New Pituophis!!

prairiepanda · 09-19-15, 01:50 PM

We welcomed two new additions to the family last night! A north Mexican pinesnake(P deppei jani) and a cincuate pinesnake(P lineaticollis), both males imported all the way from Europe! These guys were produced by Al Stotton and have absolutely stunning parents so I'm excited to see how they'll develop as they grow. They're both 2015 babies hatched in July.

The cincuate, Fermi, is in shed and looking pretty blah but I'll be sure to take more photos after he sheds:

It might just be because he's in shed and currently in the "blind" phase, but he's a total spaz right now. Very squirmy and skittish. Not really defensive at all, though; no tail wagging or hissing or anything. He just tries real hard to squirm away.

And here's Pascal, the north mexican(differentiated from a typical Mexican pinesnake/P deppei, as subspecies jani):

The lighting in that room doesn't really do him justice so I'll try to get some better photos after he's settled in. He's already got significant orange tones in his head and neck and nice yellows towards the tail. This species is quite variable as adults, but normally the saddles become red towards the tail and black towards the head, and the base colour turns yellow while the head turns orange or red. This particular individual is one of what Al calls "hypoesque" jani, meaning they seem rather hypomelanistic so he should grow up to be quite vivid and unique. He's got a lot of confidence and isn't scared of anything. He's quite relaxed in my hands and when surprised or agitated will stand his ground, rearing up his head and wagging his tail menacingly. He doesn't seem interested in biting anyone, though, except for one friend of mine in particular who got tagged twice(closed mouth tap, really).

Fermi is 30g and 20", and Pascal is 28g and 18", so they're real little and still on pinkie mice. I'll try to feed Pascal tonight and see what happens. They haven't eaten in a couple weeks, as they were fasted to prevent shipping complications, so I'm sure they must be hungry. Fermi will be fed as soon as he sheds.

Sylphie · 09-19-15, 02:20 PM

I love Pascal eyes and head! And I'm pretty sure that they both will be stunning as adults. Congrats on the growing Pit collection! And remember to post a lot of pics

prairiepanda · 09-19-15, 03:57 PM

I agree, Pascal's eyes and his face in general are very intense and I love it! The teardrop marking under his eye will likely remain even when he reaches adulthood, which I'm happy about. His eye colour may change, but if it does it'll probably make his gaze even more intense. You can certainly see a lot of awareness in his eyes. He doesn't just look at things; he assesses them and really thinks about what he's seeing. I look forward to working with such an intelligent and confident individual.

**EL Ziggy** · 09-19-15, 04:05 PM

Wow, they are both gorgeous Panda! Al Stotton produces really AMAZING animals, some of the best on the planet if you ask me

. I'm looking forward to seeing more pics as your critters grow.

Albert Clark · 09-19-15, 04:33 PM

Wow! What amazing reptiles. Congrats prarie, they look like great additions and very interesting individuals. New blood.

prairiepanda · 09-19-15, 05:10 PM

Indeed, Al Stotton's stock are pretty spectacular. I'm glad I had this opportunity to bring some to Canada. I would have loved to pick up some annectens from him too but since I'm moving to Alberta in a couple years I can't add any gopher snakes to my collection. He's working with some incredible morphs.

Sylphie · 09-20-15, 01:24 AM

Can you give me the addres of his page or something? I'm really curious what he's having

prairiepanda · 09-20-15, 10:33 AM

His webpage is pituophisart.wordpress.com

He's also active on some other forums and posts a lot of pictures; if you want to search for more than what's on his site, he uses his name as well as Pituophisart frequently.

prairiepanda · 09-20-15, 04:11 PM

Just an update: Pascal ate like a champ! He was shy to eat while being watched, but I left the f/t pinkie in the enclosure and when I checked 10 minutes later he had completely swallowed it and was comfy back in his favorite corner. He has been quite active and spends most of his time out in the open, never flinching when someone comes up to watch or a shadow passes over him. Very bold little worm!

Fermi has been out and active too, but now that his eyes are clearing up he's starting to show some attitude. I opened his enclosure this morning to clean out his water dish(he dumped a bunch of paper in it) And he was rearing up, hissing and lunging open-mouthed at anything that moved! Fiery temper! Could just be shed time defensiveness, but we'll see. Once he's settled in more I'll be taking him out if I see this kind of behavior, to see whether it can be tamed down.

So far both of them seem to prefer burrowing rather than using hides, just like my other pits, but I'll let them keep their hides for now just to be sure.

sharthun · 09-20-15, 07:25 PM

Beautiful additions!

Eggplant · 09-20-15, 10:21 PM

They are gorgeous! Congratulations on the wonderful new additions!

Sylphie · 09-21-15, 01:37 AM

If only there would be more russian rats morphs...

I really like your pit collection, and I'm curious what you will find next

Do you plan to breed in future? And if so what pair and offspring will you create?

prairiepanda · 09-21-15, 08:23 AM

I would like to breed in the future, but that will be far in the future when I am no longer a student and have a stable career. As for what I'd breed? I'd probably like to find a girlfriend for Pascal at some point as he's got some special genes in him. I would like to dabble in southern pine morphs too, since I already have a double recessive morph(snow) to work with. I won't be making pairs out of what I've got now, though. Hybrids would be too hard to sell, and honestly the offspring of any pair I could produce with what I have would probably be hideous.

Sylphie · 09-21-15, 08:30 AM

Hahaha, I understand

Hope you will find a lot of nice pairs for what youre having

prairiepanda · 09-26-15, 07:17 PM

Couple new pictures of Pascal in different lighting:

He's eaten twice without a hitch and handles very well

And here's Fermi, post-shed:

You can see he's more yellowy in some light and more olive-toned in other lighting. He had a perfect shed, all in one piece, and ate right afterwards. Looks like both these guys are settling in very well. Fermi has become quite a fireball, though! He's very cage-defensive, hissing and snapping at everything. Easy to handle once out of his enclosure, but quite squirmy and quick so he's difficult to take pictures of. Looks like he's going to take a bit more work than Pascal, but he's certainly manageable.