Strider - '12 Blizzard Progression Thread

[rocketshipwalker]

Hello all!
Since I've had Strider for a bit over a week, I thought I'd start a progression thread for him.
He's a 2012 Blizzard that was hatched on July 24th.

^That was the day I got him. The 15th of December.

^This was a day or so after. It was the first time I saw him in his hide.

^This was the first time I caught him on the cool side of the tank.

^He was out exploring one night, so I got a cute picture of his face.

^The first time I caught him in his plants.

^I wasn't sure if he'd ever go in the hammock, but he loves it!

^A week after I got him! My first time holding him at home. He hissed and tried to strike at me when I reached in to get him. He was trying to act so ferocious. It was adorable. He calmed down really fast once I got him in my hands.

^My first time feeding him! I fed him Sunday night. Can anyone tell me if that pinky is a good size for him? He ate it like a champ.

^A closer, but grainier picture of him eating.

Thanks for looking! Sorry about the crappy cell phone pictures. I plan on getting some actual camera pictures soon.
I'll be updating this thread periodically.

 

[Skully23]

Cool! I've been keeping my eye on a blizzard hatchling. Might have a new addition next year.
-Skully-

 

[Christen]

He is adorable! Yes pinky is the perfect size for him right now. He might even be able to go up to double pinks. Does the pink leave much of a bump in his belly?

 

[rocketshipwalker]

He had a little bulge after eating his pinkie. I don't really have much to compare it to though as he is my first snake.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Strider was being very funny today.
I went to peek in on him this morning and I could not find him anywhere!
I had assumed he was buried in the aspen, but I was wrong.
He had managed to curl up in the eye part of the Iron Man mask I have as a hide for him.

Also, when I was doing my time of daily Strider holding, I went to take a picture of me holding him. He moved right when the camera went off.
Needless to say, I think Strider makes a fantastic mustache!

 

[rocketshipwalker]

I got some more pictures today!

^I thought it was cute. He kept going in and out of the eye holes.

^Today was the second time I've fed him! He ate this one pretty quickly as well, except he ate it backwards! Is that normal?

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Does anyone know how to tell if a Blizzard will have lots of yellow and extremely visible patterns?
I've seen some Blizzard progression photos where you can clearly see the pattern on the hatchling, and those tend to look like they have more yellow as adults.
When I look at Strider, I have to look extremely closely and he has to be extremely still for me to see any sort of pattern.
Does this mean his pattern won't be very visible and he won't have very much, if any, yellow?
I've seen some pictures of adult Blizzards that are almost all white. Do you think he'll maybe end up like them?
I'm just curious.

 

[HermesMom]

Great pics! One of my corns has one of those hammocks and loves it too. Strider is absolutely adorable.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Thanks!
I saw a picture of a snake curled up in a hammock and I new I needed to get one!
I'm glad he uses it. It's extremely adorable when he's in it.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Ohh, I finally found a digital food scale in my budget. So, as soon as it comes in, I'm going to weigh him and see where he's at on the Munson plan.
He's been eating his pinkies very quickly, so I think he might be ready for two and I wanted to check the Munson plan just to see.

 

[cuideag]

A rad snake with an extra rad hidey hole! I dig the Iron Man mask, what a great way to reuse things like that. :>

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Thanks!
I saw that mask in the store a few months before I got Strider and I thought it'd make an awesome hide.
That was before I even knew if I was for sure getting a snake or not.
I think at that point, I was just using my 'future' snake as an excuse to buy the mask.
Why else would a twenty year old woman buy a children's toy? Haha

 

[Skully23]

Does anyone know how to tell if a Blizzard will have lots of yellow and extremely visible patterns?
I've seen some Blizzard progression photos where you can clearly see the pattern on the hatchling, and those tend to look like they have more yellow as adults.
When I look at Strider, I have to look extremely closely and he has to be extremely still for me to see any sort of pattern.
Does this mean his pattern won't be very visible and he won't have very much, if any, yellow?
I've seen some pictures of adult Blizzards that are almost all white. Do you think he'll maybe end up like them?
I'm just curious.

Blizzards become white as adults. Maybe you are seeing Snow hatchlings. Snows generally have patterns as hatchlings and grow out to be yellow and white corns. Snows also vary in color as adults.

He should end up all white, it's a blizzard. Also, yes sometimes they eat backwards, no harm.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Fun Strider fact of the day!
He bit my friend!
This is the first time he's ever bit anyone. Her brother has had snakes before and she wanted to be the one to pick him up out of his cage.
He hissed at me once, but never bit me!
After we got him out and I was looking at him, I think he might be going into a shed.
It's really hard to tell with his coloring, but his coloring and his eyes do look a bit duller and he hasn't shed since I got him.
If he is about to go into a shed, that would explain the nasty attitude he had today, right?
He was hissing and rattling up a storm. And then there was the bite on my friend.
So, since there is the possibility that he's going into shed, I kept the handling session extremely short. Just long enough for my friend to get a good look at his adorable self because she hadn't seen him before.

 

[Skully23]

Usually change in attitude and appearance is signs of shed so it's possible.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

So, I guess I was wrong before. I think he might have just been in a bad mood. No signs of shedding here! I think he just didn't like my friend.
He's been a little angel for me. Haha
Here's some new pictures!

^I was holding him while I was watching something on my laptop. I guess he wanted a better view! Haha

^Strider's face while he eats is adorable. I've just bumped him up to two pinkies. I was a little nervous about it so I got him to medium sized pinkies to see how well he'd eat two first.
Since he ate them just fine, I guess I'll give him two of the larger pinkies next Sunday.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Strider is in blue today!
I'm so excited!
This will be the first time he's shed in my care.

Also, I have a video!
This was from last Sunday during feeding time.
Since he's on two pinks, I only recorded some of the first pinkie.
I don't think he like being filmed while he was eating. He kept trying to face a different way. Haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPzkGulOfkE

 

[chris68]

Lol first snakes are fun, whether or not they bite your friends

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Strider had his first shed in my care on January 30th.
It was all in one glorious long piece!
It was quite a relief. I'm glad I now know that the humidity is fine.

I got him out today to weigh him and such.
He weighs 24 grams now!
When I measured him last week, he was only 19 grams!
He's getting so big!

When I looked at him closely, I could see really pale yellow lines on him. I'm curious to see how that will develop.
I'm going to try to take some good and not blurry pictures of him this weekend.

 

[rocketshipwalker]

Hello, all!
I haven't updated this in a while.
I just thought I'd stop by to say that Strider is doing amazing.
He weighs a whole 63grams now!
I'm going to start giving him hoppers as soon as my local pet shop gets them in.
He's had three whole complete sheds for me as well.