The Blumen Boas Blog

New Pics of the Hypo and Het Leopards

2011-12-04T21:40:00.011-05:00

I added new pictures of both the Hypo and the Het Leopards to their respective photo galleries. I thought I would post a picture comparison to show how they change within the first few months of being born. They "color up", basically losing their greys, and will probably keep getting even better looking as time passes :). The pics below have the older picture first, followed by a picture taken 5 months later.

Hypo Leo #1:

Hypo Leo #2:

Hypo Leo #3:

Hypo Leo #4:

Hypo Leo #5:

Het Leo #1:

Het Leo#2:

Het Leo #3:

Het Leo #4:

Potential Results for 2012

2011-12-02T22:45:00.001-05:00

I had a few emails asking what kind of boas I was expecting from my pairings that I listed in my last Blog post (if the breedings end up being successful). So here they are, and remember if you see something you might like let me know and I will put you on my no-obligation waitlist for the boa you might want. When (and if) a litter hits the ground , I will contact you and see if you are still interested.

1. DH Sharp Snow x TH Sharp Snow = Snowglows, Sharp Snows, Sunglows 66% possible het Anery, Sharp Albinos 66% poss. het Anery, Ghosts 66% poss. het Sharp Albino, Anerys 66% poss. het Sharp Albino, Hypos 66% poss. het Sharp Albino and Anery (66% poss. Triple Hets), 66% poss. het Sharp Albino and Anery (66% poss. Double Hets).

2. Motley het Anery x Sharp Snow = Anery Motleys het Sharp Albino, Motleys het Sharp Albino and Anery (Double Hets), Anerys het Sharp Albino, het Sharp Albino and Anery (Double Hets).

3. Motley het Anery x Sharp Albino het Anery = Anery Motley het Sharp Albino, Motley het Sharp Albino 66% poss. het Anery, Anery het Sharp Albino, het Sharp Albino 66% het Anery.

4. Het Blood 50% Hogg Island x Blood 50% Hogg Island = Bloods 50% Hogg Island, het Bloods 50% Hogg Island.

5. Motley het Leopard x Leopard = Leopard Motleys, Leopards, Motley het Leopards, het Leopards.

6. Anery 66% het Sharp Albino x Boawoman Caramel = Paradigms het Anery and het Anery het BW Caramels (if she is het Albino) OR het Anerys het BW Caramels (if she isn't het Albino).

7. Sharp Albino 66% poss. het Anery x Hypo Jungle het Anery = possibly Ghost Jungles het Sharp Albino, Anery Jungles het Sharp Albino, Anerys het Sharp Albino, Hypo Jungles het Sharp Albino 66% poss. het Anery, Hypos het Albino 66% poss. het Anery, Jungles 66% DH, and Sharp Albinos 66% het Anery if she proves out to be het Anery.

8. Normal 66% poss. DH Sharp Snow x Sharp Albino 66% poss. het Anery = possibly Sharp Snows, Sharp Albinos het Anery, Anerys het Sharp Albino, and het Sharp Albinos 66% het Anery if both prove out.

9. Sharp Snow x Hypo Blood 66% poss. het Anery = possibly Ghosts het Sharp Albino and het Blood, Anerys het Sharp Albino and Blood (het Pewter), Quad hets (Hypos het Blood, Sharp Albino, and Anery), and Triple hets (het Blood, Sharp Albino, and Anery) if both prove out.

10. Pastel x Sugarbaby Pastel = Pastels

11. Depends on the pairing...

A new breeding season (already?!?)

2011-11-21T20:29:00.004-05:00

Wow, it seems like yesterday that I paired up boas for the 2010/2011 season!

I put the following boas together on October 15. Most of the males got right down to business right away which is always a nice thing to see! A few of the males were "duds" last year, but another year of maturity seems to have really helped as they seem to have figured out what to do this year :). Well, here is my list of pairings for this season:

1.Double Het Sharp Snow x Triple Het Sharp Snow (Colombia x Breeder Loan).
2. Motley het Anery x Sharp Snow (Laverne x Whitesnake).
3. Motley het Anery x Albino het Anery (Shirley x Blade).
4. Het Blood 50% Hog x Blood 50% Hog (Charlotte x Apollo).
5. Motley het Leopard x Leopard (Dot x Smoke).
6. Anery 66% het Albino x Boawoman Caramel (Tempest x George).
7. Albino 66% poss. het Anery x Hypo Jungle het Anery (Pinky x Tarzan).
8. Normal 66% poss. DH Sharp Snow x Sharp Albino 66% poss. het Anery (poss. DH x Lumin).
9. Sharp Snow x Hypo Blood 66% poss. het Anery (Snow White x Diablo).
10. Pastel x Pastel (Sunset x Atlas).
11. In January/February - pair up Leopard (Midnight) with either a Motley het Leopard (Yakko) to make Motley Leopards, etc., or pair her with a Sharp Snow (Whitesnake) to make all Triple Hets.

Shoot me an email if you are interested in any of the potential offspring from the (hopeful) litters above. I will put you on the no-obligation waitlist, and once the litter hits the ground I will contact you to see if you are still interested.

Be sure to watch my Blog for updates - which hopefully will be nothing but good news! Enjoy your Thanksgiving everyone.

Snake Photoshoot

2011-10-04T21:44:00.015-04:00

Well, I did an outside photoshoot with some of my boas back in May, and I just now got around to uploading the pictures to the website. Geesh, you think it was summer or something! I have been training for a half-marathon (Rock N' Roll in Philadelphia) and a marathon (Steamtown Marathon in Scranton, PA happening this Sunday), along with riding my motorcycle, a couple mini-vacations, taking care of my critters, etc. so the summer definitely seemed to just fly right by. I must be getting old because time is going by WAY too quick!

I am now in the process of figuring out which boas to pair up for the coming breeding season. If things work out, there should be some cool little squirmers coming in the Spring. I will hopefully be proving out some of my possible hets, and once that is done I will be reducing my collection a little next Spring/Summer. I will be selling some of my adult boas (not many), to make room for some of my youger ones that are getting older. I will be sure to update my Blog as well as my Facebook account with the breeding plans, progress pics, etc. so be sure to stay tuned. If you want to be put on a waiting list for any potential offspring, be sure to shoot me an email - there is no obligation to purchase once a litter hits the ground!

So, if you want to check out the new pics of some of my boas here are the ones that were updated:
Blade, Blush, Camo, Caram, Diablo, Jigsaw, Laverne, Penny, Pinky, Samy, SNO3-09 (I need to come up with a name for her!), Snow White (I'm thinking about changing her name...), Tempest, and Whitesnake.

Here are a couple pics of my ugly mug & Samy - I'm 6'2", which makes her about 8 feet. I hope you all had a great summer!

Couple Sentenced

2011-08-27T14:26:00.023-04:00

The following is from the abcnews website:
Florida python owners Jaren Hare and her boyfriend Charles Darnell were each sentenced to 12 years in prison along with 5 years of probation once they have each served their prison terms. Hare, 21, and Darnell, 34, were convicted in July of third degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect.

A medical examiner testified during the trial that the albino snake named Gypsy was underweight and trying to eat the girl. The snake hadn't been fed for a month when the girl died and was severely underweight at only 13 pounds, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The snake should have weighed nearly 150 pounds, the Sentinel reported.

Jurors rejected the defense's argument that this was simply a terrible accident. The jury foreperson did not want to be identified but offered insight into how the verdict was reached.

"Even under the most remote circumstances, it was possible that the child could be injured. And it was their duty to make sure that there was no possibility that a 2-year-old would be bitten or in any way harmed… We feel extremely upset about having to make this decision, but we believe it was the correct one," the foreperson told ABC Affiliate WFTV.

Hare's mother testified for the state, saying she warned her daughter about the dangers of having the snake and even offered to buy it and keep it at her home and in a locked enclosure.

Hare's defense attorney, Ismael Solis, argued that the 8-foot-6 snake, had been a family pet for five years and had always been docile.

"If you have children around the house and it's a venomous snake and you don't put a secure lid on a venomous snake and it gets out and bits one of the kids, you should be punished. But Gypsy was a gentle snake," Solis said during the trial.

Darnell's attorney argued, "He is not guilty of manslaughter. He is not guilty of murder. He's not guilty of neglecting that child. He is guilty of making a stupid decision and having a stupid pet."

But the jury did not buy it. "We also felt that, as the parents and caregivers, their responsibility was to preclude any chance that there could be an incident of any kind, because a 2-year-old could not protect herself," the foreperson told reporters after the trial.

Outside the courtroom, Shaianna's biological father, Joe Gilkerson, said justice was served and that he was bothered by Hare's lack of emotion throughout the four-day trial. "You got some times (in court) where she's got emotions and then some times where she looked like she could care less," Gilkerson told reporters. "I mean, that was our daughter. How can you have an emotionless face?"

According to this article, the python has put weight on, and will be used for training at Elkin Air Force base.

Couple found guilty in death of 2-year-old

2011-07-15T19:52:00.068-04:00

The following information is from the ABC Action news website in Tampa Bay, FL.

A Sumter County jury has found Jaren Hare and Charles Darnell guilty of third-degree murder, manslaughter, and child abuse in the death of 2-year-old Shaianna Hare. The little girl was strangled by the couple's pet python on July 1, 2009.

In the end, the jury did not buy the defense that this was just a terrible accident. They held the Sumter County couple guilty on all charges. It took the six-person jury less than two hours to reach a decision, and now the two will likely face serious prison time.

The foreperson from this jury did not want to be identified, but she offered insight how they reached the verdict. "Even under the most remote circumstances, it was possible that the child could be injured. And it was their duty to make sure there was no possibility that a 2-year-old would be bitten or anyway harmed."

The medical examiner testified the toddler was asphyxiated by burmese python two years ago. The prosecution told the jury the hungry snake named Gypsy escaped from his enclosure, outfitted with only a quilt as a lid.

While pointing at the couple, Pete Magrino, the Assistant State Attorney, said "The snake is not at fault in this case. It's a wild animal. The responsibility for the death of that child is those defendants right there." Magrino also showed the jury two pictures. One of Shaianna as a happy child. The other was of her lifeless body with bite marks on her face. On July 1, 2009, investigators say the python escaped from it's tank and strangled the little girl to death. Authorities found the tank secured only by a quilt fastened with baby pins.

The defense argued all week that the snake was a family pet that had always been docile. Darnell's attorney said he had no idea the python would attack. "He is not guilty of manslaughter. He is not guilty of murder. He's not guilty of neglecting that child. He is guilty making a stupid decision and having a stupid pet," said defense attorney Rhiannon Arnold.

Hare's attorney followed by saying the python had been a family pet for five years. "If you have children around the house and it's a venomous snake and you don't put a secure lid on a venomous snake and it gets out and bites one of the kids, you should be punished. But Gypsy was a gentle snake," said defense attorney Ismael Solis.

The foreperson says they carefully went over Florida law on each count. And determined Hare and Darnell were guilty of 3rd degree murder, manslaughter and child neglect. "We feel extremely upset about having to make this decision, but we believe it was the correct one."

The defendants in this case were offered a plea deal for 10 years in prison, but turned it down.

Sentencing is set for August 24, and Darnell could face more time than Hale because he has 6 prior felony convictions.

Outside the courtroom, Shaianna's biological father, Joe Gilkerson said the verdict is a relief to him. "I'm glad to see justice served."

