2007 General Breeding Season Notes

 Clutch 1

75% Irian Jaya Jaguars

Sire: Bullwinkle
2005 - 50% Irian Jaya Jaguar
From my 2005 Stripe Jaguar x WC Irian Jaya Pairing

Dam: "Fertile Myrtle"
CB 2001 Female Irian Jaya - Unknown Breeder

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya Jaguar Page
 

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya page.

Overview
Bullwinkle is a really nice IJ Jag and I think breeding him to a trophy female Irian makes this clutch really exciting. He was only 19 months old when I started cooling, so I didn't expect a lot from him coming into the season.  However, he started breeding within an hour of being given an opportunity and he's been an outstanding breeder ever since.

Update
This small (just a hair over 5' in length) 2001 female tends to become gravid regardless of if she's put with a male or not.  She's blind-sided me with slugs early in the season twice before, but Bullwinkle got 'er done this year. :-)

Pre-ovulation swelling started about 10 days after I started cooling! Fortunately, I didn't miss it and I was able to introduce Bullwinkle just in time.  He got in several copulations just a few days before ovulation and now I have eggs.  I'm still floored at the number of eggs in this clutch...17/19 from a 5 foot female carpet ain't bad in my book.

This should be an awesome pairing considering how nice both parents are. As far as I know, these will be the first 75% Irian Jaya Jaguars produced in the United States.

Status: Hatched 5/16/07

Pre-Lay Shed: 2/18/07

Lay Date: 3/18/07

Hatch Date: 5/16/07

Fertile/Total Eggs: 17/19 Wow!

Hatch Date: 5/13/07 (Manually Pipped)

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 3.5 Irian Jaya Jaguars/5.4 Normal Siblings

Clutch Photos
Wow!  What a clutch this is.  The jags all have their own unique look to them...some have striping, some have extremely faded patterns, some have a ton of red pigment "bleeding" through the tan color, some just look weird.  Picking out a few holdbacks is going to be tough!  Even the sibs are really variable, from banded to near black to blood red.  Also, note the mid-dorsal striping on several of the Jaguars. 

The thin black outline around the mother's orange pattern also appears to have played a big role with these guys, as even the siblings are exhibiting that look.  From what I've seen so far, these should be super clean Jaguars and siblings as they reach adulthood.

The majority have shed, but not all, so please excuse the extra crispy look on a few of them.

 

75% Irian Jaya Jaguar Males

75% Irian Jaya Jaguar Females
 

Sibling Males
    

Sibling Females

Clutch 2

Hannibal x GQ Irian Jaya

Sire: Hannibal (Hypo/Platinum?)
Sire to 2006 Motleys
Unknown Origin

Dam: 2001 "GQ" Female
Produced by Gary Quirk

This is the male that started the Motley project.
Click HERE to visit the Motley page.
 

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya page.

Overview
Hannibal is a very unique snake in that he has no black anywhere on his body, which we believe may be a genetically inheritable form of extreme hypomelanism.  As such, all the hatchlings from this clutch are potentially heterozygous carriers of this hypo coloration. That's not to mention that he also sired last year's Motleys!

I don't even have words for the potential here.  Both snakes are extremely special animals and I think it's one of my most exciting carpet pairings this year.

Update
This pairing happened fast.  I started cooling in early January.  I put Hannibal in and they copulated immediately.  The GQ female had her pre-lay shed on March 5, so the job was apparently done immediately. I should have eggs around the end of March.

Status: Hatched 5/31/07

Pre-Lay Shed: 3/5/07

Lay Date: 4/2/07

Hatch Date: 5/31/07 (Manually Pipped)

Fertile/Total Eggs: 18/19

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 9.9 Potential Het for Hypo/"Platinum"
 

Clutch Photos
Well, they're out and the hatchlings look exactly what I expected...that is, before the Motleys came along last year. lol

They all pretty much have Hannibal's head pattern and saddles along the body.  Great looking snakes...just not quite what I was hoping for after the Motleys hatched last season. :)

As far as the Motleys go, their appearance is not due to temperature fluctuation during incubation, so there are only two explanations left.   Either they're just a fluke or they're basically a new combo or "designer" morph that I hit on accident.  Either way, it doesn't make sense and there's no point speculating any further until I can repeat the pairing from last year (which I tried to do this year, but it didn't happen).

