11/15 Updates

So, I have weights from the snakes, they are as follows

Galen:1,403 Grams
Kokoro:721 Grams
Farah:145 Grams
Albus:130 Grams
Piper:99 Grams

11/5 Updates

Farah has decided that she Prefers human attention to food, She Prefers to be held rather than eating her meals, and it kind of worries me, Albus still hasn't eaten and we are planning on assist feeding him. Galen Finally Shed, and Piper Is just heading into his shed Cycle. More updates later.

11/3 Update

got back for Repticon a little bit ago, Saw some gorgeous snakes, Found a new Frozen rodent supplier, so the snakes get to eat tomorrow night. Galen still hasn't shed, And It looks like Piper is about to enter his shed cycle.

11/2 update

So, Repticon is tomorrow, Galen just went into shed so we probably won't be taking him, Farah and Piper will probably go instead If it isn't too cold. I'm going to see if I can handle some new reptiles, Since as Ive mentioned, Lizards aren't my strong point, I'm going to see if I can hold a Bearded dragon, and I plan on seeing if Sand Boa Morphs will let me hold a Sand Boa, I would like to see the species Differences between them and Ball pythons.

Feeding

So, I've had somebody request feeding photo's so, After I pick up some more F/T rats at Repticon this weekend, I will post Feeding pictures from all the snakes. And then weights as well a day or two after Because I know I've been promising weights for all of them. Happy Herping, And I hope to see some of you at Repticon, If you see us Feel free to Stop and Talk with us.

Repticon

So, this Saturday *November third* I will be going to Repticon with my Father, my Partner, and my Best friend, If the Weather Permits we will be bringing Galen as Promised in an earlier post. But the weather is looking like it is going to be too cold to take him out comfortably. I don't want him to get too cold, and the high is only going to be around 68 F. so Its looking less and less like i'm bringing him. on another note, We are thinking Kokoro is Breeding Size. or close to it. I will be weighing her and the others soon and posting the weights here.

10/22 Updates

Piper Finally ate! I was over-joyed, It took him a bit, But he finally took the mouse. Albus hasn't eaten Still, I'm thinking I may Have to assist feed, But it may have been because he was shedding, He finished his Shed cycle today, so I'm hoping that he will be willing to eat Wednesday. On Friday I took Galen out in Public, It was a bit cold, So he was only out for about 30 minutes. But he Adored the Attention, So so many people wanted to pet him, and know more about him. I Decided ill do it again in the summer time when its warmer out, Just as a treat for Reptile lovers. I'm Going to be Posting Weight Updates by mid November. Kokoro has grown so much Its made me quite happy. Shes Almost 2 1/2 Feet in length. Shes Getting Lighter and Lighter with each shed. I'm hoping by May of next year she will be breed-able, if not sooner.

10/17 Updates

Updates: Piper and Albus still haven't Eaten, Piper Tried but he missed the mouse and gave up. Hopefully they'll eat at feeding time today. Ro was 349 Grams August 15th, She is now almost 600 Grams. Galen gets to go out in Public this Friday. I'm taking him to a place I go some Fridays  As a treat for the snake lovers, I've already warned everybody to be calm around him and try not to stress him out, because then I will not bring him again, But if all goes well I may take him with me again. A lot of people seem Excited, Which is great as I love spreading my knowledge and Love of Reptiles on to others.

Kokoro

Ro is the first snake I got, shes my Nearly adult Jungle Pastel, Shes Beautiful has been since Before I got her, But I noticed the other morning, That shes getting Lighter, and more Defined with each shed, Im going to try and get a brand new picture just after her next shed to show you all, (that may not be until mid -late October or early November.) But Im noticing that her Sides are getting Higher white, her Pattern is becoming more defined, She was all ready beautiful, but Im thinking that by the time shes large enough to breed, shes going to be stunning. Ill try and get a new picture of her just after she sheds and ill do a before (the day we got her) After (The Picture just after shes Shed) Post, just to show how much shes grown and such.  

Albus

I dont have many pictures of Albus either, But Albus is the 100% het Albino male we got along with Piper 

Piper

I Promised Pictures, i Dont have many of Piper quite yet But here is what ive got. Piper is the 100% Het Piebald male that we bought not too long ago. 