The following info was taken from here.

Shaianna's biological father, Joseph Gilkerson, 30, of Leesburg, a spectator at the four-day trial, said justice was served by the verdict. He was bothered by what he viewed as Hare's lack of emotion during the trial.
"You got some times (in court) where she's got emotions and then you got some times where she looked like she could care less," he said. "I mean, that was our daughter. How can you have an emotionless face?"

The couple failed in their duty to protect the toddler from the exotic constrictor, said the panel's foreperson, a resident of The Villages who spoke with reporters on the conditions that her face would not be photographed and she would not be identified by name. She said the jury believed that Hare and Darnell were convinced that the pet python was tame and its attack on the 22-pound toddler was an accident. "But we also felt that, as the (child's) adult parents and caregivers, their responsibility was to preclude any chance that there could be an incident of any kind, because a 2-year-old could not protect herself," she said.

The 5-year-old snake weighed 13.5 pounds when measured about a month after the attack. A healthy albino Burmese python of that age ought to weigh about 150 pounds, a snake expert testified during the trial.

Hare and Darnell, who have lived together off and on for the past four years, are parents of a daughter who was born about a month after the python killed Shaianna. The newborn was placed temporarily into protective custody by the state Department of Children & Families but later reunited with Hare and Darnell because the agency had no legal grounds to terminate their parental rights. The agency is not currently involved with the family.

It was not clear who is caring for that child now as Hare's mother testified for the state, saying she had warned her daughter that the snake was dangerous and even offered to buy it, keep it at her home or provide a lock-down lid for it. DCF officials said they had not been asked to intervene or take custody of the girl, who could be living with Darnell's relatives. His family owns the property in Oxford where the couple lived. DCF spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner said the verdict, secured with crucial testimony provided by an agency investigator, was bittersweet. "This is no longer just about one child, but another little one as well who, we now know, will need arrangements for possibly the rest of her childhood," Hoeppner said. "We don't know if and what arrangements have been made, but will be available to help in any way we can."

During closing arguments, defense lawyers insisted the couple had no reason to suspect the evil in Gypsy, a pet Hare had owned for five years and allowed children — including Shaianna — to handle with supervision. "Charles Darnell and Jaren Hare never in their wildest dreams ever thought this would ever happen," Arnold told the jury as Hare's lawyer nodded in agreement. "They had no idea that their tame pet would suddenly go wild." The defense lawyers said neither was guilty of child neglect, manslaughter or third-degree murder, a charge that alleges that Shaianna died while the couple was committing the crime of child neglect.
They were, at worst, "guilty of making a stupid decision and having a stupid pet," Arnold said.

Magrino (the prosecutor) showed jurors a pair of contrasting pictures of Shaianna — a photo of the toddler smiling in life and a post-mortem photograph of the strangled and bitten child. He called her death "needless, senseless, careless, reckless" and blamed it on "actions and lack of actions" by her mother and Darnell. He pointed out that Jaren Hare's mother, Sheryl Hare, had discussed with her a notorious Internet image of a large Burmese python attempting to devour an alligator that it killed during an interspecies struggle in the Everglades.

Jaren Hare, 21, and Charles "Jason" Darnell, 34, who leaned on one another after the verdicts were read, face prison sentences ranging from 15 years to 45 years for manslaughter, third-degree murder and child neglect.

Well, I am glad this ordeal is finally finished. I am sure the results will be appealed, but I think that the jury got it right on this one. It is truly a shame that little Shaianna died at the hands of irresponsible boid owners, but hopefully others will learn from their many mistakes. Hopefully Shaianna did not die in vain, and may she rest in peace.

More info on the Shaianna Hare case

2011-07-09T15:23:00.036-04:00

The following information was reported in an article in the Orlando Sentinel published on January 2, 2011.

The python that killed 2-year old Shaianna Hare hadn't been fed in about a month and had escaped its tank 10 times since its last meal according to newly released documents. Reports by the Sumter County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Children and Families show that the child's mother and the mother's boyfriend had kept the snake in violation of wildlife rules and apparently could not afford to feed it.

"It was a tragic loss of a young life as a result of the criminal negligence and child abuse on the part of two adults. It's that simple," Assistant State Attorney Pete Magrino said. "I don't take prosecuting parents lightly."
Shaianna's mother, Jaren Hare, 21, and Hare's boyfriend, Charles Jason Darnell, 33, say they were asleep when the attack occurred. The albino python, bought at a flea market about six years ago for $200, slithered through the doublewide mobile home to the child's room after escaping from a mesh laundry bag with a baseball-sized hole in it. The snake had slipped out of its tank twice that night, according to the reports.

The snake, which weighed less than 13 pounds, was emaciated, said Andrew Wyatt, president of the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers. A healthy python of that length should have weighed at least twice as much.
"You keep it hungry and don't secure it, you're asking for trouble," Wyatt said.

According to the investigation by DCF, Jaren Hare's mother, Sheryl, was concerned about the daughter's ability to care for her pet snakes, Gypsy and Dixie, a smaller Colombian red-tailed boa constrictor. Sheryl Hare told a DCF investigator that a week before the python attack she offered to buy rats for the snakes because Jaren Hare and Darnell had neither jobs nor money. She said she also had offered to keep the snakes at her home or provide a sealed container. The offers were rejected.

The python "was coming up due (for a feeding)," Darnell told sheriff's detectives. "But I don't think hunger would have been the motive. … There's no way that she could possibly in her mind think that she could eat that baby." Sobbing during the interview, Darnell said his two older children, then ages 12 and 7, were watching TV and the snake was in its tank in that room when he went to bed about 11:30 p.m. He awoke an hour later to use the bathroom and found the python in the hallway. Darnell said he scooped up the snake, stuffed it in the mesh bag and put it in the tank. He then walked to the toddler's room and checked on Shaianna before heading back to sleep. When he awoke about 9:30 the next morning, he peeked in on the child and was aghast. The long, yellow constrictor had escaped again and was wrapped around Shaianna's head, its jaws clamped on her head.

In her interview with detectives, Jaren Hare called Gypsy "tame." She shrugged her shoulders when a detective asked how she could tell if the snake was hungry. "She might have been hungry," Hare said. "But I don't think she would come right out and do what she did."
The mother and the boyfriend could get 15 years in prison if convicted of manslaughter or third-degree murder. They also are charged with child abuse. Both have pleaded not guilty.

FINALLY!

2011-04-24T10:20:00.007-04:00

A date has finally been set for the Jury trial of Charles Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare - July 11, 2011 at 8:30am. They are both being tried on one count of Manslaughter, one count of Murder in the Third Degree, and one count of Child Neglect. The tragedy of Shaianna Hare's death, which could have easily been avoided, occurred on July 1, 2009. Justice hasn't happened swiftly in this case, but I hope that the jury presiding over the trial will be fair and accurate in their decision.

EDIT ON 7/11/11 - Just wanted to let "Anonymous" know that I responded to your comment...

Hamburg, PA Reptile Show

2011-03-10T22:55:00.002-05:00

Well, at the last minute I was able get some time to go to the Hamburg, PA show on Feb. 16. It was definitely a packed show which was good to see. Not a lot of boas, and it seemed like EVERYONE had balls for sale....Here are some pics to enjoy (click on any of the pics for larger versions):

New Pre-trial Date

2011-03-05T11:29:00.005-05:00

The latest on Charles Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare is that the pre-trial has been re-scheduled for April 19, 2011. Stay tuned for results (hopefully) of this long-delayed trial....

Who's Your Daddy?

2010-11-20T11:11:00.002-05:00

The short answer is that she doesn't have one! This is Caram, my female 2009 Boawoman Caramel produced by Sharon Moore. Research by Dr. Warren Booth (Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University) has now confirmed that Caram's mother had her litter via a process called Parthenogenesis. This is the first confirmed case of Parthenogenesis found in Boa Constrictors. Basically, Parthenogenesis means that there is no need for a male to be involved with the reproductive process, and the babies from her litter(s) inherit the mom's genes (a virgin birth if you will). The mother boa constrictor was not technically a virgin, since she had previously produced a litter sexually. In 2004, she produced a small litter via sexual reproduction with a male. After the male was removed and the female was housed alone, no additional litters were produced from 2005 through 2007. In the next 2 years, the female produced two litters of live offspring (2009 = 12, 2010 = 10), coincident with being housed and possibly copulating with up to four males. These litters were unusual because all of the offspring were female, and all exhibited a rare phenotype known as caramel, a recessive color trait expressed by the mother, but a gene not believed to be carried in the heterozygous state by the males that were with her. The scientists think boa females may therefore have the ability to alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction.

Male snakes’ cells have two Z chromosomes, while female snakes’ cells have a Z and a W chromosome. Yet in the study, all the female babies produced by asexual reproduction had WW chromosomes. Genetic tests confirmed that the babies are not related to any of the males that the female had courted with. Dr. Booth and other scientists extracted and analyzed DNA from skins shed by the mother, the males and the caramel-colored offspring. This DNA fingerprinting, functioning like a paternity test, determined that the offspring exhibited a sex chromosomal arrangement of WW. Caram not only has WW chromosomes, but so do the rest of litter from 2009 and another from 2010. Both litters were all female, and all of the offspring are half clones of their mother.

One other interesting fact about Caram and her littermates is that if Caram and her littermates can reproduce sexually, all offspring they produce will be female. They are genetically incapable of producing male offspring. Only from their female offspring can males be produced again. It will be interesting to watch Caram mature, and especially see what happens once she reaches breeding age. She is one special animal, that's for sure!

Here is a link to Dr. Booth's paper along with links to other write-up's around the web I used for this blog entry: Link1, Link2, and Link3.

The Broken Record...

2010-11-13T11:03:00.015-05:00

I feel like a broken record here, but the trial for Charles Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare has been continued until February 15, 2011. At that point it will be a year and half and countless delays since the tragic death of a 2 year old girl. Justice for this little girl may not be swift in Sumter County, but I hope in the end the trial will be fair and justice hopefully will prevail!

New Hypo Leopard Pictures - In One Word - WOW!

2010-10-25T20:32:00.055-04:00

Since the new Leopard babies from the October 11th litter shed for the first time, I took the photo tent out and snapped some pictures of them. There are some really nice looking babies in the new bunch with the classic Leopard pattern. Leopards are so variable, you just never know what you're going to get until they pop out!

I also figured I might as well take some updated pictures of the Leopard babies from the June litter since I had the photo setup out and ready to go. The hottest looking Leopard out of the group, in my eyes anyways, has to be this little female Hypo Leopard. She has such a different cool looking orange body color, and the white in her saddles really breaks up her pattern nicely. Of course the black head I think is really cool too! It will be interesting to see how much more color she will gain as she gets older since she is only 4 months old now. You can see what she looked like when she was born in my June 27th blog entry, and more pictures of her can be found here. This little hottie, the rest of the litter, as well as the babies from the October 11th litter are now up for sale on my 2010 Available Boas page.

Will The Trial Ever Happen?

2010-10-16T11:06:00.004-04:00

Well, after another two delays/postponements it looks like the trial of Charles Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare is scheduled to finally begin on November 10. According to this article the Sumter courts have a huge backlog of violent crimes. According to the same article, it looks like the couple will be tried together instead of having separate trials. Hopefully, this is the last delay and this case can finally be tried.

