The Waiting Game - Part 1

Snake breeding isn't for the impatient amongst us.  It's been over two months since I last wrote, and I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of updates to provide at this stage. We are officially in the first stages of the waiting game.

I last wrote as I was making the final preparations for the start of the breeding season. My adults were being cooled slightly for a couple of weeks, offered a final feed each, checked over and weighed, and Monty's (the females) vivarium was altered to house two adults. I started pairing them up on November 1st, and since then, Ifrit has been placed in with Monty for three days each week, after which he is placed back in his own vivarium for 4 days. After being back in his own vivarium for two days, they are each weighed and offered a small feed on alternate weeks, left alone for a further two days, before the process is repeated the following week.

I have continued this 3 days on / 4 days off routine for two months now. So far, I have not witnessed a mating session (lock) personally, however one of the reasons I moved them up stairs into their own room was to not interrupt or disturb them - so who knows what goes on after dark! I have noticed one or two interesting patterns since I started pairing; Firstly, prior to pairing, Ifrit had been refusing food for about 6 weeks - this is common in breeding age males, so I took this as a sign that he was ready to breed. After his first 3 days in with Monty, he was offered a feed after a further 2 days, which he immediately took and ate. This was the first feed he had accepted in 6 weeks, and he has continued to feed wwith regularity since. Another pattern I have noticed is their behaviour. Whilst separated and each in their own vivariums, for the first 2 days each is relatively inactive (as Royals tend to be). Towards the back end of the week, both become very active and restless - constantly climbing all over the vivarium and the glass doors. Given the opportunity, each one will make a hasty exist through an opened glass door. This isn't especially uncommon for Ifrit, or at least, this became common behaviour as we approached breeding season, but Monty however had never previously made any attempt to escape her vivarium. Each week when I place Ifrit back in with Monty, they each settle down again immediately and go back to been relatively placid and only mildly inquisitive as to each other presence. I can see no reason for them to behave this way when separate, so I will can only assume that this is related to the breeding season - and hopefully a good sign that nature is taking it's course. Time to settle down for a long winter.

In other news: Both Rowntree (female Pastel) and Scully (female Fire) continue to thrive. Rowntree has continued to feed reliably and aggressively since we got her none-feeding issues which led to my acquisition of her from the previous owner, which I'm obviously very relieved about. Scully also is doing very well and is growing nicely (300 grams now) - they grow so fast at that age! The Corn snakes are approaching their natural annual brumation cycle. one has been refusing food for nearly 2 months, and all three have been extremely inactive. Time for a 2 month nap prior to their breeding season in March!

Well, that's it for now - hopefully I'll have some exciting news some time in the New Year. Also, as a final note; this blog hit 1000 page views earlier in the week, so thank you all for reading, and from myself and my reptilian residents, Merry Christmas :)

Final Preparations.

Well, we're getting very close to the breeding season kick off, so this week I have been making the last few preparations - both the adults have been weighed and checked over, and all looks good, and both continue to feed nicely. Monty has lost a little weight over the last few weeks as I've reduced the size of her meals, and dropped the frequency down too, as it's important that females are not carrying too much fat as this can impact their fertility. She now sits at an empty weight of 1532grams, and has shown no signs of quitting food yet. She'll be offered two more small feeds (and weighed again) before being introduced to Iftrit, and I'll continue to offer her small meals in between pairings. Assuming she continues to feed regularly, her weight should continue to gain slowly throughout breeding season in preparation for the huge weight loss that she will go through as a result of laying eggs.

I mentioned last time that I was undecided as to whether to drop the temperatures in the vivariums or not, as information on the internet is a little patchy, and opinion amongst other hobbyist breeders seems divided. Some state that a drop is required for male to be able to produce viable sperm, and also the cooler temperatures coupled with shorter daylight hours kick starts the mating instinct. Others however state that they do not lower temperatures, at no detriment to breeding success. To add to this area of debate, some do not drop temperatures at all, some only drop at night time, and some drop 24/7.

This being my first attempt at breeding, I've opted to err on the side of caution (or sit on the fence), and have decided to slightly reduced the temperatures - the hotspots are now down to 31˚C, giving a cold side ambient temp of 26˚C. This falls somewhat short 28˚C hot / 22˚C cold temperatures advised by Markus Jayne, but hopefully should be enough of a drop to provoke a winter breeding response and healthy sperm production, whilst still being warm enough to leave on a constant 24/7 cycle will no ill effects to activity levels, appetite and digestion. I'll continue to monitor both the temperatures and the activity levels of the snakes over the next few weeks and tweak where appropriate, as I expect the cold side ambient temps to drop a little with the onset of winter anyway.

