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Well, been putting it off long enough......

Kat said:
Don't play with the sunkisseds much? ;)

-Kat
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It must be my gentle touch and kindly personality, but I don't have much of a problem with them...... ;) Don't get me wrong, they are rather high strung, but much of it is just bluff. Once they get used to the idea that those big critters bring them food, they forget about being irritated over your presence.
 
I dunno... I had one that would strike at me repeatedly through the cage (no matter how many times he bonked his nose), and would bite and latch on if I stuck my hand in there. Had to wear gloves around him.

He's someone else's problem now. ;)

-Kat
 
very excited to see what you come out with this year rich...it may be a small plus for all the work you put in, but lordy is it an amazing positive. You make historic leaps in this hobby every year. Care to give any clues on interesting pairings? Best of luck :)
 
jzal8 said:
Care to give any clues on interesting pairings?
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Heck, I don't even know. I have to set up cards on all the animals that graduated from "future breeders" in the front room to the breeders room this past fall to be brumated. All I have on the cages are ID numbers, so I don't even know the genetics of them till I consult with my cheat sheet.

Hell of a way to run an airline, I know, but it seems to be working fairly well so far.
 
Rich Z said:
Heck, I don't even know. I have to set up cards on all the animals that graduated from "future breeders" in the front room to the breeders room this past fall to be brumated. All I have on the cages are ID numbers, so I don't even know the genetics of them till I consult with my cheat sheet.

Hell of a way to run an airline, I know, but it seems to be working fairly well so far.
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Ever considering a computer database linked up with the id numbers on the deli cups and cages?
 
I actually wrote a bunch of programs years ago using a database language. The major drawback in any such program is raw data entry. Someone has to take the time to key in all those records. Consequently, I have not done a complete inventory and database update since, oh, around 1995. :eek1:
 
Rich Z said:
I actually wrote a bunch of programs years ago using a database language. The major drawback in any such program is raw data entry. Someone has to take the time to key in all those records. Consequently, I have not done a complete inventory and database update since, oh, around 1995. :eek1:
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Well, how bad can that really be? I mean, sure, the first entry would be brutal---I bet you've got close to what, 1000 breeders and future breeders around, but how many snakes do you really hold back every year?
 
Joejr14 said:
Well, how bad can that really be? I mean, sure, the first entry would be brutal---I bet you've got close to what, 1000 breeders and future breeders around, but how many snakes do you really hold back every year?
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Not bad for the average person with a 40 hour a week job. Besides the snake work load, I'm sure Fauna Classifieds leaves him running from his computer very often. I know if I had to maintain both these sites I'd be putting of data entry as well. It would be enough to drive a person mad. :grin01:
 
Joejr14 said:
Well, how bad can that really be? I mean, sure, the first entry would be brutal---I bet you've got close to what, 1000 breeders and future breeders around, but how many snakes do you really hold back every year?
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Joe, trust me when I say that you really have no idea how many things don't get done on a daily basis because of lack of time. And to be quite honest, sometimes I just get darn tired of doing things I HAVE to do and make time to do things I WANT to do. I have lived through the last 10 years without doing an inventory and updating those records without any ill effects. So maybe that pursuit is just not all that necessary for my well being. Spending time to key in those records will take time I should be, or would like to be, doing something else more important to me.
 
I'm sure there's plenty that doesn't get done just because of lack of time. I can imagine.

Do you not think some other system would be easier and cost less headaches for you in the immediate future? I've got to think a computer database where you could search by phenotypes/genotypes would be easier than checking cards to see hets for the breeders and pulling a cheat sheet for the first timers.

I'm sure you could tempt someone to input all of that data for a corn or two.

I get confused thinking about pairings next year for 10 or so snakes, I can't even imagine trying to work out a few hundred pairs. I guess no matter what system you do, right after hatchlings start coming out you're kicking yourself for at least a few snakes thinking 'why didn't I pair this one up with that one'.

I certainly don't envy your workload during that time.
 
Realistically, with the number of projects I have ongoing, as well as the number of jokers popping out of the deck each year, it really doesn't matter at all that I miss a few here and there.

It used to bother me when I would accidentally sell off adults that I should have kept for a few more breeding seasons because of some oddball coming from them. But not any longer, or at least not as much as it used to. Even trying to be as cutthroat as possible picking and choosing the keepers every year, I still wind up with between 200 and 300 of them. Which is absolutely insane. I have so many shoe boxes holding future breeders right now that I am doubtful I will have enough vacant containers to hold all of the clutches of eggs this season. And I certainly have a limited number of cages available for breeders, so things are going to get to be a problem real soon.