The Final Litter Of 2010

2010-10-12T20:50:00.024-04:00

Our female Leopard, Onyx, finally had her litter yesterday. It was a very rainy and stormy day, so I had a feeling she was going to deliver them. Since it was Colombus Day, I had the day off from work and was able to watch her delivering the babies! It's really cool to see new life come into this world, and it's really neat to see them take their first breath! Onyx was bred by our Leopard, Smoke, and she ended up delivering 6 healthy Leopards. Smoke was a little stud this year since he also fathered the June 27th Leopard litter. Onyx had the litter 100 days after her Post Ovulation Shed (POS), and she is in excellent shape after the ordeal of having the litter squirmers. More pictures of the litter can be found here, and I will be putting them up for sale once they have shed.

A New Litter!

2010-06-27T15:01:00.006-04:00

Well, one of the animals that I acquired from Bill Kirby had her litter overnight. She is a DH Leopard (Salmon Hypo het Leopard), Lucille, and she was bred by a male Leopard boa, Smoke. She had a healthy litter of 8, along with 5 slugs and 1 stillborn. The 8 babies are 1 Het Leopard, 2 DH Leopards, 4 Leopards, and 1 very special Hypo Leopard.

The mom was a little defensive when I opened her cage to remove her and the babies. Since she had her litter at some point overnight, she was in full "don't mess with me OR my babies" mode....

Thankfully she was just hissing at me, and decided not to bite. More pictures of the litter can be found here, and once the babies have shed and eaten a few meals, they will be available for sale.

Some New Additions To The Gang

2010-06-22T20:52:00.132-04:00

Over this past weekend, I traveled to Delaware to meet with Bill Kirby, and I picked up some new additions to our collection of boas. I have known Bill for a while now, and he is a terrific guy who also happens to be a boa breeder. Bill has been breeding boas since the late 1990's and put his heart and soul, along with a lot of time and energy, into some incredible breeding projects. He was the first breeder to create a Ghost boa (a boa displaying the Anery and Hypo genes) in 2000. Along with a fellow New Jersey breeder, Frank Martin, Bill also created the Avalanche boa (a Snow boa also displaying the Arabesque gene) in 2007, and the Everest boa (an Orangasm Moonglow (Hypo Snow) also displaying the Arabesque gene - 5 different traits!) in 2009.

Bill has had snakes for approximately 25 of his 50 years, but unfortunately due to legislation that was passed in Delaware this year, Bill could not keep his collection. The new legislation requires that he purchase a $25 permit for each of his animals (which would be good for 3 years), but more importantly he would not be allowed to breed his boas unless he was licensed as a zoo. This new legislation effectively ended Bill's years of hard work and dedication to his hobby. Here is a link to an article that was posted on Delaware Online on January 2, 2010 regarding the legislation and the resulting impact on one reptile enthusiast.

We will be carrying on Bill's vision that he had for his boa breeding projects with the animals that we have acquired. Bill had planned on creating Blood Leopards, Motley Leopards, Hypo Leopards, Bloods mixed with Hog Island boas, and a few others that will happen down the road ;)....Another breeder, Chris Gilbert, also acquired some animals from Bill and he will be continuing on with some of Bill's projects as well.

I wish the very best to Bill, and I can't thank him enough for what he has done for this "industry" and for letting me carry on with some of his projects. Bill definitely was (and still is) one of the good guys, and I know he will be following the future of boa breeding and the morphs that will be created. I feel honored to have some of Bill's animals in our collection now, and I hope I can do his good name justice and come through with the plans that he had!

Pre-trial Case Continued One More Time

2010-06-20T15:51:00.003-04:00

On June 16, the court continued the case for Charles Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare to September 8, 2010.

Court Case Continued Again...

2010-05-20T22:11:00.003-04:00

The pre-trial case for Jaren Ashley Hare and Charles Darnell on the charges of manslaughter, murder in the third degree, and child neglect has been continued to June 16.

Charles Darnell entered a plea of guilty on March 1 for the following (he was arrested on August 7, 2009): sale of cocaine (sentenced to 1 year, 6 months), possession of cocaine (sentenced to 1 year, 6 months), unlawful use of two-way communication device (sentenced to 1 year, 6 months), and use of motor vehicle or shop for drugs (his driver's license is revoked for 2 years). The sentences are to be served concurrently and he received credit for his time that he has served so far in jail.

Pre-trial hearings continued to May

2010-03-13T13:10:00.005-05:00

Jaren Ashley Hare and Charles J. Darnell will return to court on May 12 for a pre-trial hearing. Jaren Ashley Hare, free on $35,000 bail, showed up for the hearing on Wednesday, March 10 in the Sumter County courthouse, but remained silent as officials discussed the status of the case. No estimated trial date on the charges was given. They are both charged with third-degree murder, manslaughter and child abuse. The murder count and the manslaughter count, which accuses the couple of "reckless disregard," each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

According to arrest affidavits and the Sumter County Sheriff's Office, Jaren Hare owned the 8 and 1/2 foot reptile and the couple had been involved with snakes for years. Darnell told investigators that after it was found in the hallway either late June 30 or early July 1, he put the reptile inside a bag and placed it in a glass tank and tied a quilt over the ends.
He later awoke to find the snake missing and wrapped around the child's lifeless body, and he stabbed it.

The affidavit added the 2-by-8-foot aquarium did not have a lock or secure cover and there were no doors to any of the rooms in the home. Darnell allegedly told investigators that the snake had escaped from its aquarium between five and seven times.

The couple also allegedly had turned down offers of a better enclosure or place to hold the albino Burmese python.

Judge William Hallman III said he hopes to have both suspects and all lawyers present for the May 12 hearing, in an effort to push the case forward.

Here are two links to the information provided above: Link1 & Link2.

Tinley Park NARBC Show

2010-02-27T10:28:00.014-05:00

I attended the Tinley Park NARBC show in Tinley Park, Illinois on February 13. It was a small show (but seemed to have a good turnout) and there wasn't much to see in the Boa department. The Boas that were there though were top notch. Here are some of the pics that I took:

The crowd around 12:30pm:

Frank Martin had some sweet boas for sale!

SpecialK had a few nice boas too.

Glade Herps Farms were there as well.

A nice Argentine, but I forget who had her for sale...

The rest aren't boas, but they caught my eye just the same and I just HAD to take their pics...

A 10k Caramel Pin Ball Python.

A Timber Rattler (not for sale, only on display). They have such a cool "don't mess with me" look to them...Not that I would EVER want to mess with one :)!

Loved the color on this gal.

Someday I will have one of these...

It definitely was a great reptile show, and from what I understand, the Tinley NARBC show they have every year in October is much larger! If you have never been to a reptile show, I highly recommend you go to one. There probably is a reptile show near you, and it's a great chance to meet some breeders - national "big names", as well as some local "small" guys. There are also reptile supply booths where you can buy cages, frozen rats, cage furnishings, you name it!
Also, the National Reptile Breeder's Expo in Daytona, Florida is the largest in the country and is scheduled for August 20 - 22 this year. If you see me at one of the shows, be sure to introduce yourself!

Pre-trial Date Set

2010-01-19T11:21:00.004-05:00

The pre-trial date has now been set for March 10, 2010 for both Charles J. Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare.

You Have To Fight For Your Right.....

2010-01-11T23:10:00.009-05:00

Instead of partying like the Beastie Boys song, we have to fight for our right to own boas! In case you are not aware, the United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed S373 AKA the Python Ban. This bill will add 4 species of Python, 4 species of Anaconda, and ALL TYPES of Boa Constrictors to the Lacey Act!

If this passes the Senate, it would make it a Federal offense to buy, sell, or transport a boa or python across state lines. If this passes, you would not be able to purchase animals from someone in another state. This would effectively cease all boa sales, and hurt breeders both small and large. Also, as an owner of a BANNED Boa Constrictor or Python, you would not be able to go to a Vet in another state without committing a Federal offense. If you had to move to another state, yes you guessed it, your pets would not be able to go with you! So what would be the fine if you committed this Federal offense? A maximum fine of $250,000 for individuals, $500,000 for organizations.

The very sloppy USGS report (300 pages, 15MB download) that this bill was based on is flawed and has been rejected by many of USGS's peers (as reported on National Geographic's website), as well as the United States Chamber of Commerce. Can you imagine what this bill, if passed, would do to our already failing economy? Cage builders, rat suppliers, substrate providers, snake breeders, pet shop owners, and especially pet owners are part of an estimated $3 to $4 Billion dollar reptile industry (yes that is with a "B"!!). Thousands more people would now be unemployed - if nobody can buy boas or pythons, who would need to buy equipment or supplies?? Why would people breed boas if you weren't allowed to sell them to people around the country or the world for that matter? Of course, the objections are falling on deaf ears in the Senate.

So, what can you do? You (and everyone you know - family, friends, everyone) need to contact the Legislators for your State ASAP. A face-to-face meeting would be the best thing to do, a phone call would definitely help (try to talk to the Senator directly, not a liaison) and/or a letter would be fine. An email would be OK, but probably will be deleted or not taken as seriously. For letter writing steps and the contact information for your State Senator, visit http://www.kill-s373.com/. Hurry as the deadline to get your letters into USARK is Wednesday, January 20. All letters will be compiled and delivered to each State's Senator by USARK in person to show our solidarity against this terrible piece of legislation. Oh, and if are not yet a member of USARK, join today!

There are an estimated 4 million reptile owners out there. Even if you don't currently own a boa or python, contact your State Senator anyways. It's only a matter of time before they target ALL reptiles!

For more information, I highly recommend reading the excellent publications on this subject that have been submitted by Dave and Tracy Barker.

Pre-trial Hearings Moved To January 13, 2010

2009-11-13T18:49:00.004-05:00

Here is a link to information on Charles J. Darnell's pending trial in Sumter County, Florida. Type in Darnell for the last name, and Charles J for the first name. Go to the same link to bring up the information on Jaren Ashley Hare's pending trial as well.

Couple plead Not Guilty in death of toddler

2009-10-15T18:46:00.003-04:00

They both entered a plea of not guilty and are scheduled for pre-trial hearings on November 12th. Here is a link to the news story.

Couple charged with death of little girl

2009-09-08T21:43:00.002-04:00

Charles J. Darnell and Jaren Ashley Hare (the mother of the little girl, Shaianna) were arrested on August 24th. They were both charged with murder in the third degree, manslaughter, and child abuse. The State Attorney’s office has determined that Shaianna's death did not have to happen, and had the Burmese python been maintained according to Florida law, Shaianna would be alive today. Information released by the State Attorney shows that friends and family members of Shaianna’s mother, Jaren Hare and her boyfriend, Charles Darnell, had repeatedly offered to provide a locked cage for the snake, the couple repeatedly refused offers for help. A statement released by Assistant State Attorney Peter Magrino reads, “It's just a tragic set of circumstances that due to the reckless conduct on behalf of adults, a small child lost her life.” Information released shows previous reporting that Charles Darnell owned the snake was incorrect. The snake belonged to Jaren Hare, Shaianna’s mother, making it clear why she was also charged in the death of Shaianna.

Information released from the Department of Children and Families showed that prior to Shaianna’s death in July, DCF had answered complaints that Hare and Darnell were using and selling drugs in the home, and were abusing the children. The allegations were that the couple was using and selling ecstasy, marijuana, meth amphetamine, and cocaine.

