My Oldest Pet

[peterjohnson64]

I have had my Diamond Python for over 9 years now. It's funny that a pet is like a wife. Sometimes you just forget how beautiful they are. I actually got her before the amnesty and was told her parents were a diamond & a carpet.

I fed her a rat today and noticed that she was a good looking snake (to me anyway, I know I am biased).

I have raised her since a hatchling and she has lived most of her life outside enduring days as hot as 44 degrees and nights as cold as -4.5 degrees (Yes, these are the actual hottest & coldest days in 9 years - it doesn't always get like that). I have never bought her in for winters and never provided artificial heat. Only recently was I advised not to feed her wild food so her diet of Indian Mynahs, Starlings and local rats has only just stopped. She's like the person who drinks and smokes & lives to 90.

I had actually sold her a few months ago for $250 but the guy never turned up. I am kind of happy about that now.

I bought her inside recently and she got mites. I cleared them up so out she went again. Much easier.

 

[peterjohnson64]

Oops, posted same pic twice. Please delete one of them Lily.

 

[ScottBec]

great to see that the big girls loving the weather, her food and the extreams, natures doing alright hey!?!

 

[zen]

She's a beautiful looking snake Peter.

It's hard to see any Carpet in her.
Do you know what subspecies of Carpet she was a hybrid of?
I'm guessing it was a mcdowelli, with the mid body lateral striping she displays.

Thanks for sharing the pics & her story.


P.S - Thanks for helping reduce the population of pests.
Did you ever have problems with worms/parasites :?:
Was she wormed regularly?

 

[Dragon-Drew]

How big is she if she is now 9 years old and how often have you been feeding her

 

[peterjohnson64]

Hey Drew, I have always fed her when I felt like it or when I found a mynah bird in the fire palce. She is about 7 feet long. I dont even know for sure that she is a she. Its just that I recently got a male and they are very friendly. But they could be gay, I don't know.

But with the feeding, I have never overfed her. She would rarely get more than a feed each fortnight.

 

[reptililian]

She is beautiful! What's her name? I can't believe you were going to sell her!

 

[peterjohnson64]

Her name is "Serp" Lily. she is a snappy little buggar. some guy posted a "wanted to buy" and so I responded.

 

[Dicco]

I can see the Carpet in her, she's very blotched and has a lateral stripe, and her head reminds me of a carper.

 

[FAY]

What a lovely story Peter, I just can't imagine how you would of ever even thought of selling her/him!
I have a beautiful diamond named Cleopatra, she is only about four but I just love her sooo much!
I would sell every reptile we own (and we have many) before I would ever even think about selling her!

 

[pugsly]

She is a beauty whatever she is!

"She's like the person who drinks and smokes & lives to 90."

PMSL

 

[Hickson]

$250.00???

I'll buy her for that price!!!!!



Hix

 

[Guest]

Why not somewhere else for that price Hix????

 

[Hickson]

Thanks Sherm!

It's late, some spelling errors are bound to creep in!



Hix

 

[BROWNS]

Didn't think you'd go for purchasing a crossbreed Hix?

 

[Hickson]

Not 100% certain it is an intergrade, but that's beside the point. It's a gorgeous snake, and $250 is a bargain - you've got to agree with that! If there's even a possiblilty of it being an intergrade, then obviously I wouldn't be breeding from it - but that doesn't mean I can't own something attractive.

Truth be known, one of the birds I would love to get is a King Parrot/Redwing Parrot hybrid - a male - which are absolutely spectacular.



Hix

 

[peterjohnson64]

Hay Hixey,

As you can see, I have been running around with reptiles for many years. But as NSW has never allowed advertising I didn't know about prices and breeders etc. I only had a few mates. I eventually found these internet forums and that has let me learn heaps more about the hobby. I have learned 10 times as much in the last 4 months than I learned in 20 years of keeping reptiles.

So when I agreed to sell my snake for $250 I had no ieda whether that was a good price or a bad price. I bough ti ti for $50 so I was happy enough. You may remember that I once posted a thread on a reptile price list. That is the reason I did this. Oh, BTW I have since registered www.aissiepetprices.com and I have a programmer writing the site for me next month. It will be a totally free database of advertised prices.

Anyway, that all said, clearly my snake is no longer for sale. And who would want a 9 year old anyway? Surely she is on her last legs? Although some has said they will live to 20? who knows? Serpentongue or peterrescue I guess.

Oh, btw, if it is not an intergrade the it's father snuck in under cover of darkness and snuck out again. But it's possibly a diamond/high diamond intergrade cross. No guarantees that the carpet part was full carpet.

 

[yommy]

For that age Pete she has held her colours extremely well and is one of the nicest i've seen for that age and size. My origianal diamond i left in the care of my uncle when i joined the job market and had to move interstate of so many years ago (14-15yrs) is still going strong but has faded to almost black and the rossetts are hard to make out now. Diamonds are like a good wine with their personalities as they mature with age.

 

[steve6610]

hi peter,
you sure she's not for sale, i'll give you $250.00 plus pay the freight, lol, i'd love it in my collection if it was a male, i have a very nice intergrade female just waiting for a male, lol,
i'm no expert, but my guess is that you are about right with the breeding,
diamond/intergrade cross, still a ripper snake,

cheers,
steve.......

 

[Bakes]

as they mature with age.

Really yommy :lol: :lol:

I know what you mean mate :wink: :lol: :lol:

Very wet here mate. Storms every night since chrissy. None of the boys on shift have seen any snakes so I think they are high and dry somewhere. I've finished Bobs' hide and will post a pic soon.