It seems Ifrit may actually be a little more prepared than I am, as I notice he's been hogging the cold end of the vivarium near constantly over the last couple of weeks - so perhaps my assistance isn't required!

A Busy Week!

Firstly, apologies for the long post - it's been a busy week or so!

"My first, my last, my everthing..."

Well, we're getting very close to the "official" start of breeding season. Monty currently sits at 1627grams and continuing to feed every 10 to 14 days, with Ifrit not too far behind at a healthy 1370grams, so assuming both remain in good health, it looks like we're just about reading to start putting on some Barry White, and letting nature take it's course. In preparation, I've (sorry, "we've" - thanks Paul!) moved the vivariums upstairs into the snake room. This ensures I can give the adults a proper day and night cycle in terms of natural winter daylight hours, with minimal interruption from the lights being turned on and off. It also ensures their privacy from nosey parkers (me), which should hopefully in turn result in a better chance of interest from my adults.

The big decision for me at the moment is whether to put the adults through a "cooling period" prior to introducing them for breeding. I've been reading with much enthusiasm a brief guide to breeding written by Makus & Jayne - I have an enormous amount of respect for this couple, as not only are they the largest breeders of Royals Pythons in Canada (a country which I very much love), but they are a small family business which started from nothing more than sheer enthusiasm and a love of animals, and it is very evident that that enthusiasm and genuine appreciation of the animals remains as strong today as it did from the start - I will be consulting their brief guide an awful lot over the next 6 or so months I imagine! Anyway, enough kiss arseing, back to cooling. Whilst Markus & Jayne state that they drop the temperatures for a month prior to introductions, general opinion amongst UK breeders seems mixed; some do cool their adults, and some do not. I will be consulting the opinions of others over the next week or so before I make a decision - if anyone has any thoughts on this I'd be particularly interested in your comments!

Also this week: I bought an incubator. I have been planning to build my own for some time as an alternative to purchasing an "off the shelf" hobbyist incubator available in pet shops - whilst I have no experience with them myself, a read of a few reviews online shows reports of the thermostats being particularly poor quality and often failing (killing the eggs, which would obviously be a disaster), thermometers being inaccurate, as well as the incubators themselves being very small and only suitable for one clutch of eggs. I decided to build my own initially from a small chiller cabinet large enough to hold a couple of clutches, a heat cable and a Microclimate pulse stat. After a chance encounter on the classifieds section, one was listed for sale for cheaper than I could build one for, so I snapped it up (thanks Paul!). Over the next few months I will be experimenting with various incubation methods and substrates, and testing the incubators ability to hold temperature and humidity, so that I am fully prepared come the hopeful arrival of eggs.

Also also this week: I've been invaded by a trio of breeding weight Corn snakes! Whilst collecting the incubator from the seller, I was shown his collection of various morphs of Corn snakes, which were fascinating - so much different from my Royals both in terms of looks and personalities. The seller mentioned that he was scaling down on snake keeping and breeding due to work and family commitments, and that a fully kitted vivarium would be for sale shortly if I was interested - I'm always in need of vivariums as my young ones will not stay young forever, so will mostly likely be upgraded to vivariums once they are big enough, so once again, I snapped it up.

Rory and Cornelia

After speaking to Paul later in the week, he mentioned that "Rory" - a 4 year old breeding weight female "Reverse Okeetee" Amelanistic - was one of the girls up for sale. She had to be mine!! It seems Paul was destined for a life as a salesman / hypnotist, as somehow, shortly after agreeing to buy Rory, it seems I had been further convinced into also buying her viv-mate, Milly (renamed "Cornelia") - another breeding weight female, but this time an Anerythristic morph. I have no recollection of this conversation, so I have no idea what happened here...

Cornelius - Charcoal or Anery: Guess we'll find out!

I immediately started hunting for an appropriate male to pair the girls with, and with a little help from some very kind RFUK members, a local sale of a Charcoal male complete with vivarium was found. Welcome Cornelius, the handsome devil that he is.

The trio of corns will not feature too heavily on this blog, as they will be a side project to my plans on breeding Royal Pythons, but they may get the odd mention here and there, as I'm very excited about breeding them - plus they will fill the blanks during periods of inactivity from the Royals. Breeding the Corns will be interesting, as Corn morphs by large (including my three) are recessive traits, so in order to produce visual morphs, both parents must be at least carrying (or het for) the genes of that morph. Pairing Cornelius with Rory for example, will only produce Normals, although all the offspring will be 100% het for both Charcoal and Amel - the genes required for Blizzards. Pairing Cornelius with Cornelia however, will be particularly interesting, as Charcoals are actually another form of Anery (Anery B) just with subtle and often mistakable differences, so there is a very good chance he has been misidentified and could actually be an Anery A - the same as Cornelia - in which case, the offspring will all be Anery A's. This is the only definite way of proving Cornelius's genes, so regardless of the outcome, it's going to be highly anticipated either way!