Edward (Barry) Archbold

Edward (Barry) Archbold


If you care to donate the Paypal Address is

eddiememorial@yahoo.com

Edward (Barry) Archbold passed away from a tragic accident.

"A 32-year-old man died after winning a midnight roach-eating contest at a Reptile Store in Florida. The grand prize was a female Ivory Ball python. He planned on giving it to his friend"

I personally did not know Eddie and many of you did not either. I am told Eddie was a very nice guy and his friends were everything to him. "He was the life of the Party" What happened was tragic and no one could have predicted what happened. It is difficult for the family as well as the reptile community.

Eddie left two Daughters behind. They could use our help.

I have spoken to his Sister, and Girlfriend Natasha Proffitt to start a Memorial Fund. The money will be going towards Eddie's Daughters College Fund.

If you care to donate the Paypal Address is eddiememorial@yahoo.com

Rest In Peace Eddie......

https://www.facebook.com/edward.w.barry

Joe Ellis Reptiles

(The Above was a Copy of a post Joe Ellis made on facebook)


He Died shortly after winning a contest at Ben Siegel's "Midnight madness" Sale on October Fifth, He did win the Ivory Ball python, that he had intended to give to a friend. I personally did not know him, but It is quite sad that he passed away just moments after doing something kind for a friend, I understand he was a great man, A wonderful person. I respect him, And extend a hand to his family and friends in respect. Rest in Peace Ed.

None of this was anybody's fault, So dont go looking for people to blame, Its just something that happened.  (The below post is a comment from TRP On a BSR Post on Facebook)

 I Support BSR Completely, and all the Business I have had with them has been good, They seem like Kind people, I Did not Know Eddie personally But Honestly i am Appalled at all the hatred and Cruel words, Those of you that knew him, My condolences He sounds like a great man. This was not BSR's fault, It was not any body's fault, it was just something that happened. there is not use in looking for somebody to blame, Be kind, and Let Eddie Rest in peace.

(The Following is Copied and pasted from the Ben Siegel Page)

We are all very sad at Ben Siegel reptiles about the passing of Eddie Barry (Archbold) We just met him the night of our sale but all liked him very much. He was outgoing and was fun and got the crowd very worked up and excited. We are sorry we will not get to know him better. We will keep everyone updated as we can. Please try to be respectful of Eddie's family as I am sure this is a very difficult time for them as well as everyone involved. Here is a release from our attorney.

My firm has been retained to represent Ben Siegel and his business as it relates to the tragic death of Eddie Archbold, apparently also known as Eddie Barry to some. This matter is still under investigation, so I have instructed Mr. Siegel and his staff to refrain from making any comments to the media or anyone else other than law enforcement. Some facts that have come out include the fact that all participants in the contest were entirely aware of what they were doing and that they signed thorough waivers accepting responsibility for their participation in this unique and unorthodox contest. The consumption of insects is widely accepted throughout the world, and the insects presented as part of the contest were taken from an inventory of insects that are safely and domestically raised in a controlled environment as food for reptiles. Once Mr. Archbold showed signs of distress, his companion represented that he had summoned emergency personnel and was going to immediately take him to the hospital. Moments later, Mr.Siegel made an independent call to 911 and Mr. Archbold was administered CPR. Mr. Siegel and his staff did all that anyone could to try and help Mr. Archbold, and they send out their deepest sympathy to the family. Any additional questions can be directed to my office.

Luke Lirot, Esq.
LAW OFFICES OF LUKE LIROT, P.A.
Florida Bar No. 714836
2240 Belleair Road., Suite 190
Clearwater, FL 33764

(end post.)

Again, My condolences to the friends and family of Eddie, He does sound like a great person. Rest in Peace.

