Creating Mr. Blue – A (Not-So) Short History

By Tim Morris

Everyone has a story to tell about how they got started in something… for my journey into the world of green tree pythons (chondros), it was the book “The Reproductive Husbandry of Boas and Pythons” by Ross & Marzec published in 1990 as a follow up to their 1978  book, “The Python Breeding Manual.” I ordered this book (cover cost in 1992 was $75.00) during the late winter of 1992 through a magazine ad from a reptile supplies dealer on the west coast called Bush Herpetological. The book was regarded as the “must have” manual to boid reproduction. I recommend it to anyone who can find a copy (I know they reprinted at some point in the early 2000’s).

In that book there were several pictures of incredible looking yellow & red neonate green tree pythons – they sure looked awesome! What’s more was that many of the green tree pictures (as well as Sanzinia & rainbow boas) were credited to a man who apparently worked at the National Zoological Park in Washington DC named Trooper Walsh. At that point, I realized a reconnaissance mission would need to be done! So, my nephew (Sean Stewart) and I took a road trip to the National Zoo to see if we could meet this Trooper Walsh… We arrive at the reptile house with our radars looking to lock in on any zoo staff. If I recall correctly, we initially spotted one person who was dressed in the typical zoo-issue khakis but upon quick examination of his nameplate, this guy was NOT Trooper. The search continued. The National Zoo’s reptile house is a large oval with keeper access around the perimeter with a center oval of exhibits that surrounded the inner keeper area.

So we pressed on and made a few rounds in the building. We eventually wound up camped out in front of the array of large croc & alligator exhibits. As we peer into the glass-fronted exhibits, we notice that to our right there is a keeper access door and to our left there is also an access door (it’s about 30-35 ft between the doors across the front of the croc exhibits). Out of the right door comes this husky guy wearing a National Zoo issued khaki shirt and shorts – no shoes but bare feet and carrying a 5 gallon bucket full of rodents… he walks right past us and, mesmerized, I quickly glanced at his name tag and “I thought” (key word “thought!”) it said “Trooper” on it. No sooner had my brain processed this, he went into the door to the left. I tried to convince my nephew that I had a positive ID and that we should go knock on that door!

After about 5 or so minutes of haggling back and forth as to who’s going to knock – we finally worked up the nerve. We knock (I don’t remember exactly which one of us did it!) on the door and, like Lurch from the Addams Family, the door slowly cracks open and a head pops through the crack and a voice says, “can I help you?” I think at that point Sean and I looked at each other in shock that we had reached the end of the rainbow! I’m sure we gazed at him as if he were the president or some huge celebrity! He was gracious enough to let us in the back keeper area. I remember we had a short conversation – mainly about what our herp interests are etc… but honestly I wasn’t paying too much attention. My attention was more focused trying to figure out what was in a row of tubs down the way along the wall. These whitish tubs were what Trooper used to house off-exhibit green tree pythons – I don’t think I figured that out on that trip. 

One of the things I learned that day was that the National Zoo (as do many zoos) had volunteer keeper aide programs. I promptly filled out and submitted an application figuring it would be my best shot and trying to get to know this guy Trooper and learn more about these Green Tree Pythons. I wound up volunteering several summers during breaks from college. During that first summer I tried my best to work my way into the graces of this legend. As it turned out, Trooper can be quite fickle – one day talking to you like you’ve known each other for a while and at other times walking right past you (sometimes more than a few times) and not saying one word. It was clear to me early on that he was “the king” down there. Through some volunteer work I was also doing with Pete Kahl, I learned of the National Reptile Breeders Expo (NRBE) that was then held in Orlando FL. Pete talked up the reptile event as if it was THE mecca of all shows… THE one to go to.

