We Have Eggs Houston

My normal ball python, Cleo, was the first to break the ice this season by laying eggs on March 03, 2014. She laid 10 eggs with 1 slug. 9 eggs are baking in the incubator and the slug is fertilizing my rose bushes. My least favorite part of the incubation process was removing the protective mother from brooding her eggs. I watched a YouTube video by SafariPetsFL and read a care sheet which recommended using a towel over the head of the snake and then uncoiling her from around her egg pile. This method worked out fine and I didn't even need to break out the old snake hook but Cleo does have a great temperament. World of Ball Pythons has a great article that explains the substrateless incubation method using perlite, a sterilite container, water and some egg crate (light diffuser, you can buy it at Lowes) cut to fit the egg box. Thanks Bill Buchman and World of Ball Pythons for the excellent article listed below. I in no way take credit for this article but it's so good I wanted to make sure you guys read it just in case you didn't click on the link above. I've also included some pics below Bill Buchman's article, check them out.

-- Bill Buchman

"I must preface this explanation by saying that this is my second breeding season. I have ONLY used substrateless method and EVERYTHING I have ever hatched has been with that method, traditional method scares me.

This is what I did last season and am doing this season. It works WELL for ME - there are other ways that work WELL for OTHERS.
Last year my season consisted of 62 clutches -- 302 incubated eggs -- 67 slugs -- 10 infertile (candled bad - did not incubate). I don't cook anything that candles bad. I will cook small eggs, boob eggs, spotted eggs, ugly eggs -- just NOT eggs that candle yellow with no veins.

Of the 302 candled eggs that went into the incubator, 4 went bad (during first 3 weeks) and I had 3 kinked -- each from a different clutch. (2 severe) -- the other was a "tweaked egg stressed" KILLER BEE!!! That one hurt.

1.
I set set my Herpstat thermostat at 88.4 in the incubator -- NOT the egg box.

1 a.
SET-UP: I use 6 qrt. Sterlite shoe boxes. I have fit as many as nine eggs in a box. If I have a big clutch I can't fit in one box -- I use 2. I like to use the same containers within my incubators.

2.
Place 1-2 inches of dry mix in box. I have used 60/40 combination of perlite and vermiculite. I prefer 100% perlite. I have the better half of a big bag of vermiculite yet to use. When that is gone PERLITE will be the ticket. It does not conduct water to top/surface of mixture like vermiculite tends too. Therefore, it is better for substrateless method.

3.
Pour in 4-8 oz. of water. (I use tap water. Some people use distilled or put a smidge of chlorhexidine in water. Fresh tap water has worked fine for me). You should be able to see it gather on the bottom, but not sloshing around -- don't need much because almost NONE will escape during the 60 days of incubation.

4.
Place cut to size egg crate on top of level mixture. Remember that the idea is for the eggs NOT to touch the mix. But rather lay on TOP of the crate. I gently set it on and give a little wiggle side to side.

5.
Place eggs in. Center them so they don't touch the sides or top of box when closed. I have no set rule on whether I separate eggs before cooking. If the "pile" is to high to fit in container, I will take of a few off pile so as to fit in box. I don't use dental floss. I gently and slowly pull them apart -- never ripped one -- YET!!!

6.
Put piece of Press N Seal over the top and pull tight over the sides. Place lid on and snap tight. Be careful when putting box in bator. Eggs will roll if separated, and piles will slide to touch the side of the container -- don't want that. After 2-3 weeks, the eggs will flatten a bit and shifting boxes around will be no big deal. I am always shifting mine. During the second 30 days of incubation you will likely get some condensation on the top inside of box -- gathered on inside of Press N Seal. It usually will not drip on the eggs. If it does -- no worries. Eggs After day 40 or so won't be bothered by a drip or two on TOP of them.

I don't usually open the box AT ALL until last 2 weeks/day 45-48. At this time I will take OFF the plastic and put lid back on. This allows for respiration and heat transfer as interior egg temps will rise a bit over the last 2 weeks. If you are the one to check on eggs every week -- go for it. But I don't "breathe" my boxes as a rule, and every time you open the box it will release humidity and lower temps.

There you have it!!! I am sure I forgot something. When you all figure it out let me know and I will clarify.

P. S. One of the many reasons I love this method is I can get a clutch in the incubator from pulling the female to closing the incubator door in no more than 15 min. -- often less. Makes it nice on the work days when you have more than one clutch to deal with. I think last season the girls would conspire to lay in 3's and 4's just to mess with me!!!

