Hey guys,

This is going to be a very short blog. We just wanted to update you all on some hatchlings we have from 2011, and some of the 2012 breedings.  We have a new video up, which I will include along with some photos.

The image to the left shows a embryo, that did not go full term, but did live, and develop for some time, before failing. The other clutch mates all did fine, but for whatever reason this animal did not make it. As you can see, there is clearly a eye, mouth and visible growth on the snake, though it is lacking structure, coloration, and other aspects in which you would expect a full term animal to have.

Other than, "in egg deaths", there is also the very common "the snake came out of the egg, stretched out, and died." story. This can happen, and has happened time and time again. Ive heard many stories where a snake has been fully developed, absorbed its yolk, and looked to have nothing physically wrong with it, and as it exited the egg, it dies.

Lastly, the other most common way to loose a hatchling, is for it to go full term, come out of the egg, and live. But then it may never eat on its own, or it may have internal problems in which you do not know about. I (Theo) personally deal with feeding and taking care of all our hatchlings, and its very hard to watch a animal fail. Recently i had lost a hatchling due to it not eating, and after a few force feedings, it did not make it. Its very hard, because we truly love these animals, and we all try our hardest to give them the best life, and care we possibly can. Though in some cases, such as this, it just isn't meant to be.

Other than dealing with deaths, there is still the possibilities of failure. Such as severe deformities, and neurological problems. Snakes being born with two heads, one eye, one hemipene, over bite, under bite, kinks, etc can happen.
Its not just a morph or genetic issue, such as the spider wobble and spinning, or the caramel kinking. Deformities can happen to any morph, sex, or species.

Before I go any further, id like to say, I do not want to start a battle of "whats ethical". Ethics are your choice, and others may have a differing opinion on that.

Below I am posting a video of a snake we have hatched out. He is showing no signs of being in pain, is a great eater now, and is shedding and defecating normally. Personally, I see nothing wrong with him, other than his quirks. Others may think he should be euthanized. This is where you as a breeder, need to make the choice, between keeping a life, or ending one. This may seem somewhat brutal for me to say, but it is reality.

Some may view this animal as a very minor case, some may think he should have been euthanized. You as a breeder, would need to make decisions like that. Its not always the joys of keeping and producing beautiful, healthy animals. There is the harsh reality of  working with a living, breathing animal, that's life is truly in your hands.

I hope this post has made some of you more aware, and to really think things through. This is a subject many people wont touch, and will avoid.

Thank you all for reading, we will make sure the next post is a little more "fun".

Ending this season seems like it took much longer than expected. Some of you may recall us mentioning a female we were waiting on to lay. Well, the female in which we were speaking about was a 2500+ gram virgin female, who bred to multiple co-dom males. This girl finally laid her clutch. Looks like she gave us 4 slugs, 1 infertile "boob" egg, and 4 fertile eggs.

2011/2012 pairings have been sorted out, and breeding has started. We are very excited to see what we can produce this season. We are hoping to produce animals never seen from us here, and hoping to get a very good mix of morphs to be available. We will make sure to keep you all updated on our progress, and finds along the way.

Most recently, we received a email which we would like to share.
It reads, "Hi, I am Marley.  I am the little girl who bought a male spider ball python. Today I got him to eat. He has won reptile of the day and I have entered a zombie contest. He is very nice and loves to be held." Along with, "I am 11 years old." and, "His name is Mr. Puget."

We all had remembered Marley from the 17th Annual Seattle Reptile Expo, as she walked around, taking note on the animals she had wanted.  This list was quite extensive, including animals such as a Killerbee BP. It is not often someone who makes a purchase from us, ever contacts us, and gives a update on the animals. This was quite unexpected and brought a smile to each one of our faces, so we figured we should share it, in hopes it will bring a smile to yours as well.

As usual, feel free to comment, we will continue to update our news as often as possible. This will always be where you hear news first.