Contacting Me

Okay, I am not the only one that is a part of TRP but I am the one who keeps up with the Blog and the pages. We have a Facebook page, and a twitter. Ill include links below. If you need something answered ASAP your best bet is the Facebook page. I check is at least three times a day. The Emails only get check once a day at the most. sometimes i space the emails and they don't get checked for a couple days. So If you want to ask/ say something and you want it seen very very soon. message the Facebook page.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tempest-Rose-Pythons/379875205413950?ref=hl

Twitter:https://twitter.com/TempestRPythons

Email: Use the contact Box at the bottom of the page, But if you cant get it to work, Our Email is: TempestRosePythons@Live.com

When Messaging the Facebook page, You can address it to Lily or TRP

E-Mails

Hello Everyone, I have decided I need to give you some information that will help me when I try to answer E-mails. If you send in an email asking about an animal be sure to include what breed of animal it is, not just species, Because A lot of snakes act vastly different. Somebody sent me an email asking about the snake he had just gotten, he included that this snake had bitten him, and that he wasnt sure when to feed the snake, But he didnt tell me what kind of snake it was, Now depending on the snakes breed the answers could be vastly different. I could have replied with anything from "Well Your Corn snake" to "Well your Python" because I did not know the breed of the snake in question. Im going to put a "Message" next showing an example of a very helpful e-mail.

"Hello, TRP I was wondering if you could answer some questions about Ball Pythons for me, I just got one at a local pet store, and I wanted to know if coiling around her head for hours if i tried to touch her was normal. Ive only had her for two days and would really like to know if she is sick or afraid, or if she is just going to do that every time i touch her. And I would also like to know what I should feed her and how often, Shes really little, only a foot or so long, and the pet store wasnt very helpful, my cousin, who has a Corn snake, told me to feed her little mice without fur, but i read somewhere that that was a bad idea. Awaiting your reply, Molly."

The above message is extremely helpful in telling the approximate size of the snake, and the breed in question. It also tells me that the snake was from a pet store, meaning that it was not handled very much at all and it would take a while to get used to people. so I would reply like this

"Hello Molly, I would be happy to answer your questions, Pet store snakes are not handled very much at all, give your new family member a few days to get used to its enclosure, and then start handling it for short periods of time every day, preferably in the evening just after the sun has gone down because Ball pythons are Nocturnal Meaning they are mostly active at night, I have seen a few rare cases where Ballies have adapted to be Diurnal but that doesn't happen often and can be bad for the snake. Ball Pythons are called such because they coil around their heads in a ball when they feel threatened, your snake is just scared shes not sick, and if she gets used to you, she wont do that every time you touch her. I cannot tell you what to feed her unless i know how big around her is, but I go by rule of size, don't feed your snake anything that is larger than just a bit bigger than its largest point around, if you can wrap your thumb and index finger around your snakes widest point and have them touch but not go any further, you're probably safe feeding your snake small rats if you can do the same at the rats haunches (Back legs) and have the same thing happen. Pinkies, Which are new born mice, are almost never fed to ball pythons, If your snake is small i suggest Hoppers, which are smaller than full grown mice, They are adolescent mice, they have a full coating of fur.  Never base your expectations of your Ball Python off of Corn Snakes, or any other snakes for that matter, All snakes are different. Even with in breed, if you take two Ball Pythons and compare them, im sure you'll see differences,   no two creatures are alike. If you want to send me a picture of your Snakes middle with your fingers around it, i will try and tell you what I suggest you feed to her. and smaller snakes usually eat twice a week, but once a week is fine too. Hope this helped, Lily from TRP."

Yes, My Name is Lily, and you are Welcome to use it when addressing an Email to me. So remember, when sending an Email through the "Contact Me" at the bottom, Include Breed of snake and if you can, Include Approximate Size or Weight Or even Age, and any thing else that may help me answer your question. Again, I will always answer emails, either personally or posted on this blog.

10/3 Updates

The Boys came in this afternoon, They are absolutely gorgeous We have named them Piper and Albus, As in Pied Piper, and Albino Albus (Dumbledore *cough*) Piper (The Het Pied) Is completely active, and very curios, I was mildly surprised at how tiny he is though, He will grow fast in my care Haha, Albus (the Het Albino) Has lovely stomach patterning, and he is almost Banded instead of having the normal side blotches. Pictures to follow within the week.

10/2 Updates

Well, Our snake count has risen once again, We got another male Het from Ben Siegel Reptiles, he is a 100% Het Albino. A lovely addition to our Snakes, He and the het pied will be here Wednesday.
that means we now have a Black Pastel, a Jungle Pastel, a Spider, a 100% Het Pied, and a 100% Het albino. I am hoping that in a few years when Farah (the black pastel) is breeding size, we will be able to breed the Het pied to her and that they will throw Pied. Thats about it on the updates so far, More to come later.