The best part is that I don't worry about whether my mix is too wet -- there is no moisture touching the egg!!!

I am sure you all have your own cutting/not cutting and when procedures. Mine always always fluctuate dependent upon mood and whether the clutch is one of those SPECIAL ones. I know -- they are ALL special!!!

These days, if I do cut early, I wait until day 54. I have cut at day 46 and got away with it. Would not tempt fate again. I just tell myself, "Hey Bonehead! Cutting them does not change what they are within each egg!!!" I always reply..."IT MIGHT"

HAPPY HATCHING!!!
Will do!!!"

Rodents for SALE

Live rodents for sale, please email me with any questions. $20 minimum order required, thank you for looking!

Rats $3 any size
Mice $2 any size

Ball Python Breeding 2013-2014

I began my inaugural ball python breeding season by dropping cage temperatures in late October of 2013 then I introduced males to females beginning in November. I decided to try the Markus Jayne method for my first attempt at breeding balls. Below are some pictures of successful locks between my male and female balls. I'm currently setting up a new incubator and just recently turned my cage temperatures back up to 92 degrees. I've done some research and several breeders don't change temperatures year round. I might try that next time depending on the turn out from this season. One thing that I have learned from keeping reptiles is that you do what works best for you. Good luck and I'll hopefully be back with pictures of eggs and snakes hatching in the near future.

Orange Ghost het Car X Double het Glow



Bumble Bee X Lemon Blast het Car



Bumble Bee X Normal



Mystic X BEL (Lesser Mojave)

Tokay Gecko: My Neighbor Totoro

My buddy Dan, the manager at Clawpaws in Pittsburg, KS, ordered a small Tokay Gecko for me. I happened to show up at the store one day when Jason, their supplier, was dropping off an order. Guess what, I got lucky and my Tokay showed up the same day. His name is Totoro and I've included some pictures of him below. This is the first gecko I've ever owned so I don't have many pointers for Tokay care but here's a link. Totoro makes an awesome ornamental pet but I don't recommend handling Tokays unless you can raise one from a hatchling. Then your chances of taming this savage beast may be higher but good luck none the less!

Golden Rule #3 Do NOT house Tokay Males together.

Mice Breeding Basics

I've started a new colony of mice to help feed my growing ball python collection. I've decided to direct my attention towards breeding ball pythons although I will still breed Bearded Dragons and Uromastyx yearly. Buying mice weekly started to accumulate to roughly $100 a month so I weighed my options. I was able to pick up a few used mouse racks, $20 a piece, from a friend locally. You could easily build your own rack system, just check YouTube for instructional videos or try the Google on the internet device and I'm sure it wouldn't cost much more than what I paid. Now I spend $16 a month on a 24lb bag of Special Kitty cat food, $10 on 8lb bag of Hartz: Large Bird Diet,  a 50lb bag of Kent Cubes Rodent Diet (you can usually find this at your local feed store) for $20 that lasts forever, the water is free as we're on a well and I buy a huge $20 bag of shredded aspen to avoid mites, roughly every 3 months. That brings my monthly grand total to approximately $35. The only drawback is having hundreds of mice in my garage, make sure they can't escape, that could be seen as a "problem". I guess hundreds of mice colonizing in the walls of your home might be a bad thing. If you're not scared of mice and you might actually kind of think they're cute like I do then I recommend breeding your own mice if you own more than 3 ball pythons. The advantages out weigh the cons in my situation. I'm ensuring that I'm feeding top quality healthy mice to my snakes, I'm saving close to $65 a month on the mouse bill and I love animals so the more the merrier! As of now I have 2 racks with 6 tubs each but I'm thinking about upgrading to a new rack after purchasing a breeding pair of rats. My larger ball pythons prefer rats and I realize they have a higher nutritional value than mice but I'm always worried for the safety of my snakes. Mice will cower in the corner once they realize a predator is in the 10 gallon Rubbermaid Roughneck with them while rats will take a defensive position and fight back. If you own ball pythons then you know exactly what I'm talking about. My bumblebee, Loki, can't stand rats, not even rat pups but mice are like candy to him and I'm pretty sure 99% of all other ball pythons on this Earth. Loki had a bad experience with a rat when he was younger and I just can't get him back on rats for some reason. If anyone has any pointers for me it would be great to hear your educated opinion. I also prefer live over frozen thawed feeders and I don't own a deep freeze. I've included some pictures of my mouse racks below along with some mouse pups and the aspen bedding I use, check it out.

Golden Rule #2 Remove your male mice as soon as your females look pregnant!