Darnell's baby that Hare was carrying (she had a girl), is in Foster care while Hare is being incarcerated.

Charles Darnell is being held without bail; Jaren Hare is held on $35,000 bond.

I'm glad to see that hopefully there will be some justice done for their neglect, but we'll see what happens when/if it goes to trial.

Here are some links to news stories about this arrest and the DCF investigation:
http://www.ocala.com/article/20090828/ARTICLES/908281003/1402/NEWS?Title=Report-alleges-drug-use-sales-in-python-victim-s-home

http://www.wesh.com/news/20585814/detail.html

http://www.examiner.com/x-7403-Tampa-Crime-Examiner~y2009m8d25-Florida-couple-charged-with-murder-and-child-abuse-after-Burmese-python-strangles-and-kills-toddler

Surprise, Surprise.....

2009-08-10T19:33:00.002-04:00

I guess we all grieve a terrible loss of life in different ways.....
http://www.wesh.com/news/20322933/detail.html.

The Burmese Python tragedy in Florida

2009-07-29T18:52:00.009-04:00

Well, to continue from my previous post, I have a few problems with the "story" of how a 2-year old girl was killed by a Burmese Python.

If you listen to the 9-1-1 call that was placed by Charles J. Darnell (the owner of the Burmese Python), he says that "Our "STUPID" snake got out in the middle of the night and strangled the baby" (I would beg to differ as to which one is smarter, Mr. Darnell or the snake...but I digress). He continues to say that "We have a Burmese python, she's about 12 feet long, got out of the cage last night and strangled the baby to death". [The snake was later measured and determined to only be 8 1/2 feet]. Continuing, he says "I'm going to kill the bitch". It truly is a gut wrenching call on many levels.

So, here are my problems with the 9-1-1 call. Why did he instantly think the child is dead? If it was my child, I would be performing CPR until the paramedics arrived and if I didn't know CPR I would attempt SOMETHING or ask what to do! According to this report the 9-1-1 call came in a little before 10:00am on Wednesday, July 1st, after Mr. Darnell discovered the little girl dead. I don't think I can remember EVER sleeping in until 10:00am when my daughter was 2 years old. Also, according to this report there were two older children in the house as well. WOW, the mother, Mr. Darnell, and 3 kids all asleep until 10:00 in the morning in the middle of the week?!? A 2-year old and 2 other kids NOT waking up before 10:00am wanting to be fed, have a diaper changed, wanting to play, etc.?? That sure is a quiet house!

According to this report, the 8 1/2 foot Burmese Python weighed 15 to 20 pounds, yet Mr. Darnell was not able to remove the snake from around the girl and had to go and get a 6-inch knife AND a meat cleaver!?!? As you can tell from the pictures in my previous blog post, Mr. Darnell is a large man, and the python was quite small. I would think it would be relatively easy for Mr. Darnell to uncoil the snake from the little girl, especially if he had started at the tail and went "backwards". I just don't think that the Burmese python was so strong that Mr. Darnell couldn't remove it without going to the extreme measure of "stabbing" the snake. Now, I don't know about you, but I am not about to stab a knife or a MEAT CLEAVER anywhere near my daughter that's for sure, let alone stab at a snake that is so small that I might miss and hit the girl instead! You can tell from the picture of the python in my previous post that it only has two, maybe three cuts. So, are we supposed to believe that Mr. Darnell stabbed the python once or twice with the knife (or meat cleaver), the snake wouldn't let go, so he had to drop that tool and use another?? Then he had to stab it with a meat cleaver (or knife) all the while NOT STABBING or hitting the little girl??? You can see in the picture below that the cuts appear on the python near its head, where the snake is maybe 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Those are some pretty darn good stabs to be able to hit a snake but yet not injure (or be concerned you will injure) the little girl at the same time....

Then there is the problem of a warrant needing to be issued. According to this report, the authorities had to wait for a warrant to be issued before entering the home! If it was me, and my daughter was just killed by my pet, I would say come on in and remove the snake at once! At the very least, put the snake in a bag and hand it over to the authorities. Instead, they had to wait until 4:45pm to go in and remove the python. Maybe Mr. Darnell didn't want the authorities to discover a small amount of marijuana that they found. Since Mr. Darnell was arrested in May on numerous drug charges I guess police officers aren't his best friends either, even in a time of tragedy.

The same report says that the Department of Children and Families had investigated several complaints that involved the family over the past year. I'm not saying foul play was involved in this tragedy, I just hope that this case of a death of an innocent young life is fully investigated. I would hate to think that people would just jump to conclusions just because there is a snake in the house and things might "appear" to be an accident. It makes such a good story that a "huge terrifying snake" killed a little girl...I just find all the things that I have listed above about this story as a little "fishy"....

I hate the fact that Mr. Darnell's carelessness and stupidity is casting a bad light on the rest of the responsible boid owners that take the time and money to properly care for their animals. So far, Mr. Darnell faces a maximum fine of $500 and/or 60 days in jail for not having a permit for his Burmese python. Additionally, Mr. Darnell and/or the mother could face criminal charges for child neglect or endangerment. I really hope they throw the book at Mr. Darnell for his stupidity, and the mom should be charged for allowing this animal to be unsecured around her child (of course, she might have not known any better...). The preliminary results of the autopsy report, pending toxicology tests, have come back saying that the little girl died of asphyxia.

This tragedy is so sad on many different levels, and may that little girl rest in peace.

Charles J. Darnell

2009-07-29T06:20:00.018-04:00

So, who is Charles J. Darnell you ask? Well, he is the "brainiac" who basically is responsible for the legislation that is about to go before the House of Representatives. He is the gentleman pictured below (courtesy of Associated Press):
His obviously SEVERELY underfed Burmese Python escaped from its "glass case", which didn't have a lock on it as required by Florida law, and killed his girlfriends' 2-year old daughter. He also didn't have a permit for the python which also is required by Florida law. The permit is only $100, and could have possibly saved the little girl's life. The permit could have saved her life because this moron would have had to answer a questionnaire along with filling out the permit. Some of the questions on the questionnaire ask if you know the common and scientific names for the animal, how large will the animal get when is is an adult, how much does the animal eat as an adult, and most importantly what food is available to feed the animal while in captivity. I think this last question is extremely important - a well fed Burmese python will not be on the "hunt" looking for food. A snake will constantly try to get out of a cage especially if it is in need of food, it is breeding season, or it just wants to get out of its environment. They are escape artists, which is why a well secured and/or locked cage is a must, especially around small children. Maybe if Mr. Darnell didn't know the answers to the questions on the questionnaire, he might have researched to find out the answers!
A small child could easily let "snakey" out of his cage thinking it is a play toy if there isn't a lock of some sort on the cage. There always needs to be adult supervision when a child is handling a large boid, no matter how "friendly" the boid is or has been in the past. With a cage that doesn't lock, you never can be sure that a child will not get "snakey" out when you are not around. I know this should be common sense, especially to those that read my blog, but it is apparent that Mr. Darnell lacked common sense.

Here is a picture of the Burmese Python belonging to Mr. Darnell that was removed from the house (only after a search warrant was issued!!!). Compare the picture above of Mr. Darnell's Burmese to this picture of a couple Burmese Pythons that are approximately the same length (courtesy of Wikipedia):
There is just a little bit of difference in body fat between the 2 pictures wouldn't you say?!? A Burmese generally needs a higher feeding frequency or larger prey than a "typical" boid because it grows at such a quick rate. A Burmese has a larger body which requires larger prey as well (here is some excellent information on Burmese Pythons from New England Reptile (NERD) which outlines their proper care). Unlike a boa constrictor, a Burmese Python will easily reach 10 feet within 3 years of age and weigh 40+ pounds! A female Burmese python will eventually attain a length of around 20+ feet, and weigh upwards of 200+ pounds. On the other hand, a female Boa Constrictor Imperator will usually not get much longer than 8 feet, and if properly fed an 8-foot boa would weigh around 35-40 pounds. According to this report, Mr. Darnell's 8 1/2 foot Burmese Python only weighed 15 to 20 pounds!! By comparison, Samy, my 8-foot female Boa Constrictor, weighs in at 38 pounds. You can tell from the pictures of Samy that she looks much different that the frail and neglected snake that was removed from Mr. Darnell's home. I have Samy housed in a 7-foot cage (not an aquarium) which is always locked. While I don't have small kids in the house, I do have a miniature dachshund. When I take Samy out to stretch and exercise, I ensure that there is no way that the dog could come in contact with Samy. I also make sure that Samy's cage is locked because I have no desire to be on the evening news because my "missing" boa is found down the street....
I feel sorry for Mr. Darnell. He made quite a few mistakes in my opinion, because apparently he didn't know how to properly care for a Burmese Python. By the looks of it, he didn't keep the snake well fed, definitely didn't have the proper permits for the boid, and most certainly didn't have it housed properly ESPECIALLY when there is a small child in the house. If you can't afford the proper cage for a snake (or any reptile for that matter), then you shouldn't have it. A cage that locked would have meant that this would have never happened. It's unfortunate that this man, and more importantly the little girls mother, has to live with this tragedy for the rest of their lives. It could have been easily avoided, but as they say hindsight is 20-20.

Because of the INACTION'S of Mr. Darnell (and the mother trusting this idiot to have a large, unsecured boid around her small child), this tragedy is causing people and politicians to look at ALL reptile owners as a bunch of idiots that don't know how to properly house and take care of their animals.

In my next blog post, I will have some thoughts on the "story" itself...

Proposed Bill to be amended

2009-07-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

Here's the latest from USARK - thanks to everyone who called and/or faxed to voice their opinion!