9/30 Updates

Well, We have a Twitter now.. Ill put a link below.
We also have a new addition to the family, He is a 100% Het Pied Male, Hes only a little one right now, but we are hoping that in a few years we can breed him to Farah and theyll throw Pied. Ill post pictures and Marking info as well as what we have decided to name him when we get in the next few days.
Im also considering making a Facebook page. Hopefully by next year we will have had our first clutch, but im not going to rush it. We are still planning on getting a Fully grown, proven female. Which will take out collection up to Five Ballies.

Ball Pythons and Kids

Okay, So I got a question from a couple I know not that long ago, and I've decided to answer it here, Their Son wants a Ball python, and so they came to me for help, They asked the normal questions, "How often do they eat" "How big do they get" "Are they aggressive" Etc. And then they asked me something that made me laugh. "If He forgets to handle it will it get sick" and my response was simple, No, these creatures are not Puppies, They can actually get stressed out if they are handled too much. So I'm going to answer their questions.

Q: How Big do they get
A: Ball Pythons Only get to be around 4 or 5 ft, and that's actually large, the Largest recorded ball python reached 6 1/2 Feet in length.

Q: How Often do they eat
A: That depends on size really, My four foot male refuses to eat more than once every three weeks. My Three Foot and One foot females both eat twice a week Wednesdays and Saturdays. You can feed a young ball python once a week and it will do fine, Infact (And im not supporting missing feeding times) You can forget to feed your snake for a week and it will do fine, Youll still have a healthy snake, it will just be a bit hungry.

Q:Are they aggressive:
A: Most Certainly not, sure you get the occasional 'Black Sheep' that will be a bit nippy, or anti-social But Ball Pythons are the Wussies of the snake world, most of them only bite as a last resort, They prefer to coil in a Ball around their heads (Hence the name Ball Python) and wait until theyre left alone. And Besides Most Ball pythons have rather small teeth and it doesnt hurt very much to be bitten, Kokoro has bitten me twice, (Shes one of the "Black Sheep" I was talking about) She bit my Pinkie finger once, and she managed to bite my face once. It honestly doesnt hurt as badly as you would think. If you get bitten what ever you do, never ever ever pull away from your snake if it latches onto you, You can rip out its teeth and cause severe injury, and even death to your snake

Q:How long do they live?
A: Well, if you get a Ball-y You better be ready for long term commitment, Ball Pythons can live 20 - 30 years, In fact the oldest recorded snake in captivity was a Ball python, it was over 48 years old when it passed away.

More Info: Ball Pythons are Native to Africa, Which means they (Like most reptiles) Like Warm climates, try to keep their enclosures around 80 degrees, and their Humidity at 60- 75 % Make sure its not too dry, or too humid because it can cause health problems for your snake, such as Respiratory infections, Belly rot, Scale rot, and more.

If you have any questions use the "Contact" box at the bottom of the page, I check my E-mail every day, and you will either get a personal reply, or ill post the answer to your question on the blog.

Added

I've added some things to the bottom of the page, a Contact box, and some ways to share my blog. Anything you send to me using the contact box will be replied to (if its a question) or at least seen by me. It requires an Email, So that I will be able to reply. I don't mind questions about reptiles, but keep in mind, I specialize in Ball pythons, Theyre what I know the most about. So if you send me a question about Crested Geckos(Example), I probably wont be able to answer very well.

Update

Lately ive been noticing that Galen has thin scales, So, im going to start adding minerals to his water, Though im also a bit worried that he may have a respiratory infection, Im going to keep tabs on him for the next few days and see, im hoping its just that he is shedding and nothing more serious. Updates by  next week on that.

On another note, Anyone who is interested in Snakes and other reptiles, May I suggest you check out Repticon.com They hold Reptile conventions in several states across the USA. I will probably be taking Galen and Farah to the one in Columbia in November (3&4) Any reader (Though i know i havent got many) around that area who would like to meet Galen or Farah, If you see us wandering the Isles feel free to stop me. Farah Loves attention and Galen is my gentle giant ( I say Giant because he is nearly four and a half feet long, making him the largest snake i currently own), but make sure you ask politely before touching either of them, There is only so much touching from strangers that a snake can take without becoming too stressed.