Dubia Roaches: For Sale Joplin, MO

I have been breeding dubia roaches for a little over a year. My colony is large enough to support my primary use of feeding bearded dragons and to sell excess. I'm willing to match any online dubia roach dealer's price and the great thing about this opportunity is that I'm located here in Joplin, MO. If you are interested in placing an order for dubia roaches or have any questions, please feel free to contact me personally at  RadioactiveReptiles@gmail.com

I recommend starting your own colony if you take care of more than 3 animals who will eat them as a feeder insect. This option is much more cost effective than purchasing dozens of crickets or containers of feeder worms from other local dealers. It's simple to start your own colony. Here is a list of things that you'll need; 1) Large Tote opaque with smooth sides (the kind Wal-Mart sells) 2) glue gun 3) wire screen (approximately cut 9" x 4" 4) duct tape 5) 50 mixed roaches including 3 adult females to 1 adult male at the least 6) egg cartons 7) a dark dry place in your house that maintains a 70 degree minimum temperature (mine are in my closet). I add enough corn meal (yellow or white) to cover 3/4 of the bottom of my container. Then I build a structure out of egg cartons on top of that for them to colonize. I also provide water crystals made from mixing water and Soil Moist which you can buy on Amazon for much less than others sell it for. Depending on the size of your colony add a potato cut 4 ways into the container about twice a week. Make sure you remove any remains of vegetables or fruit as quickly as possible. Mold will kill your roaches! Below I've posted some pictures depicting my colony and lit set up.

There are several advantages to feeding dubia roaches; 1) they're more nutritious than other feeder insects 2) they don't stink 3) they're easy to care for 4) they breed easily 6) they're very cost effective The downside to dubia roaches is that they are roaches and the idea of having thousands of roaches colonizing in your closet tends to freak some people out. I'd say that most normal people are a little creeped out by this idea but who am I kidding. If you're reading this then you're probably a reptile keeper and you know that neither you or I are normal. I love exotic reptiles and wouldn't trade them for the world, maybe a winning Powerball ticket for $600 million?

My Dubia Colony

Lid Example

Golden Rule #1 Do not feed your bearded dragon anything larger than the diameter between it's eyes!

Female Desert Ball Python: Unproven Breeding

Desert Ball Pythons are beautiful visual morphs. Unfortunately as far as I've read there have been no confirmed successful clutches laid by female Desert Ball Pythons. Some breeders have speculation that if you're able to get the snakes weight over 3,000g that she will produce a successful clutch but there is no confirmed data to back this up. As far as I know, trusting the opinion of two guys I seek advice from quite frequently, Joe and Clark from Powerhouse Reptiles, the female Desert Ball Python's egg ducts are too small. This causes them to throw slugs and unfertilized eggs. I've seen beautiful 4 gene Desert's selling for under $500, once again this is just a beautiful pet and can't be put into a breeding program. I wouldn't mind having a pet like that but part of the fun is breeding them! If you do try to breed your female Desert you put her at risk of becoming egg bound which could lead to her demise. Now for the dirt and grime of the reptile industry. Several breeders have invested large amounts of money into their Desert breeding projects. How do you think they plan on making their money back? Well of course, selling their inventory. Now don't get me wrong you can make some beautiful morphs with the Desert gene but at what cost? Desert females are being sold without the disclaimer that they cannot be bred. Now who knows one day, someone might unlock the genetic secret to successfully breeding these wonderful morphs but until then we're at a stand still. Unfortunately, I've seen several Desert Ball females being sold at outlandish prices. Some breeders even describe their Desert Balls as dinkers, Ball Pythons with "unknown" genes. This will help them avoid being pinned as a con artist when they know what they're dealing with but this description is used as a disclaimer for unsuspecting customers. Then when the snake reaches breeding size, if she is bred without knowing what her genes are, she could die or be faced with a serious health risk. Ok, so what if she does lay a clutch, you've just produced 8 solid slugs. Who are you going to come looking for if you do your research after you all ready make the purchase, the breeder and guess what, "He didn't know what her gene's were." Be careful and don't make the mistake of buying into the Desert gene without knowing the consequences. Below I've listed some pictures and articles that will go in depth more than I have, probably from breeders with much more experience than I, check it out.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1458949

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?170524-Has-desert-female-breeding-got-anywhere

http://thereptilereport.com/breeding-desert-females/

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/python-regius/89914-question-about-desert-morph.html

Desert Ball

Desert Ball

Desert Spider

Desert Mojave