I’m now in my second summer (1993) volunteering at the zoo and I remember sitting upstairs (where the offices and staff lounge were) one afternoon sometime late July and Trooper was also there and he was seemingly in a good mood. So I decided to start a conversation asking about the show and feeling him out about Green Tree Pythons. I asked him if he attends the NRBE – he said, “yes.” I asked him if he would be selling chondros – he paused, looked at me, and said, “no, I don’t have any to sell.” He continued, “Tim, I don’t just sell animals to anyone you know?” To be honest I don’t remember my specific response but I’m sure it was something like, “whoa, I guess I’ve gotten nowhere with all the sweat and work I’ve done here now going on 2 summers! How does one work their way up to being ‘good enough’ to own one of these majestic creatures?”

So now it’s mid-August – show time! Down we go driving to Orlando. Along for the trip were 2 of my nephews (Sean and his now infamous brother Christian – though at that time he had little to no interest in snakes) and my girlfriend – we drove all night to get down there. The first day of the show I sought out where Trooper would be hiding out – and there he was – working behind a table of a business called “Ophiological Services” – this was Eugene Bessette and Trooper’s snake farming cooperative. I knew of Eugene and also that he and Trooper had some sort of business arrangement. In fact, it was once told to me that Eugene and Trooper swore that they had known each other in a previous life and that likely accounted for them crossing paths in this current lifetime. And, if you know Gene (as he’s called), this certainly fits something he would come up with! More importantly, on their table, was an abundance of Green Tree Pythons  of all ages with some being offered at exorbitant prices!

Welcome to the “designer” chondro kingdom! I remember my girlfriend going right up to Trooper and saying “so… you just don’t sell to anyone huh?!” (she knew of the story Trooper gave me at the zoo and was quick to call him out on it). With a sheepish grin – something akin to the Grinch, Trooper looked at her and said, “what may I help you with my dear?” She started asking him about Green Tree Pythons. Trooper was showing her what they had to offer. At that time, she had always leaned more towards yellow neos while I liked the red/maroon types (and, at that point, not for ANY particular reason). He worked on her in order to steer her into considering a red/maroon animal stating that they went through “a more dramatic” color change. So there we were, deciding on our very first chondro, it would be a maroon/red neo. Trooper, being the quick-witted salesman he was, talked her into an animal (TW 13.93) that was a neo but since it had hatched in February of that year, it had a few more months on the others and was also a bit larger – AND, $200 more.

Upon being questioned as to why we should spend $200 more (the “standard” price at that time was $750), Trooper simply said that “being bigger, it’s more likely to make the drive home back to Maryland.” Of course we bit. Hook, line and sinker! So, this was the first day. On day 2, again, I was lurking a lot around the OS table – probably more like stalking! In a break between the waves of perspective customers, there was an exchange between Trooper and I that culminated with him reaching under the table and handing me this “Crystal Light” container (this was his favorite travelling container for neo chondros) and said “Here, I want you to have this… this was the smallest green tree I’ve ever hatched and it was a twin but it’s egg mate died early on.” He continued, “I don’t think it’ll amount to much but I’m sure you will give it a good home.” This little “runt” neo was “TW 2-27-93” – one day to become the sire to “Mr. Blue” and eventually earn the name “Legend” for his prolific breeding resume.

So here I was, the proud owner of not one, but two green tree pythons. For the rest of that year and into the beginning of the next, I worked to raise these 2 critters and they joined my modest collection of 2 other snakes – a rainbow boa and an emerald tree boa. I realized looking over the data cards that Trooper provided me that I had litter mates (13.93 & 2-27-93) and began to plant the seed with him about swapping one of them so one day I could breed, at least somewhat, unrelated parents. The data cards and genealogies were huge selling points of OS. During that time, I also made it a point to share with Trooper the growth progress of both of these animals – especially the “runt” which “wasn’t likely to amount to much.” I hadn’t yet determined the sexes but in the spring of 1994, Pete Kahl had stopped by and offered to sex the two kids. They were a pair! At first, Trooper was lukewarm about doing a swap and he certainly made it clear early on that IF he were to do such a trade it would definitely not be for the “runt” twin (2-27-93) he gave me… instead, later that year (in August) we did a trade. I don’t recall the specifics on where or how the trade went down but he took female 13.93 and, in return, sent me home with female TW-48-93…. This girl, unbeknownst to me (and perhaps Trooper to a degree at that time), was part of a legendary litter of females that included “Powder” and “Joan Collins.” This is the girl that would, in about a year and a half, produce “Mr. Blue.” 

