2007-01-22 [BinaryPhoenix]: Beautiful! Where can I get one?

2007-01-22 [Nyaah*]: haha from a breeder in the usa or canada, for much much much money! or from me, in 5 years

2007-01-22 [BinaryPhoenix]: I'll start saving then!

2007-01-22 [Nyaah*]: HAHAH yes do that :D

2007-01-22 [Heathglen]: Very nice snake indeed. But I've always gone for the more tradistional looking snakes. Probably a good think too, I could never afford a snake like that.

2007-01-22 [Nyaah*]: i cant as well, thats why i get an cheaper one and breed this morph myself ;P haha..no seriously..im already making some money with my normal ballpythons breed, but to earn really much (well much for ME at least!!) money you have to invest some money first! but its worthwhile if you have the right touch!

2007-01-22 [Ricco]: wow that snake is gorgeus!

2007-01-23 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i go for the traditional only because i can't afford anything like that. I had to take out a loan to pay the insurance deductible for the girl i rear-ended two weeks ago...

2007-01-23 [Heathglen]: ouch. Kinda makes you wonder what the point of even having insurance is. Stupid goverment.

2007-01-23 [Nyaah*]: im now trying to get this pair.it only depens on if they still have them. if so, i will get them in march!both pastel from 2006:

the male

the female
like them? there were some others to choose but i thought this were the most beautiful ones!

2007-01-25 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: they are quite gorgeous. i prefer the markings on the female, they seem more uniform.

2007-01-25 [Nyaah*]: oh yes shes also more yellow. though i decided to buy only the male now. i assigned him already. when i get some pups and sell him i will get a female!

2007-01-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: working your way up.

2007-01-26 [Nyaah*]: yea...thats the best way.. you always have to wait but its the best..

2007-01-27 [Heathglen]: Alright people. I need your expert opinion.

My python hasn't eaten in 2 months now, and that's a really long time considering he's so small. I've tryed the trick of just putting him, some water, he's cave and the mouse in a box for a couple days, but it didn't work. I've had my warm humidifer going full blast to that water is running down my windows. I've tried giving him both a fuzzie and a pinkie. Nothing is working.
The guy at the reptile store that I might have to feed him live. But I really don't want too. Everyone else that I've talk to says that it's dangerous to feed snakes live. Plus, I don't think I could doom a cute little mouse to death. Frozens mice are fine because they're exactly the same at the frozen turkey I have in my freezer, but a little baby mouse... I just don't think I could do it.
Right now I've got the heat turned down in Basil's room, so he's sleeping. I'm just not sure what to do next, and the pet shop guy has really freaked me out by telling me that my snake may starve to death. What do I DO?

2007-01-27 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: I feed my Ball nothing but live. you could stun it?

2007-01-27 [Nyaah*]: me too, mine would never eat dead mice. i think it is stupid to say its dangerous to feed live mice. what do they do in nature? they are not searching the whole day for dead mice, snakes look the way they look, and are they way they are because they are hunters! though im still abit sceptic to feed live rats.. because THEY can really hurt or even kill a snake..
now, i do accept that people dont want to feed a live mouse, there are some tricks to make snakes eat again:
put ur snake in a small box (maybe a little plastic box, which gets used to transport and so on..) with an hiding place and water. put that box in the terrarium were he is in normaly, so that he has a warm place and a cooler place in the box. leave him in there for some days. to play save, leave him there without taking him out or anything for one week. then you put a mouse into that box (to that time ur snake wakes up,ballpythons wakeup in the evenning and become active then..) and leave it there for an hour and see what happends.
it works with my snakes alawys! but it really might be the problem that the mouse isnt alive.. was he used to eat dead?
to animate ur snake you could get a big feeding tweezers, take the mouse on the tail and move her infront of ur snakes face.. do you warm the mice up beore feeding him?snakes normally doesnt see very good, they "see" with their warmness sensors, so the mouse should have a tempratur that makes the snake think it is alive! all in all i think it would be easier to feed him live. do that if nothing works! you can still continue dead feeding later!