So, there we have it, it's been a very busy week, it's going to be a very interesting and exciting winter and spring, but now, I'm bankrupt. Thanks Paul!!

Thermostats

A thermostat is an essential piece of equipment for every vivarium - there are a few different types in terms of how they work, but essentially, they all do the same job; regulate the temperature of the heat source to a desired degree, ensuring that vivarium temperatures are safely maintained at a set level. Without a thermostat, the heat source, be it a heat mat, light emitting heat lamp, or ceramic heat bulb, would not be controlled, and temperatures in the vivarium would be whatever the maximum output of the heat source could manage – this could very easily lead to illness, injury, or even the death of the animal. No snake-accommodating vivarium (or RUB) that uses any type of heat source* should ever be without a thermostat. Ever.

*Note: AHS devices incorporate a thermostat internally to control temperatures, and as such, do not require an additional thermostat.

The two most popular brands are Habistat and Microclimate. Each produce a range of thermostats, which all fall into one of three types;

• Mat-Stats: These are “on/off” devices which turn the heat source off once a desired temperate is reached, and then back on again once the temperature falls below a certain range of the desired temp. As the name suggests, these are designed to be primarily used with heat mats.
• Dimmer Stats: Similar to a household dimmer light switch, these automatically maintain the temperature by gradually turning the heat source up or down as required. These are designed to be used with light emitting heat sources such as Infra-Red bulbs or basking lamps, but can be used to control any heat source (such as heat mats or ceramic bulbs), so long as the minimum wattage is achieved.
• Pulse Proportional: Similar to Mat-Stats, these control the temperature by turning the heating device on and off, but with a much higher rate of frequency. The heat source is accurately controlled by short “bursts” of power to hold the temperature at a constant level. These are suitable for ceramic heat bulbs, or any other non-light emitting heat source, such as heat cables. These are not suitable for use with any light emitting heat source, as the light will flash on and off continually, which will not only drastically reduce the life of the bulb, but will also cause stress to the snake.

As well as the three types of thermostat, each manufacturer produces different models which incorporate additional features, such as dual circuit thermostats for controlling multiple heat sources or vivariums, and models which have different heat settings for night time, automatically switching over at dark. All thermostats come with a lengthy warranty period from both manufactures for peace of mind.


I use a couple of different types by both Habistat and Microclimate for my vivariums, tubs, and incubator, depending on the heat source. My hatchling / juvenile rack, which currently houses Scully and Rowntree, is heated by heat mats underneath each tub. These are controlled by a single Microclimate B2 “Pulse Proportional” thermostat. In a moment of Monday morning madness, I accidentally plugged my iron into the multiplug for the thermostat, rather than the one which powers my other appliances in the "snake room". This overloaded the maximum wattage of the thermostat, frying the circuit. As an emergency, I had to very quickly steal the pulse stat from my (currently vacant) incubator so that my young ones would not be at any risk of overheating, until I source a replacement.

I emailed Microclimate customer services this morning explaining my error, and asked if they offer a repair service which I would be happy to pay for, explaining that the damage was completely due to accidental misuse on my part, and that this is obviously outside of the warranty limitations. I received an immediate response from a chap called Clive, who said that they would be happy to repair the thermostat free of charge, with just £5 required for the return postage.


+1 Happy Microclimate customer!!

First Time Feeds

In the world of snake keeping, there is, as with any hobby, a whole set of do' and do not's that circulate by word of mouth by keepers, and are taken as gospel, being passed on in turn as correct. With Royal Pythons, one of the "golden rules" that is instructed to new keepers is "leave the snake to settle in for a week before handling". I've never really been one for following instructions without question, and am much more of a trial-and-error person - after all, advancement comes not from doing the same, from from doing differently.

You may remember that last week I took on a little female Pastel that the previous owner could not switch to frozen/thawed prey, and was stubbornly sticking to live only. I took her on with the firm intention of getting her on frozen/thawed rodents as soon as possible. After collecting her, I left her alone for the first day to settle in to her new home uninterrupted, so that she could explore at her leisure and accustom herself to the best spots.

Contrary to the "rule", I have handled her every day since, for a couple of minutes at a time, observing closely for changes in behaviour and increases in stress levels - twitchy / jumpy movements, and insistence on heading for a particular spot. By the end of the first week, she was proving to be a confident little lady, and would even leave her secure cork-bark tube hide to enquire at my presence.