UPDATE: HR2811 Amendment
House Judiciary Committee Staff and bill Sponsors agrees with USARK position to limit the scope of HR2811 with a proposal for an amendment. All but two pythons will be completely exempted from the bill. The exception will be the IMPORT of the Burmese Python and the African Rock Python. Further, Committee staff has committed to work with USARK over the August legislative break to craft language to allow the commercial trade in captive bred Burmese Pythons and African Rock Pythons to continue. This is a huge victory for USARK and the Reptile Nation!
For the last two days, while the Reptile nation was making their calls, USARK was involved in intense discussions with the Sponsors of HR2811 and House Judiciary Committee Staff, not to destroy the Reptile Industry with their bill. Yesterday morning we suggested to Congressman Kendrick Meek and Congressman Tom Rooney that the bill be amended to address ONLY the IMPORT of the Burmese Python and exempt all the other pythons from this legislation. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) caught wind of what we were doing and began to apply pressure to leave the bill "as is", banning all pythons.
Today we coordinated a conference call to discuss the possibility of amending HR2811 instead of banning all pythons. Present were Rep Meek's staff, Rep Rooney's staff, both minority & majority Committee staff, bill proponent HSUS and USARK. HSUS made a very emotionally charged argument to ban all pythons. Their argument was strong on rhetoric and weak on facts and science. HSUS suggested that any bill going forward must include the Burmese Python, African Rock Python and Reticulated Python. They stated that the Reticulated Python was an Invasive Species that could surpass the Burmese Python. Andrew Wyatt of USARK challenged that statement indicating that HSUS could not produce credible scientific evidence to support their position, and that in more than 30 years of captivity in the US Reticulated Pythons have never been shown to be invasive; or even likely to be invasive. Wyatt also voiced concerns that this bill goes far beyond just stopping the import of these animals, but would also stop interstate transport. HSUS challenged that assertion, but Todd Willens of Vitello Consulting (USARK DC Consultant) confirmed Wyatt's concerns reading directly from the Lacy Act. Wyatt indicated that there was probably more than 100,000 Burmese Pythons already in captivity and HR2811 made no provision for what would happen to all these very valuable animals that would become worthless overnight. Frank Vitello of Vitello Consulting pointed out that there was already a science based process of evaluation to determine what animals should be placed on the Injurious Wildlife list of the Lacy Act. He pointed out that what HSUS was suggesting was to avoid a scientific evaluation in favor of legislating science.
Following the meeting USARK was contacted and told of an agreement by committee staff to create an amendment that would limit the bill to the IMPORT of the Burmese and African Rock Pythons. Committee staff committed to work through the August break to work on how to create an exemption for the captive trade in the Burmese and African Rock Pythons. During the July 29th markup of the Full Committee we are told that Congressman Rooney will introduce the following amendment to HR2811:
AMENDMENT TO H.R. 2811OFFERED BY MR. ROONEY OF FLORIDABeginning in line 6, strike ‘‘; of the constrictor snake of the species Python genera’’ and insert ‘‘; of the Burmese Python of the species Python molurusbivittatus; of the African Rock Python of the species Python sebae’’.
If we are successful in saving the Python industry there will still be a few "armchair quarterbacks" that will criticize our efforts. There is no guarantee that the amendment will be passed, but USARK has done everything possible, and will continue to pursue every avenue to protect the Reptile Industry. This bill is politically driven and is going to move forward with or without amendment. We are encouraged that the amendment was crafted by both majority and minority staff, thus it should send a positive signal to both Democrat and Republican Committee Members. We are hopeful the amendment passes. In either case we will continue to work with the bill sponsors and committee staff to further amend the bill before it reaches the House floor for a vote. We are appreciative that Congressmen Meek and Rooney, and the majority and minority committee staff favored our recommended changes and have committed to continue working with USARK as the bill moves through the legislative process.
USARK is also pleased to report that it has secured a meeting with the office of Senator Bill Nelson during August recess to discuss modifications to the Senate counterpart to HR2811, S373.

Update on HR2811

2009-07-27T23:15:00.002-04:00

This was emailed from USARK tonight - please call tomorrow (Tuesday) if you haven't called yet. It looks like they might amend the bill to be ONLY for Burmese pythons instead of ALL pythons.

Not Enough Calls- Keep Calling Tomorrow!
We need many more calls for the CALL CAMPAIGN OPPOSING HR2811 organized by USARK. We saw many email lists forwarding our phone and fax campaign all around the Reptile Nation. Kingsnake.com, ReptileRadio and many others helped spread the word, but today's turn out was less than stellar. Our work is not done. Please continue to call all day tomorrow. A link to the remainder of the list of House Judiciary Committee Members is below. Call everyone. If you have not contacted the key members indicated by USARK please do that first. Most members are not very aware of HR2811.
We have been in communication with the offices of Congressman Kendrick Meek and Congressman Tom Rooney since early this morning. They want to amend HR2811. Originally they agreed to the USARK proposal on an amendment. It has since become unclear the direction this proposed amendment might take. Tomorrow there will be a subcommittee mark up. There will be no amendment allowed tomorrow, but we will find out what the proposal for amendment will be. If it is out of line with what we have proposed we will fight it. It is possible that an amendment will be introduced on Wednesday during the full House Judiciary Committee mark up.
Make your phone calls... send your faxes. If you want to be successful we will have to do much better than today. We are potentially facing the end of the python trade. What are you personally prepared to do to stop that from happening? The people that do nothing will have themselves to blame if this bill goes south. Don't sit around and procrastinate and later wish you had done your part. Tomorrow is your last chance to have an impact on an amendment. Make your phone calls... send your faxes!!!

Wackos in Washington

2009-07-25T20:03:00.005-04:00

Well, because of the stupidity of one irresponsible owner of a Burmese python, some of our fearless Congressmen and Congresswomen are trying to get a bill passed that will ban ALL pythons! Here is the email that was sent out from USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) today:

DANGER: Python Ban Goes to Committee
HR2811 (House version of S373) Sponsored by Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), will go to Mark-up (amendment) in a subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday the 28th, and then to the full committee on Wednesday the 29th. This bill has been called the Python BAN. If passed as written, it will BAN the IMPORT, EXPORT and INTERSTATE TRANSPORT of the entire genus python. Once it passes Mark-up it will go to a vote on the floor of the full House of Representatives. Anyone who doesn't believe that this is an immediate threat to the entire Reptile Community has their head in the sand. If the Reptile Nation does not wake up and take massive and decisive action right now we could lose ALL pythons.
USARK has worked hard and spent a lot of money to make sure the Reptile Nation has the best information available regarding the fate of our community. We make our positions clear and operate with complete transparency. We have no conflicts of interest. Our only allegiance is to the Reptile Nation. We are asking you to TAKE ACTION NOW to save this industry. No one else can do this for us. We hold our fate in our own hands. That is why we created USARK, to take control of our own destiny.
We have the best lobbyists, contacts and strategy to address the situation. This is not the time to panic or get angry. It is time for calm deliberate action. We need to engage in a massive phone and fax campaign on Monday the 27th. Get everyone you know to call. Spread the word to every forum and social networking site you frequent.
Sponsor and Key Members:
Congressman Kendrick Meek (D-FL), SponsorWashington DC: phone 202-225-4506; fax 202-226-0777Miami: phone 305-690-5905; fax 305-690-5951
Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5792; fax 202-225-3132Punta Gorda: phone 941-575-9101; fax 941-575-9103
Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3001; fax 202-225-5974Boca Raton: phone 561-988-6302; fax 561-988-6423
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)Washington DC: phone 202-225-7931; fax 202-226-2052Pembroke Pines: phone 954-437-3936; fax 954-437-4776
Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) Committee ChairWashington DC: phone 202-225-5126; fax 202-225-0072Detroit: phone 313-961-5670; fax 313-226-2085EMAIL: john.conyers@mail.house.gov
Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) Ranking MemberWashington DC: phone 202-225-4236; fax 202-225-8628San Antonio: phone 210-821-5024; fax 210-821-5947
Congressman Howard L. Berman (D-CA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-4695; fax 202-225-3196Van Nuys: phone 818-994-7200; fax 818-994-1050
Congressman Rick Boucher (D-VA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3861; fax 202-225-0442
Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC)Washington DC: phone 202-225-3065; fax 202-225-8611Greensboro: phone 336-333-5005; fax: 336-333-5048
Congressman Randy Forbes (R-VA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-6365; fax 202-226-1170Chesapeake: 757-382-0080; fax 757-382-0780
Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ)Washington DC: phone 202-225-4576; fax: 202-225-6328 Glendale: phone 623-776-7911; fax: 623-776-7832
Congressman Elton Gallegly (R-CA)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5811; fax 202-225-1100Thousand Oaks: phone 805-497-2224; Toll Free: (800) 423-0023; fax 805-497-0039
Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)Washington DC: phone 202-225-5635New York: phone 212-367-7350

CALL, CALL, CALL!!! Our Future Depends On It! Make an avalanche of calls and bury HR2811!

SCRIPT: My name is...... I want to register a NO on HR2811. If passed as written this bill will destroy thousands of Florida voters, their families and small businesses. There is not a shred of scientific evidence to support banning all of the different species in the genus python. Please amend the bill to address only the IMPORT of the Burmese Python. Thank you for your consideration.

So, please help by calling all of the above numbers first thing on Monday. If you have access to a FAX machine, fax them as well! Also, if you haven't already become a member of USARK, do so today! They really lookout for bills such as this that try to sneak through, and they have the back of "herpers" both big and small! I became a Silver member in April, and I definitely think it was money well spent.

It's sad that people can't think for themselves and actually have the COMMON SENSE to know how to properly care for an animal. Florida has procedures and requirements in place for people that choose to have large boids for pets. Unfortunately, this moron didn't want to follow the rules and now he has to live with himself for what his animal did (I will leave it at that for now.....).

We apparantly need to have Congress and the Senate think for us, and put the rest of the issues the nation is facing on the back burner....The economy, unemployment, health care, our troops being deployed for FAR too long, are apparantly just not THAT important. I sure am happy to see my HARD EARNED tax dollars being well spent on issues that need to be addressed immediately....One idiot IS NOT representative of the thousands and thousands of boid owners that properly take care of and house reptiles safely and securely daily and for years without one issue!

I have done enough rambling - please be sure to do your part and call the phone numbers listed above on Monday and voice your opinion, I know I will be.

My quick idea for a Law & Order Episode

2009-07-03T09:21:00.004-04:00

Although inspired in part by a true incident, the following story is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

In New York City's war on crime, the worst criminal offenders are pursued by the detectives of the Major Case Squad. These are their stories. (Queue music - DUM DUM).
A man accidentally kills his girlfriends very young daughter. To cover up the death, he takes a dead rat and rubs it on the dead girl to put the smell of the rat on the girl. He then releases his pet python and waits for it to attack the dead girl. Once it has attacked and squeezed her enough, he then takes his knife and stabs the snake to make it look like he HAD to stab it to get it to release its "death grip" on the girl. He then makes a tearful call to 9-1-1 to say that he discovered his snake wrapped around the girl. The cops and the coroner automatically think that since there are bite marks on the girl and she was squeezed that the man's story must be true. He cleverly covers up the death and gets away with murder.

Queue music - DUM DUM....
The above story, although inspired in part by a true incident, is fictional and does not depict any actual person or event.

New Pictures of the Gang

2009-04-27T20:39:00.004-04:00

It finally warmed up here in New Jersey this weekend - upper 80's! Time to break out the shorts and show off those blinding white legs...I took full advantage of the great weather and took some outdoor pics of some of the gang. The picture above is of Whitesnake the sire, a.k.a. "The Stud", of the April 23rd litter. He was the first Sharp Snow and is now 2 years old. I took pictures in the shade as well as in the direct sun to help compare. I really like how the Sharp version of a snow seems to keep its pattern as it develops. The lavender that was once in his tail is now a bright bone white and really looks good (of course I am a little biased...).

Speaking of lavender, I took new pictures of my other Sharp Snow, Snow White, in the sun with Whitesnake to compare how her tail looks against his. She still has some lavender in her tail, and she is almost two years old now. Her mother, Cartagena, is the one who just had a litter so it will be interesting to see how these latest snows develop. There are a few standout snows in this latest litter that have a ton of lavender in their tails even before the shed...I can't wait for them to shed, that's for sure!

During my outside photo shoot I also took some new pictures of Camo, Pinky, and some of my holdbacks from last years' Colombia litter. I haven't come up with names for the new additions yet, but I will soon. The new holdback pics were of ANE1 (an anery), ANE3 (anery), ALB6 (albino), and ALB8 (albino). I'm sure I will be commenting on each of them in future blogs :)!

I hope you all enjoy the latest updated pics of the gang. I always enjoy seeing pictures of people's boa collection, especially as a boa ages. I think it is a good thing to see how an animal develops as it matures, and it is important to let existing and potential customers know what they might be seeing as time goes by with their animal that they purchase. Some breeders do an excellent job of taking pictures as an animal gets older, others seem to never take new pictures of an animal after it is born....OK, I'm getting down off my little soap box now......