Fall of 1995

I was still volunteering both at the zoo and at Pete Kahl’s. He was the first to produce albino boas and I was lucky enough to see the birth of that first albino! He had a pretty diverse collection and his setups utilized a mix of wooden cages and some Neodesha cages. Neodesha Plastics of Neodesha, Kansas was owned by a guy named Ted Pietz whose company made their name making ABS bed liners for pick-up trucks. They also dabbled in reptile cages and some zoos today still have some of their original slant front caging. Around 1994 or so, with input from several major breeders like Pete, Bob Clark and others, Neodesha started making more traditional caging and that year, among many other new cage releases, they were also introducing arboreal specific models. Pete was about to remake his entire basement, which housed his collection, in all Neodesha cages. I was given the opportunity to acquire cages at a good discount if I added them into Pete’s order. That order, by the way, was delivered via a semi with a loaded flatbed full of cages direct from Ted. I ordered 2 of their new arboreal cages and these became the main housing for my (now adult) pair of green trees. In addition to all Neodesha cages, Pete was also going to outfit each cage with the latest in temperature regulators – Microclimates. Microclimates were made in England and imported (I believe exclusively by Bob Clark) and they were (I’m pretty sure) the very first pulse proportional dimming thermostats. Pete used these to regulate infrared heat bulbs as heat panels were not around then (at least not within the reptile world) and thus heat lamps were the heat source of choice. Naturally, I chose to outfit my new Neodesha arboreal cages in the same way. 

In October of 1995, I began my attempt at breeding green trees. At this point the male 2-27-93, hatched in February of 1993, was about 3 months shy of his 3^rd birthday. The female, 48-93, was hatched in April (25^th) of that same year (1993) so she was not even 2.5 years old upon first introduction. Young, she was a fast grower and definitely “of size” to breed – one complete shed I measured was 6’4” and I assumed sheds were probably around 10% longer than the actual length – so she was a solid 5′ + animal. Her rapid growth was likely due to the “Trooper Walsh power feeding regimen.” I don’t think he fed heavily to speed up their development, I think he just felt that in the wild they’ll take the biggest things they can handle – and fed accordingly.

The male was introduced on the evening of October 18 (see data cards) and first of many copulations were observed the very next morning. Something I quickly figured out with green trees (and other snakes as well) was that if they were going to breed, the 1^st copulations occurred rather quickly. Several more copulations were observed in October and into November. The male was removed in late November and mid body swelling (associated with ovulation) was observed on the 4^th of December. To make sure the “deal was sealed,” I reintroduced the male on the 15^th of December but removed him shortly thereafter on the 28^th as no more copulations were observed. 

One major hurdle when it comes to green tree pythons is incubating their eggs. In those days, if you didn’t have a Forma Scientific Incubator you were definitely better off trying to do maternal incubation. At that time, both Trooper and Eugene were fine tuning what they considered to be THE master artificial incubation protocol – not something they shared openly. This protocol was worked out over many closely monitored maternal incubation trials (female 48.93 was from a maternally incubated clutch). What they worked out was that the female tended to maintain lower temps for the first 2 weeks (low-mid 80’s) then during weeks 3 through 6 ramped up the temps to around 90 then the final 2 weeks lowered them back down to the low-mid 80’s. Therefore, they replicated this temperature scheme in their artificial attempts and along with high-end Forma incubators started increasing their success with artificial incubation of this species.  

