(More) Baby Rainbows

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:36 PM

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

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,

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:37 PM

This little lady, who comes from Group #2, is one of only three dorsal chain babies in this litter, with two stretches of four linked dorsal spots on her back, plus several paired links.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the front…

One from the side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 36 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:38 PM

This little girl, who comes from Group #1, is an opinioned eater that 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. She has abnormally large dorsal spots, excepting two tiny touching spots on her neck (one a crescent!), and shows thin uniform crescents along her sides.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 37 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:38 PM

This little fellow, who comes from Group #3, features a light coloration that that caught my eye, and has minor blushing in his dorsal spots.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, he measured 29 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:39 PM

This little lass, who comes from Group #3, is perfectly normal baby Brazilian.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 31 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:39 PM

This little gal, who comes from Group #3, has a busy back pattern featuring thick black borders. She has strong crescents along her sides.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

And a rather amusing character shot….
“Hey good-looking…do you come here often?”

As of last weigh-in, she measured 38 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:40 PM

This little boy, who comes from Group #1, has a single small black spot on his back, almost lost among his dorsals, kind of like a Brazilian birth mark. He has thin, uniform crescents along his sides.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the front…

One from the side…

One from the top…

And a character shot….

As of last weigh-in, he measured 34 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:40 PM

This little dudette, who comes from Group #3, likes the blanket-like security of her paper towel substrate, and has been found more than once clinging its comfort to with her tail. She has a series of very small alternating dorsal spots on her neck.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Five Weeks

Playing with her "blankie" about five weeks after birth.

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 33 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:41 PM

This little lad, who comes from Group #1, has a very faint stripe of darker color along his dorsal line.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the front…

One from the side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, he measured 31 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:41 PM

This little lady, who comes from Group #1, 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. She has thin, uniform crescents along her sides.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 34 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:42 PM

This little guy, who comes from Group #3, is perfectly normal baby Brazilian.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the front…

One from the side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, he measured 32 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:42 PM

This little girl, who comes from Group #2, is the stereotypical creative kid, who destroys her drawer at least every other week. She also has a single small black spot on her neck, marking her as the “clean cage pirate” she is. ;-)

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Five Weeks

Displaying her usual reckless disregard for cleanliness and organization:

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, she measured 33 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:43 PM

This little dude, who comes from Group #3, is one of only three dorsal chain babies in this litter, with two stretches of three linked dorsal spots on his back, plus several paired links. He has notable blushing in his dorsal spots.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the front…

One from the side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, he measured 32 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:44 PM

This little fellow, who comes from Group #1, has notable blushing in his dorsal spots.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

As of last weigh-in, he measured 37 grams.

Snakesitter · 11-19-13, 02:44 PM

This little boy, who comes from Group #2, fancies himself a great warrior, often attempting to bite the water spray when I spritz his cage. He is also one of only three dorsal chain babies in this litter, with three stretches of three to four linked dorsal spots on his back, plus a single paired link. He has strong crescents along his sides.

Birth

Two Weeks (First Shed)

Eight Weeks (Second Shed)

The formal profile series. One from the right side…

One from the left side…

One from the top…

And a character shot….

As of last weigh-in, he measured 33 grams.