More Sharp Snows Born Today & HR669 Defeated!

2009-04-23T21:11:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a day! HR669 was defeated today at the Insular Affairs Subcommittee hearing - WOOHOO! A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to write those letters, and call/email those Representatives!! A big thanks also to USARK for getting the word out and keeping people motivated. Tom Wolfe also did an excellent job getting those letters to the right people in D.C. and helping get this defeated. It's only a matter of time though, before this will be presented again in some form or another...Hopefully we will continue to be able to keep reptiles as pets!

As for my great news - Cartagena had her litter this morning at about 6:30am. Whitesnake did a great job - the little stud! There was 1 Double Het Sharp Snow, 1 Anery Het Sharp Albino, 4 Sharp Albinos Het Anery, and 8 Sharp Snows! There was also 7 sweet potatoes and 1 not-fully-formed baby. Holy cow what terrific odds! She was nice and calm when I took her out of the cage this morning. I was able to get her out about 15 minutes after she was done with her contractions/delivery. She went to one end of the cage away from the babies, so it made it a little easier. She looks great and took a rat with no problems which is always good. She went 111 days POS and had been cruisin' around her cage for the past couple days so I knew she was close. With her going full term, none of the babies have yolk sacs and they all seem to be in great shape. I had put a tub in the cage, but of course she decided not to use it (which is why there is a dry spot on the corrugated cardboard in the picture of her). Below is a "pile of snow" and additional pictures of the litter can be seen here.

HR669

2009-04-12T20:50:00.007-04:00

So, what is HR669? It is a bill currently before the House of Representatives entitled the "Nonnative Wildlife Invasion Prevention Act". The bill states "The purpose of this Act is to establish a risk assessment process to prevent the introduction into, and establishment in, the United States of nonnative wildlife species that will cause or are likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to other animal species’ health or human health."

In a nutshell, this bill as currently written would make it illegal for anybody in the U.S. to HAVE, BREED, SELL, PURCHASE, import or export animals not on the "approved" list (which currently only has cats, dogs, cattle, donkeys, ducks, goats, goldfish, horses, llamas, mules, pigs, rabbits, and sheep). Since the "approved" list doesn't include ANY reptiles, exotic fish, birds, hamsters, gerbils, pocket pets, you name it - so much for having those types of pets. The bill would also make it illegal to transport any of the unapproved animals between any State.

If you haven't already, you need to join the letter writing campaign to the Representatives behind this bill to let them know that you oppose this! This letter writing campaign was started by USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers), and more information (sample letter if you don't want to write your own letter, list of Representative addresses, etc) can be found on their website at http://usark.org/hr669intro.php. I already have sent my letters, as well as my wife and a few of my friends - please do your part ASAP! The deadline to get the letters to Tom Wolfe is April 21st. It only takes 20 minutes of your time, and it is definitely needed. Spread the word and get all of your family members and friends to sign letters as well. After you have sent the letters, try calling and emailing the Representatives, especially if any of the bill sponsors are from your state. Spam filters are filtering a lot of emails to the Representatives, and they can easily delete the message without really reading it. For this reason it is important to make sure to send a "real letter" to make sure the Representatives really get the message.

Ralph Davis (a MAJOR breeder of Ball Pythons) has uploaded some videos of the process of sending in the letters - the first one can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVAOuJz9aY&feature=related.

Thank you for helping keep our rights to keep our reptiles and all exotic animals!

Samy shed

2009-03-24T20:37:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple pics that I took the other day of Samy, my 8 foot, 36 lb. female (the 2 liter Coke bottle is for size reference - it's not a play toy for her...).

When I first looked in on her I thought she somehow escaped from her locked cage! I have never seen her soak in her water bowl, and she blended in pretty well with the bowl which made me do a double-take to find her. It is a 20"x18"x6" tall water bowl that I wish was still available. I use them for my large 7 foot Cages By Design cages to help maintain proper humidity, and they work great. Usually when I see that Samy is opaque, I will spray her a couple times a day until she sheds to ensure that she has a good shed. After she sheds, I unroll the shed (which is always in one nice long piece) and check to make sure that her eye caps came off as well as the tip of her tail. I do this with all of my boas every time they shed, even the babies, to make sure that there isn't any retained shed that needs my attention. If an eye cap doesn't shed, it can lead to permanant eye damage if is not taken care of. If the tip of the tail doesn't shed, it can get to the point where it will cutoff the circulation in the tail and lead to the tip of the tail coming off. If you own a boa, be sure to check the sheds for these two spots in particular to avoid issues down the road.

Samy has been on a diet and exercise program for the past 15 months. When I got her, she was slightly overweight - she had fat rings on her tail past her cloaca. I have been taking her out of her cage and letting her exercise on my stairway to help her work off her extra weight. She will climb up the stairs and then head back down and go back and forth for a good 45 minutes. There's nothing like a good stair workout! The stairway has a door at the bottom and one at the top, so I don't have to worry about keeping an eye on her to make sure she doesn't escape....She has lost a little under a pound in 15 months, and her fat rings are almost completely gone. I also VERY slowly cutback the frequency of her feedings to where she is now getting 1 jumbo rat (300+ grams/9") every 3 weeks. This should be just the right size/frequency of meal for her for the rest of her life. Of course, I will increase the frequency if I think she gets too thin, but this feeding schedule should be fine for her. I also think she really enjoys being out and exercising. Not only does it keep her attitude good by being handled, but I believe it helps her to stay happy with her little "exploring". She is now 10 years old, and hopefully she will be around for at least another 15 to 20 years!

Here she is post shed:

Cartagena is still doing everything right...

2009-03-23T19:42:00.007-04:00

Cartagena is coming along nicely during her pregnancy, still nice and plump :). She is looking great, thermoregulating herself, and staying in a nice coiled position for the most part. She moves from the cool end to the warm end, and even goes up on the shelves in her cage every now and then. She is due around April 17th, so my anxiety of course is ramping up, lol. She has a great attitude, even with her being pregnant. I give her fresh water daily, and she never seems to mind me coming in to her cage to change her water bowl. This is a pic I took on March 13th through her cage door - sorry for the glare, I didn't want to disturb her too much.

International Shipping!

2009-03-22T19:27:00.000-04:00

I am finally approved with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to export boas - woohoo! I will be posting information soon on the Terms/Payment page about costs, etc. for all of the folks overseas that have been contacting me to export some of my babies to them.

The actual process to become approved wasn't too bad, but according to the person handling my application the standards are really high and a lot of applicants do not pass, so I consider myself fortunate to be approved. The USF&W now have a Master File program for exporting reptiles which should greatly speed up the process of exporting them.

More babies on the way?

2009-01-14T23:15:00.008-05:00

Well, first off I'm finally done wearing my air cast, thank you to everyone who wished me well in my recovery. 5 weeks of hobbling around with a stress fracture (confirmed by an MRI), was 5 weeks of torture! I have a few more weeks before I am cleared to start training again. I've been riding a stationary bike in the meantime to keep my cardio level up, but it just isn't the same. At least with the weather being crummy it isn't as depressing to not be out there training as it would be in the middle of Spring or Summer. It's an addiction - I never thought I would actually "miss" running! It's going to be tough to hold myself back from running too much once I get the clearance. I have to keep in mind to start out slow and work myself back up all over again.

On to the potential baby news: Cartagena (my DH Sharp Snow) had her post-ovulation shed on January 2nd which means she has an April 17th due date (give or take a few days). She was bred by my Sharp Snow male, "Whitesnake" (he was from a 2007 litter from Colombia). Whitesnake was a little stud breeding her non-stop for 3 months (except for breaks every 3 weeks to be fed) starting in late September. He went right at it even though he was only 18 months old when I put him in with Cartagena. He was leaving "presents" in his cage starting at 16 months, so I had a good feeling he was more than ready and willing! I made sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't become stressed, but he acted like he knew what he was doing right from the start.

Here are a few "action" shots - the first pic doesn't look too comfortable for him to me, but he didn't seem like it was bothering him. I guess he had other things on his mind...

Here she is ovulating:

Finally, here she is with her post-ovulation shed:

With any luck and if everything goes well there will be some more Sharp Snows here in a few months! Let the sleepless nights and the pacing begin....

GAME OVER - well at least for a little while...

2008-11-24T19:49:00.004-05:00

So much for my third marathon for the year...As the picture to the left shows, my right leg is currently in an air cast. I started the Philadelphia Marathon yesterday with a little soreness on my shin that I have been ignoring over the past 3-4 weeks. I just figured the pain was a shin splint, and the pain would go away after I warmed up with a few miles in the marathon. I had been doing some long runs leading up to the marathon (20+ mile runs), and just figured that contributed to the shin splint/soreness.

So, about three miles into the marathon I'm keeping pace with no issues and am heading down a hill with 18,000+ other maniacs running in 30 degree weather. My pain starts in my leg after the downhill, but this time instead of going away, it gets worse to the point that I had to stop because I couldn't put any weight on the leg at all. After hobbling to an ambulance along the course, the "sweep wagon" comes and retrieves my sorry butt to take me back to the start/finish line. I gather my stuff in disgust and disappointment and head back for home. A trip to the ER shows no fracture on the x-rays, but the doctors say an MRI will probably show a stress fracture, which I will have done in the next day or two. So, crutches and a nice big cast in the meantime, and no training for the next 4-6 weeks while it heals. Did I learn anything with my latest marathon? Yes - don't train too much too soon (a common problem which causes stress fractures - I don't think I did that in my training though), make sure to replace shoes frequently (I went WAY too long with my last pair during my training for this marathon), and above all don't ignore/explain away pain while training! 6 months worth of training for 1 day down the crapper because I explained away a little pain during training....

Oh well, there's always next year! I think fitness is very important, especially as I get older. I have my sights on a marathon or two next year (and maybe the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike race), and I'm not giving up until I qualify for the Boston Marathon - everybody needs goals right?!?!

Some new pics of Camo

2008-11-14T22:22:00.005-05:00

Here are some new pictures I took of Camo (short for Camouflage) this past weekend. He's almost 2 years old now and he is a possible DH Sharp Snow. He's turned into such a mellow-yellow dude, I'm glad I held onto him!

A picture of his "soul patch":

The faded saddles:

A macro shot:

More pictures of him can be found in his photo gallery.

5 Months?!?!

2008-08-08T18:20:00.011-04:00

Time really DOES fly when you are having fun! It's been almost 5 months since the litter on March 11th, and I FINALLY found the time to take pictures of all 27 babies. Between enjoying the summer, training for another marathon, and taking care of the "new kids", I just couldn't find the time.

I think that I have finally figured out how to get good shots with the photo tent that I bought a while back. I used a black background for the albinos, and a white background for the possible double hets and anerys. The black background really helped the albinos stand out a little better. I also used a 20 dollar bill in some pictures to help potential customers determine their size and color. 900 pictures later (all in the same day and with the same lighting setup), I was finally done, lol. You can view the pictures of the babies here, and there are more pics for each in their photo gallery.

There's definitely a wide variety in this litter in color and patterns. Even the possible double hets have very different looks. It was tough deciding which ones to keep as my holdbacks. There are two great looking anerys that I just can't make up my mind on which one of them to keep, so I decided to keep them both for the time being....I'll figure it out when they get a little older :)!.