Of course I didn’t have the means to acquire one of these incubators and so naturally I planned on maternal incubation (and to be quite honest, I’m pretty sure at this point the thought of her rejecting her eggs, or not incubating them for some reason never occurred to me – sometimes,  ignorance is bliss!). So having read several of Trooper’s papers on breeding a plethora of boas and pythons, I made it a point to not only take careful records (see the addendums) but also, as best as I could find, I planned to put temperature monitoring probes everywhere. Trooper used  Atkins Thermocouples for his monitoring of eggs and coil temps along with simple mercury thermometers. I had no clue where to find a thermocouple (and before this time didn’t know what they were!) so I made due with Cooper min/max digital thermometers, a hygrometer that was part of a thermometer (probably an early zoo med product) and a Raytek non-contact temperature gun which just started to find their way into many breeder’s array of monitoring tools. 

The set up for the maternal incubation was the female’s Neodesha cage (picture). It was a 2’x2’x2’ cube with a single opening, circular (screened), vent in the center of the top of the cage. Regulating the main heat source (a 75-watt infrared heat lamp) was a Microclimate that also featured a night drop. I created a nest box from a small Rubbermaid “Rough Tote” box. I put about 2-3 inches of dry sphagnum in the box. Outside the box I put about 2-3 inches of soaked sphagnum throughout the floor of the cage. I placed the nest box on one side of the enclosure and I put a heat mat under the opposite side (under the soaked sphagnum) in order to keep the humidity levels high. I also placed the heat lamp as far to the opposite side of the next box as possible. It was impressed upon me early on from Trooper that it was imperative that the sphagnum in the nest box remain dry while maintaining high overall ambient humidity in the enclosure. 

Winter 1995-1996

For several years I would write out the photoperiod protocol I was going to follow along with the temperature cycles. Starting in November, I cut back the light from 12 hours to 10 hours. The duration of the daytime heat was also reduced from 11 hours to 9. Nighttime temperatures were allowed to drop into the upper 60’s (see temperature data sheet) while daytime high temperatures (measured at the uppermost perch under the heat lamp) were allowed to go to the mid to upper 80’s sometimes maxing out in the low 90’s. This stage of temperature cycling continued unchanged from late October through late December when nighttime lows were slowly increased to the upper 70’s to low 80’s until egg deposition.

During this time, I carefully watched where the female was choosing to be. If she was spending most of her time on the cool side I slightly cut temps back; If she was constantly seeking heat, I would slowly increase temperatures. This way of observing was a result of yet another of the many invaluable lessons that Trooper passed along to me – this one was “watch the animals, learn from them, they will show you what they need.” So, who’s to argue with a legend as he was also the mastermind behind the set up for the National Zoo’s enclosure and breeding of Komodo Dragons – they were the first zoo outside of Indonesia to breed these lizards in captivity. During the latter period of gestation, I observed the female preferring to stay mainly in the cooler area of the cage – her body temperature (measured with the Raytek) consistently ranged from a nighttime cool temperature of 78-80^oF to mid to upper 80’s during the day. The nest box was placed into the enclosure around mid December. Up to about 10 days before deposition, she occasionally went into and out of the box. From February 1^st on, she went into the nest box for good. 

Eggs were laid on the 11^th of February (1996) 15 days after her pre-lay shed (on January 27). She took what I observed to be her last drink of water about 3 days before this occurred. There was a small water bowl placed on top of the nest box right by the top opening. By this point, the night drop was turned off entirely and an average nest box temperature of about 82-84^oF was the goal. Occasionally max temps would reach around 86-87 while nighttime lows ranged around 80. Another lesson passed down from TW was that as the eggs developed, they would then start producing heat of their own. Therefore, it was recommended that nest box temps be attenuated accordingly.

