Colubrids

Tiger Rat Snakes (Spilotes pullatus pullatus)

This project began in 1999 when I was chatting with Rich Ihle at a local reptile show. Somehow Spilotes came up in conversation and he mentioned he had a nice pair but not with him. I purchased them completely sight unseen and it all started from there. They were originally captive bred in 1997 by Rich but unrelated. The older images pictured above were basically my founding stock. It was the male at 85% bright yellow and 8′ long. The female was normal in appearance with near equal amounts of black and yellow. I produced a very small number of extreme high yellow babies in 2001. The following year produced another couple of clutches from two different females, however, fertility seemed low and I blamed it on the environment being too warm while catering to the python and boa projects I was working on in the same room. I subsequently sold the project.

Fast forward to May 2011, I was able to acquire one of my females back as well as a pair of offspring which were direct descendants of my founding stock. Husbandry this time will be correct with a new work area in place. I am so happy to have them back in my collection. Nearly every one of us has regretted selling off an animal or project but rarely does it come back…

Red-tail Green Ratsnakes (Gonyosoma oxycephala)

This is a large colubrid that inhabits the jungle in Southeast Asia. Wildcaught specimens can be a bit tough to establish at times, however, captive bred are very straight forward. While I am working with both LTC and CB adults, I do receive captive bred babies from a breeder in Malaysia. Please see the July 2011 Reptiles Magazine issue for an in-depth, informative article. I provided some of the photo material for the article.

Paradise Tree Snake (Chrysopelea paradisi)

When I first saw one of these in person, my eyes were having a hard time focusing and comprehending what I was looking at. Truly one of the most beautiful snakes on the planet. Standing still is one thing but when it takes off, it becomes a blur of black, yellow and red. This is a smaller, fast snake that has the ability to lunge from tree tops and spread its ribs to create lift which allows it forward motion while airborne. These are lizard eaters by nature but some will take mice. To date, this is a work in progress while establishing wild caught specimens but it is going well.

Boas

Western “Mandarin” Madagascar Tree Boas (Sanzinia madagascariensis volontony)

This is a very unique arboreal that seems to be very easy to care for. Personally, I like to see these on display rather than hidden away in a tub or rack somewhere. They are very docile and can be handled. They are not like some of the other arboreals that are light-bodied and are commonly never touched for fear of injury to the animal or getting bit. Good eaters also. An all-around great captive.

Amazon Tree Boas (Corallus hortulanus)

This pair was proven in 2002, 2003 and 2004. The female was fifth generation captive bred. She was red with a white belly and ruby red eyes. The male was orange and red with no black pigment anywhere except the pupils. He was originally a wild caught animal but proved a solid captive. The litters seem to be nearly all colored animals with red dominating the group. The holdbacks were incredible.

The pictured animals were left in place for reference as there are still breeders working with my bloodline.  I moved this project out a few years ago but have since acquired another nice group of colored, captive bred adults.

Suriname Red-Tail Boas (Boa constrictor constrictor)

I have kept many specimens of this locality over the years, both wild caught and captive bred. Due to limited space, I have narrowed down my breeders. However, Amer at FloridaRedtail.com  and myself have combined our efforts. Some of my previous stock now reside with him in addition to the extensive collection of Bcc he is passionately working with. We will be working together to bring you some of the most incredible Bcc on the planet.

North Brazilian Red-Tail Boas (Boa constrictor constrictor)

The North Brazilians have a wide range of appearance even among individual litters. I have animals representing both Lemke and Dyer stock. True North Brazilians are still not very common in collections and the “purists” will greatly appreciate any babies produced. Again, Amer at FloridaRedtail.com and myself have combined our efforts. We will continue trading our stock back and forth to combine traits and hopefully provide some of the best North Brazilian Bcc on the planet.

Morph/Designer Red-Tail Boas (Boa constrictor imperator)

Describing my collection of morph and morph possibilities is a bit difficult. As time goes on, the morphs are commonly combined but litters will be comprised and broken down into many basic morphs and appearances. These include, but are not limited to, Motley, Arabesque, Genetic Stripe(my own line), Hypomelanistic, Albino to name a few. Most litters will also include normals, hets, and possible hets.

Pythons

Bar-neck Scrub Pythons (Morelia amethistina)

Over the years I have worked with many of the amethystine complex but the “Bar-necks” are my favorite. I have hatched a few clutches of these. Typically adults are cage aggressive but are fine once removed with a hook. These guys get big with males being the larger of the two sexes and usually have big, blocky heads. They command respect and should only be owned by responsible keepers that have experience with larger snakes. At present I have a very diverse breeding group of these. I expect to have a good number of offspring in 2012. Some going all the way back to VPI produced specimens while others are my own captive bred lines.

Jungle Carpet Pythons (Morelia spilota cheynei)

I have been working with Jungles since 1995 and produced my own babies in 1997 for the first time. My very first animals were stunning, even by today’s standards. As they became more common and more affordable, some breeders crossed the pure jungles into “other” Morelia and they continually lost their visual appeal. Now, finding those “drop-dead” jet black and bright yellow examples are quite a task. Well, not here. These are sure to turn heads. Some from German descent, others from the original stock.

Ball Pythons (Python regius)

Another small group of various morph projects. I have never bred Ball pythons on a large scale like many other keepers, but I have a few projects. I am currently working with yellow-belly, pastel, fire, enchi, albino, pewter, spider and unproven traits.  Some are double homozygous and combining animals through breeding there could be some very interesting combinations in the very near future.  There will probably be some additions over time so keeping this corner of my collection current will be tough.

Green Tree Pythons (Morelia viridis)

Over the years, I had worked with a very large breeding group of which all were captive bred. They ranged in age from 5 to 14 years. The first year I produced these was in 2000 with more clutches being produced in 2001 and 2003. Most were Sorong type animals all exhibiting heavy blue patterns. Bloodlines represented were Vargin, Dallas Zoo Stock and Turmezie. This project has been downsized so I can concentrate more on other arboreal projects.

No longer working with this species. Item left in place for reference as there are still breeders working with my bloodline.

Geckos

Rough Knob-tailed Gecko (Nephrurus amyae)

We have a nice group comprised of mixed ages including adults that are breeding and reproducing. For the health and strength of our colony, we have done our best to obtain unrelated stock from German lines. These are absolutely one of our favorites, they have the personality combined with substantial size.

Smooth Knob-tailed Geckos (Nephrurus levis levis)

Also a very diverse group within our collection. There are two basic color types that we are working on and hoping to enhance even beyond what other dedicated breeders have already accomplished. Some are more orange/gold while the other direction would be more red. These seem to be quite docile comparatively speaking and also reach a decent size for Nephrurus.

Banded Knob Tailed Gecko (Nephrurus wheeleri cinctus)

These have three appearances we are working towards which would be aberrant/broken bands, thin bands and bold/contrasty bands. Also two types of coloration that we are trying to match up and enhance. Some are more pink while others range to the red side of the spectrum. These have a lot of personality. Of the Nephrurus we are working with, these tail wag, bark and have more character than the rest. A good starter gecko for those looking to experience what knob-tails are all about.

Australian Barking Gecko (Nephrurus milli)

A smaller species with soft pastel colors and placid demeanor. We have both hypo and normal examples of this species. They seem slightly more secretive in their habits but very attractive and are not difficult captives.