Champ - My Hypomelanistic South Florida Kingsnake (Brooksi)
April 19,2003: We went to the Hamburg Reptile Show today and came home with this cute little fellow :)))
I can't seem to come up with a name for him YET. He's about 15-16" long. I gave him 2 live pinkies when we got home and he only ate one. He didn't even constrict it. I think he must've been fed F/T, so that's what he's getting from now on ;).
April 20,2003: I checked in on him today to see how he's settling in. Well, he LOOKS like he may be starting to go into shed. I guess he only ate one pink because of that. Either way I know when he last ate ;).
April 24,2003: I found his shed today :))). He split the head section though. It did have both eyecaps, so far so good. I measured him today too. He's 16.5" long. He's a little scrawny looking compared to Raven, but I'll take care of that ; ).
April 26,2003: He ate 2 F/T pinkies today. He reminded me of my neices Ball Python, Echo. He grabbed them by the nose and picked them up, twisted them around in the air, and swallowed them without putting them down. All my other Kings use the ground to help force the mouse down. This is the first time I saw one swallow completly off the ground, pretty cool ; ). I gotta get pics next time, course he PROBABLY won't do it then : P.
May 4,2003: I think I'm going to name him Grizzly. He has a bear of an appetite AND one heck of an attitude! I was feeding him today and after he ate his first pink he was more interested in me than his other pink. I picked up the pink and hung it in front of him and he kept nipping at ME! Even after I dropped it in front of him!! LOL Raven didn't eat this week, so I gave him the smaller hopper. He didn't waist any time with that one. He looks a little scrawny anyway, so I want to try and beef him up a little. I measured him again and he's up to 17.7" already and only .38" thick. Oh, he did the Ball Python thing again with his second pink. He grabbed it by the butt this time, and lifted it up and swallowed it in the air. When he got near the neck he shoved the mouses nose into the floor and forced his body down over the mouse. LOL
May 11,2003: I gave him 2 pinkies today. He ate the second one in his usual style. He was still roaming after he ate, and since I want to try and beef him up a little, I gave him a third pink. He seems LONG enough for larger prey, just doesn't have the girth yet. He tried biting me again today. When I picked him up to put him in his feed tank, he started sizing me up by opening his mouth on my finger. LOL Nope, I'm STILL to big!!!
May 17,2003: He ate 3 pinks again.. No nipping this time, so maybe he's getting used to me. Oh, I changed my mind, I decided to name him Champ because of how he eats. He reminds me of a sea serpent when he lifts the mouse up to eat. So, I named him after the serpent of Lake Champlain.
May 19,2003: He was out roaming today and he looked like he was hazed over again. This will be his second shed in the one month that I've had him. :))).
May 25,2003: I checked on him to see if he shed yet, and he only had his head part shed. I had to give him a bath like with Ruby. I helped him shed by lightly squeezing him while he wriggled around to get out. It seemed he knew I was trying to help, because he didn't try running or biting or even rattle!!! I'd let him swim a bit and place my hand in the tub. When he swam onto my hand I'd give him a little squeeze near where his shedding had stopped, and he just wriggle around a bit to get the shed off :))). Pretty cool!!!Ruby and him are both in the same room so I think whenever one of them goes into shed from that room, I'll have to give them a humid hide.
May 26,2003: I had to dethaw a clump of mice today that I couldn't break apart, and wound up with extras. He wound up getting 1-pinky/fuzzy and 2 pinks. He really seems to be more aware than some of the other Kings. (except for maybe Bones). After he eats his first mouse he'll watch me watch him. I have to open the top of his feed tank and point out the other mice. He just stares at my hand, moves over to check it out and then sees the other mice. LOL
June 1,2003: He ate 3 pinks today. I only have a few more so I'll move him up after I run out. I measured him today too, he's up to 19" and .42" thick. He's getting long but still skinny looking.
June 9,2003: I gave him a hopper this week. It took him awhile but he got it down : ). He looked hazed over again.This is his 3rd shed in the month and a half I've had him.
June 14, 2003: He shed today. A full one peice shed!!! I think he's getting used to me, I saw him shedding so I sat myself down next to his tank. He just looked at me and kept doing his thing. He used to run and hide when ever I tried watching him do anything.
June 15,2003: He ate 2 hoppers this week.
June 23,2003: I gave him his last hopper this week. I'm all out. I also gave him a small rat pup. He ate that too with no problems. So, I'll move him up to rat pups from now on. I was holding him the other day and he kept running on me. His belly is starting to turn a really bright yellow : ))).
June 29,2003: He looked hazed over today so I wasn't sure if he'd eat. He did though! 2 rat pups!
July 4,2003: He shed today. Well, kinda anyway. I had to give him another soaking to get him to shed right. I think with the A/C going, it must suck all the humidity out of the air. I still haven't found a tupperware dish to fit in the tanks yet for a humid hide. I REALLY have to get one soon!
July 5,2003: He ate 2 rat pups this week again. He ripped the one in half when he was swallowing it. He went back and got the other half though. LOL. I measured him before I fed him and he's up to 20" long and .45" thick.
July 13,2003: He ate 2 rat pinks again today. I thought he was going to rip another one half, because he kept twisting the one. Well, it didn't rip, but he made a mess of the feed tank : P.
July 20,2003: He ate 2 rat pinks again. He looks like he's starting to put on a little girth!
July 27,2003: Since the shows next week, I want to try and get rid of the rat pinks since they're outgrowing them anyway. I gave them extras and Champ downed 3 of them.