2007-01-27 [Heathglen]: Basil as never eaten live before. That's way I think he may get hurt. I might not know that he's suppose to kill it before he eats it.
I'll try the box thing again and I'll try heating up the mouse.
I did try moving the mouse around. I try bonking him on the nose with it, hoping he's get pissed off and bite it. But Alas! it didn't work.
How should I heat up the mouse. I once tried defrosting a mouse in the microwave. It got a little cooked in the paws, and it didn't smell very pleasent either. Perhaps letting it soak in warm water?

2007-01-27 [Nyaah*]: even if he never ate a live mouse before, he will know what to do ;) i would put the frozen mouse on the heater! does basil look meager then? maybe he just has an food rest period or something.. ballpythons do that sometimes! or is he maybe ill somehow??

2007-01-27 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: my ba;; consistently refuses dead food, mice, rats, so i have supervised feedings. Basil, like most snakes is an instinctual creature. he will know what to do with a live mouse if that's what's provided. just be sure to supervise.

2007-01-27 [Nyaah*]: yes, it never happend any bad with my snakes. i had my baby balls and when i started feeding them, the mice breeder didnt have babymice.. so i took abit bigger once.. they looked to hugh next to those little snakes but nothing ever happend.. you have no idea what power those little creaturs have! they look small and poor, but they arent :)

2007-01-27 [Nyaah*]: here, this was one of my baby snakes killing a mouse! no problem at all ;P they always know what they are doing! if the mouse is too big, they just leave her alone!>>

2007-02-07 [Heathglen]: Basil ate his mouse! I warmed it up and danced it around in front of him and he went for it like a shot! Thanks everyone for all your helpful advice!

2007-02-07 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: my Ball had gone another month, and I finally managed to entice her to eat a Gerbil. talk about expensive, i hope she hasn't decided they are all she will eat.

2007-02-07 [Nyaah*]: OH YAY @[Heathglen]!!! finaly he ate! :D
well ballpythons can be so damn touchy soemtimes.. -.-

2007-02-07 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yeah, my place is too cold to put her outside her tank for extended periods of time, so i had to find a small cardboard box to put inside her tank... blech, the rats just keep dying on me. my specialty isn't rodents though, i shouldn't be surprised.

2007-03-11 [Nyaah*]: i got my first morph yesterday!!! finaly have my pastel jungle now>>>>

2007-03-11 [Ricco]: beautiful!!!:D

2007-03-12 [Nyaah*]: thank you so much heheh more pics of him are here: Prinz John

2007-03-12 [Heathglen]: So when yo breed him to your other snakes, what will you get?

2007-03-13 [Nyaah*]: if i breed him to a normal i well get 50% pastels (as the vater is) if i would breed him to another pastel i would get super pastels>>>

2007-03-13 [Heathglen]: wow. he looks very...suburbian...you know...soft beighe and the like.


(Did that last sentence make any sence? I'm not too sure.)

2007-03-14 [Nyaah*]: hahahah

2007-03-18 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: very beautiful. i might hold off on my intended redtail because i found a breeder who has brazilian rainbows (my dream since forever ago to own one. my tank has already proven able to maintain the heat and humidity.)

2007-03-18 [Nyaah*]: yea cool!! snakes for EVERYONE!!! :D

2007-03-19 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i think everyone should own a snake or three (or more)

2007-03-19 [Nyaah*]: hahah!! YEA!!

2007-03-20 [Sauron]: Will you be kind enough to tell that to my parents with whom I still live? :P

2007-03-20 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: to the parents of [Sauron]:
Snakes are neither evil, nor something to be feared, and there is no reason [Sauron] should be denied the pleasure of a companion that would likely outlive any of your current pets.

2007-03-20 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: ha ha ha

2007-03-20 [Nyaah*]: hehe

2007-03-20 [Sauron]: :O Finally a decent person!!! Thank you!!!!! Now, can you convince them? :P

2007-03-20 [Heathglen]: I just left home to work up north for the summer. When I came home I just brought my snake with me. My mother's objections to a snake suddenly became moot.

2007-03-21 [Nyaah*]: thats how i used to do it with all my pets when i still lived at home XD

2007-03-21 [Heathglen]: yes, it's pretty hard to say no to a pet that's already there.

