Ixchel

I realized one of my pets has been neglected on this blog. I never want to be accused of being exothermicist, so here I formally present to you Ixchel.





She's a natural colored, many generations captive-bred Honduran milk snake. She and a brother from the same clutch were 'surplus' from the breeder (ie, didn't carry both recessive genes he was going for; he's also a reptile rescuer, so don't think too badly of him). She was free to whoever wanted her. Because of the geographic area her ancestors lived, I named her after a Mayan goddess (pronounced EE-shell).







Here she is when I brought her home, only a few months old:


Today she's about 4'4" long and barely fits in the lightbox:




... and is a rather uncooperative subject to photograph, anyway.







Hondurans (Lampropeltis triangulum hondurensis) are the largest of the milk snakes, reaching lengths of up to 6 feet and living 20 or more years. They're supposed to be a little on the aggressive side for their group. Indeed, Ixchel's brother bit me several times, once dangling from my arm like a rubber hose attached to a binder clip. Ixchel has never bitten though, even when I've been dumb enough to reach into her cage with my hands smelling of rodent. She's a very mellow snake and I'm glad to have her in my life.