Romeo and Valentine - Normal Ladies

[Kaetlinv]

I'm new to the forum and just wanted to show off my lovely ladies. They're both normals as far as I can tell, but the larger of the two has beautiful yellow side streaks.

Valentine is now a little over 2 years old, weighs nearly 1700g, and is 3foot 7 inches as of last week.

Romeo is roughly 3 years old, weighs about 2 lbs (haven't weighed her in a while, she's full now or I'd weigh her), and is around 3feet long, give or take some inches (same issue about weighing her with measuring,).

Both we had hoped would be male.... and we got girls both times, haha.

I'll post the pictures of each in a reply to this!

[Kaetlinv]

When we first got Valentine, December 23rd 2010



Both of the girls as of a few days ago. i don't have any of Romeo by herself since we're trying to bulk her back up from her improper care and most of her times is spent under the hide digesting.




I thought this looked pretty cute. They did this often, bumping noses, hehe.



Valentine has a gorgeous yellow color on her but I've asked some folk and they think she's just a weird normal. The photos don't do the color justice.

[Kaetlinv]

Here are some body shots of valentine - I swear she's not just a normal... she's got little color quirks that Romeo just doesn't have.


Here's a belly shot - it's got a very faint yellow tinge but not significant like a yellowbelly.


The tan of her bands fades to a bright yellow before the white and black of her belly - the color shows up great on my phone but on here it just looks normal...




This is for a color comparison between the two of them - Romeo is the skinnier one on top, she's definitely a normal (feel free to correct me.. I'm still learning BP's )




Found an older picture of Valentine for her back patterns






Unrelated to the girls, but here is a little male lemon pastel I want so badly, but I've promised my mom I won't get another python, no matter how much I want one. (he's in really dark lighting too and the yellow shows up so well!)

[alessia55]

They look great. When you saying you're trying to "bulk her up", how often does that mean you're feeding her? And I think they're both very pretty normals congrats!!

[Kaetlinv]

I feed them after they've pooped and are actively exploring at night for a few days. Currently Valentine is going through a picky phase and isn't eating, but Romeo just ate two small rats - one at night and one the next morning after i noticed she was still acting hungry and gave it a shot to see if she wanted the rat.

by bulking her up, I mean letting her eat when she shows signs of being hungry. With her last owner she was fed to survive - I intend for both my girls to thrive. I like to think Valentine is thriving.

[Lankyrob]

Thriving is fine but overfeeding can be as bad as underfeeding, BP's are pretty inactive snakes and dont need a lot of food constantly

[Kaetlinv]

Valentine eats anywhere from 3 - 5 weeks now, and not the largest she could handle (especially now since she seems to not like bigger rats).

Romeo was pretty small when I got her - her belly wasn't showing the ribs but she seemed to have shrunk from when I had seen her to when I had bought her (I knew her for about two years before I bought her). She used to be able to take two large african rats and I'm only just feeding her two small normal rats.

Romeo eats every 2-3 weeks. But like I said - I feed them when they've been active for several days. Typically they will let me know when they want a meal by coming out and 'watching' me from their hides during the middle of the day.

Valentine has been hyperactive at night for about two weeks now but we've tried feeding her and she won't take. She seems fine except for refusing food though.

[Lankyrob]

That schedules sounds fine, my BP is active every day apart from a couple of days after feeding so if i did what you did he would be eating three for four times a week

[Kaetlinv]

both the girls are very lazy and like their hides after they've fed. Romeo only comes out when she's got an empty stomach. Valentine has always been a very energetic and climbing snake, but I've had her for about a year and.. 8 months now and she does certain things when she wants food - like I'd mentioned before. They come out and watch me during the day, haha.

[mark24]

beautiful snakes

[Kaetlinv]

I think so too - They may be normals, but they're gorgeous normals! Really happy with them and I hopefully will never have to give them away (if I do, they'll go to a good home that I trust and not one that's opportune.)

[Kaetlinv]

Finally got a decent photo of this Watercolor / india ink painting I'd done of Valentine when I'd first gotten her almost 2 years ago now.

2 year old painting... and I still love how I did this.

"Hidden Heart"

[Aaron_S]

You won't "bulk" up a snake on a multiple weekly feeding schedule.

If you want to bulk up some females I'd go every 10 days. One appropriate sized meal.

[Kaetlinv]

it wasn't really to get her to breeding size - just a healthy size. I never plan to breed little Romeo - even if she ever got fat enough to breed i'd be worried. She's just a pet. I used 'bulk up' because that's what my mom and I have been joking to each other. romeo wasn't rib-skinny when we got her, but she was very thin. It's been a few months and now she's gained weight and isn't so skinny.

[Kaetlinv]

Romeo was out and about in her home this evening so I snuck some shots of her slinking around.








Also had a 'photo shoot' with val right before those three were taken. I'm pretty sure she's going into a shed cycle here soon, her colors have dulled down a little and I saw a faint pinkness on the belly scales near her tail.








I've always loved this little blush of color on her head! Even though it's dimmed out with age it still looks like a heart if you look close enough!



Evil eye marking.. >.> just noticed this.