Snakesitter
03-23-11, 02:28 PM
Breeding at Living Gems Reptiles is going well. Last month we visited the Vlad-Topaz pairing, so this month we’ll visit the Hills-Alex pairing.
In this match, signs have been smooth right from the start. Hills left plugs in his viv before he was moved over, and Alex dropped urates as soon as he arrived (literally, within less than a day). Despite an amusing first meeting -- Hills headed right for Alex’s hide, and Alex took one look at this strange new snake and headed right *out* of her hide to the “safety” of her water bowl -- there have been several more plugs, trails, chasings, and cohabitations.
A few photo highlights from the season so far:
I Like Your Perfume (Early January; Hills is on the left)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/01TailChase.jpg
Shared Water (Early January; Hills is on top)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/02SharedWater.jpg
Sperm Plug (Late January; Hills has left the pool ;-) )
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/03SpermPlug.jpg
Shared Hide (Early February; not quite sure who’s doing what in the background)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/04SharedHide.jpg
Shared Hide (Mid February; note the two heads)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/05SharedHide.jpg
Shared Water (Late February)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/06SharedWater.jpg
Note that the last shot catches both the snakes themselves, and their reflection in the water top.
There were several solid days of additional cohabitation in mid/late March (like, the last five days solid, starting just after they both shed), but I have not had a chance to download pictures yet.
With any luck, Hills and Alex are well along in the process of making some beautiful baby boas for later this year.
Thank you for looking,
In this match, signs have been smooth right from the start. Hills left plugs in his viv before he was moved over, and Alex dropped urates as soon as he arrived (literally, within less than a day). Despite an amusing first meeting -- Hills headed right for Alex’s hide, and Alex took one look at this strange new snake and headed right *out* of her hide to the “safety” of her water bowl -- there have been several more plugs, trails, chasings, and cohabitations.
A few photo highlights from the season so far:
I Like Your Perfume (Early January; Hills is on the left)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/01TailChase.jpg
Shared Water (Early January; Hills is on top)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/02SharedWater.jpg
Sperm Plug (Late January; Hills has left the pool ;-) )
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/03SpermPlug.jpg
Shared Hide (Early February; not quite sure who’s doing what in the background)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/04SharedHide.jpg
Shared Hide (Mid February; note the two heads)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/05SharedHide.jpg
Shared Water (Late February)
http://premium1.uploadit.org/ViaWea/BRBBreeding2011/06SharedWater.jpg
Note that the last shot catches both the snakes themselves, and their reflection in the water top.
There were several solid days of additional cohabitation in mid/late March (like, the last five days solid, starting just after they both shed), but I have not had a chance to download pictures yet.
With any luck, Hills and Alex are well along in the process of making some beautiful baby boas for later this year.
Thank you for looking,