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Snake love is definitely in the air in my house LOL Corn Snakes have already bred, Sunny my Lemon Pastel Ball Python is with Tipr my normal and Chewy and Jade are together. I swore I wouldn't breed anymore snakes because I hate parting with the babies but there is something so magical about bringing baby snakes into the world and that's what they do in a wild environment so no reason to deprive them of doing what nature has equipped them to do in a captive environment as long as you are dedicated to caring for them and finding the babies good homes :) I apologize for not posting videos lately but as you can see I've been VERY busy here at home with all my awesome scaled friends :o)

Of all the snakes I've raised Faide my big Dumeril's Ground Boa is the ONLY snake of mine that refuses to share his human friends with my cat so I have to close my 21 year old cat Deffer up in another room when Faide comes out he won't even allow my cat on my daybed so for safety precautions I don't expose to the two to each other. Faide has struck with a closed mouth several times to warn my cat to back away but has never struck with an open mouth but a warning can easily turn into an attack. Don't ever under estimate your snakes ability to think and reason things out they may often surprise you with their perception :)

All snakes have individual personalities and temperaments and they are all different from each other and snakes are and can be actually VERY entertaining and they do some of the funniest things ever. Most snakes definitely have their own likes and dislikes :)
Music from youtube audio library
Song Title: Dog And Pony SHow

People are so wrong about snakes they don't just tolerate people they enjoy human companionship !! People that raise snakes and really believe snakes don't enjoy having human interaction have no right to be keeping snakes (With the exception of breeders) because if you feel that way your snakes aren't getting a great quality of life !!!

For many years I've had church an d school groups and their parents visit my home to meet my snakes and learn about them and it's the greatest feeling in the world when people realize that snakes have no malicious intent and they touch one for the first time and their face lights up with such a big proud smile :)
These two visitors have been stopping by for awhile but the lady in the video was terrified of snakes her first visit and now she adores them.
It's amazing how many people actually associate snakes with evil because of their reputation for representing Satan in the Garden Of Eden and it's such a sigh of relief for people to see that snakes are really very awesome and cool animals.
I had planned to post this video earlier but was sick for two months with a respiratory infection and sadly enough Deffer my cat in this video passed away last week from kidney failure so I especially wanted to share this video in her behalf !

This video contains general information and things people really should consider before getting a snake to raise to insure the longevity of the snakes life and to make keeping a snake a pleasant experience for you as well ;)
It's not as important for you to look at things form your point of view as important as it is to learn about your snakes and understand why they have problems and do what they do and why you should consider things from your snakes point of view :)

Grumpy is VERY protective of his mate Nosey and he will strike at me and try to bite me if I try to help her with her sheds and that's why using the hook was necessary to put him in check and it's harmless and not harassment but to insure my own safety !! There is nobody that knows your snakes as well as you do !!
If you click on the bell symbol next to the video title on the right side under each video and check off the box under it you will be notified when someone is uploading each new video so it's easier to keep track of the new videos being posted on the channels that you are subscribed to :o)
Hook training is VERY important when raising snakes and it's not about the hook but about the message that you are relaying to your snakes !! I have big professional hooks but seldom feel there is a reason to use them as all of my snakes have been hook trained since they were babies. I usually use a twisted wire clothes hanger wrapped in vinyl tape to protect my snakes teeth in the event they strike at my hook.
A hook tells the snake that you aren't offering food you are reaching into it's enclosure and to back off and away from me and hook training prevents a LOT of bites to a handler !!
It's not about the hook but about the statement you are making to your snakes ! It tells the snake that you don't intimidate me and I still have control over your behavior and I expect respect from you !! It's harmless to the snake but it's great to maintain that control and safe distance between you and your snake when necessary.
You are responsible for your snakes health and safety as well as your own and hook training is a great way to insure both especially when working with BIG Constrictors !!

I love this time of the year when I can start taking my snakes back outdoors for some exercise and activities and the opportunity to express themselves and live like snakes should be able to live to have every opportunity to enhance their senses :)
Sunny was the first one out this time around and many of my snakes are getting ready to shed but they will get to go out after their sheds and after having eaten a meal,
Two great friends channels that are awesome with their snakes and have some gorgeous snakes so please check them out and subscribe to their channels !!
https://www.youtube.com/user/Michaelt...

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFM1...