2007-03-22 [Nyaah*]: haha exactly

2007-03-22 [Nyaah*]: hey people i found a nice ballpython morph collection by NERD see:

2007-03-22 [Sauron]: Ohhhhh the white one, 3rd picutre on the right side...ohhhhhhhhhhhh....... O___O

2007-03-23 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i want them all. i'm moving home by may, so i'm in a hurry to get two snakes before moving back in. mom won't object to them coming with me, but she would object to me getting new ones once i'm home... the pregnant red-tail is due any day now. i get one of her clutch, preferably male.

2007-03-23 [Nyaah*]: oh yea how cool!!! cant wait to see pics!! haha parents sometimes really suck.. my dad had problems with me having more and more snakes when i still lived home.. i used to have 3 back then! now i have 6 and he doesnt mind anymore haha

2007-03-23 [Nyaah*]: and yea, that balck and white one caught my eye as well! though those albino spiders and pinstripeds in the last pic really blew me away O__o

2007-03-23 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i think my favorite morphs are the black and whites. i someday hope to have at least one morph, after i have accumulated all the species i'm aiming for.

2007-03-23 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: do you keep all your BallPython's in the same enclosure?

2007-03-23 [Nyaah*]: no, i have my 3 adults in one tank, the pastel male in one tank, and the two younger females together in one..

2007-03-25 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: now, so long as they are the same size and species have you ever had a problem housing snakes together?

2007-03-25 [Nyaah*]: if the tank is big enough u can keep many snake together, if they are the same size and species.. you only have to take them out to feed them..

2007-03-25 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: thank you. i'm moving in six months, and the person i'm mopving in with has a Ball we might house them together.

2007-03-25 [Nyaah*]: yea sure why not? as i said i hold 3 adults together in one tank. only if you feed you cant just drob a mouse into the tank coz boths balls might try to get it and they could hurt eachother then.. i put mine into singel boxes to feed them..

2007-03-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yeah, and trying to untangle two constrictors hellbent on killing the same rat might be a bit difficult.

2007-03-26 [Nyaah*]: yep, exactly..

2007-03-28 [Cede]: The worst I had ever to deal with is the rat fell into Kitty (burmese) swiming pool...and Kitty followed.

2007-03-30 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: that doesn sound too bad, but i might be missing something too. I finally reserved a hatchling redtail. the mom is due to pop in the next 1-3 weeks, to be released to owners one week after birth, and i get the first pick of the clutch!

2007-03-31 [Nyaah*]: how cool!!! thats so exciting!!!! i cant wait to see pics!!! oh i love to wait for a new snake!!! :D im now waiting for my ballpython female to lay her eggs. it may start in july!

2007-04-01 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yet another question. when you are moving two Balls (or any snakes) into the same tank, can you just put them in there, or should there be a gradual introduction? should I expect some aggression?

2007-04-01 [Nyaah*]: actually no. i dont think theres anything going to happen. only that they notice eachother when you first move the new one to the otherone i put the other one out of her hiding place, so they can crawl back there together..

2007-04-05 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: ok thanks.we'll need a to get a hiding place big enough to accomodate them both then, but i think that's the only adjustments needed. how long does it take a Ball to reach their full size? mine is 2 years old, and still growing quite rapidly.

2007-04-19 [Nyaah*]:

We might get eggs soon!!! it might start every today!!!! see the picture below>>>>

2007-04-19 [Sauron]: :O

2007-04-23 [Rasperel]: I am excited out retic's eggs started to hatch yesterday

2007-04-24 [Heathglen]: Raindow asked a good question. I've had Basil for a year and he's still really little. I've read that he'll grow to be 2 feet long but it doesn't say how long it will take him.

2007-04-24 [Nyaah*]:

@[Rasperel] WOW thats so exciting!!! im waiting for my ballpython eggs right now!!! :D i hope to see more pics from you :D
@[Heathglen] i dont nkow about spotted pythons...but ballpythons can need about 6 years to grow.. it depends on how often and how much you feed i guess!!

2007-04-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: congrats on your second clutch [Nyaah*] ! do you isolate the mother once you find out she's pregnant?

2007-04-27 [Nyaah*]: yes i do! i hope shes laying th eggs soon, im pretty sure shees very pregnant..

