ohhh that makes of ton of sense, same number of spots, teeeeny tiny little friend!
5 Likes
Little mystery man had his first shed. Heās a little bit brighter. Iāve spoken with a couple breeders but no closer to figuring out what he is. Sable has been tossed around as a possibility but there are a couple markers that donāt make sense for that. Likely only time will tell if he changes as he grows and it proves to be genetic.
14 Likes
Yeah sable is what i was thinking, really weird though. Also iām definitely not an expert in hognoses, i just thought sable from what iāve seen on mm.
4 Likes
Itās not a bad guess and it could be! Granted I do not have experience with sables, but Iām not convinced because of his head stamp. Itās very solid and he has that bar across the base of his head. He could be a weird one though.
5 Likes
I know this isnāt really topic related, but this morning is not good and I just need the ears of those who understand. Friday evening I fed the babies. I have a hatchling rack that has plastic pins in front of each tub. For those who I needed to check in the morning if they ate I left the pin out. The conda from this clutch did not eat and I stupidly still left the pin out. I went into my office this morning and the tub was ajar and baby eas not in there. I have three cats. I have tore apart the office but I donāt see it anywhere. Yesterday I thought I noticed one of my kittens with something long and brown but I juat assumed it was a toy mouse he has. I feel sick that it very likely was the baby. I have been suffering from depressive episodes weekly for several months and I had one for the last 48 hours. If I had not been stuck in my own stupid head and been an attentive owner then the baby would likely be back in its tub right now. I feel like such a moron for being so neglectful. I had intention to set up security cameras in the living room and office but Iāve been putting it off for weeks now. If Iād done that then I could have tracked it. I donāt feel like I deserve to be a breeder or owner anymore. I failed something so simple and it cost a life.
6 Likes
Try not to be too hard on yourself (I know thatās easier said than done). Pretty much everyone here has lost at least one snake in their time owning them. I lost my very first snake, who was very special to me, right before she was due to lay her second clutch. She was in a temporary bin setup and I didnāt put the clips back on once. She completely disappeared and I felt awful. I hope that he will still turn up for you!
5 Likes
As @solarserpents said, try not to beat yourself up too much. Almost everyone at some point has a moment where something goes wrong and an animal is lost. That said, if your kitten did get the little one, Iād expect at least some evidence, so donāt necessarily give up hope until youāre 100% sure.
5 Likes
Thank you @solarserpents @noodlehaus. I scoured the office again and removed everything that didnāt need to be in there. Iām going to lay down a grid of flour and the cats are not allowed in the office for the forseeable future. My biggest fear is that if he was brought into the living room but escaped then he could be hiding injured somewhere and I wonāt find him in time. I would almost rather have found some evidence just to know. I can only hope that itās a sign he is tucked away safe somewhere. I guess if there is any positive from this weekend twin B ate a pinkie head. She took several minutes to get it all the way down but has been doing pretty well overall.
6 Likes
I do hope that your kitten was merely playing with his toy as you thought, and your efforts are rewarded with a safe little one. I know itās hard, but try not to worry yourself too much. Just keep an eye out, if the door has a gap put down a towel to block it, and all you can do is wait. Happy to hear that your little twin is trying to lift your spirits by eating. Best of luck, pulling for you.
6 Likes
Hey there @ghsaltie Erin. Until you have proof positive, donāt assume the worst. I firmly believe that if your kitten had your little noodle you would have seen evidence of something. Quit telling yourself what a bad person/breeder you are because you are certainly not! And no one here thinks that either.
Now, besides what you are doing with the flour, etc., if you can, try to turn on the lights in your rooms when it gets dark. I have found several awol snakes in the middle of the night that way. And donāt give up if the little escapee doesnāt show up right away. And Erin, I know about depression. So you feel free to pm me any time. Remember you are not alone.
Caron 
4 Likes
@caron @noodlehaus thank you for the kind words. I tend to be very factual and to the point with my writing so I just really want to express how grateful I am. I really appreciate your offer @caron, Iām not disregarding it. I struggle with understanding and/or seeing social boundaries and so I tend to just, not engage.
