Need Some Advice About A Possible Trade

I think the main issue holding you back (besides the attachment thing) seems to be whether this boa is male or female. Could you get someone to come in and check for you? It sounds like you'd want it a lot more if it turned out to be male, since he'd work in your breeding plan instead of being just "another good-looking snake".

Actually, you can sex the snake yourself non-invasively. Just palpate. This works best on boas so it isn't a common way of sexing BPs. All you do is, starting at the vent and pressing firmly (but not so firmly that you would hurt the snake), run the tip of your thumb toward the tail. If you feel a slight popping bump (like a mini-speedbump or "beads" just under the skin), that's the male's hemipenes. If you don't feel that, it's a girl. Do it several times until you get comfortable with it. It helps to try it on a known male so you can find what you're looking for. This is extremely accurate for boas under 4-ish feet. If you feel the pop, it IS a male. I have bought ALL of my boas based on this and each one is what they were deemed to be by palpation.

Here's a nice video explaining the process.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlJ3bB2Wds0

Yes, it does depend almost entirely on it being a male. The little boa had a really long skinny tail, which is what made me think it might be a male. I will definitely try that palpation method though! That's fantastic! Thanks Kali! :)

If it's a male, I may very well make the trade. And if it comes down to that and I can't let my normal go, I'll offer him $60 and see if he bites. I know he only paid $50 and has only had the snake a week or two. So he'd still be making money on it since it has only eaten once or twice. I'm going in Friday night to pick up rat pups for my little mojo, so of the little one is still there I will try palpating and if male, go from there.

Thanks guys! I'll keep you updated on what happens. :D

Sounds good! I think $60 is reasonable - but be prepared to ****er a little.

Do keep us posted - I'm anxious to hear how the palpating works for you! Do you know anyone who has a known male young boa you can practise with?? Either way, it really isn't hard. I hope it turns out to be male for you! :gj:

Well, I went and checked the snake out again. There was definitely no "speed bump" when I palpated the snake, so possibly a young female. I could have been wrong, but even so...while I was there I checked out the pastel BCI in the next cage who was laying in her water bowl and low and behold! Mites! Yikes!! :O

If she had them, no doubt so did the little boa I liked so much. :( Oh well. Obviously not meant to be. I told my friend about the mites and as you can imagine he was not happy. When I left he was cleaning out all the cages and spraying them down with mite spray.

I'm thinking I might pick up a baby baby at the next show that has been sexed by someone who knows how to do so. We'll see. And maybe someone will let me palpate a known male so I can tell the difference more confidently in the future. :)

Thanks for all the help though!

Sorry to hear it didnt work out for you WP! :/

Sorry to hear also - but please share pics if you do pick up a wee won at the next show :)

Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you. If you buy a baby, I would make sure the breeder palpates to sex their animals. This is totally safe and non-invasive. Probing and popping isn't exactly dangerous if you know what you're doing, but especially with boas, palpating is safer - and since it's so accurate, there's no reason a breeder should use another method. Have them show you how it's done! :gj:

I don't fear mites like I used to. I just give every new arrival a spray down of Reptile Spray. This is amazing stuff and I highly recommend you get some to have on hand. It is way safer than PAM - you can spray it directly on the snake - and every bit as effective.

I bought a baby sunglow at Tinley Park in October. Checked her out the next morning and, egad, mites! I was SO upset!! Immediately ran down to the show and grabbed a can of PAM. But tinkered around for awhile and ended up speaking with Rich at Reptile Basics. He showed me Reptile Spray. Told me to just spray the baby down in the sink making sure she was completely covered, then wipe down her travel tub thoroughly. I took it back up to the room, gave the baby a thorough spray-down and had instant dead mites. Wiped down her tub and put fresh paper towels in. Vola!! No more mites period. Problem solved. Instantly and safely. ;)

Hope you find your dream boa!

Quick update on my boa search:

I am going to the Orlando Repticon next weekend and am going to be keeping an eye out for my dream baby boa boy. I'm not dead set on picking one up, but if I find one that catches my eye and steals my heart, he will be coming home with me. :P

So my question is this: What size tub should I get for him? I've never actually kept a snake in a tub as of yet, except for one week when a friend wanted to leave the normal female she got from me at my house while they sprayed for bugs at hers. Anyway, for a baby boa...what size tub would be best? Also, given that I can't add supplemental heat, would 75 degree temps at night be too low for a baby? My monster tail prefers it below 80, evidenced by her squishing herself against the glass when it's 80-82 in there. But I wasn't sure about a baby?

Also, I've already ordered another hydrofarm just in case, and it will be here Monday. :rolleyes:

Any advice on keeping one in a tub is welcome. And I will definitely post pics if I end up finding one. :) No worries.