Franklin-Jadeite Baby Profiles (Litter 2014-B)

[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 “B” litter.

Born on October 13, 2014 to Franklin (a male of unknown age)…

Sire

Friendly


Closeup


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

Dam

Baby


Adult


…the 15 babies in this litter range from bright orange to muted gold. They have amazingly consistent side crescents and a smattering of dorsal chains. A bare few reveal a surprise set of hidden genes for heavy dorsal borders and side stripes.

All have now shed twice and eaten at least six times (save two). 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 lady has two longer chains of four linked dorsal spots on her back, and four shorter two-spot links. Her side pattern is predominantly crescents, with one merged spot on her left, and two on her right.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Side


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 40 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This colorful little man has an impressive six linked pairs of two spots on his back. His side pattern has impressively bright and well-developed crescents, with two merged spots on his right, one of them containing a bullseye.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)

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Two Months (Second Shed)

Top


Closeup


Water 1


Water 2


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

[Snakesitter]

Alone among the major rainbow venders (at least so far as I know), Living Gems holds all its babies for at least two sheds to make sure everything is in good working order before a baby ships out. Sadly, this time there was a hidden issue, and Baby #03 passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in early December. As we always do with an unexpected death, we had a necropsy done to rule out any risks; and as suspected, the vet saw nothing dangerous. I suspect this little guy just happened to have a subtle internal defect that cut his life short. While I regret he never made it to adulthood, I’d much rather have this happen on our watch than yours.



RIP, little man. We will miss you.

[Snakesitter]

This baby boy is one of the two most colorful males in his litter. He has very even dorsal spots on his back. He has one linked chain of three spots, and two of two. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Right


Left


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 44 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little guy has two pairs of linked spots on his back. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Right


Left


Top


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 44 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This small fellow show marked curiosity about people, and is unusually interactive. He has one pair of linked spots on his back. He also has some interesting small spots on his neck. His side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Side


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 42 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This vibrant girl is one of the two prettiest gals in her litter. She has one long dorsal chain of five linked spots on her back, one of three, and two of two. She also has thicker-than-normal borders for those spots…though not as thick as several of her surprise siblings. Her side patterns are strong, well-developed crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Side


Top


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 51 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This baby boy is one of the two most colorful males in his litter. He has one chain of four linked spots on his back, and a whopping nine linked pairs. His side patterns are uniform crescents, save two merged pairs on each side.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Side


Rear


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 49 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This vibrant girl is one of the two prettiest gals in her litter. This girl has five linked pairs of spots on her back. Her side patterns are uniform crescents, save one merged pair on each side.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Side


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 39 grams.

[Snakesitter]

Babies #10, #11, and #12 have color that is – for the moment at least – still not developed…but for special reasons, as you will see.

This particular little lady is the picky feeder I’ve ever seen, and as such will be spending more time with us. Interestingly, she is the only baby rainbow I’ve ever met who seems outright suspicious of the usually problem-solving live food “bribe”: she will actively hide from it, watching warily from the other side of her water bowl or the “safety” of its top, until the Big Scary Mouse Hopper finally passes away…and then and only then will come down to investigate and maybe eat it. She may not get an “A’ for appetite, but she wins the risk management category tails down.

I have an inkling that Baby #10 carries some of the genetics of her next two siblings, but no hard proof yet.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)



But Dad...it's *moving*!



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

[Snakesitter]

This pale but remarkable little girl has unusually thick black borders on her dorsal markings. She also has four linked pairs of dorsal spots patterns on her back. Her side patterns are remarkably thin crescents, except for one merged pair on her left side. She is a picky eater, and prefers live food over frozen/thawed…an idea I will argue with her about once she gets a few more meals into her, as I try to wean her to fresh killed then frozen/thawed. She clearly carries a good dose of the genetics of her sibling Baby #12.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Side


Top


Closeup


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

[Snakesitter]

This ghostly little lady was an unquestionable holdback from the moment I saw her. She has the thickest black borders I have ever seen on a baby rainbow. She also has interesting markings on her sides, where the usual side crescents have all but vanished, replaced with pseudo-stripes formed by the merger of the “leftover” black side ocelli with the black half-spots by her belly. On the less unusual side, she has six linked pairs of spots on her back.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Right


Left


Top


Belly


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 46 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This little man has some interesting small neck spots. He has one chain of four linked dorsal spots, two of three, and two of two. His side patterns are uniform crescents, save one merged pair on his right.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Front


Right


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 42 grams.

[Snakesitter]

This small gal has six linked pairs of dorsal spots on her back, forming a sea of mickeys. Her side patterns are uniform crescents.

Birth



Two Weeks (First Shed)



Two Months (Second Shed)

Right


Left


Top


Closeup


As of last weigh-in, this little gem measured 33 grams.