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John S. Nasche | all galleries >> The Wonderful - Horrible PAD >> It's a Guy Thing - PAD > 02-24-05
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24-FEB-2005 J.S.Nasche

02-24-05

Tallahassee / Quincy, Florida

This is my best friend of 14 years or so, Erik, … recently retired from the Navy and single. Though he’s single, he is a family man, and these are his “babies”, Houdini and Alexandria. He’s raised them almost from eggs, and Alexandria has already produced two clutches at not quite four years old. Guess who gets to have the pick of the litter the next time? Yeah, … Best Buds and snakes,
… all part of being a guy thing.





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Canon EOS 300D Digital Rebel
1/125s f/9.0 at 47.0mm iso100 hide exif
Full EXIF Info
Date/Time24-Feb-2005 15:53:52
MakeCanon
ModelCanon EOS DIGITAL REBEL
Flash UsedNo
Focal Length47 mm
Exposure Time1/125 sec
Aperturef/9
ISO Equivalent100
Exposure Bias
White Balance (-1)
Metering Mode
JPEG Quality (6)
Exposure Program
Focus Distance

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Sir Erik 25-Feb-2005 02:52
Hello!

Ah, talk of my babies. Thank you ladies, for your kind words. I do indeed love them and take good care of them.

Houdini was aptly named, for he escaped in the car on the way home from the store the night I bought them. He wanders around much more than she and had escaped from a terrarium with a weakened latch when he used his brute strength to force the latch open. I've since obtained a 50 gallon terrarium with snake-proof latches (thus far, they have not proven intelligent enough to turn the metal pin 180 degrees and then push it out.

Alexandria I initially named Alex. Short for Alexander or Alexandria, for I did not know the gender of the two when I purchased them. They were several months old before I took them back to the pet store to have them sexed. Alexandria has had two clutches of eggs as John stated and I'm looking forward to the next clutch. She seems a bit more timid than Houdini, though in truth, neither are likely ever to bite so long as they are properly handled.

They are both Red Rat Snakes, more commonly called Corn Snakes. They are of the variety called 'Snow Corns'. Corn Snakes are perhaps the most widely bred snakes on earth primarily for the multitudes of colors that can be attained through selective breeding.

As for clutches of eggs and newly hatched snakes, don't count your snakes until the eggs are hatched. I'll likely be living in Central Pennsylvania during the next breeding season (snakes that is) though John is trying to convince me to move here to the Tallahassee area. We'll see... For those of you already living in the Southeastern United States, you may find the natural variety of Corn Snakes living in your own backyard, as this is thier normal 'slithering grounds'. They prefer warm, moist areas. Mine do seem to thoroughly love the little waterfall I have in thier living quarters.

Should anyone have thier curiosity piqued by all this and have any questions, please feel free to write to me at the e-mail address attached to this message. I'll answer any questions to the best of my ability.

I'm currently enroute to my next home upon retiring from active duty military life and, once settled, will likely start my own PBase pages. John introduced me to all this shortly before I moved. While I've had little time to get to know the site and the people therein, during the short time I've spent here with John and Gerie I've had the opportunity to see some of the comments and conversations and I do look forward to becoming a member of this community.
Dawn25-Feb-2005 01:44
LOL, Kudo's Gerie... and John, great portrait of Erik. Milksnake aren't they? Hmm.. tempted to say.. hey.. when that clutch is ready... but, I know my schedule.. good things Cat's are independent brats.
Guest 25-Feb-2005 01:24
Yes, you are absolutely right! Erik does love his babies and handles them with tender, loving care, and I don't even like snakes! sheesh!! Have had three in the house this week, his two and John's daughter's snake! I actualy touched Eirk's today! Pretty good for me!
Susanne25-Feb-2005 00:50
You can tell from the image that he really loves his babies. A very caring expression you captured here and if you pay attention to how he holds his snake it shows that he watches out that it wont...Zzzzznake away!
Guest 24-Feb-2005 23:51
Well, tell Erik his babies are beautiful. Snakes are not just a guy thing.. :)