Red Eastern project

[Lori P]

Shanley, don't they love that bed?!! My garters are constantly in it. I need to go back and get more of them for all the snakes!!

[Garter_Gertie]

Shanley, don't they love that bed?!! My garters are constantly in it. I need to go back and get more of them for all the snakes!!

Lori, what's a "mouse bed"? Never heard o'such a thing. Where did you get it?

[Snake lover 3-25]

lol sooty is almost too fat to fit!!!!

[crzy_kevo]

i just noticed something about george today when i feed him and his neck area is bulging hes has an orange/red bit of colour under his scales like yours do wayne so aparently i have a red eastern too

[KITKAT]

I find that color here fairly often, and have already started raising some babies that I selected for this trait. However, as they grew, one of them turned green.

Below is a pic of their momma... she gave me 41 babies, 40 were live. Out of that brood, about 18 of them had the red/orange sides to some degree.

One of the holdbacks that I am keeping has a golden tone all over... really pretty! The green girl is getting huge...

[Lori P]

I found them at Petco, in the small animal aisle, by all the hides and food. But I got the idea from Shanley to begin with, when she made a soft bed for her snakes from some popsicle sticks propping up some fabric!

[infernalis]

That top picture rules!!!!

I love those close up face shots.

[Garter_Gertie]

That top picture rules!!!!

I love those close up face shots.

Ditto!!!

Ditto!!!

Mouse beds? Huuhhh... Will have to check the kind'a rodent aisle where they have the hampster/gerbil stuff. Glad a national chain as I WANT SOME!

[Zephyr]

Lump's right; In one of my Peterson field guides it states that specimens in the northeastern part of the eastern's range tend to have this coloration; I see it in almost a 3/1 ratio around here, with the majority having the red in varying amounts, and sometimes orange or yellow in place of the red. They're not quite flames, as I've found a wild flame once and the actual scales were red, but a class of their own seeing as the color is between the scales. I don't think it's a dietary influence either and is probably genetic. I'll try and find some pics of red, oranges, and yellows between the scales.

[Zephyr]

Here are a few pics of snakes I've found with this trait; they're actually quite common around here. The one that's supposed to be orange is one of my girls and she's in shed right now and was flexing when I took the pic, so she wasn't in the best of moods or poses.
In order of appearance: Red, orange, red, yellow.