So now there are two parts to this project...the original game plan of proving out Hannibal's hypo or "platinum" coloration and trying to produce more Motleys. Nerve racking, but fun. :)

Update - 6/12/2007
The first ones have shed and I have to say that this is the best looking clutch of Irian Jayas I've ever produced.  So far, most of the snakes in this clutch look as nice or NICER than any of my GQxGQ holdbacks looked as babies.
 

Second Shed Photos

The below photos were taken at 5 months old (November 2007).
These are surplus males that I'm making available.

Clutch 3

75% Irian Jaya Jaguars - GQ Line

Sire: Bullwinkle
2005 - 50% Irian Jaya Jaguar
From my 2005 Stripe Jaguar x WC Irian Jaya Pairing

Dam: Tripod
2004 Pure Irian Jaya
From my 2004 GQxWC Clutch

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya Jaguar Page

Pictured after laying this year's clutch.  She's much lighter/better looking than this photo shows and I will be taking another one  soon.  This female was my #1 holdback female Irian of 2004.

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya page.
 

Overview
This is another exciting 75% IJ Jaguar pairing.  Both snakes were produced here and both of them were top holdbacks from their respective clutches.

The female, Tripod was actually held back specifically for this type of pairing.  She was produced in my 2004 GQxWC pairing.  Although she does have thin black borders on her pattern, she was mainly held back because of her yellow ground color, which I thought would be perfect for making 75% Irian Jaya Jaguars.  She's a smaller female, at just over 5 feet in length.

Bullwinkle is a really nice IJ Jag and I think breeding him to a trophy female Irian makes this clutch really exciting. He was only 19 months old when I started cooling, so I didn't expect a lot from him coming into the season.  However, he started breeding within an hour of being given an opportunity and he's been an outstanding breeder ever since.

Update
This pairing happened fast and without any guessing at all.  This is the first year breeding for the female and she dropped 13 really big, fertile eggs.  This is a good example of why I like to wait until they're at least going into their third year.  I know people who breed Irian Jayas a year younger, but they get half the eggs and the females never seem to throw decent sized clutches after that.  Not worth it, in my opinion.

In case you were wondering about Bullwinkle's name...

Status: Hatched

Pre-Lay Shed: 3/16/07

Lay Date: 4/11/07

Expected Hatch Date: 6/12/07 (Manually Pipped)

Fertile/Total Eggs:  13/13

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 5.2 Irian Jaya Jaguars, 3.3 Siblings

Clutch Photos
Here are photos of the Jaguars after their first sheds.  Having a little GQ blood worked into the equation did exactly what I thought it would...nice thin, black borders around the pattern (just like clutch #1) and great color.

75% Irian Jaya Jaguar Males

75% Irian Jaya Jaguar Females

Sibling Males

Sibling Females

Clutch 4

Hannibal x Light Phase Irian Jaya

Sire: Hannibal (Hypo/Platinum?)
Sire to 2006 Motleys
Unknown Origin

Dam: Light Phase Irian Jaya
Adult Female - Unknown Origin

This is the male that started the Motley project.
Click HERE to visit the Motley page.

Pictured Gravid
(Much darker than normal)

Click HERE to visit the Irian Jaya page.

Overview
Hannibal is a very unique snake in that he has no black anywhere on his body, which we believe may be a genetically inheritable form of extreme hypomelanism.  As such, all the hatchlings from this clutch are potentially heterozygous carriers of this hypo coloration.   That's not to mention that he also sired last year's Motleys!

Although the photo of her gravid doesn't show it, the female is an exceptionally attractive, older Irian Jaya.  She has very pale and faded black markings.  If she produces Motleys, they should be very pale as adults.
 

Update
I'll be looking for an ovulation within the next week or two and pre-lay shed should occur about 3-4 weeks later.

This pairing was making me wonder at first, since this is the female's first year here at my facility.  I've seen several copulations and the female has been lying semi-inverted, so I'm being cautiously optimistic about getting a good clutch from her.

Update
This female is definitely gravid and just had her pre-lay shed.  This is her first year here and she had a bit of a respiratory infection right after I got her, so who knows what will happen.  Hopefully she drops fertile eggs.

Status: Hatched

Pre-Lay Shed: 4/7/07

Lay Date: 5/5/07

Hatch Date: 7/1/07 (Manually Pipped)

Total/Fertile Eggs: 12/14

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 6.6 Potential Het for Hypo/"Platinum"

Clutch Photos
Here's one.  Most of the clutch went into shed almost immediately and this is the only one that isn't in full blue.  The female's head pattern seemed to be more prominent in this clutch, as very few have the typical Hannibal head pattern.