Decisions, decisions.....

I'm leaning towards the second one...
I hope you all are having a great summer - I know I am!

Snow White?

2008-05-27T21:12:00.001-04:00

OK, maybe I'm just anal, but I had the same issues with "Snow White" as "Whitesnake" - I just couldn't get good accurate pictures of her indoors. I feel it's important to accurately represent your animals, especially as people and potential customers are always wanting to see what they look like "now". I have a photo tent and indoor photography lights, which I have used once, but I really need to figure out the camera settings to capture quality and color-accurate pictures.

She is now 11 months old, and her tail has now turned a purple/lavender color. Her body is still a very off-white/faint yellow color - much different than Whitesnake. Whitesnake had turned yellow within 2 months of being born, and he lost his purple/lavender tail color by the time he was 8 months old. Maybe she is just a late bloomer, or maybe like Sharp albino's there are different "shades"...only time (and more Sharp Snow's) will tell....

I put both of them together for a series of shots to compare the colors between the two. You can see more pictures of her, as well as her and Whitesnake together here.

Well, it's about freakin' time!

2008-05-26T23:25:00.000-04:00

Where does the time go?? It's been 9 months since the last time I posted pictures of the first Sharp Snow affectionately named "Whitesnake". Don't get me wrong, I've taken a ton of pictures in the past few months, just none that I thought were worthy enough to publish on the website. It is extremely tough to accurately capture his "colors" indoors, as I certainly have tried over the past 9 months!

I finally had 2 things in my favor - a weekend that was warm and sunny, and the time to actually take some pictures. I figured the best way to get some quality pictures was to take him outside. The picture above was taken in the shade. He is now almost 15 months old and doing great. He has a great attitude, and I have never had a problem with him. He's very tame, but loves to explore - especially while he was outside. I certainly didn't let him out of my sight for a second, especially since there are red-tailed hawks that frequent the area...I can't imagine the horror of seeing one of my prized possessions flying away as a hawk's snack...

He lost the lavender color in his tail when he was around 8 months old as it eventually turned white. The rest of him has turned a buttery yellow with white for the saddle color. I took some pictures in the sunlight which really shows the bone-white color of his tail. You can view additional pictures that I took here, and you can compare how he looked before as well. I also took some pictures of his counterpart, "Snow White", which I will post tomorrow.

One more down, one more to go...

2008-05-06T21:18:00.006-04:00

This past weekend I hobbled my way across the finish line of my second marathon for the year. I ran the New Jersey Marathon in Long Branch, New Jersey. It was a great, relatively flat, 2-loop course which I thought I could run in 3 hours 45 minutes (which would improve my personal record). My first 10 miles I was on target for my 3:45 marathon, but then I started to break down. I made 2 "rookie" mistakes that killed me and my time - I should have known better than to make these mistakes....

The first mistake was that my first 4 miles were faster than the 8 minute 34 second pace I should have been doing. I was clocking in 8 minute miles for the first 4 miles before I finally settled into the right pace. This definitely killed me as the race went on as I put too much energy into those first few miles.

The second HUGE mistake that I made was not hydrating properly. They had plenty of drinking stations out on the course (a big thanks to the excellent volunteers!), but I think that I was too intent on keeping my pace where I wanted it to be to think about drinking enough water and Gatorade. I was running through each station only taking a swallow or two of water - DOH!

By mile 10 my pace started to slow, which I think is because of my fast start. By mile 20, I was in a world of hurt. I developed extremely bad cramps in both legs because I was dehydrated so badly. From that point on I had to walk a few yards, then I would shuffle my feet for a few yards (not even close to "running"), then go back to walking. Both legs felt like 2 bricks, and every step shot pain up through my legs - it was the most intense pain I've ever felt....good times, good times :)! I just wanted to hurry up and finish, but my legs didn't want to cooperate. I finally came across the line in 4 hours 33 minutes. Did I learn a lesson or two? You bet I did! Now I can't wait for my 3rd and final marathon for this year...Let the training begin - all over again!!

A huge thanks to my lovely wife and wonderful daughter for hangin' in there and being patient while this old man tried to finish. They definitely helped bring me across the finish line with their cheering and motivation.

Oh, I almost forgot - the pic above is of one of the albino's from Colombia's March 11th litter. Now that I have some time on my hands, I will try to take some pictures of the rest of the babies. They are all doing great, and wait until you see them! Some of them have incredible colors - they're going to look awesome as they mature!

I'll end my rambling for the night - enjoy the funny pic below which pretty much sums up my pain out there this weekend pounding the pavement :)!

Free At Last Part II

2008-04-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

Here is the other free boa that I was lucky enough to receive with the Boaphile cages last year. Her name is Sunset, and I'm definitely diggin' her color! She is three years old, 6 1/2 feet long and 11 pounds. She was purchased by her former owner from a pet store in Frederick, Maryland as a neonate. She can be a hand full at times, but once she is out of her cage she settles down quickly. She works well with the snake hook that I have, so she knows that when the cage opens and she is touched by the hook that it's not dinnertime :). I think that it is important that as a boa gets bigger to make sure that you take extra care to not get bit. A good quality snake hook definitely helps to avoid any accidental bites as you first go to remove a large snake from their cage.

Here are some more pics of Sunset from this past weekend.

Free At Last!

2008-04-19T22:39:00.007-04:00

After 4 months of quarantine, Samy has joined the rest of my snakes in the "snake room". She is a beauty that I got for free - yes free! I bought some Boaphile cages last year from a woman in Maryland, but she couldn't find a home for Samy or Sunset (more on Sunset in my next blog post). Samy's previous owner kept extremely good care of her and it shows. Samy is a 9 year old B.C.I., close to 8 feet long, and weighs in at 37 pounds. She is very calm and docile for a snake this big, but I take great care in respecting her and her size that's for sure!

Since it was such a nice day today, I took her and Sunset out for some pics. While I was taking pictures, a rabbit came into the yard - if he only knew he was 20 feet away from being dinner :)! He hung out for a good 5 minutes before finally taking off, lucky for him in the opposite direction of Samy...Don't worry, I wasn't about to let "Bugs" become dinner!

Here are some more pics of Samy.

New Babies!!

2008-03-11T21:45:00.006-04:00

Colombia had her litter at 4:30 this morning. I knew she was getting close as she had her waxy poo on Saturday, and she had been cruising the cage for the past 48 hours. She also was making a nest with the newspaper that I put in the cage for her. I took yesterday off from work because I thought for sure she would have them during the day. Of course she didn't, which meant waking up every couple hours to check on her. She ended up having the babies under ALL of the newspaper and corrugated cardboard on the bottom of her cage. She was 103 days P.O.S. (Post Ovulation Shed), which is exactly the amount of days she took last year to have her litter! She gave birth to a litter of 27 little squirmies. There were 9 Sharp Albinos 66% Het Anery (Het Sharp Snow), 5 Anerys 66% Het Sharp Albino (Het Sharp Snow), 13 Normals 66% DH Snows, 1 stillborn, and 2 slugs. Unfortunately, there were no Sharp Snows in the litter - I guess the odds Gods weren't on my side this year (especially with 27 in the litter!). All the babies look great with no yolk sac, which is always a plus. Some of the Albinos have some funky patterns going on and they have a range of colors. I can't wait to really see them once they've shed!

The best news is that Colombia is doing great and took a meal without a problem. I probably will not be breeding her again in the future. She is such a great pet, and I don't want to take the risk of losing her. Breeding/birthing can be very stressful on a boa. I do have some plans for next year though....stay tuned :)!

Here are some photos of the litter for you to enjoy!

Proposed Federal regulations banning Boas and Pythons

2008-02-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has made a significant move towards banning the importation and interstate transport of Boa Constrictors and Pythons in the United States. Quietly published in the Federal Register, the agency is accepting public comments until April 30th. Please go to the online petition that I created to find out more information and to add your name. Spread the word, and please voice your opposition to this proposal at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064803a565f (be sure to fill in ALL requested information otherwise your comments will not be considered). Thanks!

A Pregnancy Update

2008-01-25T22:04:00.001-05:00

Colombia has been progressing nicely through her pregnancy. She ballooned up that's for sure! She has been alternating between the warm end and the cool end of the cage, and for the past month or so she has been slowly losing her "water weight" as the babies develop inside her. My fingers are crossed for a nice healthy litter. Judging by how big she is this year compared to last year, she should have a decent sized litter in another 45 days or so. The pictures above were taken on December 30th.

I've had a few people ask me if I feed my females while they are pregnant. I choose to not feed them any meals while they are pregnant. Before I introduce the male, I make sure that they have plenty of reserves and can handle not being fed for 4 months. If a female doesn't have enough weight to handle being without food for that period of time, then I feel she is not ready to breed. By not feeding the female while she is pregnant, I think I give the babies as much room as possible to develop. I also avoid the possibility of her giving birth prematurely while trying to defecate.

Well, hopefully I will have some good news soon!

Yep, I'm Goofy!

2008-01-21T19:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess it's official now - I'm Goofy! I have been training for the past few months for the Disney World 1/2 Marathon on Saturday January 12th, and then I ran the Disney World Marathon the next day. By completing both races back-to-back (39.3 total miles), I was awarded a 3rd finisher's medal for completing the "Goofy Challenge". My "vacation" was a lot of fun, although I didn't think it was much fun around mile 21 of the marathon - my body was complaining, that's for sure :)! I had to walk through the water stops at that point, but I knew I would finish - just not with the time I was hoping for. I wanted to run a 3 hour 40 minute marathon, but after running a 1 hour 57 minute 1/2 marathon the day before in warm and humid weather, I just didn't have it in me. I ended up with a 4 hour 23 minute time, but at least I now have a new Personal Record (PR) by beating my first marathon time by 30 minutes (NYC marathon in 2006). I'm sure a 3:40 is within my ability, just not after running 13 miles the day before....The next 5 days were spent walking the Disney World parks with my wife, which certainly helped keep my legs from cramping and alleviated the amount of pain that they were in. My goal is to run 2 more marathons this year, and if possible qualify for the Boston Marathon (3 hours 20 minutes).
I'll be sure to post an update in the next few days on how Colombia is doing so far with her pregnancy, and maybe an update or two on the Sharp Snows too - it's been a while!

105 Days and Counting

2007-11-29T22:30:00.000-05:00

Well let the pacing and sleepless nights begin :D! I repeated the breeding from last year (DH Sharp Snow x DH Sharp Snow) that produced the first Sharp Snow. Everything is looking good so far - Colombia just had her Post Ovulation Shed today - yahoo! I introduced the male, Bogota, on September 19th, and he immediately got down to business - the little stud! He courted her non-stop for the past 2+ months and I witnessed multiple copulations. He got a nice big juicy rat tonight, he definitely deserved it!

She had her pre-ovulation swell on October 22nd, and ovulated on November 14th.

Well, hopefully I will have good news to report around March 13th....

It's all about the genes!

2007-10-21T14:56:00.000-04:00

I have received quite a few emails from people asking what a litter would consist of if they bred one of the babies I have for sale with a snake that they have. So, I put together a few webpages with outcomes for different breedings to answer these questions. I decided to only focus on the snakes I have for sale, as the list would be WAY too long if I included every type of morph or combination possible! Assembling the Punnett Squares for all of the possible combinations took me back to my days in High School Biology class - I knew paying attention in school would payoff someday, LOL! Here are my two days of Punnett Square fun, and please let me know if you find any errors.