At about week 6 (of an anticipated 8-week incubation) I turned back the heat more and the “new” target was 80-82^oF allowing the eggs to roll on their own and, of course, the female would make up any difference through thermoregulating. Regardless of the ambient temperatures, the coil temperatures (measured with the Raytek) were consistently maintained from about 87 to 90^oF.   During the maternal incubation, I would occasionally peek in on the female. During these interruptions, she was alert and occasionally I’d lightly poke at her coils to get a look at the eggs. She tolerated the intrusions and I would learn that even when one (or more) eggs went bad during incubation, the good eggs were not bothered. A big relief as I really wouldn’t have known what to do otherwise! On several occasions I noticed the female with her snout inserted right into the clutch. It was thought they used their heat sensory pits to monitor clutch temperatures. In fact, Trooper had mentioned to me that we wanted to investigate if the heat sensors were “numbed” or otherwise disabled whether this would affect the female’s ability to successfully manage the clutch temperatures. Essentially trying to ascertain whether the female was, in fact, using her heat sensors in this way. 

The Big Day! 

On the days leading up to the hatch, I did notice the female becoming more alert and defensive at even the slightest of intrusions. But, then came hatch day! One of the most exciting days is peeking in on eggs and seeing that very first snout popping out! Well, in my opinion, this is even more so in the case of maternal incubation and one’s first go at reptile reproduction. Once the eggs start to pip the female immediately loosens up her coils and she’ll move her body however it needs to depending on touches she’s receiving from hatchlings down below. This was absolutely fascinating to watch! I pretty much waited until several babies were out before removing the female which took about a day and a half if I recall correctly. To say I was elated by this whole thing is a gross understatement. I can still clearly remember the yell I made when I peered into the nest box that afternoon once I got home from work and spotted snouts! What an absolute thrill. I would strongly recommend trying maternal incubation to anyone breeding green trees. There are not many opportunities in a captive environment to truly witness the culmination of millions of years of evolution and the fine tuning of the genetic programming of these snakes. 

Getting Little Green Trees Going…

The results of this litter were 17 live babies out of 25 total eggs. The other 8 were likely late-term stillborns – something seasoned chondro breeders are very accustomed to. These kids were set up in small shoe box containers (pic of neo set up) along with a single perch made from a small diameter Delrin rod and a wide shallow water dish (I liked using the small 4” plastic plant saucers). Every chondro breeder probably recalls the trials and tribulations of getting their first clutch feeding… this was definitely a challenging time, and to be honest over the weeks it started to whittle away the euphoria of producing your very first litter of chondros! I remember, finally, getting most of them to eat (and I still remember the thrill and pure feeling of accomplishment when that first baby took its first meal!) and there were still at least 5 or so holdouts. These are the ones that make you not want to go into your animal room! I reached out to Trooper several times (hoping for a serious, after-sale tech support!) to seek advice on how to get these stubborn feeders going. He mentioned, for some, you really have to “piss them off” and he said, “remember Tim, in the wild, these guys are reflex feeders relying on caudal luring.”

With this knowledge, I ramped up the agitation on these 5 and I think probably got 1 or 2 to go just on being more aggressive. For the remaining 2-3 it came down to scenting. Trooper’s “go to” was to bring home a live chick from the zoo, kill it, open up the visceral cavity and soak live pinkies in the blood-n-guts. This didn’t work for me – and I’m somewhat thankful it hadn’t as it caused me to stumble upon what was my “go to” and that was to pluck the small feathers from the neck area of a dead chick and apply them to a dead pinky that was thawed out in water – THIS, worked like a charm. Not only did the remaining stubborn kids feed but they did so with vigor. And, I thought, “hell I should just do this from the beginning!” I want to end this section by adding that, prior to the chicks, I also tried frog and lizard puree’s but to no avail. Again, all for the good as chicks are easy to come by and the feather trick didn’t require much work. 

The entire clutch were all red/maroon neonates. There was one sort of odd stand out – that was 18.96. What was unique about this baby relative to the others was the significantly reduced markings it had. Embarrassingly, I even offered up 18.96 at a few local shows though I did price him a $1000 as opposed to the standard $750. Although at that time, the summer of ’96 through about 1998, the chondro market had crashed. Not because of too many cool animals but because there was an influx of freshly hatched “farm bred” chondros that non-chondro breeders sold “as is” for $2-300… and even though the OS (and comparable) chondros were certainly better, especially in the hands of novice keepers, people just couldn’t pass up the bargain. 