The below photos were taken at 4 months old (November 2007).
These are surplus males that I'm making available.

Clutch 5

Reptilicus Jungle x Heavily Banded Jungle

Sire: Reptilicus Jungle
Produced by Reptilicus Reptiles
2004 "Covergirl" (CVR) clutch

Dam: Heavily Banded Jungle
Adult Female - Unknown Origin

Click HERE to visit the Jungle Carpet page.

Overview
Normally, I won't touch a Jungle if it's not lemon yellow, but this female is just a good looking snake all the way around.  The color isn't flashy or bright, but it's clean and still very attractive to me.  There is some black tipping in the gold, but if you look at it, it's consistent and deliberate...coinciding perfectly with the banding.  Between the color and the super high band count, I just had to have her.

The idea here is to see if the banding is "genetic" or inheritable in some way...and if it is, to see if there is an even more extreme form or a "super" banded.  Also, if it's inheritable in a consistent manner, I would like to bring some lemon/neon yellow into the project as well.  I'm not looking for the next big thing in carpet morphs with this one...just hoping to develop a nice, consistent line of heavily banded Jungles.

Update
Just riding this one out...I haven't seen a lot of copulations, but they copulated for a long time when I did catch them.  They're no longer copulating when I introduce the male and the female is starting to swell up like a balloon, so I'm thinking the job may be done.

Update
After the swelling set in, the female started getting a little bit of an RI, which is weird as she's the first/only healthy adult I've had get sick since breeding season started.  I've had a gravid female get sick before, so I'm not too shaken.  I'll just have to watch her closely and start treatment if it doesn't clear up soon.

Update
Well, a couple shots of Baytril and the RI seems to have cleared up.  Normally I would push the antibiotics for 10+ doses, but not with a female that's prego.

The further this pairing moves along, the more excited I'm getting.  Her banding is so extreme that I think it would almost have to be genetic.  I guess (hope) we'll see soon enough.

Update - October 25, 2007
This clutch will probably be posted for sale later than some of the other clutches, as a couple have still not taken their first meal.  Most are great eaters, but I like to have everyone feeding before putting them up for sale.

Status: Hatched

Pre-Lay Shed: 4/14/07

Lay Date: 5/7/07

Hatch Date: 7/4/07 (Manually Pipped)

Fertile/Total Eggs: 16/16

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 8.8

Clutch Photos
BINGO!  I'm having a busy week if you hadn't noticed, but I'll go into more detail as I have time.

The below photos were taken at 4 months old (November 2007).

Clutch 6

Striped Coastals

Sire: "Liger" Male
Wide Striped Male Coastal - Similar to a Tiger

Dam: Classic Coastal
2002 Adult - Raised Here

Click HERE to visit the Coastal Carpet page.
 

Click HERE to visit the Coastal Carpet page.

Overview
I got this female as a hatchling in 2002 and now she's nearly 9 feet long.  She's a very attractive classic coastal and I hope to produce some nice striped babies with her this season.

Update
I tried breeding her last year, but got nothing.  She looked slightly swollen and is now opaque.  I would assume this means she's gravid and going into her pre-lay shed...but to be honest, it's pretty hard to tell on a 7,000+/-gram snake.  Hopefully this will be her first season.

Update
Sorry I sound clueless on this one, but I am...completely clueless.  I thought this girl was gravid last year and she made me look stupid, so I'm just keeping my mouth shut.  I'll say she's gravid when she starts laying in a coil and trying to bite me. She did burry herself under some newspaper after she shed, so maybe that's a good sign? 

Update - Slugs!
Well, now I know why I couldn't tell if she was gravid...she never really swelled up because the eggs were mostly duds.  There are a couple that look to be good, so I threw them in the incubator, but definitely not a successful clutch!
 

Status: Hatched (1)

Pre-Lay Shed: 4/9/07

Lay Date: 5/5/07

Hatch Date: 7/1/07 (Manually Pipped)

Fertile/Total Eggs: 2/25 (didn't really count the slugs)

Hatch Rate: 50% 1 for 2 (one died in the egg)

Ratios: 1 female

Clutch Photos
For only ending up with one hatchling, I'm a happy camper.  Looks like the Liger might be a Tiger after all.  The one that died in the egg was very similar.  This hatchling and the ones from clutch 7 really demonstrate how the non-Tiger or non-striped parent plays a big role in the appearance of the offspring.