2007-04-29 [Nyaah*]:

A new photowiki by [Rasperel] -> Rasperels snakes

2007-05-29 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: I just got my RedTail today. Haven't even got pics yet. but they are coming soon. How goes the Ballpython business, [Nyaah*]?

2007-05-29 [Nyaah*]: awww just saw ur little boa!!! its so cute!!! oh the ballpython business is okay.. still wait for these damn eggs they are a long time coming.. but ballpythons in general are im afraid
teaches you to be patient haha

2007-06-01 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: how long after conception until laying? and then how long after laying till hatching?

2007-06-01 [Nyaah*]: i await the eggs in about 4 weeks.. maybe 5 or 6 maybe only 3 weeks.. so ABOUT 4.. the eggs need about 60 days untill the babies hatch.. last year the first baby hatched on day 59. the other two on day 60.!

2007-06-05 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, thats a long gestation from start to finish.

2007-06-05 [Nyaah*]: indeed -.- i thought she might be ready earlier, but shes now in the pre-lay shed.. so.. about 4 weeks from now until eggs!

2007-06-07 [Nyaah*]:
she finished the pre-lay-shed today the 7.june.about 27 days more to go untill eggs!!

2007-06-08 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: do they eat between conception and laying?

2007-06-08 [Nyaah*]: no they dont! its the best sign that shes pregnant when she stops eating!

2007-06-09 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, that's a long time to go hungry. they don't eat after layi until hatching either do they? (unless they are searated from the eggs)

2007-06-10 [Nyaah*]: yes.. well some do eat when they protect their eggs but normally they dont.. and shes already very thin after laying the eggs!

2007-06-11 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: she laid?

2007-06-11 [Nyaah*]: not yet :((( *waits*

2007-06-12 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i thought that seemed a bit early.

2007-06-24 [Grimmloch]: Got a new snake, hope to post a pic soon. It's a pueblacorn (50%corn x 50%puebleo milk snake). It is gorgeous. It was love at first sight and I HAD to buy him :).

2007-06-24 [Nyaah*]: YAY *waits for pics*

2007-06-25 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: oooh, THAT sounds interesting.

2007-07-11 [Mind Demon]: guess what! i just caiught myself a 4 foot yellow belly rat snake! :)

2007-07-11 [Lady Wolf 07]: Wow...

2007-07-12 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, nice. keeping it?

2007-07-12 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i had to take my redtail to the vets because he was severely constipated. that was an expensive trip, to have them squeeze him out like a popsickle, and then pump him full of drug laced water.

2007-07-12 [Heathglen]: eww. That's kinda nasty.

I just has some person message me saying 'I hope you're taking care of such of beautiful python.' I'm thinking 'why? do you have some source that says I'm not?' What weird thing to say to a person.

2007-07-12 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yeah, that is a bit wierd. my little redtail is back to normal now. was soar for a few days after being squeezed, but that's to be expected. he still won't drink much though. not from his dish, no matter how clean it is or what kind of water is in it.

2007-07-13 [Nyaah*]:

OMFG EEEEGGGGGGSSSSSSSS>>>>>>

2007-07-13 [Heathglen]: About time.

2007-07-13 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, that's quite a clutch this time around, Congrats!

2007-07-13 [Nyaah*]: thankies :D :D :D :D

2007-07-13 [Sauron]: eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeggs! snake eeeeeeeeeeeeeggs! yay!!!! :)

2007-07-14 [Lady Wolf 07]: WOOT! *happy dance* CONGRATS!

2007-07-14 [Heathglen]: How long until they hatch?

2007-07-14 [Nyaah*]: yes *did a happy dance already* they will hatch in the middle of September i think! YAY!!

2007-07-30 [Duke Devlin]: Does anyone know of a good way to bait out a snake? My brothers 2yr old Ballpython has gone missing in our house and we really miss him =( if you do please message me =) xXx

2007-08-07 [Cede]: That happened at my old house, we didn't bate her out, instead we looked in dark warm spaces, like the rafters in the basement... It probly helped that she was like fifty pounds and the ceiling was kinda warped where she was...