Records? I've got bigger problems to address then keeping those kinds of records at this stage. :crazy02:
 
You could number them in a way that would let you know what they are, more or less, just by looking at the numbers. Anything starting with a 1 is a normal, 2 is okeettee, 3 is miami, etc. The second (any maybe third) digits could represent traits, hidden traits, or possible hets. Anything starting with 32 would be a hypo miami, for instance. 323 might be a hypo miami 100% het amel. You could label whole clutches this way. I'm not trying to tell anyone else what to do with his or her snakes, just offering a suggestion that could possibly save time with most snakes (those without super-complicated genetics.) I realize you'd probably still have to keep breeding records/pedigrees to make breeding decisions with, but you might be able to narrow things down a lot before consulting those records when it's time to breed them, if you know everything except the specific bloodlines by looking at the number.
 
I actually considered something like that years ago, but decided it would become nonfunctional pretty quickly. Too many babies hatching out are pretty much undefined, so many locations on the ID number would have to be question marks. Just look at the mess with the various Hypomelanistic strains today? And it's going to get MUCH worse then that each year.

Not to mention that I believe that reserving a single digit for a genetic trait will be very near sighted and probably obsolete even now.

Plus I print out all of my ID numbers prior to hatching every year, just so I can be certain I don't put a duplicate ID on two snakes. This would be extremely difficult to do with a complicated structure for the ID.

Darn shame we can't control the genetics enough so that the snake's pattern exhibited a bar code for the genes it is carrying..... :)
 
Rich Z said:
This would be extremely difficult to do with a complicated structure for the ID.
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Maybe you could keep filing them your normal way, but manually (with a pen) add a few extra digits, as a code, when snakes are bred. Then you'd have to copy this code onto labels when the eggs are hatched and the hatchlings are separated. You could also use letters of the alphabet, if 0-9 is not enough digits to work with.

For example:

1234-MH3

1234 is really the snake's "number." There would only be one snake with 1234 as it's #, and everything else (MH3) is just a really short description and written on by hand. You'd be able to figure out it's an MH3 by looking at record #1234, based on the parents and other more specific info. But you'd know already because it's part of the label.

As far as something that 'might be' a hypo or whatever, you could make up a code for that, to indicate uncertainty. When you figure out what it is, you can change the coding on the label without having to mess with the actual record.

I understand it won't work if coding the labels by hand is too much trouble.
 
Rich Z said:
Darn shame we can't control the genetics enough so that the snake's pattern exhibited a bar code for the genes it is carrying..... :)
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I say give it 10 years, by then I'm sure you could inject the eggs with a bit of genetic matter and voila! Instant morph of any kind!!
 
Dman, I'd love to do any work possible for you.. even paper work that could be faxed or something for a female corn of any kind..... drools, I marvel you and long for the day that I am retired and have 500 hatchlings from my corn/BRB collection... hahahahaha, those'll be the days, but im a good 50 or so years from that :shrugs: seriously though, if thers anything a miami boy could do for you, just give him a call (or email in this case)
 
Kat said:
I dunno... I had one that would strike at me repeatedly through the cage (no matter how many times he bonked his nose), and would bite and latch on if I stuck my hand in there. Had to wear gloves around him.

He's someone else's problem now. ;)

-Kat
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He has never struck at me even once. He is a little flighty when I change his cage, but he hasn't struck at that time either. Perhaps he could smell your fear, or just doesn’t like “Kats“.
 
Huh. Dunno... Chuck said Oppy was pretty unfriendly towards him too (I had him snake-sit once, back when he lived in state). Maybe Fed Ex knocked some sense into the snake. :shrug:

-Kat
 
Maybe I should have delayed bringing them all out of brumation for another month. Having some REAL problems finding help this year. Lots of 12 year old kids applying, though........... But one requirement is that applicants must have their own wheels to get here.

Had several people schedule interviews and never showed up. Had one guy hired supposed to show up last night, who never showed up and didn't call.

We do have one new guy started, so hopefully he will work out. He seemed to pick up some speed once he got his first bite behind him. He was apprehensive at first, but once he realized it is really nothing to worry about, then he wasn't quite so worried about avoiding being bit at all costs.

Oh well. It's not brain surgery, but it is rather tough to find people capable and willing to do this kind of work. Especially living out here in the sticks.

One thing for certain, though, by this time next year, I am definitely going to need to reduce my dependency for having so many workers around.
 
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