snake to appear more washed out than it would appear in normal light. Likewise, the lighting varied for my pictures as well). What I can say, is that for his age, mine is a lot smaller compared to any other "spotteds" that I've seen. How long is your female at 2 years of age? Nice snake by the way!

[silent_truth]

k, now I'm even more confused. Don't think we'll ever figure out what is what around here after reading this....

"Captive Hybridization.

Clearly Pythons of the childreni comlex have been cross-bred in captivity. To what extent is not clearly known. For example a snake held at Los Angeles Zoo (USA) had the pattern of a Spotted Python, but scale characteristics of a Children's Python, (Kend 1992). Kend didn't state whether the snake had been derived from a captive hybridisation or wild-caught. Most childreni complex snakes in the United States and Europe appear to be Spotted Pythons. This makes sense as most childreni complex snakes in captivity in Australia are also Spotted Pythons. These snakes are the most common near the heavily populated eastern seaboard (Sydney, Brisbane).

Melbourne snake breeder, Simon Kortlang has in his collection hybrids resulting from a male Children's Python from Darwin (NT) mating with female Stimson's and Spotted Pythons, (with all parents being sourced from the wild). Kortlang also has reliable breeding records of crosses between wild-caught Stimson's and Spotted Pythons.

On 29th December 199.), Peter Comber (Melbourne, Australia), obtained 8 fertile eggs from a female Spotted Python that had mated with one of Kortlang's male Children's X Spotted Python hybrids. At the time of writing the eggs had not hatched, but no problems were anticipated. Although it has yet to be tested for all the childreni complex, it is currently assumed by myself that 'hybrid' offspring are fertile. ('Intergrades' between forms of Carpet/Diamond Python are clearly fertile and all are regarded as being of the same species by most herpetologists). Testing fertility of 'hybrid' offspring of childreni complex snakes could be useful in finally deciding the validity of these species."

http://www.smuggled.com/chicom1.htm

And that has to be one of the more thorough explanations I've found to date.

[gonesnakee]

Nice snakes, but I'll have to state that it is IMHO a Spotted irreguardless of who said what or what it was sold as. If it was "Childrens" it appears to be a Hybrid version or just plain misrepresented. I own & breed Childrens & have seen plenty of other breeders stock & offspring. As stated IMHO it is a Spotted. The whole size factor for age is irrelevant because sometimes they are hard to start off as babies & a problem feeder Vs a good feeder will be of totally differrent size after a year (even clutchmates). The fact that it is that dark & has that much pattern to it, even as a baby I would say Spotted without a doubt especially at that size/age. IMHO Mark

[silent_truth]

hmm....if that is the case then, it was definitely misrepresented because I asked specifically if it was a children's since it was labelled as such, and the seller confirmed that it was. I went on a little bit of faith because the retail store that I purchased him from is very well known in the Reptile community. I guess everyone makes mistakes. Sucks that I spent 1/3 more money to get the "children's" as opposed to the spotteds that they also had for sale. Well, it is a great snake, but now that the identification is settled I can properly label him when I post him for sale.

Thanks for clearing the identification problem up Mark!


-Adam

[gonesnakee]

Heres a pic of a 2004 baby shedding its first time. This is when they are at their darkest.

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/CPSHED.JPG"width="600">

Heres one thats between 1-2 years old & you can see its starting to fade out quite a bit already.

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/CP M HP LN.JPG"width="600">

[gonesnakee]

Couple more of my adult female, Mark

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/CPEAT.JPG"width="600">

<img src="http://members.shaw.ca/gonesnakee/MAMA.JPG"width="600">

[silent_truth]

Now those are incredible snakes Mark!!! Out of curiosity, what is the length of your adult female?

[gonesnakee]

She's probably only around approx. just over 3 ft, about the same size as a smaller average adult Corn. Shes eating an adult mouse in the picture if that helps. THX Mark