Thanks! I’m pretty excited to have her. Hopefully the pos het for Mia Ax proves when I pair her with my male hypo stillwater het Mia Ax and I’ll get some Mia/Sw ghosts in a few years. Even if it doesn’t prove they should make some stellar babies. She has this really subtle red over top of the yellow which creates a pinkish rose hue all over her along with a red stripe down the center of her back and more red creeping into her saddles. He has a deep yellow base with rust red/copper colored saddles. I think they will pair well.
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Sounds like you will have some exciting lil ones for sure!! This year has really been something for myself and my animals. I have three girls I raised since hatchlings and all three of them been layin slugs? They have not been with any males and I did want to try to breed them till next year? Apparently they were ready to have been bred this year? Its ok I knew they had the size I just wanted them to be a bit more mature. Next year will be the year for me when it comes to multiple pairings!! This year just two to get things rolling!! So far these two clutches are doing really good, fingers crossed!!
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That’s exciting! Congrats on the two good clutches.
I’m just over here wishing my life away so mine will be old enough. Still 2-3 yrs away though. I do have a pair of red het hypo stillwater 66% het albino that may be ready before the rest of mine. They are growing fast and out pacing all the rest. Already 3 feet at 10-mos old. If they keep growing at this pace I think they could be ready to pair by Spring 2026.
Here they are. Big Ferd and Matilda.
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Excellent!! Yes,
I too was where you are at all those years ago. I think waiting for the females to be a bit over 3yrs old before they breed the first time so they are fully ready ( at least in my mind). I kind of planned to have 1-2 clutches before things get outta hand, then I will be more ready for more clutches at one time. Its very exciting to say the least!!
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What a stunner!
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Thanks! She isn’t the most red/orange but she makes up for it with a killer pattern and contrast.
The hypo stillwater gene is recessive but there are definitely some het offspring that seem to pick up a good but influence from it. She looks like one of them with the really pronounced dark saddle borders in the neck upper body area and lighter saddles in the mid-section. This picture doesn’t really show it but the borders on her saddles in her mid-section are actually maroon/purple where the red mixes in with the brown. It’s really cool looking in person.
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Oooooh. They’re soooo pretty!! 
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Absolutely gorgeous pair! Love both names but especially Big Ferd! I believe there’s a story behind that name! 
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@caryl Thanks! They keep getting better and better each shed.
@caron I wish there was, but sadly not that great. He is Ferdinand because everyone needs a bullsnake named Ferdinand. Right?
I started calling him Big Ferd when he started rapidly outgrowing the rest of the bulls. He’s actually very calm and easy to handle. However, homeboy has a serious appetite that includes my hand. He has latched on to my hand twice and tried to drag it into his hide to eat. Gotta keep a close eye on him whenever I reach my hand in his tub. 
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I love it! And I love the name Ferdinand! It’s funny how a name just fits but the nick sticks!
I had my BRB try to eat my hand once, and I say once, because I never let that bloodbath happen again!!!
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Ouch! Luckily his teeth are still pretty small so no big deal. I was surprised by how much pressure he could apply with the bite at his size. He started “chewing” also like he was working a mouse down his throat.
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Well whether it’s bite or bite and “chew”, neither episode is pleasant! My rainbow actually wrapped around my forearm a bit along with the bite and my husband was in another room when it happened as the blood flowed. He detests my snakes so it was quite difficult to silently wait until the boa unwrapped without screaming aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!
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Both of these war stories made me laugh. Yeah, I’m crazy. I’ve been chewed on and bloodied (though not to BRB-level blood bath. OUCH. ) and laughed about it later. Non-herp-loving folks are never gonna understand why this kind of thing doesn’t turn us off the hobby. Funny thing though, I’ve had way more serious consequences from cat bites. Most of those “snakes are dangerous” people don’t cite the dangers of kitties.
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Yup @caron I was also the victim of a BRB “Brazilian Rainbow BRAT”
She couldn’t help herself! She struck at me several times but she got me once. It felt like a fish’s teeth like a sunfish or something…I was a “bit” more lucky than you because she didn’t try to strangle my arm too lol
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Yeah I was a bit alarmed by the strike And Coil!
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Haha. Yeah, my wife was all “Why are you laughing?” Well, it didn’t hurt, and the fact that he began tugging my hand away from me like it was his now and he was going to eat it, was hysterical. Very ambitious of him!
He really doesn’t have a defensive bone in his body. Never rears up, hisses, tail buzzes, or any of the typical Bullsnake theatrics. Moves very calmly and slowly when being handled. Dude just wants to eat anything he can put in his mouth.
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I don’t keep any these guys myself (yet), but our local wild gopher snakes are really out and about this year. I’ve seen a couple at work, a few on the trails, and my roommate recently came back from a bike ride with pictures of two he found just chilling on the side of the road. Love getting to see them. All the ones I’ve seen have been big, beautiful, and healthy-looking.
100%. My cats have bloodied me way more than my snakes ever have. Just the other day my sweet little girl cat chomped down on my finger and drew blood. (In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have been scratching her face immediately after defrosting rodents…go figure. 
) Hurt way more than any snake bite I’ve taken. I have a scar on my nose from when my big boy cat decided it would be fun to pounce on my face in the wee hours of the morning. Cats and dogs send way more people to the hospital every year than snakes do, but nobody thinks you’re crazy for having them in your home. 
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I have been working with Pituophis for over 40 years. They are my absolute favourites. The only other snake I keep is a fox snake.
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Is that second pic vertebralis or bimaris? I’d love to add some cape gophers to my collection someday. A really stunning wild phenotype.
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Just some bullsnakes actually sitting still for pics. Must be too hot outside for squirmming all over.
-Penelope- Red het red hypo (hannum line) 66% het albino ph whiteside
-Toro- Red hypo (Hannum Line) 66% het albino ph whiteside
*shy boy
-Ferdinand (Big Ferd)- Red het hypo stillwater 66% het albino ph trumbower hypo
-Dottie- Hypo Stillwater 66% het axanthic (miami)
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