Update, 26 July 2026: Otto is female. We bought her as a male and called her “he” throughout this entry — that turned out to be wrong. We’ve left the entry as it was written rather than quietly rewriting it, and corrected the rest of the site. The full story is in Otto is a girl.

I want this journal to start the way the rest of the site does — honestly.

Right now, Heart & Hatch is right at the very beginning. Otto, our founding male, is settling in and doing well. He’s a partial pinstripe extreme harlequin in black and white, full of character, and not for sale — he’s family, and the whole foundation of this project.

The big task in front of me is finding him the right match. I’m not in a rush for it — a good pairing matters a lot more than a fast one. I’ve got a short list of traits I’m hoping to pair him with — Lilly White is my top hope, along with extreme harlequin, dalmatian, and full pinstripe — but I’ll only move forward when it’s genuinely the right animal.

So no, there are no hatchlings yet, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. Our first clutches are still ahead of us. What I can promise is that I’ll keep this journal updated as things actually happen — not before. If you want to be first in line when they hatch, the waitlist is the way to hear it first.

Thanks for following along from the very start.

— raised with heart, by the breeder herself

No hatchlings yet — and that's the honest truth

Be first when the next clutch hatches.