Normally, I would attempt to feed within the first week of arrival, however as she had proven to be a very stubborn feeder for the previous owner, I decided to leave her to build up a hunger for another week - Royal Pythons are extremely efficient and can go many months without food, so two weeks was only a fraction of the available time I had before giving in and offering her a live rodent, but hopefully it was going to be enough to attract some interest from an offering, and work from there. It also meant she had another week of being handled daily and getting used to me before my first attempt at feeding.

I decided to risk letting my cockiness get the better of me - not only was I prepared to throw caution to the wind in terms of breaking the "do not handle" rule, on top of attempting to switch a live feeder only onto frozen thawed prey, I also dared to throw into the challenge switching her from mice onto rats - some Royal Pythons can display a stubborn preference for one prey type, but I prefer them to be on rats from an early age, for reasons I'll cover another day.

I'm extremely pleased (and relieved) to say that my efforts were an astounding success: I prepared a small weiner rat of a slightly larger size than I would normally offer by thawing it in a freezer bag through the day, and as a little trick, placed some smelly hamster bedding in the bag to scent the rat. Once it got late in the evening (Royal Pythons are crepuscular, not nocturnal as commonly believed) I heated the rat up by dunking in hot water for a few moments (still in the bag) and got creative with the tongs by mimicking live behaviour. It took a long time, but eventually, as the pic shows, she struck - and took care of the rest without any further help from me! Although I'm obviously pleased to have not only switched her onto live, but rats too, this is not a complete success by any means, and it could be many more weeks before I can confidently say she's properly converted. I would have also preferred that she fed in the feeding tray rather than the comfort of her own RUB (again, for my own reasons), but it's a starting point to build on.

This week also saw the arrival of a cheeky little female Fire (who we've named "Scully" on account of a section of her pattern that looks like a typewriter "X"), who only hatched five weeks ago. Again, aside from arrival day, I've handled her every day since, or at least called in to say hello with a stroke when handling has been impossible due to her occupying her favourite hide. As she was previously established on frozen/thawed mice by the breeder, this meant that by my theory of daily handling, first time feeding should be without issue - aside from her once again refusing to leave her tube.

I decided to try and coax her out by dangling a little mouse just away from the entrance hoping that she'd follow, but the little bugger got the jump on me and snatched the mouse clean from the tongs, and dragged it into the tube to eat in privacy.

So there we have it: Two snakes, one a "live feeder only" and one a 5 week old hatchling, both handled every day since arrival, and both fed successfully this week without incident. Rule: Shattered.

I'm not too sure where the "leave for a week" rule originated or under what logic, but it seems to be one of those things that one person tried, and everyone followed suit. My theory on my method is that it takes a day or less for new arrivals to get used to the lay out of their new home, and the new sounds and smells - but a little longer to get used to being handled and the close presence of a human. In principal, what I'm suggesting is that leaving new arrivals to settle in with no contact for a week could actually be detrimental to feeding efforts, as not only do they have to deal with presence of food, but the looming presence of an unfamiliar person too. By my method, the human contact element should be a familiar routine come feeding day, leaving just the job of tackling prey to be taken care of.

Whilst there is a world of experience out there from keepers that have been around the hobby for a long time, I encourage everyone to try their own thing, determine what works from what doesn't, and build on that experience base. Not all rules are absolute!

RUB's Versus Viv's continued...

I last wrote about the merits of the use of RUBs as suitable housing for young Royal Pythons, however at the time none of my residents lived in one, as my current pair have always lived in vivariums, and never shown any sign of stress or discomfort, and are getting pretty big now. That changed this week with the somewhat unexpected arrival of my newest Royal Python - a little skinny Bob Clark bred CB11 female Pastel (otherwise know as a Jungle Pastel), who has affectionately been named "Rowntree".

Note the blushings on her sides shown here

In terms of genetics and morphs (to recap on previous blogs), Pastels are a heterozygous, co-dominant breed (the other gene in the pair been a Normal), with the homozygous form been Super Pastels. They are characterised by their bright yellow/orange appearance, clear bellies, exaggerated blushings in the patterning, and brightly coloured eyes.

Pastels are a "base morph", which when paired to a Fire for example, can produce a Firefly, as well as many more "designer" morphs when paired to other single of multiple gene morphs.


