So yea, haven't been around much the last week or so and missed the usual chat thing. I had some pics of what I've been up to though. Friend of a friend of a friend (really) kicked it and had an impressive (insane) amount of reptiles, venomous or otherwise. They're bein moved so yea, the cages are small.

Hopin' Mark could id a few of these random snakes to boot.

Also I haven't yet taken pictures of the baby turtle convention, the axolotl party, the rising from hibernation commune, the parrot invasion or the sick and or maimed extravaganza. Suppose that will be a part two. (and three and four and five)

Nice shots...looks like an adventure!

The little yellow guy in the red taped container is something venomous as is the rattler. I can't remember what the other ones are though.

There was a ginormus green anaconda as well, that I'm annoyed that I thought I took pictures of too. I've never seen an animal that could eat a whole chicken at a go be so sweet and friendly.

Holy shaz bot saint you weren't kidding about being busy! Is that a weastern diamond back or another type of rattler? The yellow and white boa looks amazing and I'm loving the blue and black frog. The turtles look cool too.

wow those are some cool reptiles love the 2 white snakes

I'll give it a shot.

The one in the container appears to be a pit viper, the color makes me think its a Golden Morph Eyelash Viper. The next two pics is a Australian Carpet Python. The next appears to be a Mottled Rock Rattler (about how long is it?). The next is either a Diamond Python or a Diamond X Carpet cross. The last one is an Albino Reticulated Python.

Mark

Nice! That python in the last pic is sweet!

Eyelash viper. Now that you said it I remembered that someone else said that as well.

The rattler was about 4 feet. I didn't get him out though so I'm not entirely sure on that. My friend seems to have some weird magic touch with rattlers. That one was completely pissed off and he was over talking to it and putting his hand up on the glass of it's original enclosure and it totally mellowed out. Same guy that an hour later got bit by a razorback musk turtle.

The albino was really awesome. She and an alligator were originally part of a reptile school visit program and she was amazingly tame (The alligator was sort too even for that matter). I had her out and was holding her for a while and even while she was getting checked over she was totally chill. She was getting on massive though. 14 and a half feet of snakey goodness. She was much lighter than I expected too holding her. Moving the Anaconda was like moving a 50lb sack of potatoes, while she was more nimble and cooperative.

What are you doing with all of these cool pets?

If its that long then its not a Rock Rattler, they max out at about 2.5 feet. The pattern's not exactly right, but at four feet, I'd have to go with a Prairie Rattler Crotalus viridis.

Mark

Nice pics saint_felony!

I'm guessing at the length on the rattler. I didn't do much with it except take it's pic when it got put in that smaller container and that was due to the rattling. I think someone said it was almost 4 feet.

I have the torts, but the guy who died was I guess fairly well known because a lot of his friends took in a number of them. We had two people divvy up all the venomous stuff and a few other guys took in a python or two. The Anaconda is still in need of a home, but she must have been a new addition before guy died because she was looking a little rough. She was the only one that absolutely would only eat live too, and live chickens at that. She's down at the vet now and thankfully both local zoos said they'd be interested in her.

Oh yea, Mark, how in the hell do you examine a Gaboon Viper? Their head is way to large to do the usual tube restraining, I was afraid it hurt itself.

Awesome stuff!!! I don't know what the "Parrot Convention" is but it sounds interesting.

What happened to the frog?

saint_felony wrote:

Oh yea, Mark, how in the hell do you examine a Gaboon Viper? Their head is way to large to do the usual tube restraining, I was afraid it hurt itself.

There's no easy way to examine a Gaboon. When I kept them, I usually would end up doing it the old fashion way, holding it behind the head. You have to be extremely careful though, because Gaboons have the longest fangs of any snake (an adult's can be over 2.5 inches long), and they can rake them backwards to try to scratch the hand holding them. You can tube them, but the problem is finding a clear plastic tube of the proper diameter. Another approach is to restrain the viper between two foam rubber pads (the kind used in seat cushions. For the most part, unless you are needing to probe it to determine the sex, or to treat an injury, its best to just leave them be. Needless to say examining a Gaboon is definitely a two person job. One to restrain it, and one to examine it.

Mark

Mike: Ya know, I have no idea what happened to the frog. There were actually a few of them but none of them made it here. Someone took them, I hope.

Tina: In unrelated excitement earlier in the week I ended up helping find homes for 223 dyed (jellybean) parrot fish that a pet store ordered for easter, that didn't sell and ended up getting shipped back to the guys I know at the fish farm. I think there's maybe a dozen left here since I let the kids keep a few each. On the plus side they mostly picked ones that aren't dyed we think. There are two yellow ones that none of us know if it's a natural color or not.

Mark: The foam thing is a good idea. We were trying to sex everyone before we sent them out on their way. We actually had a tube that fit it's head but it did *NOT* like the tube at all and with as small as it's body was to it's head we didn't want it to either get loose or have anyone (including the snake) get hurt. Is it common for them to really really not like being picked up?

You'll get a kick out of this too. I'm not sure if it's still alive but they had someone helping out from the estate a month or so back come in and had managed to set free a boomslang and a small handful of (Tokay I think) geckos.

Markm0723 wrote:

... but at four feet, I'd have to go with a Prairie Rattler Crotalus viridis.

Mark

Those are fun, especially when ya step over a big ol' clump of sagebrush when deer huntin'and have to freeze mid step when the three foot rattler on the other side starts buzzin'.

I'm sure I looked pretty comical at that particular point in time. And truthfully, I didn't know I could spring that far backwards with one foot wavin' three foot in the air.

Cool pics, saint. Love the pattern on the shells of the critters in the first two pics.

WYite

Poor Parrot fish. I feel so bad for them when I see them stuck in those little ten gallon tanks at W**-M***. I can't have one but they sure are cuties. I don't believe I have ever seen yellow ones.

Pancake tortoises and Red (or possibly Yellow) foot torts. The reds/yellows in general are great, and these are no exception. The pancakes (Malacochersus tornieri) bastards can *climb* I had two escape on me before I had to go build a big netted lid for the pond liner they're in. They climbed up 18 inches of hard plastic.

The dyed Parrots suck, but in general they have enough personality that they've grown on me. In a big enough group they act like frat boy severums, or mildly retarded severums. Not sure if there's a difference.

saint_felony wrote:

In a big enough group they act like frat boy severums, or mildly retarded severums. Not sure if there's a difference.