Introducing Dr. Coil - Page 3

whistlepig · 02-08-17, 02:53 PM

Thank you for voicing your concerns MesoCorney. I will keep them in mind (particularly the screening and treatment issues) especially if I ever decide to add to my collection (which I have stated I am not interested in doing at this time). I appreciate that you have a different viewpoint than my own, but I had planned on using this thread to update the status of Dr. Coil as he grows and would appreciate it if I could do that without having to scroll through pages of lectures and scoldings from people who assume they know something about my competency in taking care of my snake. My suggestion is that if you or anyone else who wants to argue the wild/captive bred point with me or others simply find one of the old threads that deal with the issue and bump it to the top. You can even call me out in it, something like “I have been concerned of late about newbies posting about wild catching and trying to raise difficult species (ehem, whistlepig)…”. That way if I or others would like to debate this point, those interested parties could choose to do so without tacking on needless posts on this particular thread.

Skipper7 · 02-08-17, 02:56 PM

Where in Illinois are you located? Im in the southwest suburbs and have honestly never seen a wild snake.

whistlepig · 02-08-17, 03:27 PM

They're there. I used to live in Palos Park when I was a kid and we used to catch garter snakes all the time. Now I live in the southern part of the state, about 90 miles from anywhere.

whistlepig · 02-14-17, 10:48 AM

I was looking back through some of my pictures last night and found some of Dr. Coil when I first got him in August. I was amazed how much he has grown and how much his patterning has changed. Hard to notice as much when you see him every day. Thought I'd share the contrast here, the turtle shell makes a good reference for size

GyGbeetle · 02-14-17, 07:02 PM

Oh my! He's grown quite a bit! What a cute little guy.

whistlepig · 02-15-17, 02:32 PM

Sorry about the repost, but noticed my links don't appear to be working anymore. Trying imgur now.

whistlepig · 02-24-17, 07:28 PM

Just*adding some more recent pictures of Dr Coil. *

whistlepig · 02-25-17, 10:15 AM

Sorry, one more. I had him out while cleaning his cage and got a really good close-up of his head, so had to post it.

GyGbeetle · 02-27-17, 01:04 PM

He is so pretty. Such a photogenic little guy.

travesty · 03-08-17, 10:51 PM

That is an awesome snake, dude!! I love racers and whips, I've got a young w/c flagellum of my own.
Don't let the haters get you down, keep up the good work!

Also, I keep mine in a really cluttered setup with lots of fake plants. It seems to make it feel more secure. One side I provide belly heat in mid 80's and a basking spot thats in mid 90's. Cool side at about 70. Mine takes f/t from tongs right now but I have had mixed results leaving f/t or live pinkies in an upside down paper cup for it to crawl into.

saturnascends · 03-09-17, 07:07 AM

He's awesome! I love his coloring.

whistlepig · 03-09-17, 09:21 AM

Quote:

That is an awesome snake, dude!! I love racers and whips, I've got a young w/c flagellum of my own.

Thanks! I don't know much about coachwhips except that their a sister taxa, so I assume similar behavior and look? I saw your picture in the photo contest, nice looking animal. I like your setup too, I'll have to consider adding more clutter, but he has calmed down a lot. It will only be occasionally that I'll not realize he's nearby and move to fast and he'll get startled and flip out a little. Incidentally, while not something I would purposely do to him, there is something quite comical about seeing a snake "jump" and fall back down on his back, haha.

Quote:

He's awesome! I love his coloring.

Thanks! His coloring is very context specific. Most of the time he just looks gray. It's only when the lighting is right that his blue comes out. I've tried to find out more info on how coloring and patterning works in snakes to see if the blue I'm seeing is the beginnings of his adult coloration and will become more prominent with time or if it will always be a subtle thing, but haven't found any more technical information about it.

Kathryntheclean · 03-09-17, 09:52 AM

I expected him to be in a top hat for some reason. Must be his fancy name. Do you handle him, or is he kind of too wild for that?

whistlepig · 03-09-17, 04:28 PM

Quote:

I expected him to be in a top hat for some reason. Must be his fancy name. Do you handle him, or is he kind of too wild for that?

No top hat, but I do have a picture of him with a Santa hat photo shopped on, if that counts.

I take him out once a week or couple of weeks, especially when I clean his cage. He doesn't bite, but he does seem to get stressed out by the experience, so I try to limit how often I good him.

Grizla · 03-14-17, 12:10 AM

well he's just beautiful! i love how nicely he poses!