 

 

 

Clutch 7

Liger x "Axanthic" Coastal

Sire: "Liger" Male
Wide Striped Male Coastal - Similar to a Tiger

Dam: Possible Axanthic Coastal
Adult Female - Unknown Origin

Click HERE to visit the Coastal Carpet page.
 

Click HERE to visit the Coastal Carpet page.
 

Overview
Since most axanthic reptile mutations are inherited in a simple recessive manner, this pairing is being done to produce striped offspring that are potentially heterozygous for the axanthic appearance.

This is just a dinking project for me, but should be a fun one.  Even if the axanthic thing doesn't work out, this pairing should produce some very cool Coastals.  The female's pattern is super aberrant (busy), so it'll be interesting to see how that affects the striping of the offspring. My guess is that the striping will be minimal at best.

Update
I've only witnessed a few copulations, but it looks like the female took.  She appears to be showing some pre-ovulation swelling, so this pairing is looking good.

Update
She's definitely gravid and due to lay any day now.  I'm pretty excited to see this female produce!

Update - October 25, 2007
This clutch absorbed a ton of yolk and as such, they just now starting to feel like they need to eat.  There are still a few stragglers, but they should all be eating within the next few weeks.

Status: Hatched

Pre-Lay Shed: 4/14/07

Lay Date: 5/10/07

Hatch Date: 7/4/07 (First one pipped on its own)

Fertile/Total Eggs: 17/19

Hatch Rate: 100%

Ratios: 8.9
 

Clutch Photos
Pattern wise, this is pretty much what I expected...lots of wacky patterns, some lateral striping, incomplete dorsal striping and cool head patterns.  A good number of them also have a black stripe running right down the middle of the belly (photo below).  I believe the reason we're not seeing any fully striped offspring here is because the female's aberrant or "busy" pattern is essentially "fighting" the striping.

As far as color goes, it's hard to say what's going on this early.  Even the brightest yellow jungles can hatch out silver, so we'll have to watch and see.  Some of them appear almost white, so I do think something is being passed on by the mother.  Axanthic mutations are typically simple recessive, so we may be looking at something a different here...possibly either dominant/co-dom or plain old simple inheritance.   Regardless, they're really neat looking little carpets and I look forward to having another fun project to work on.

The below photos are of a female taken at 4 months old (November 2007).
The "axanthic" look definitely seems to be coming through in the offspring.

Clutch 8

Tiger x High Contrast Queensland

Sire: Tiger Male
From Jason Baylin's 2002 Tiger x Tiger Pairing
This guy is a possible homozygous carrier of the Tiger gene.

Dam: High Contrast Queensland
Dave Prada's Adult Female

Click HERE to visit the Tiger page.

Click HERE to visit the Coastal Carpet page.

Overview
This pairing produced some outrageous bright yellow Tigers last year (pictured at left). At just a year old, they're already brighter than any Tiger I've ever seen. 

Last year's clutch was horribly male heavy, so I'm hoping to produce more females this time around.  This is a joint project with Dave Prada of Komodo Reptiles.

Update
It looks like this pairing moving along at the same pace as last year, although it may happen a little sooner since my adults are all housed in the new room, which is a little warmer during the day.

Update
I've seen a total of one, maybe two, copulations...but she's going through the motions...starting to feel firm and lay in a coil.  I expect an ovulation soon.

Update - EGGS!!!
I just checked the record card and I only recorded one copulation, but we got 17 good eggs.  I'll take it!

Update - October 25, 2007
This clutch absorbed a ton of yolk too, and have generally eaten well, with the exception of a couple of whoppers. They're all eating now and should start to become available very soon.

Status: Hatched

Pre-Lay Shed: 4/22/07

Lay Date: 5/16/07

Hatch Date: 7/12/07 (First Pip)

Fertile/Total Eggs: 17/18

Hatch Rate: 14/17 (1 egg went bad, 2 were deformed)

Ratios: 6.8

Clutch Photos
This clutch is female heavy...finally!  For those of you who remember last year's clutch (mostly males), this is a breath of fresh air.  More pics coming soon.

 

 

 

The below photos were taken at 4 months old (November 2007).