2007-08-07 [Dwarf Ronin]: Can I join this wiki? I also need some tips on what needs to be in the cage..I have two branches, a water dish, a little bathing pool and tree logs. I also need tips during the shedding process. Any help would be nice.

2007-08-07 [Nyaah*]: sure you can join :D welcome!! just ask if you have any questions! what kind of snke do you wanna get? a hidding place is important as well!

2007-08-07 [Nyaah*]: by the way, i candled the eggs and all of them are alive :) you can watch the process of the eggs on here: 2nd clutch in 2007
<-click!

2007-08-07 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, my sick little red-tail boa finally got better! the last trip to the vet was disastrous. they squeezed him out (he was constipated), then told me to take him off the supplements, and he started twitching in a way that made me think IBD. well, i just moved over the weekend, and took him to a new vet, who was also concerned about IBD, then did some research. calcium and thiamin deficiencies can cause twitching, and that only started after the last visit to a different vet (who told me to cease using the supplements). the new vet gave him acupuncture (bizarre), some new supplements and he stopped twitching, and had a BM. more than you all probably wanted to know, but i'm just elated that it isn't IBD!

2007-08-07 [Duke Devlin]: Thankyou [Cede] ^^ We have tried looking in the rafters and stuff, but the problem is, he's so small he'd be really hard to find, unfortunately our roof is filled with fibreglass =( We still haven't found him, but thankyou for your help =))) xXx

2007-08-08 [Dwarf Ronin]: Well...okay..Jimbo's eyes are starting to look cloudy and us under-belly is turning whiter...I keep giving him a ten minute bath in luke-warm water (which I hope that is correct kind of temp. for water) and I keep misting his cage for humdity build up. Is there anything else I need to do???

2007-08-08 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: what kind of snake is he again? in general, humidifying a pre-shed snake is a good thing. it's pretty hard to overdo water when they are about to shed. don't feed until after shedding, and minimize handling- his eyes aren't working real well, so they get a bit snappish.

2007-08-08 [Dwarf Ronin]: Are you sure about the feeding part. He eats every Thursday..wouldn't that disturb his eating schedule? Okay, so the cloudy eyes is normal right?

2007-08-09 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yes, cloudy eyes means the skin is loosening, and the eyes don't have lids, just a single protective scale. when that loosens, the eyes cloud, and he can't see well. many snakes get snippy this time. his feeding a few days late isn't going to harm him. my Ball Python once decided that she wasn't going to eat for 2 months, it scared me a bit, but she was (and still is) fine. in general, snakes don't need to eat very often. i think the record for a Ball Python not eating in captivity is something like 22 months. that isn't to say that all pythons could do that.

2007-08-09 [Nyaah*]: my balls often eat while their shedding process. its an individual thing. one of my balls never eat while shedding, some other always do! just try it. they know best what good for them.

2007-08-09 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: true.

2007-08-10 [Dwarf Ronin]: Okay, I will go buy his food tomorrow. Thank you for the advise.

2007-08-11 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i just adopted/rescued (2 hours ago) a ball python who was severely neglected. his water dish was full of chips and white goo, he had no hide box, no heating element. his skin is in poor shape, but he doesn't have mites or any other parasites near as i can tell. i have already soaked him, and rubbed him with shedding oil, and he's rubbing his head like he's trying to shed, but nothing is coming off. i can tell by looking he has a layer, possibly more than one that are ready to slough off. poor guy.

2007-08-11 [Heathglen]: Wait a minute. You can buy shedding oil? My god, that would be way easier then trying to humidify my place. How come I'm only learning about this now?

2007-08-11 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: you should still humidify, but oil helps. for the particularly stubborn snakes, or ones who may have problems shedding from poor health. i had a friends with a red-tail who consistently didn't shed the last inch and a half of her tail skin, so many layers of it built up, the tissue underneath became necrotic, and rotted off until bone was visible....

2007-08-11 [Heathglen]: That happened to my snake, only it was only about the last millimeter that didn't shed. It dropped off cleanly, but now he has a stump tail rather then a nice point.

2007-08-11 [Dwarf Ronin]: So, should I start using shedding oil for to prevent any of those things mentioned?

2007-08-11 [Heathglen]: nah. I get the impression that the oil is really more for extreme measures. In all likelihood, you won't need anything more powerful then a squirt bottle full of warm water.