The picture above is of an Anery 66% Possible Het Sharp Albino (Het Sharp Snow) from my July 8th litter. She has been sold and is on her way to Florida - I wish I was on my way to Florida! More pictures of her can be found here.

Love Is In The Air!

2007-09-26T19:27:00.000-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again! I'm repeating the breeding last year that produced the first Sharp Snow - Colombia (female) x Bogata (male) - both are DH Sharp Snow's. Hopefully I will have similar lucky results! Colombia rebounded extremely well (15 pounds empty weight, 7 ft), after her pregnancy. Bogata was eager to say the least - as soon as I put him in with her he got down to business :). They've been going at it for a week nonstop - love is in the air! I quickly snapped a few pictures as I didn't want to disturb them too much - I don't think they even noticed...

I will not be breeding my other female, Cartagena, this year as she is still recovering from her litter born in July. Colombia will be taking next year off as I will have no reason to breed her, and she certainly deserves a break!

Well, my fingers and toes are crossed, and I will of course post updates as Colombia progresses.

A Sharp Snow Comparison

2007-09-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

My second Sharp Snow finally shed a few days ago, almost 2 months after she was born on July 8th. I noticed that she (affectionately named Snow White by my beautiful wife) does not have any yellow coming in. Her entire body is white, while her markings are an off white. She even has a white tongue instead of pink like the first Sharp Snow. Her tail color also is a light pink compared to the lavender color of the first Sharp Snow.

When the first Sharp Snow shed for the first time at almost 2 months old, he already had some yellow coming in (he's now 5 months old). She's definitely different, and hopefully Snow White will stay white - Yellow Snow White just doesn't have the same ring to it, lol. Only time will tell, and I'll be sure to post updates as she gets older.

Above is a picture of both of them together along with another baby from the July 8th litter - the normal from my July 29th Blog entry. You can find more pictures of her here.

Fun with stained glass

2007-08-28T18:30:00.000-04:00

I thought I would post some of my "artistic" work. I read a thread on a forum about using black plexiglass or opaque stained glass to take pictures with a different kind of look to them. I wasn't able to find any black plexiglass in my area, but I was able to find some opaque stained glass. Out of a couple hundred pics these are the one's that turned out the best. I did run into a few problems taking the pictures - it's a little tough to get the lighting right without getting reflections from the light source (I ended up using indirect sunlight for these pictures), and also any spec of dust on the glass will DEFINITELY show up in the picture. The beautiful subject matter are a couple of my Sharp Albino's from my March 20th Sharp Snow litter. Hope you enjoy!

How about updating the blog?!?

2007-07-29T22:26:00.001-04:00

Yes, I know it's been wayyyy too long since I posted an update on my blog. With summer here, I've been busy enjoying the weather, and of course taking care of babies! I just haven't had much time to update my blog. The picture here is of one of the "normal" babies that has a 66% chance of being het for Anery and Sharp Albino. She has a ton of pink/red coming through which will only get better as she gets older. She and the other 2 normal's have been the only babies to shed so far from my second litter this year.

The second Sharp Snow hasn't shed yet, but the first one took almost 2 months to finally shed, so I will be patient....The second Sharp Snow is definitely special, and once he/she has shed I will of course have pictures and share with you all why I think it is "special". The babies are doing great, and the three normals ate their first meals (thawed pinkie rats) without any problems. So far so good!

Cartagena is coming back strong and looks to have made it through the whole process without any problems. She ate 2 small meals after she had her litter (I fed her 1 medium rat a week apart), and then went into shed just like she should. She ate a large rat last week, so she is rebounding great. It will be a slow process to get her back up to her pre-birth weight, but since I will not be breeding her again this coming fall/winter, she has plenty of time.

CAUTION BUSINESS NEWS AHEAD - end your reading now if you don't want to be bored :)! I have sold two normal 66% chance for Anery and Sharp Albino females from my first litter this year, so that's good news. They are both going to a good home, and in a way I will miss them. They both have some great markings and colors, and they are so easy to handle. I try to handle all the babies for a little while at least once every day (except if they have had a meal in the last 24-48 hours) to make sure that they remain friendly. I don't want them to get an attitude from being neglected. I want to make sure that when I sell a baby, their future owner will be happy with their purchase. OK, BUSINESS NEWS IS DONE, lol!

Well, I hope everyone is having a great summer, and hopefully I will update the blog a little more frequently than every 3 weeks!

Boa babies - finally!!

2007-07-08T21:17:00.000-04:00

Well, after 135 long and agonizing days for me, Cartagena finally had her litter today! She had 7 babies, and one of them was a Sharp Snow - the second one to be born in the world! I definitely got lucky with the odds, that's for sure...

According to the Punnett Square, the probability for having a Snow from a breeding of a DH Snow to DH Snow is 1 for every 16 offspring. Since she only had 7 babies, I definitely got lucky! She also had 1 Sharp Albino which has a 66% chance of being Het Anery (Het Snow), 2 Anerys 66% possible Het Albino (Het Snow), and 3 Normals that are 66% DH Snow (Het Anery and Het Albino). She also had 1 stillborn (an albino), and 5 unfertilized ova (slugs). For more pictures of the litter, click here.

Cartagena and the babies are doing great. She was a little feisty when I went to remove the babies, but she calmed down quickly. I weighed her and she lost a little over 4 pounds during her pregnancy. She will get a small meal tomorrow night to start the process of recovering the lost weight from her pregnancy.

Now that my worrying can officially end, I can finally get a good night's sleep!

Where are the babies?!?!

2007-07-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

Well, after looking over my records again I realized that the actual date of her last ovulation was February 23rd, not the 20th. Also, I made a mistake in my previous blog entry - it's give or take 10 days from 123 days (on average) for a boa to deliver after her last ovulation. So her correct due date was June 26th (123 days from February 23rd), and she could go all the way to July 6th. Maybe she is just holding out for some Independence Day babies? She's still looking good, and doing everything that she should, but yes, it is driving me nuts. I wake up in the middle of the night to check on her to see if there are any little ones slithering around...Oh well, I'll catch up on my sleep some day!

The Waiting Game.....

2007-06-18T21:44:00.001-04:00

Pictured here is one of my Female DH Sharp Snow Boas, Cartagena. She is due any day now, and it's driving me crazy! She has been maintaining her heat conservation position like a champ throughout her pregnancy (as in the picture above which I took yesterday). She also has been gradually losing weight in the front half of her body over the last few weeks which is a good sign of a healthy litter to come....

Unlike Colombia who had a Post Ovulation Shed (POS), Cartagena shed mid-way through her pregnancy - 43 days after her final ovulation. So, I can't calculate her due date by the POS date, which is usually 105 days (give or take 5 days). Colombia had her litter 102 days after her POS, so I had a good idea of when to expect babies.

Since Cartagena didn't give me a POS, I have to calculate her due date from her final ovulation date. Cartagena's second ovulation occured on 2/20/07, so 123 days puts her delivery date at 6/23/07. Give or take 5 days puts her right on schedule for a nice healthy litter any day now. She also had a waxy stool yesterday (don't worry I won't post a picture of that, lol!), so she should hopefully go within the next 24-48 hours.

I'm wearing out the carpet in front of her cage constantly checking on her! I'm hoping for the best, and I just hope she makes it through her first litter OK. I'll of course be posting an update here as soon she has her babies!

One more thing, if all of the above info is Greek to you, or if you want more information on the breeding or parturition process of boas, I highly recommend you check out the article that Jeff Ronne submitted to Reptiles magazine in November 1996. You can also find an excellent chapter on breeding boas in the book The Boa Constrictor Manual.

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T15:03:00.001-04:00

A happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially those Dad's serving our country!

I spent my Father's Day morning running a 5K. I like running (but I don't love it...), and was fortunate enough to run and finish the ING New York City Marathon last year.

The run was the Michael's 5K Run and Fun Walk. The proceeds for the run went to the Michael Hafke Foundation. Michael Hafke is a 17 year veteran of the Clinton Township, New Jersey police department who served 18 months in Iraq for the Army National Guard. Michael trained Iraqi police officers in Tikrit. Upon returning from his deployment, he was diagnosed with Multiple Myloma, a type of bone cancer.

Michael is a father of 3 teenagers, so he really has his hands full! I personally know Michael, and you will not find a nicer, more generous guy. He really is a terrific person, and my thoughts and prayers are with him and his family as he goes through this tough time.

If you would like to donate to the Michael Hafke Foundation to help his family with medical bills, please visit the Michael Hafke Foundation website.

Playing hookie from work

2007-06-15T21:15:00.000-04:00

I took a day off from work and spent the day with my daughter and her friend at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson New Jersey. If you're any kind of a coaster nut like me and my daughter, you have to put this park near the top of your must see list! We've been season pass holders for the past few years, and we can't get enough of this park.

Great Adventure has 13 roller coasters including the tallest and faster roller coaster in the world, Kingda Ka. This bad boy goes from 0 to 128 mph in 3.8 seconds, and shoots up 456 feet! Of course since it was built a couple seasons ago, it's had a few problems with reliability. When it's working though, it's well worth the 50 second ride!

The other coasters are well worth the trip too, especially El Toro. El Toro is the newest coaster at the park, and also holds the record for the steepest drop of any wooden roller coaster in the U.S. (76 degrees). It's also the second tallest and fastest woodie in the world. My daughter and I think it's the best coaster in the park, and it is such a smooth and fast ride that it's surprising that it's a woodie.

The park wasn't very busy, which made for short waits for the coasters (except for the 2.5 hour wait for Kingda Ka). It also was only 70 degrees or so, which helped make it even nicer to be at the park for the day. My only complaint for the park is the EXTREMELY high prices for food inside the park.

Great Adventure also has the largest drive through Safari outside of Africa that is pretty cool. It opens an hour before the park, so you can get there early and drive through the Safari and enjoy the 1400 animals (the giraffes are the best!).

It was great spending time with my daughter, and I'm sure we'll be going back a few more times this year!

So I've jumped on the Blog Train!

2007-06-14T18:00:00.000-04:00

Well, better late than never! I've actually been looking at different types of blogging programs to integrate with the website for a while now. I finally settled on the one from blogger.com. It's free, can integrate with my existing web page layout (with a little tweaking of course....), and it looks like one of the more "user friendly" blogging programs out there.

So, I will try to keep my blog focused on the care and breeding of my pet Boas. I also will blog about the business side of things. Since I am far from being a major breeder (I have no intention of becoming a major breeder), I'll share with you (the reader - if there is any, lol) how hard or easy it is for a "small guy" to sell the offspring of a litter once they're born. Of course, I'll be sure to talk about all of the cool new types of Boa morphs being introduced out there in the world as well. There's some incredible Boa morphs being created, and many more interesting ones to come! I'm sure I'll mix in some other miscellaneous stuff every now and then too.....

I have also turned on the ability for readers to leave comments. Feel free to leave a comment (or you can email me if you don't want your comments to be seen by others), I'm always open to criticism. Don't worry I have a thick skin, lol. You can leave anonymous comments too for anyone that wants to stay under the radar :)!

Oh, and the picture is of the first Sharp Snow Boa born in the world - I love this little guy (can you tell?!? LOL)! More pictures of him can be found here.