Hi Cody
Thanks for your nice comments: The pits are heat sensitive depressions on or between the scales that border the mouth. Pythons and boas have them but they vary in size and number among species. These pits are used to triangulate and aim a strike accurately at warm-blooded prey, even in complete darkness.
Many types of snakes have heat sensors but not pits. In these species, especially boas, there is a network of nerves behind the lip scales on the upper and lower jaw that serve basically the same purpose.
I think they look really cool on GTPs though!
Yes his ontogenic color change is happening slower than I expected too. But it IS happening. He's getting a lot more blue spots among the red markings and he's getting a lot of white spots too. The green is just a light tinge at the moment. But I just saw pics of a woman's Green Tree Python that looked like Crichton one night and was almost covered in a deep olive-green the next day! I can't wait to see how he looks as he changes. But I'm kind of sad too: I like him in yellow!
As far as handling: Crichton has always been more docile than Aeryn. He's never even tried to bite. I can handle him and he's usually really mellow. The important thing is to take him out either with the perch or with a snake hook that I get him to climb onto. They are VERY fragile (and VERY strong: so trying to pull them forcibly off of a perch could break their spines. -- and get you bit!!)
You shouldn't really use your fingers to "pinch"/pick them up either. It's always safest if they crawl onto you or onto a stick or hook. Most experts agree that chondros under one year shouldn't be handled at all, because they are so fragile.
We've used the utmost care every time we've taken them out (for terrarium cleaning, weighing, photos) But they are not handling snakes... for that I have Monty: my BP.
Thanks again for the compliments on our photos... we REALLY try to post only the good ones.
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