2007-08-11 [Nyaah*]: i would advise against artificial additives. i would use shedding oil only at distresses, like [The Monochrome Rainbow] told about. some people dont even humidify while the shedding process (i only do if i see my snakes got a problem with shedding). they take a bath themselfs normally. as long as everything in the terrarium is fine, like temperature and arrangements the snakes know best how to help themselfs!

2007-08-11 [Nyaah*]: @[The Monochrome Rainbow] could you send a pic of the poor guy?

2007-08-11 [Dwarf Ronin]: I have a question....my snake's skin is getting wrinkly and start to peel...is that normal?

2007-08-12 [Heathglen]: I have to humidify for my snake just because the climate here is bone dry.

2007-08-12 [Nyaah*]: if his skin is shredded there is definately to low humidity. so you should spray lukewarm water into his box. if i see my snakes have problems with the shed i spray once in th morning and in the evening! that should be fine. you should only spray so everything is a little wet.

2007-08-12 [Dwarf Ronin]: Okay..I will do that....thank you very much.

2007-08-13 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i'll see what i can do for a pic. he's coming along great though, and his markings are unusual, he has brown splotches on his lower jaw, his eye stripes are broken, and he has flecks near his heat pits along his lips (never seen any of those markings on a Ball before, even the morphs.) and i'm pretty sure he has a respiratory infection. taking him to the vets soon. he is eating, and having BMs, got him drinking. i think he is partially blind. didn't have any ticks of mites though, thankfully.

2007-08-13 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i was wondering if you have any advice on the Respiratory infection. he has visible clogging in one nostril, and he wheezes and pops when he is in the water soaking ( though it's minimized when he isn't soaking, it's still there) I know the vets will probably recommend Tylan for it.

2007-08-14 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: my little red-tail died late last night. we think it was congenital birth defect, as he was less than three months old, and had been sick for two months of that time, and all treatments we had given him for anything brought little or no improvement, and that only temporary.

2007-08-14 [Nyaah*]: oh no :((((( thats horrible!!! im so sorry!!

2007-08-14 [Nyaah*]: about the respiratory infection.. could the clogging be some stuck skin? you said he is in the shedd? there isnt much you can do im afraid. you could give him a warm bath once the day, dry him and put him under his heatlamp. i would also look after liquid vitamins to mix them into his waterdish or maybe something to put on the mouse before he gets it. so he gets some vitamins for his immune system.. i would just give him some time. you could also cover the whole floor of his box with paper towels and wet them twice the day, so he lays always on wet towels.. i would even put a heat mat under his hiding place and ON it the wet paper towels.. and you should clean everything often, so hes not exposed to any germs...

2007-08-15 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: well, good news. someone recommended putting some mentholated cough medicine on his face, and after his next bath his nose cleared (mucous yellow discharge) he has been getting baths, and vitamins, (he's eating well, i started him on small mice, even though he could probably handle small rats) i don't think he's shedding soon, but his skin is improving dramatically. even the wheezing and popping is going down. he has a heat mat and lamp on his cage, though i can't seem to find him a hide he likes, he is always on or near his heat mat. he's doing very well.

2007-08-15 [Nyaah*]: great!! good to hear that! keep us informed!! cant wait for a pic of him!! :D

2007-08-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i haven't yet found the digital camera, we are taking him to the vet on the 10th of September for a checkup, and have his Respiratory Infection checked.

2007-08-23 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: aha! pictures at last. here is the refugee snake. you can kinda see his weird face markings.

(more in my photo wiki Earthbound Dragon´s ballpython)

2007-08-23 [Nyaah*]: his facemarkings are indeed intresting!

2007-08-24 [Heathglen]: Looks like he's wearing a cowl. ^__^

2007-08-24 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: he is so sweet despite his mistreatment from his previous owners. he doesn't show any aggression towards any of the three people he sees on a daily basis.

2007-08-26 [Duke Devlin]: I just wanna say [WE FOUND OUR PYTHON!!!] sorry =) He went missing two months ago I think, (like I said earlier in the comments) and he just turned up last night!!! I'm so happy! <3<3<3 Thankyou for the ideas for finding him btw =) I'm just so glad he's back, a little thinner, but he's okay ^^ He's blueing up too, so shedding soon! =D

2007-08-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: glad to hear he/she/s okay then. my Ball went two months without food once, but she was fine.

