(More) Baby Rainbows

[Snakesitter]

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Living Gems Reptiles is pleased to profile the babies from its 2013 “B” litter.

Born on August 21, 2013 to Picasso (a male estimated at eight years of age, and noted for his unusual color palette)…

Sire


…and Malachite (a July 2008 female noted for her strong color and side patterns)…

Dam


…the 22 babies in this litter display a dazzling range of color and a tapestry of pattern. Many display intense contrast between their highlight and background colors The litter seems to fall into three rough groups: Group #1 looks like it has the potential to develop into dark red (six animals), Group #2 the potential to develop into medium red (seven animals), and Group #3 could mature into either a lighter red or an orange (nine animals). [As with all coloration opinions, these are guesses: Brazilians are notorious for surprising you with how they grow up, and these are still very young animals.] Some have broadly spaced dorsal spots, and some have tightly packed ones. Several display minor chaining with their dorsals, with two or three linked chains of three+ spots. A fair number also have a slight “blushing” effect where the dorsal color gets slightly darker in the center. As with the last litter, side patterns are predominantly the classic crescent -- though there are some aberrations.

As also befits having an “artist” Dad, many of them are quite the characters:

Baby #02 is an opinioned eater, who insisted on sampling every food she could find (one week frozen rat, one week frozen mouse, one week live rat, one week an artistic hunger strike) before agreeing on frozen rats;

Baby #07 likes the blanket-like security of her paper towel substrate, and has been found more than once clinging its comfort to with her tail;

Baby #09 is a budding snake diplomat, who misses no chances to shoot out of her drawer, crane her head up, and say hi to any humans nearby;

Baby #11 is the stereotypical creative kid, who destroys her drawer at least every other week;

Baby #14 fancies himself a great warrior, often attempting to bite the water spray when I spritz his cage;

Baby #16 is an eager explorer, who during my last grading session would simply not stay put in her drawer, but kept trying to either head off for parts unknown or visit her neighbors (mind if I try your water bowl?); and

Baby #20 is a tough little lady, who was born with a retained yolk and not only trudged through, but made up for a 10% early weight handicap to pass several of her littermates’ weights….

All have now shed at least twice, eaten at least six times, and had multiple “confirmations” their digestion is properly working. As has been outlined in previous posts, all of these babies come from a disease-tested facility.

Over the following posts, please find a short profile of each baby in the litter. For each, a short description is provided, along with a selection of photos showing their development over the first two sheds, and noting any behavioral or physical quirks.

So grab a cup of your favorite brew, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Thank you as always for reading,