New Addition: Porthidium lansbergi hutmanni

On the way back for a recent trip to Arizona, I picked up something new along the way. I've been wanting to start up my own Porthidium collection for some time and never thought I'd have the chance to get an Isle Margarita specimen! Well, its a hell of a way to start my Porthidium collection. I picked the little guy up in Houston, Texas as we were on our final days of traveling.

The individual now lives in a small sweater box that has locking clamps on either side ($1.99 at Target, I love these small things). I'm keeping him on a mix of cypress mulch and orchard moss (avaible at Lowe's Hardware for about $4 a small bag). Along with the substrate he is has two small shallow water dishes and is misted once daily. Usually on days when I fed I mist him about 30 minutes before feeding and heavier than on other days, seems to put him into a feeding mode. He quickly goes into a feeding response when food is offered, striking rapidly. It takes a few hits until he finally holds onto the prey. As of now he is eating pinky parts (mainly snouts).

Porthidium lansbergi hutmanni

Isla Margarita Hognosed Viper. CB 2009.

A quick trip down south

Recently I joined Kevin Messenger on a quick trip down to some old familiar stomping grounds down in South Carolina. Quick into our trip Kevin and I stumbled Cottonmouth crossing a dirt stretch of road near Kevins old study site. After a few photographs, the snake was saftely moved off the road. Sunset soon found us and the game began. The moon was not in our favor of producing a high quantity of snakes this night, but fate was not far away. Within an hour of sunset we drove right up on a Carolina Pigmy, soaking up warmth on a quite paved patch of road winding through some of the best long leaf sandhills habitat left in the state. It was a rather contrastly individual for this locale, but nothing phemnomenal, except it was the first pigmy of the year for both of us.

Further down the road we met up with Matt Nordgren who had just seen a scarlet snake, which he bagged for us to photograph. A little while later after unsuccessfully finding anything else we met up with Matt to photograph the scarlet snake and found he we had seen a garter also. Though the night was less than ideal for productivity we were contident with our pigmy find. For us it was a nice piece of the annual herping pie, one that this year we almost missed entirely out on.

"...some of the best long leaf sandhills habitat left in the state."

My Hogg Island Boa litter is here...

I awoke late on the morning of June 27th, 2009 to the sight of 14 live young healthy boas. A total litter of 17, with 1 stillborn and two slugs. Average weight was 52.31 grams. Not too bad of a first liter for the nearly 8 year old girl. Anyway, they are now for sale. $100 each (male or female) and $170 a pair. As of August 8th six have eaten.

$100 each (male or female) and $170 a pair.