The purchase of Rowntree was as a result of browsing the classifieds section of a snake keepers forum (always dangerous) where I happen to chance on the rare encounter of a very decent and genuine seller concerned more with the health of the animal than cash. He quite clearly stated that the little Pastel was a live feeder only, and that he had not managed to convert her over to frozen/thawed, and was looking to sell to someone with experience and lots of patience - rather than someone purely interested in breeding potential! Coincidentally, Ifrit (my male Fire) was Bob Clark bred, and was also a very picky eater when he came to me, but after lots of patience and a little trial and error in terms of routine, he is turning into a very keen feeder - so I have the confidence that with lots of patience and a few tricks, I can convert her over to frozen/thawed prey and provide a healthy and caring home for her. So after a few days of exchanging emails, Rowntree was to become a new resident.

Rowntree's home for the next year or so

I wrote in some depth previously about the benefits of RUBs for young Royals for promoting a sense of security - this is quite commonly a remedy for none-feeding Royals. So, following the confirmation that Rowntree was to come to me, the first job was to set up a RUB for her. Whilst I have recently become an advocate of RUB's, I do not condone bare RUBs which contain little more than a water bowl and newspaper substrate. There is some continued debate that the snake cares not for décor so long as their basic requirements are provided, but my opinion on the matter is that naturalistic décor, hides, and proper substrate should be provided to promote natural behaviour, a sense of security during thermo-regulation, stimulation and exercise. This in turn should reduce stress and hopefully encourage a healthy feeding response. I think this picture shows my thoughts on the matter, and hopefully the results will speak for themselves...

This week was also cleaning week for my adult residents, Monty and Ifrit. They both live in 3foot vivariums, although Ifrit's one is slightly larger in floor space. As Monty is rapidly approaching breeding weight (1266 grams as of last week), it made sense to make preparations for breeding season, and swap them around to give her the larger of the two - especially since Ifrit will be bunking with her for three days a week throughout breeding season. So, after a spring clean and a rearrange, here's how the other half live;

 

His

Hers

Not too shabby huh!?

Bloody Admin...

An important aspect of snake keeping, especially so for breeding, is the keeping of records. When keeping more than one snake, it can very quickly prove tricky to remember when they were last fed, last cleaned out, and when they last defecated. Accurate record keeping can give immediate indications of a number of possible health problems, including excessive weight loss due to fasting, or lack of defecation - this can be an indication of temperature problems, for example, as snakes need the correct level of heat to digest food.

In terms of breeding plans, weekly weights are a very important record to be noted - as well as being sexually mature in terms of age, females must be in peak physical health, and carrying enough weight, as the process is very straining on their bodies - breeding underweight snakes can cause a number of health problems, or in worst case scenarios, death. The recommended minimum is around 1500 grams. Accurate record keeping can predict whether a female will be ready for the coming breeding season or not. The rule is not so strict for males - they reach sexual maturity at an early age (2nd winter / breeding season) and as they are not the ones producing and laying eggs, don't need to be anywhere near the same weight - 700 grams seems to be a guide weight, but many snakes have successfully mated under this weight. They must however be in good overall health, as mating can be very tiring for them. It's a tough life...

As well as keeping a historical record of weekly weights, another record to be kept is historical feeding activity. I currently feed my snakes prey that weighs 10-15% of the snake, on a 7-10 day schedule. Obviously as the weight of the snake changes from week-to-week, so does the size of the prey being offered. A quick bit of spreadsheet wizardry will automatically calculate the correct sized rodent for the next meal, saving me the job of counting fingers and toes.

I mentioned previously that Royal Pythons have a bit of negative press for being picky eaters - this is often an indication of them feeling insecure due to incorrect housing setups or too frequent handling, rather than them passing on perfectly good food for no reason, however, they do periodically fast for unspecified durations - often lengthy. Both males and females are known to frequently fast throughout breeding season, which is another reason females must be of a healthy weight prior to breeding. Periodic fasting is a perfectly natural behaviour, and detrimental health effects are relatively rare - however it is sensible to maintain accurate record keeping to closely monitor for excessive loss of weight, so action can be taken where absolutely required.

RUBs Vs Vivs...

One topic of seemingly constant debate (or mass debate, if you will...) within the snake-keeping community, is the use of RUBs as housing for snakes. RUBs are Really Useful Boxes, a brand name of a popular type of storage box. The term is also used for other types of plastic storage box, although "tub" would probably be more appropriate. These storage boxes can be easily adapted to provide safe and secure housing for smaller snakes by simply drilling or melting some holes for ventilation - and prove to be a popular alternative to vivariums.

As well as proving to be a topic of relative controversy amongst snake keepers, the image of snakes been kept in stacks of boxes can appear to be quite cruel and inhumane to the general, non-snake keeping public - and prior to a few months ago, I would have agreed!