There has been no sign of the little guy. Today was hard. Iāve been burying myself in my new job that I think it really only hit me this morning the mistake I made. I remember now that it was Saturday night when I noticed the kitten with something weird. I was trying to feel better so we were watching Lord of the Rings. Normally Iām vigilant because kittens do silly things and get in stuff they shouldnāt, but I was distracted and thought surely itās nothing. I know in my gut heās gone. Iām still looking but honestly I think thatās just because I feel I owe it to him.
Anyway I donāt want to drag this down. Twin A is being stubborn but Twin B ate another pinkie head so that is really good. A total of 7 out of 10 have eaten so far which I count as a success.
6 Likes
@ghsaltie Erin I totally respect your privacy and decision. Sometimes just knowing people care about you is comfort in itself.
Years ago I had a little Quaker parakeet that I got when he was still pretty young. In fact I had to syringe feed him until he was old enough to eat pellets. That little guy was so attached to me because of it. He was always on my shoulder when he was out of his cage.
One day I left his cage open and he jumped out and went looking for me. Unfortunately his wings were clipped so he ended up on the floor. One of my Yorkies got him and by the time I got to him it was too late and he died in my arms.
I cried for days and if I think about too long I will cry now. So I know how you are feeling. Even though you will never forget your mistake, time will heal your wound and you will go on. And like you said, you have those little twins to love and care for. Those little boodle noodles are depending on you to raise them up and get them eating and established.
Thereās lots of love here Erin. You can at least take comfort in thatā¦ā¦.
Caron.
4 Likes
Somehow I missed your reply. Thank you for the support and Iām so sorry for the loss you experienced. That had to be heartbreaking.
6 Likes
I thought it would be cool to update this post in regards to the mystery baby. This is after his most recent shed. Unfortunately the pictures are not great. I had to get stills from a video because he hasnāt figured out Iām not out to eat him.
He still has the red/purple hue on his sides but he is so different now. Right now it seems the most likely answer is that he is Cinnamon, which is a gene originally from Europe I believe. It creates a more solid head stamp and is most notable for a drastic lightening of color in the first year. If not Cinnamon then something close to it genetically. Unfortunately I can not find any pictures of a Cinnamon with Conda, so I donāt have an answer on that yet. I spoke with another breeder who had a baby hatch out exactly like this but Albino, looking like a superconda but with only one Conda parent. My current theory is that Cinnamon, or whatever this new form is, reacts with Conda creating an absence of pattern. Because of this, the lack of supercondas in the clutch, and the higher number of non-condas I feel that Neville is the father. I will be pairing these two again this year and crossing my fingers something weird happens again to help me figure out what I have. The biggest puzzle to me is, why do neither of the parents show sign of having this gene? I suppose it could be a random crop out from a previous generation (the mom is from Italy), or he could be a fluke that doesnāt replicate itself. Time will tell.
On another note the twins are doing fantastic!
Twin B, now Blanche, did have a hiccup with difficulty swallowing for a bit but once she gained some size that seems to have resolved itself. They are both over 10g now
5 Likes
when he first hatched out, he reminded me a bit of Mike Tytulaās hognose Rowan. That is a crazy color change! This AND twins makes it even crazier. Canāt wait to see if he proves out.
3 Likes
Rowan is super cool and that would have been awesome. Iām curious to see her babies grow up, but honestly I feel that what she has is some sort of vitiligo or similar. Iād love to be proved wrong though!
2 Likes
@ghsaltie Erin! I remember actually feeling your excitement when these babies were born! Time has flown by and these are actually ālast yearās babies! I am still pumped for you and all of them! 
. Iām so glad to see things like this happen to people!
Iām especially pumped for the twins and the tenacity of the little twin B, Blanche, who is eating normally now!
God bless you Erin! I hope you have a great year!
3 Likes
Thank you! I felt like a little kid at Christmas, still do when I remember how blessed I am! This is going to be an exciting year
Bless you and thank you for your support many months ago!
4 Likes
You got it Erin! Always!
1 Like
Did you ever find your baby? I am just now seeing this thread and I didnt see an update. 
4 Likes