Mutual Trust, Respect And Understanding ! So looking forward to taking my scaled friends back outdoors soon this was filmed the end of this past summer with Mr. Chewy :) My intentions this spring and summer are dedicated to showing people that snakes do in fact have a close friendship relationship with people through my videos. The snake in this video was close to shedding so this also shows you that snakes that have learned to trust their handler don't get insecure or agitated with being handled while in pre-shed.
Music Credit: Youtube Audio Library
Song Title: Alternate

Observation is the key to working with your snakes and to improving their quality of life as well as your own !! Why take unnecessary risk when you don't need to and why create a stressful situation if it's not necessary?
The snake in this video is Jade my female and yes she still has a small piece of stuck shed under her bottom jaw that she refused to let me remove LOL
Dennis came in (My male friend/companion) and distracted Jade so she had to stop and make sure she knew who the guy was that was standing by her enclosure watching her eat ROFL

Every year I hang blinking Christmas lights for my snakes and they spend countless hours staring at them and watching them :) It's amazing how the smallest of things are so entertaining to snakes and I just bought new lights this year so needless to say my snakes have no concerns except for staring at their pretty lights LOL

The quality of time you invest with your snakes has everything to do with the development of their temperament and personality and being naturally curious animals it's important that you give them the opportunity to be a part of your daily lives so they are comfortable with everything going on around them !! This is an older video I never posted but decided to because people need to see how calm and social big constictors can be with interaction from their handler. These two snakes are currently almost 14 feet long each and weigh 100+ pounds each and because of the time I've invested raising them they are VERY social people friendly animals.Music from the Yutube Audio Library Song Title: Alot For A Light

Mark the photographer that came to visit me for a special in a big local newspaper 2 years ago and (Now Attending Colgate College) called me yesterday and is coming in today or tomorrow for a photo shoot of myself and my snakes for the science department and for his own personal portfolio at Colgate College I am so stoked about this one !!!!! Mark holds a degree in fine arts and sciences :)
A great step forward for snake education and some big shoes to try to follow into Harry Greene (Field Biology And Snake Education) at Cornell University's Video !!A BIG name in snake education through the years and Rattlesnake Conservation !!! All together 2 hours of continious photo shooting for a total of at least 600 pictures and I will get copies in a few weeks of all the professional photos. There are no boundaries when it comes to doing snake education as long as you do it properly and with a positive attitude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11ycJ...
http://www.uticaod.com/article/201410...

This past week has been a very tough week for myself and my snakes and the details are in the video but I wanted to let everyone know why my cat won't be in my videos any longer she died from kidney failure Friday at the age of 21 years. Such beautiful memories of her friendship with my snakes and they are having to adjust to losing their best friend as well :( Her last few days before she died she still tried to show my snakes affection and they never rejected her attention. The cat got up several times each night and went to each snakes enclosure and stood up to check on them and if something concerned her she would get back up into my bed and harass me until I got up and went to check on all of my snakes. It breaks my heart to see them searching all over my house now for their friend :(
I always told people NEVER force uncommon species of animals together that kind of relationship has to be their choice out of trust and my cat, Deffer and my snakes NEVER had a bad day between them in all the years that they were friends.

4 days and nights without power I slept very little looking out for my snakes and I'm totally spent and exhausted but my snakes are doing fine and we do have partial power back :)
It's so important to plan ahead and have an evacuation plan when things catch you by surprise and you have snakes to be responsible for and you have to make sure you are able to provide for their needs in any emergency and I can't stress the importance of that enough to others that keep snakes !!

Going to be such a bummer :( Chewy has spent 3 weeks priming for his shed and I was up til 3 in the morning watching him and filming his shed and unfortunately he has no idea that his friend Deffer, the cat is no longer with us. Chewy was her constant companion and they spent all their time hanging out together when he was out. After a couple of days rest I will take him out and he will realize his friend is gone and that's going to be sad for me :(

My life is dedicated to giving all of my snakes a great quality of life even when it involves my own personal sacrifices :)
song from youtube audio library title: yes you can !!

Many people don't realize that snakes just like people have good days and bad days and there are many things that influence the way they react to people. For snakes to display anger and aggression and to be able to change their moods and temperaments and personalities they must have a sense of feelings and emotions just as a humans emotions determine the mood they are in :)

Articles on memory in snakes: first some experiences of snake keepers: http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums... and a scientific article: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10... would love to see a ton of more recent research being done on snakes to dismiss the lies and myths and misconceptions about them !! Through my 55 years of raising snakes I've witnessed so many different behaviors that dismiss most all of those lies and misconceptions about snakes personalities, temperaments and their ability to adapt to their environment and become exceptionally social animals and they learn to bond and trust and stop being defensive or aggressive animals. I know for a fact that snakes are very forgiving creatures and that's because when they bite someone it's never personal but merely an instinctual response. I have witnessed my snakes pout and retreat when they did strike at me or bite me in the past as well I've seen them get angry and stressed out and react with anger and aggressive behavior but I will continue to believe that these reactions are not all based on instinct but based on their perception and mental response to certain stimuli.