Aug. 1,2003: Champ was hazed over earlier this week, so I gave him a humid hide to use. Well, 2 days ago I saw he started shedding, so I placed him back in his humid hide. Today, he still only had the head section shed off!!! Well, he got another bath to finish it off!! He just seems to forget he has more than just a head to shed off! How do you teach a snake to shed right?? LOL
Aug. 3,2003: Well, I messed up!! I was out of rat pinks, and the rats pups I got at the show are too big for him! Since Neither of the new ones ate, I gave him theirs. He ate 4 pinky mice this week.
Aug. 12,2003: I had Champ out today, and HE BIT ME!!! It was my fault though. I was holding Phoenix and forgot to wash in between : P. So, he must've smelled Phoenix and figured I was lunch!!
Aug. 13,2003: I gave him just the F/T Phoenix and Bandit didn't eat. So he wound up eating 5 F/T pinky mice this week!!
Aug. 19,2003:I gave him a rat pink and the F/T Phoenix and Bandit didn't eat AGAIN! He wound up eating the rat pup AND 3 F/T mouse pinks. He even looked like he was in shed. I put the humid hide in with him again, see if he'll remember to shed his WHOLE shed this time! LOL
Aug. 24,2003: He shed today, and he did more than his head!!! He did manage to rip it though : P.
Aug. 26,2003: He ate 2 F/T rat pinks today. He's really growing, I have to measure him soon. My guess would be, he's at LEAST 24".
Oct. 2,2003: I haven't updated lately because of what happened to Angel. Last week he bit me. He shed just his head section again, so I gave him a bath to get the rest off. Well, after his bath I was holding him and he just latched on! My son ran and got some warm water, I put him in and he left go right away. I was out of F/T rat pinks and so was the pet store. I tried giving him a rat hopper instead. Not interested. I had 4 F/T mouse pinks that Phoenix and Bandit didn't eat so I tossed them in with him. Well, he at least ate them. I measured him on Sept.4th, and he measured at 24" even and .55" thick.
Oct. 4,2003: I got him 2 F/T rat pinks today and he ate both of them and one of Phoenix's live mouse fuzzies.
Oct. 25,2003: I haven't updated lately because I've been having computer problems. Anyway, Champs still eating like ...huh...er....a Champ ; ). He ate 2 F/T rat hoppers this week. I weighed him last week, and he weighed 106 grams.
Nov. 1,2003: He ate 2 rat pinks and a mouse pink this week. He is SOOO funny during feeding time. When he sees me getting all the others out of they're tanks to feed them, he goes nuts!!! He starts roaming all over his tank and climbing his branch. It's almost like having a little puppy begging for food!!! LOL
Nov. 11,2003: He STILL doesn't know how to shed right!!! I seen him hazed over on Sunday, and misted every day. He still only shed his head section off! I'm beginning to think he just likes swimming in the tub!!! LOL. After his bath, he ate one of Pheonix's live fuzzies and a rat fuzzy. He ACTUALLY left one F/T rat fuzzy in the tank!! Wonders will never cease! LOL
Nov. 19,2003: He went bananas when I put him in the feed tank with his rats!! I lowered him in so he could smell them and he latched on and wrapped one up!!! They were F/T!!! I guess it's better to be safe than sorry though ; ). I weighed and measured him before I put him in. He measured 29.2" and weighed 117 grams.
'Dec. 2,2003: I always feed from smallest to largest. That way if the smaller ones don't eat. I can just give their prey to the bigger ones. Seems like I NEVER get any past Champ!! He ate his 2, plus Ruby's one. I think if the reptile store doesn't have rat hoppers next week, (like they haven't for the last few weeks). I'll get them adult mice instead. All they've been getting is pinky rats lately. Not much bones (calcium) or meat (protein) in them.
Dec. 9,2003: He cleaned house again! Neither Phoenix or Ruby ate this week. He got their's plus his rat fuzzy. He ate both the hopper mice from Phoenix, one of Bandit's fuzzy mice AND a rat fuzzy. Man, what a PIG!!!
Dec. 27,2003: He actually left one sit this time!!! LOL He just ate one half grown mouse and a rat pink this week. Left the other half grown go. I weighed him this week because he felt SO much heavier. He tipped the scale at 140 grams! He officially weighs more than Ruby now, and is catching up fast to Raven!
Jan. 3,2004: CHAMPS SICK!!! OK, so he's not really sick, but he ONLY ate one rat fuzzy this week, which is definitely not like himself ; ).
Jan. 10,2004: He was out sunning early this morning, so I decided to get him out to hold. Guess he was a bit hungry with it being feeding day...HE BIT ME 3 TIMES!! He did eat a half grown mouse and a pinky head. Yup, a PINKY HEAD. LOL When I got home from the reptile shop there was a broken off pinky head in the bottom of the bag! Ah well, at least it didn't get wasted! LOL
Jan. 17,2004: He didn't eat this week!!! I think this is the first time he's refused since I have him. He was hazed over though.
Jan. 20,2004: He kinda shed today. I had put a damp rag in his hide to help raise the humidity, hoping that it would help with his shed problems. Well, he did his usual shed, just the head!
Jan. 22,2004: I decided to give him a little time to see if he'd try to shed off the rest of his shed. Nope, I had to give him another bath!!! He had rubbed little bits off here and there, but not a good shed at all! I had less problems taking care of Echo, my neices Ball Python, and their known for bad sheds!! I still have a good shed from him!
Jan. 24,2004: He ate one small adult and one of Phoenix's hoppers. I measured him this week, and he's up to 33"! Almost as long as Bones already, but he doesn't have near the girth. I guess that comes that comes with age ; ).
Jan. 31,2004: He made a pig of himself again. He ate his 2 small adults and one of Phoenix's hoppers.  I weighed him before and after feeding him. Before I fed him he weighed 148 grams, after he tipped the scale at 192!!! 44 grams of mice!!!
Champ Page 2 >