2007-08-26 [Duke Devlin]: =) I glad to hear yours was okay too ^^ When we found him, he was about a metre from his tank oO and poised to attack.. which was a bit worrying, but he seems to be okay now =)

2007-08-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: poor guy was probably hungry and wondering if you had put a rat in his tank for him while he was gone. that might have made good bait, putting a rat in the tank so the scent brings them back? might be worth trying if you have a repeat incident.

2007-08-26 [Duke Devlin]: Yes, I would definately try that =) I dunno why I didn't think of that XD Oh well, we're gonna be EXTRA careful now, poor lil guy.. he could've gone in the roofing (he is in a loft convertion with my brother) where there is fibreglass OO
But he didn't.
I'm gonna be sure to check him as often as possible.. =)

2007-08-26 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: do you have anything on the cage to prevent him from escaping? locks or anything?

2007-08-26 [Duke Devlin]: Yeh we have a lock on it; a good one, but my bro's friend didn't shut the door properly (a piece of 'foliage' got in the way aparently), then locked it. It's hard to explain, but you've probably seen the lock type before.

2007-08-27 [Dwarf Ronin]: Okay, I have another question. My ball python has been shedding for nearly 3 weeks now. At first, I didn't have enough humidity and he starting flaking. I fixed that and he shed even more but, he still has this patch around his head. I keep giving him baths and spraying his cage with luke warm water. Is there anything else I can do?

2007-08-27 [Duke Devlin]: I'm definately not an expert, and you should check this with some other people; but do you think that holding him in, an gently rubbing him, with a warm damp towel would help? The rough edge would probably help 'slough' away the skin, while being gentle enough not to hurt him? Like I said, don't take my word for it; wait for other advice too =)

2007-08-27 [Dwarf Ronin]: Okay, sure thing...thank you very much.

2007-08-27 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: my new snake (above) had the same problem, and i soaked him in a tub of warm water, and gently rubbed his skin. just don't get too rough with it, don't peel, but yes, i have a lot of luck with gentle rubbing. next time he gets ready to shed (lackluster color, blue-grey color of the eyes) keep him humidified constantly until he has completed shedding. soaking, misting/spraying, etc. they look like this when they are about to shed, kind of blue-ish.

2007-08-28 [Dwarf Ronin]: Okay, so, can I used the towel idea that Duke gave me?

2007-08-28 [Duke Devlin]: Looks like it =)

2007-08-28 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i never had a problem with the rubbing as long as it's gentle. you'll know if it's too much if the snake flinches.

2007-09-04 [Nyaah*]: clutch status: click!

2007-09-05 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i can't tell by looking, you have candled them right? and they are all alive?

2007-09-05 [Nyaah*]: the first baby started hatching this morning!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pics on my house

2007-09-05 [Sauron]: :O :O :O :O *runs to house*

2007-09-05 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yay, the waiting is over! *follows [Sauron]*

2007-09-05 [Nyaah*]:  BABY TIME!!!!!!! :O hatched at 10.20pm

2007-09-05 [Sauron]: yaaaaaaaay!!!!!! :O

2007-09-05 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: awww, how very beautiful they are!

2007-09-06 [Heathglen]: Wow, that baby is already bigger then my Spotted. I honestly thought they'd be smaller.

2007-09-06 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, how big is Basil? and how old is he?

2007-09-06 [Heathglen]: Basil is about 13" long and I'd put him at about 2 years old.

2007-09-06 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: wow, he's tiny. but he could still grow some more.

2007-09-06 [Heathglen]: They tell me that they grow to be two feet long.

2007-09-07 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: that's such an itty bitty python.

2007-09-07 [Heathglen]: The better to hide from my landlord with.

2007-09-07 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yeah, we are only supposed to have 2 cats here, and we have 4.

2007-09-28 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: I was wondering [Nyaah*] how you tell when a young female ball has come into season. I am unable to find any resources on it, and mine is about 2.5 years old, well over a meter long, and nearly two kilos. lately she has been excessively active, even during daylight hours, and i was wondering if she had come into season, though i know nothing about when that normally happens.

