When Purchasing a Normal Rainbow Boa...

Are there any specific traits to look out for that are more desirable or that indicate a "higher quality" animal?

For example blushing, reduced patterns, bright/dark golden coloring, etc. are traits people like in ball pythons. Is there an equivalent list for rainbow boas?

In the end I'll definitely be purchasing the animal that is most appealing to me but I would like to be more aware of what to look out for.

Thanks,
Dennis

It's all about personal preference. I tend to watch out for Eclipse Crescents (solid black), Bullseye Crescents (looks like it should have been solid black with a light circle dead in the center), and granite speckling on the sides or pattern. I think the solid light colored moons are attractive as well. High white sides are also a desired trait.

Connected and Reduced Patterns are also nice.

As far as colors, I like brightly colored oranges and light reds. They generally age well as they get older. Brazilians usually darken as they get older, so..the lighter the neonate, the brighter the adult (generally). Also the sharp crimson reds (they have a glow of sorts) turn out attractive.

Personally, I look out for any animal that is unusual. If you look through dozens of photos, certain animals will stand out to you. You'll start to recognize aberrancy when you see it. :)

If you purchase your animal from a quality breeder, you'll end up with a nice specimen. Will Bird, Jeff Clark and Dave Colling (Rainbows-r-us) are a few excellent breeders off the top of my head.

Hope this helps! :D

shorter version buy from a good breeder and its all about personal preference

Thanks Michelle, that helps out a bunch. Now I just need to search for some pics of what those traits actually look like. lol

I'll be purchasing one from the reptile show near me. The last time I went they had some beautiful BRBs with lots of bright oranges. The bright orange caught my attention in the first place so I'll probably just get the brightest one I can find!

But I'll definitely check out rainbows-r-us again to get a better idea of what these guys can look like.

Thanks!
Dennis

p.s.
If you posted the pics of your BRBs with a small description of why you picked them it would be much appreciated. :gj: :bow:

Thats what i did. I just went to the show and found the brightest one i could find. Its all about personal preference-- What you want in your snake... I dont really care too much about impressing other people with the appearance of it. If they like my snake as much as i do then great! If not, oh well... i know i like and thats all i care about.
Let us know how your search goes and put some pics up if you can :gj:
Good Luck,

-Brant

PS- There are pictures of my BRB in my thread "Getting a BRB this weekend." if you cared to see.

I dont know if this will help, but this kinda gives you an idea of adult animal vs younger animal (both adult pics are of the same animal). The other thing with BRBs is they can look completely different in different lights so If the breeder has a spotlight, look at the snake under the light and out of the light.

Yearling
http://gallery.pnwhs.org/d/1556-2/DSCN1334.jpg

Adult (Flash)
http://iherp.com/Gallery/88170/1892_...b3N7YoAzmF.jpg

Adult (No Flash)
http://iherp.com/Gallery/88170/12706...ILPF58Aqmo.jpg

Mine looks alot like the juvi in the bottom photo... I have something to look foward to if its going to look like your adult! Beautiful animal! How old is the adult?

The baby in the bottom pic is most likely going to be prange instead of red, but you really cant tell until they are 100g-150g. Thats when they really start to get their adult colors in. Do you know what the parents looked like? That will give you a big clue.

The adult is 5 and half years old. He was actually my second snake and definately one of my favorites.

I love the last picture. It's great to see the size difference between a baby and adult BRB.

Thanks aalomon. That was very helpful! Keep us updated with that little one's growth. I'd love to see how his colors change with age.

I probably won't be getting a BRB until late august but if I do get one then I'll definitely post pics!