Having read many of the RUB vs Vivarium debates that exist on a particular forum (coupled with a greater understanding of my snakes' behaviour and needs) I have slowly changed my opinion on the use of tubs as suitable housing, as many very good points were raised. Of the many "pro rub" arguments, I found these mainly fall into one of four categories;

• Convenience
• Hygiene
• Security
• ...and Security

Convenience

I've started with convenience, as in my opinion, this is the least important consideration - tubs are convenient for the keeper, which is not a good reason by its self, and at no point swayed my initially negative view on keeping snakes in tubs. The only good reasons to house snakes in tubs are ones that are beneficial to the health and overall well-being of the snake. Tubs, in comparison to vivariums, are cheap - often less than a tenner for a large one that offers similar floor space to 3 foot vivarium. Due to their lightweight but sturdy composition, tubs can often be stacked on top of one another, placed on shelves, or stored in modified rack systems. 

Hygiene

Vivariums by majority are constructed from wood, with glass doors. They have joining seams and corners which can easily be missed when cleaning - harbouring bacteria. The wood has a tendency to swell and degrade over a sometimes surprising short period of time. Tubs are very light by definition, and can easily be disinfected, wiped clean, filled with boiling water, or even hosed down with a shower in the bathtub. Some species of snake are more sensitive to humidity levels that others. With a tub, humidity can be controlled more easily by adding fewer or more ventilation holes as per requirements. As a separate point, heating of rubs is generally in the form of heat mats or heat cable - these should always be placed under or behind the RUB, separating the snake from coming into direct contact with the heat source and avoiding means of injury.

Security

Snakes are excellent escape artists, and will seemingly take any opportunity to venture from their provided accommodation. Topics around escaping snakes are frequent, any by an overwhelming majority, these instances are from vivariums rather than tubs. Snakes can and have been known to slide the glass doors open, push the glass out of their runners, and in some instances, break the glass. They have also been known to remove vents, or even push the back panel off some cheaper vivariums. The wooden top sheep of vivariums has a tendency to bow, causing the glass doors to fall out. By way of comparison, the only methods of escape from a tub is by pushing the lid off - when kept in racks this eliminates this as an option, reducing means of escape to virtually nil (that I can think of at least).

Security

The health and well-being of a snake should, in my opinion, be the only point of consideration when deciding between vivariums or tubs. Space is probably the single most point raised by people against the keeping of snakes in tubs, as generally speaking, these are smaller than vivariums - and this was my area of concern too! I can't speak for all species of snake as I only keep Royal Pythons, however I can speak in relative length on their behalf, through both extensive researching of natural habitat and behaviour displayed in the wild, and the behaviour of my Royal Pythons which are housed in vivariums. Royal Pythons are, by nature, extremely timid. They are one of the smaller species of snake, and as they are neither venomous nor have much in the way of teeth, their only form of defence is to curl up into a tight ball - so no defence against predation at all really! They appear to display a preference of confined, tight spaces - in the wild they spend the vast majority of their time in rodent-made burrows, either hunting or digesting the previous occupants of said burrow. The only time that they are in the open is at night time due to being nocturnal, in order to find a new, freshly stocked burrow - or when searching for a mate. 

In captivity, one of the basic absolute requirements is for a minimum of two hides (when kept in a vivarium). The only time I ever really see my Royal Pythons (aside from handling and feeding) is when they are making their way from one hide to the other - and they often freeze once I'm spotted! I can say with absolute certainty that my snakes much prefer confined spaces over open ground. The fact that tubs are generally smaller than vivariums is, in my opinion, a good thing, so long as adequate space is provided. As tubs are often clear or opaque, a natural day/night pattern can easily be provided where rubs are kept in sun lit rooms. 

As a separate, albeit anecdotal point, Royal Pythons in particular have a reputation of being picky / stubborn eaters. Repeated rejection of offered meals can in many cases be taken as a good indication that a detail of their housing - be it temperatures or size of vivarium - could be causing distress. It is interesting to note from a point of observation, that of the complaints regarding none-feeding, far fewer are from keepers which house their snakes in tubs. Often the solution to long term none-feeding issues is to attempt housing in a tub.

A well decorated tub

At this point I have to admit that I have given pretty much zero argument for reasons FOR housing snakes in vivariums - this is genuinely because I can think of no good reason that cannot be countered / beaten by and argument for tubs. The only quite weak argument that I can give is that simulation of natural habitat can be provided with a well decorated vivarium. This argument is one of what I find to be aesthetically pleasing - not necessarily the snake. Of course, there is absolutely no reason a rub cannot be decorated with branches and fake plants to provide stimulation and promote exercise. Does the snake appreciate it? In all honesty, probably not, no. 