2007-09-29 [Nyaah*]: normaly thy are ready to breed with 3 years and 1 to 2 kilos! :)
males go earlier, with 1 to 2 years and 800grams

2007-09-29 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: so i have a little longer to wait. next year I'll probably breed. my young male is less than a year.

2007-10-14 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: i went to the show today and got a Boa. He's got very dark coloring (i'll have pics up later) and i also got a Jurassic milkshake.

2007-10-14 [Duke Devlin]: Awww how cute? =) Can't wait to see piccies ^^

2007-10-15 [The Monochrome Rainbow]:

At last: The new baby. He's very dark, the flash bleached him out a little. I named him Vladimir.

and my Jurassic Milksnake: Puff (Short for Puff the magic Chinese finger trap)

2007-10-15 [Duke Devlin]: Awesome names, for gorgeous snakes ^^ They are adorable; Vladimir looks just like Whiskey <3 Puff has lovely colourings OO

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: Thanks. I went to the show intending to get a Sinaloan Milk Snake, but this guy caught my eye, and nobody seemed to have any Sinaloans. I found out he's not a naturally occurring species. Apparently, he's a cross between a Honduran Milksnake and a Florida Kingsnake.

2007-10-16 [Nyaah*]: awww new snakes! YAY

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: Wow =) Good thing you got him then ^^

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: he's smart, and fast, and hes already figured out where the entrance to the tank is, and when you open it, he'll rush it and try to get out (and almost does.) He'll be easier to manage when he's bigger and there is more of him to handle.

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: Yeh I should imagine so OO
Since Whiskey got found, he has made a 'run' for it everytime the tank is open, because he escaped that way -_______-
I can't wait til your is HUGE!! May take a while XD Keep pics updated yeh? =D

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: yeah, the milksnake won't get bigger than six feet, but that's easier to catch than six inches.

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: Yeh, way easier OO
Ooo, on that note; do you know eactly how big a Ball python can get in (home) captivity?

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: they average 3-5 feet, but 6 feet is not unheard of, it's just uncommon. Mine is 2.5 years old, and she's about 4 feet long, and still growing. a lot depends on tank size.

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: I see =) Thankyou =) It fascinates me, really, how tank size affects it, but I do understand why
Hwo many snakes do you/have you had?

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: currently, 3 balls, 2 boas and the milk.
we lost one ball to Viral Encephalitis, and one boa to congenital birth defect.

My 2.5 year old ball os the spoiled queen, with the largest tank (the rest of the snakes are yearlings or younger.) she has 8sq.ft. of floor space, the rest are in 15gal aquariums until they are larger (and i have other large tanks for them when they get to that stage.)

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: Wow you must have a HUGE place for all of those OO
I only have one XD But I love him very much, very distressing when he disappeared; not only because of the fibreglass roofing, but because I also have rats >> they could have eaten him OO
What is Viral Encephalitis? and Congenital birth defect? (I feel like an idiot ><)

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: V Encephalitis is a viral infection of the brain that causes it to swell, (and usually kills the snake)

Congenital birth defect just means it was defective/deformed at birth. his lower GI tract did not work, so he died at less than three months of age

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: Aww thats sad =( Both of them =(
Sorry i'm full of questions atm; Is there a peak time for any of these to possibly occur?

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: birth defects usually claim their victims early in life, the first few months. Viral encephalitis is more random, though i know little of it other than that that's what the snake had.

2007-10-16 [Duke Devlin]: I see.., unfortunate =(
So far we've seen nothing wrong with Whiskey =) Which is good, and I hope you don't have anything wrong with anymore of yours ;.;

2007-10-16 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: me too, i get attached to them quickly. we intend to get more over the years.

2007-10-17 [Duke Devlin]: Awwhh that sounds great =) Do you breed them?

2007-10-17 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: no, not yet. only one of them is old enough. I might when they are old enough to do so, but i might not. I don't know yet.

2007-10-17 [Nyaah*]: ^^ 5 of the 6 babie snakies

2007-10-17 [The Monochrome Rainbow]: where is number 6?