Baby Rainbows

[Snakesitter]

(Note this post is best viewed in threaded layout, where available.)

Living Gems Reptiles is pleased to finally profile the babies from its 2014 “A” litter.

Born on August 14, 2014 to Picasso (a male of unknown age)…

Sire

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…and Nephrite (a July 2010 female noted for her solid color and local origins, for bloodline diversity)…

Dam

Baby


Adult


…the 13 babies in this litter show an amazing range of color. They have a high occurrence of dorsal “mickeys” and amazingly consistent side crescents.

All have now shed twice and eaten at least three times. As has been outlined in previous posts, all of these babies come from a disease-tested facility.

As with all LGR litters, we’ve done dozens of handling sessions for each baby, part of our commitment to start acclimating them to humans.

Over the following posts, please find a short profile of the babies in the litter. For each, a short description is provided, along with a selection of photos showing their development over the first few 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,

[Snakesitter]

This little man has a whopping six “mickey” patterns on his back. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 36 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little man has five linked pairs of dorsal spots on his back. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 37 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal has an unusually light color compared to her littermates. Her back features a crowded dorsal pattern, with several groups linked together. Her side patterns are uniform crescents. She will probably be a holdback.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 37 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little man has a regular pattern of evenly-spaced dorsal spots on his back. He has one single “mickey” among them. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lgreptiles/15571056742/" title="Left by lgreptiles, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5612/15571056742_04273a83df_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Left"></a>

Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 37 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal is similar to her brother #04, and has a regular pattern of evenly-spaced dorsal spots on her back. She has one single “mickey” among them. Her side patterns are uniform crescents. She is the picky eater of the litter, having established she does not like to eat in shed, so is a bit behind in meals. She makes up for it in looks and disposition.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lgreptiles/15384248797/" title="Right by lgreptiles, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5603/15384248797_1a52796a9f_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Right"></a>

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 31 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal has a broad mix of back dorsals. She has small spots interspersed with large ones, and linked pairs interspersed with singles. She has a single “mickey” as well. Her side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 36 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal has an unusual head pattern, which if you look closely, has two extra colored stripes. She has large crowded dorsals on her back, with a few “mickeys,” and a slightly pronounced dorsal “line” down her back. Her side patterns are uniform crescents, all of them unusually thin.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 34 grams.

[Snakesitter]

It’s fitting that a snake named “Picasso” is this baby’s father. This little gal has many “alternating” dorsal spots with one open side down her back, and therefore little if any linking between them. The spots also have a slightly heavier black border than her littermates. Her side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 38 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal has a single triple and three pairs of linked dorsal spots on her back. Her side patterns are uniform crescents, but with the highly unusual addition that several of them on each side merge with her lower belly half-spots to form odd side stripes.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 37 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal has the highly amusing trait that she likes to sleep off the ground. Almost every time the drawer is opened, she is perched on the top/side of her water bowl, one coil anchored around the lip for security, as she snoozes away. She has four “mickey” dorsal spots on her back. Her side patterns are uniform crescents. She is a potential holdback.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 36 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little man has a lighter head than his littermates, which sometimes portends good things with color. He has one longer dorsal chain of four to five linked spots, and four “mickeys”. His side patterns are uniform crescents. He also has a slightly sensitive stomach, and had partial regurgs twice early on (one of which I think was my fault, due to spraying his drawer too soon after feeding).

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 35 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little man has several small dorsal spots on his neck, as well as two “mickeys” on his back. His side patterns are uniform crescents. He is one of the friendliest of the litter, and during the last cleaning session crawled right over to me and up my arm.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 41 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little gal was the preemie of the litter, who almost drowned before being plucked to safety. As such, her development lags that of her littermates: she was the last to shed in every round (behind even picky eater #05), and still has less developed color. She has large dorsals on her back with two “mickeys.” Her side pattern is very unusual, with every crescent not only thin, but only partially expressed, as if someone when in and erased half of each marking. I expect her to be a unique adult who would mix well with a eclipse breeding program.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

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As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 32 grams.

[millertime89]

Very nice as always my friend! #6 and 10 are easily my favorites so far.