My two Royal Pythons are my very much cared for pets, and are proudly housed in two beautifully decorated vivariums. Whilst they are pets, they are animals first, and their requirements and health will always take priority over my personal preference. Whilst they are in vivariums at the moment, I can fully imagine that they will go to live in tubs at some point - this in its self shows how I have converted from "pro-viv" to "pro-rub": It's not my choice, it's my snakes.

Genetics 101:

Ifrit

Ifrit (named by the previous owner, after some sort of awesome geeky computer game) is a CB09 male, and is a Fire morph - characteristics include very light colourings, a completely white belly, and blushings (or flames) appearing in the patterning. In comparison to Monty, it is immediately obvious that he is much paler in colour.

Ifrit was bred by Bob Clark, and purchased by the previous owner from the Hamm Reptile Show in 2010, before being sold to me in March this this year. He will hopefully be the father of little Fires of his own early next year - and I'm very excited about it!

In my last post, I very quickly skimmed over the complex topic of genetics which determine the various base morphs available - I'll attempt to get into a little more detail here, using Ifrit as my example... bear with me...

I mentioned previously that the genes that affect colouration (and sometime also patterning) are caused by slight mutations of the Normal gene, and that these mutations do occur naturally in the wild - albeit rarely. In terms of the genetic composition of Royal Pythons, genes are kept in pairs, with one gene being randomly inherited from each parent. The term heterozygous refers to these two genes in the pair being different to each other, hetero being Latin for "mixed". When a snake has two of the same gene in a pair, one being received from each parent, this is a homozygous pairing - again, homo meaning "same". Ifrit is heterozygous for the Fire gene - he received one Fire gene from (for arguments sake) his father, and one Normal gene from his mother - or vice versa.

Of the many different types of individual / single mutated genes which determine the colouration (morph), these come in three different types - recessive, dominant, and co-dominant, in terms of their relationship to the other in the pair.

• Recessive: The Albino gene, for example, is recessive in its relationship with the Normal gene, meaning in order for a snake to be visually albino, both parents must have at least been carrying (or heterozygous for) the Albino gene. In this scenario, there is a 25% chance that the offspring would receive two Albino genes (one from each parent) meaning it would be homozygous, and would visually have the characteristics of an Albino - lack of melanin in the skin, and pink eyes. Any of the offspring which inherit one Albino gene from one parent, and one Normal gene from the other, would visually be identical to a Normal (wild type) snake, as they would only carry one copy of the Albino gene - but not display it visually.
• Dominant: As int the above example, when a dominant gene is paired in the heterozygous form with a recessive gene such as Albino, the characteristics of the dominant gene will be always be visually evident. None of the characteristics of the recessive gene would be visually evident. In the homozygous form (two of the same gene) the offspring would be visually identical to the heterozygous offspring who only carry one dominant gene. It is therefore impossible to tell visually which offspring have received two dominant genes, from the offspring that have received one dominant and one recessive gene.
• Co-Dominant: Co-dominant genes act the same way dominant genes act when paired to a recessive gene. The co-doms traits would be visual in the any offspring that receive that particular gene, BUT the homozygous form of that morph ( offspring with two of the same genes) is visually different to the heterozygous offspring. When paired to a different co-dominant mutated gene, any offspring which receive one of each gene (heterozygous) display the visual characteristics of both parents.  This is how combo-morphs are produced.

Remember earlier I said Ifrit is a heterozygous Fire? Well, this is because the mutation that causes the Fire gene is co-dominant in its relationship with the Normal gene, so when paired to a Normal, the visual traits of both of his parents are displayed in him, even in the heterozygous form. The Fire gene is a mutated normal gene, as with all "base morphs". This particular mutation causes lower levels of pigmentation in the skin cells, resulting in visually paler snakes. As this mutated gene is co-dominant, this visual trait can be passed from parent to offspring with only one parent carrying the Fire gene. 

We'll assume that one of Ifrits parents was a Fire morph, carrying one Fire gene and one Normal gene, and the other was a Normal (carrying no mutated genes) - Ifrit being the result of inheriting one Fire gene from one parent, and one Normal gene from the other. If Ifrits parents had both been Fires, there would have been a 25% chance that he would have received one Fire gene from each parent, making him Homozygous - in which case he would have looked much different...

