the stripe specialist

Waiting. Just Waiting.

June 5, 2010

The girls have all laid, shed, and are recovering their girlish figures. I’m extremely sad to report that my most-anticipated clutch of Lily and Fred was infertile. Well, out of 26 eggs there are two maybes, but I am not holding out any hope. We’ll try again next season. Buzztail, however, delivered what look to be 16 fertile eggs. The expected hatch date is mid-July. And then Cherry delivered a mixed clutch of 12 definite slugs and 8 maybes. I think she was just bred too late in her cycle. I am going to rebreed her because based on last year’s performance Cherry is going to double clutch. I am very thankful that all the girls came through their first breeding season in good health with no retained eggs. Really, that is the most important thing.

In other news, I have set up two more adult racks. These racks are Animal Plastics Economy Plastic Racks, 66 quart. Although you won’t find this rack on the AP website, you can contact Alie and she will be happy to give you the details. The bins are available from Target. (Given Sterilite’s history of discontinuing bins, I always order my bins before I order a rack, to make sure I will still get the correct bins). I love the extra space of 66 quart bins, and the openness of the Economy Plastic racks. My Wall of Snakes runs from my kitchen all the way through the living room! I love it! Three “teenager” snakes have moved up to the adult rack; 2008’s The Dingo and Mango, and 2009 Zora. The Dingo, especially, is enjoying his new living area and is out all the time now! And when Zora moved, she took her hammock with her. Mango was blue during the move and never came out of his cardboard tube. I can only imagine his surprise when he emerged to shed and found himself in an entirely different place! The kids all took many of their old possessions with them when they moved so they should have some sense of familiarity in their new homes.

I’ve also managed to get every last cornsnake registered with the American Cornsnake Registry while on vacation last week. You can look me up there under my breeder number, #513, my name, Nanci LeVake, or my house initials, SNICKERSNAKES. It’s so fun to look at the snakes that have extensive pedigrees such as Cherry, El Wray, Zora, Jasper, Cali and Jasmine. I’ve always had cage cards attached to the vivs so the occupant could be identified, but I thought it would be nice to place each snake’s ACR registration in a plastic airbill envelope and attach that to the side of the viv. I’m really happy with how they look!

The cool thing about registering the snakes is I was forced to take photos of all of them! Here are some of the best! First, Lava Bloodred Yggdrasil and a blue Hypo Lavender Stripe Razzle.

Opal Stripe Mango and Amel het Opal Bloodred Azaria. (Isn’t she a little fatty? She’s ovulating and filled with ova, although she’s a 2008. She’d better reabsorb them!!)

Lavender Stripe Calli (who will be ready to breed next year, with Mango!) and Lavender Bloodred Draco. Draco just keeps getting lighter and prettier with every shed!

It’s Blackberry Season

June 5, 2010

Wow, it’s barely June and I can hardly keep up with all the photos I’ve taken! First, the blackberries are going crazy. I have so many this year! Everyone is enjoying them; Amie, Koko, Butters- I even convinced Bella to try one this morning! How can a dog who thinks lettuce is a treat be suspicious of a blackberry? I stopped in at Fort Tort this morning to deliver a breakfast feast of a few blackberries, spent hibiscus blossoms and a couple mulberry leaves. Here’s a picture of Butters munching her flower. A family of small red and black wasps has moved into Buttercup’s burrow; you can see one perched on her in this picture!

Meanwhile, amphibians still rule at the Water Garden. I pulled a lily pad out from under the ledge and discovered Baby Toad Hideout! There must have been 20 or more to start with, seeking protection from the heat of the day in the cool darkness. A week later, they have little by little dispersed out of the Water Garden and off into the grass and plants in the big wide world. Whenever I find one, I move it to the safety of Terra Pen. Every evening I am treated to frog song, all night long. There are at least five different species I can hear. I love trying to trick them into calling by making frog croaks myself.

Back at The Fort, I’ve been trying without success to establish _anything_ growing on top of the burrows. Whatever I plant is consumed as soon as the torts find it. However, we have a new inhabitant living in the vicinity of Koko’s home! This big skink is always out basking on top of the barren wasteland that is Koko’s burrow. He’s quite tolerant of me photographing him. There are lots of lizards out there this year. I’ve noticed that there are more green anoles than brown anoles so far. I wonder if many of the brown anoles were weeded out by the very, very cold winter. Here’s a picture of Koko, deciding if he should follow his blackberry treat with mulberry leaves or a hibiscus flower. I hope everyone is having as nice a summer as we are, here at Fort Tort!