Galen

So, it has come to my attention that I haven't given much information on Galen, The Snake shown in pictures in a previous post titled "Drinking". Galen is a Four year old Spider Morph, Hes a little over Four Feet long, which is about as long as hes going to get. He is my Only Male, And he has a Flower marking (Shaped like a Hibiscus) On his head, His name means Calm in Greek. he Eats one Medium/ Large Rat Every Three Weeks, And hes extremely picky. But he is also the Sweetest snake I have ever owned, a few days after i brought him home I began handling him, and my brother ( Who was about one and a half at the time) Decided he wanted to pet the snake, he ran up and Galen, who was exploring, stopped moving, My brother reached out toward Galen and I expected him to strike, but he simply sat still until Konnor had gone away, Anyone who has owned snakes knows that most snakes probably would have struck out at Konnor If he had jumped out at them and then moved too quickly reaching toward their heads, But Galen simply stayed calm, and began exploring again once Konnor was gone. Because of Galen Many of my friends, Who previously did not like snakes will now hold and even pet him, he is my Miracle. And I love him dearly.

Breeding

So, I've had people ask about my breeding and such so I`m going to explain.

I am Breeding Just Ball Pythons at the moment, No other Breeds of Snakes, And I don't have any Lizards, though I hope to Breed Green Tree pythons in the future. I Do not have a Breeding Female at the Current moment, So There are no hatchlings for sale, By next year, maybe even sooner I will have a Female that's Mature enough to Safely Breed. Yes I have three Snakes, Two Females and one Male, The Male is a fully mature proven breeder, Currently I am hoping to breed for Bees And Eventually Maybe even create my own morph. Yes, I am quite young to be a breeder (15), But I know what im doing, and Genetics, Veterinary sciences and the like, are my life. When I want to learn or do somthing, I throw myself into research, and even after ive got a good idea of how to do it I dont stop, I keep asking questions, Reading up on it and such. I bought two snakes in July While I was at Repticon, From Fred Lloyd at Fckreptiles ( the male Spider) and Tim & Susan Koppenhofer at Special K Reptiles ( The Female black Pastel) They Were extremely Helpful and Im glad that I had a chance to talk with them about what they do, If you are interested in Ball pythons, I would suggest checking out their Web pages for information Ill include links below.

if anybody has a Concern or Question about my Snakes, or Ball Pythons in Particular feel free to ask.


http://fckreptiles.com/
http://specialkreptiles.com/Home_Page.php

Drinking

 So, This Morning I witnessed something that doesn't happen a lot with ball pythons, Galen Decided he was thirsty, Its Lovely to see a Snake Drink, Most snakes get their moisture from their food (mice, Rats, Etc.) So you don't see them drinking water a lot, normally because when they do drink, Its at night. I Actually Managed to get a picture which is Below, along with a Full picture of him that I borrowed from the people I bought him from ( http://www.fckreptiles.com/main/index.php/collection/122-spider )

So.

So, Its Been A while Since I posted, The Snakes are doing Great, And I'm hoping for a new addition to the family soon, As you all know I'm going to be Breeding these Beautiful creatures, And I've got a Male, and Two Females, Well, I'm hoping that by this November I will have added another Female to the Group, And I'm hoping she will be a fully grown Proven Breeder. As Some of you know, My Snakes are my life, I consider them just as much family as I consider my mother, They're my Babies, And I love them to death, a lot of people are asking "But if you're using them for breeding, doesn't that mean that they're just a profit to you? You don't actually love them, You're using them for your own selfish means", and my reply to that is; No, I Love My Ball Pythons with every part of my soul, These Snakes mean the world to me and more, yes, I'm breeding them, But no that doesn't mean that I don't care about them, I'm breeding them, because My Family has lived in borderline poverty for years, In a city We hate, and a state we hate even more, If I can manage to make some money to get my mum out of this place and make her happy, then I'm going to do it, My family is my top priority, reptile or human, or four legged fur-creature, They're all my family; So yes I'm breeding these Snakes, Because I'm breeding them, if anything, I love them more. So Calm down.

The Snakes

This is Farah Shes only a few months old, shes a Black Pastel Female, Shes got A Pattern that Looks like a signature near the base of her tail, and she carrys the Pied Gene

This is Kokoro (Ro) Shes a Pastel, and Shes got heart shaped markings all over her, and a dimond at the base of her head. Shes about two years old and hopefully will be ready to breed in the near future.