This is a perfect example of a Super-Fire, otherwise known as a Black Eyed Leucistic - a homozygous recipient of two Fire genes. As a single Fire gene results in visually lighter snake due to affected pigmentation levels, two snakes which both have this Fire gene can be selectively bred together in order to both pass one gene each to an offspring. As these genes are co-dominant in their relationship with one another, the recipient of two copies of this mutated gene would be visually different to the recipients of only one gene (and one Normal) - resulting, in this case, with a snake that has much lower levels of pigmentation that his parents - or none at all, as with the Super Fire above.

Now go make yourself a nice cup of tea, you've earned it - although if you really want to read more, this topic explains things a little more in depth.

Morphs 101:

I mentioned in my previous post that Monty is a “normal” or wild-type Royal Python, which is to say she is not a visual “morph” (nor is she Morph – although that would be all kinds of awesome!). The term ‘morph’ is used to describe, in simple terms, genetic mutations resulting in visual variations of colour or pattern (or both). I won’t go into too much depth here as the topic of genetics can get quite lengthy and complex, especially when we start talking about heterozygous and homozygous pairings, and recessive / dominant / co-dominant genes, so I’ll gloss over all that for now.


These variations (morphs), of which there are dozens, occur naturally in the wild, although some are rarer than others, and can be selectively bred in captivity to produce offspring of the same morph. Additionally, two of the same morph can be paired together to produce a good example of that morph - similarly to how for example a breeder of pedigree dogs would choose a male and a female that display the strongest characteristics of that particular breed, in order to produce pups which in turn inherit those defining characteristics. In snakes, these individual morphs all have unique names (often chosen by the breeder who first proved that gene by producing offspring of the same) and the characteristics can range from being quite subtle, to very obvious – Albino being a good example of a more obvious one.

As well as selectively breeding one morph to produce more of the same, or two of the same morph to produce very good examples of that particular morph, breeders can also pair together two snakes of different morphs to produce a “combo-morph” – offspring which display a combination of 2, 3 or even 4 different base morphs – which in very simplistic terms is just like mixing colours on a palette. This is where things get really interesting; with hundreds (if not thousands) of different combinations being possible, and new previously unseen combo-morphs seemingly being produced each year, resulting in some truly fascinating and wildly differing hatchlings being born every year – and this is all completely within the reach of your average hobbyist breeder, with some triple or quad-gene combo-morphs selling for the kind of prices you’d expect of a half decent second hand sports car…

I shit thee not!

Introducing...

Monty!...

Monty is a CB11 (CB being Captive Bred, 11 referring to year of  hatch) and is, genetically speaking, of normal colouration (or "wild type"). As I found out after naming, Monty is actually a female, as determined by having her "probed" at a local petshop, and will hopefully be laying some nice fat eggs of her own next year!!

Monty was very much an impulse buy in 2011 after an unplanned visit to another local petshop, in an age old tradition where I treat myself to a (often ridiculous) Christmas present. After gawping at young Boas and Corn Snakes wide eyed like a small child, I got chatting to a member of staff, who convinced me that of their snakes, I wanted a Royal Python. And I'm glad he did! They sold certain snakes as a "Starter Package" which in hindsight, wasn't all that brilliant, as this did not contain everything needed, and included some things that weren't required at all, but £200 later I was the very happy owner of the most fascinating creature I've ever held! Prior to this day, I'd never even considered buying a snake, mainly as amongst a whole load of other misconceptions, I thought they would be expensive to buy, expensive to house, and expensive to feed, but after having a tiny Monty wrapped round my wrist, my decision was made - and at no point have I so much as even slightly regretted it!

"Bottoms up!"

I say that she is a 2011 hatch, but this is only actually a best guess based purely on her size when I bought her, which was 300 grams, so she was either very young, or quite underfed - it's hard to say really. Royal Pythons in general have a bit of a bad reputation in terms of being picky eaters, so not really suitable for inexperienced / first time owners - but I have never had an issue here, as this picture shows, Monty has always been a very keen eater, and her growth this year has been tremendous - from 400 grams in March this year, to just over a Kilo as per yesterdays weekly weigh-in - 600 grams in 3 months!

Speaking of which, I have a nice smelly rat freshly defrosted, and it's tea time for Monty. Ciao for now!

There is something wrong with you...

If you were hoping to find a whole blog dedicated to Wills' plums, I'm afraid you you're out of luck - as this, my friends, will be the mostly uninteresting ramblings of a hobbyist snake keeper (me) as I track my progress, thoughts and general musings along a very steep learning curve, where I attempt to change my status of "keeper" to "breeder", and share my tales of joy and woe (and of course, pics!) on the way. The snakes in question are my pair of Royal Pythons, also known as Ball Pythons, hence the title - nothing to do with crown jewels... although I may be able to help you with that...

Wish me luck!