It was the fall of 1996 and there was a new “major” show starting up – and it was starting up right here in Maryland. It was the “Mid-Atlantic Reptile Show” or M.A.R.S. for short. This show was founded by Tim Hoen who marketed the show as a means to preserve Costa Rican rainforest through the proceeds. Most of the top breeders took an interest in the show and that included Trooper – but he was planning just to go as an observer. Since traveling to the show for Trooper meant coming up from his home in Arlington VA, he would pass right by my house. I lobbied hard to have him stop by my apartment so I could have him take a look at the progeny I produced from his bloodlines. I actually convinced him to stop by!

Now, to anyone reading this who knows (or knew) Trooper, you know that was a hard trick to pull off and certainly one that could have just as quickly fallen through. I was elated! I couldn’t believe this legendary figure was going to pay my humble abode a visit. As he walked into my snake room (which was a converted second bedroom in a 2 bedroom apartment) he didn’t say much. Just an occasional “hmmm,” or “uh huh” or “very nice” but then when showing him the babies I had produced we got to 18.96 and he stared at it and mumbled “uh huh… Tim you may want to hold onto that one….” You know damn well that to get that kind of reaction out of Trooper was to say that chondro is likely going to be “very special indeed.” From that point on, 18.96 never saw another show.

Around 1997 he was beginning to change and his “specialness” was certainly starting to assert itself. Word quickly got out about this blue chondro and initially caught the interest of Tony Nicoli (the legendary Amazon Basin Emerald breeder). He was in talks with a guy in the Philippines who apparently had a lot of money and was looking to cherry pick the best of the American market. A tentative deal was in place to sell 18.96 to this guy for $3000 – an absolute steal looking back but given the continued depression of the chondro market seemed like a good offer at the time. That deal fell through and a new person entered with interest – John Holland (aka Johnny Blue). I met John through my nephew. He was an absolute genius at setting up and maintaining salt water fish tanks – acquiring prestigious accounts of the likes of the then Silver Spring based Discovery Communications. He was just getting into snakes and quickly became interested in 18.96. His company was called “Blue Region” and he thought what better to go along with the blue theme than to own a blue snake! We then consummated a deal for cash plus 2 years of breeding rights to breed him back to his mother. The thinking was, perhaps this could produce more “super-blue” animals. We bred him and his mother twice – once in 1998-99 and again in 1999-2000. Affectionately named, “Mr. Blue ” by John, he went on to sire many litters – several of which in conjunction with Trooper producing many cornerstone animals and arguably resuscitated the sagging chondro market in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

48.93 aka TMBF

This female was the most prolific female GTP I’ve ever known. In fact, once you look at the summary of her breeding accomplishments, you will likely realize there isn’t likely another female that: 1) First bred at just under 2.5 years old; 2) Expended & endured a lot of reproductive effort & stress – 4 of her 6 litters were incubated maternally and twice maternally back-to-back; 3) Produced as many babies as she did. 

In hindsight, I consider my status among prominent historical green tree breeders as largely due to being in the right place at the right time. All I really did was breed the only 2 chondros I had. I had no idea what kind of potential I was dealing with. I suspect Trooper didn’t fully either as I’m absolutely sure he would have done things differently. He once told me that he chose the darkest of the maroon neos to hold back. It was, in fact, Trooper and the other contributors to the bloodlines that laid the groundwork for the results I produced. In that regard, I consider myself very fortunate. 

A few notes:

1. SS = Sean Stewart and his male 27.94 was a Gary Sipperly product. JH = is John Holland. BG = Buddy Goetzger of Arboreal Adventures. 

2. During the 2001 breeding, the female was bred at Buddy’s and the eggs were artificially incubated with his Forma incubator. 

3. During the 2004-05 breeding the female was clearly showing signs of reproductive wear. She had a partially prolapsed oviduct and some retained eggs.  She passed away later that winter.