Behira - 2016 Female Ivory Ghost - First BCI

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sauzo

Looks good. She has grown a lot.

I generally can leave the boas unattended while cleaning their cages. The BP and retic, not a chance. I turn my head and Dottie is halfway across the room cruising around and Caesar is busy trying to find something to break. Luckily, Pat is pretty happy on a perch so i can just prop it up somewhere and he is happy lol.

---

Thanks Sauzo!

She's doing great.

I love your guys too and all their different personalities.

Behira left me a bunch of urine and urate and a little poop. She weighed in at 965G, but I bet she's a little less and still has some poop left in her. Either way, she's getting fed another small rat on Sunday.

She's still doing great. Beautiful and sweet and brave. Good news: Katie say she really likes Behira now. Bad news: Katie says that the new scaleless sunglow motley corn snake hatchling, Solana (all of 8G), might be her new favorite. Frankly, I'll take it. After Behira nailed me back in February, she was not on Katie's "like" list at all. Katie was nervous she was aggressive and that we should consider not keeping her. Took a good week or two to get that off her mind and another few months of hook training to get Katie to totally calm down. I adore Behira. Does she still nail the acrylic doors sometimes when expecting food? Yes, but that's who she is and that's her feed response. I have accepted it and know that she means now harm; she just gets really excited. I try to feed her as quickly as possible and avoid her striking at anything but the rat, but it doesn't always work. Alas, I guess I just have to deal with her "eccentric' and excited food response. I can deal with that if it means having such a wonderful snake. I think Katie is on board with that too, and that makes me happy.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/L1CoWRe.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/nXoXLPM.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/0FLugQU.jpg[/IMG]

"Go back you say? Never! I like being out and exploring!"

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/PqNJ4ii.jpg[/IMG][IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/3aQXf75.jpg[/IMG]

Got some more pics today. What else is new?

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/i87ErAb.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/10SsOt1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kz5LQ5k.jpg[/IMG]

I met B&N Reptiles and the female sunglow BCI that produced the baby sunglows they were selling at the Manchester NH Reptile Expo today (6-24-18).

She was beautiful and docile and predictable. They were kind enough to let me hold her for a few minutes. She is 16 pounds and about 6 1/2 - 7FT or so. Basically the size Behira will be when full grown (give or take).

I haven't really discussed it, and it's not a huge issue, but I was a little intimidated about how big Behira is going to get. My biggest snake to date is Shayna my 1,600 gram female Albino Spider BP.

Other than BP's, I have kept corn snakes in the past. Hardly intimidating at 3-5 feet and 1-1.5 pounds.

I wanted a BCI for many reasons, but I had originally wanted a male BCI because of size. However, Katie and I fell in love with Behira and I liked the challenge of a female; go big or go home!

After holding this girl, I am totally cool about Behira now. Behira will be a big, beautiful, gentle, giant, just like this girl. Docile and easy to manage. Not a one hander, but easy to drape over my shoulders and redirect when necessary, etc.

I am glad I went to the show and met this big momma and now have complete peace of mind about Behira. Totally worth going to the show just for that! However, also so some very cool stuff, but being full up on animals right now, was disciplined and brought home nothing!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/30mhO2d.jpg[/IMG]

Glad you was a good boy, I went to a reptile show yesterday ,UK's biggest one in Doncaster and came away with nothing too, was so tempted to sin tho

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dakski

I met B&N Reptiles and the female sunglow BCI that produced the baby sunglows they were selling at the Manchester NH Reptile Expo today (6-24-18).

She was beautiful and docile and predictable. They were kind enough to let me hold her for a few minutes. She is 16 pounds and about 6 1/2 - 7FT or so. Basically the size Behira will be when full grown (give or take).

I haven't really discussed it, and it's not a huge issue, but I was a little intimidated about how big Behira is going to get. My biggest snake to date is Shayna my 1,600 gram female Albino Spider BP.

Other than BP's, I have kept corn snakes in the past. Hardly intimidating at 3-5 feet and 1-1.5 pounds.

I wanted a BCI for many reasons, but I had originally wanted a male BCI because of size. However, Katie and I fell in love with Behira and I liked the challenge of a female; go big or go home!

After holding this girl, I am totally cool about Behira now. Behira will be a big, beautiful, gentle, giant, just like this girl. Docile and easy to manage. Not a one hander, but easy to drape over my shoulders and redirect when necessary, etc.

I am glad I went to the show and met this big momma and now have complete peace of mind about Behira. Totally worth going to the show just for that! However, also so some very cool stuff, but being full up on animals right now, was disciplined and brought home nothing!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/30mhO2d.jpg[/IMG]

---

I've sort of taken the same approach in that I'm trying to get a full understanding on how big these snakes are going to get. While the BOA in the picture is absolutely stunning, it's a little more then I want to take on...especially the girth. Can I assume this is a normal size for a BCI adult? Or are males considerably smaller? I think I'm partial to the size that Behira is now (at least from the pictures you've been posting).

The size of that really nice sunglow is about the normal size for a bci,

The males are generally smaller mine are, except my six year old albino jungle called Jim who is 7ft .he was over fed for years and for the past year have had him on once a month feed instead of the xl rat he was given every two weeks
My 4 year old motley is about the same size as behira .which is a great size as
you say
Locality bci are a lot slimmer


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ckuhn003

I've sort of taken the same approach in that I'm trying to get a full understanding on how big these snakes are going to get. While the BOA in the picture is absolutely stunning, it's a little more then I want to take on...especially the girth. Can I assume this is a normal size for a BCI adult? Or are males considerably smaller? I think I'm partial to the size that Behira is now (at least from the pictures you've been posting).

---

Come on ckuhn, you can do it!!! If that girl in the pic can handle that boa, so can you. :gj:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ckuhn003

I've sort of taken the same approach in that I'm trying to get a full understanding on how big these snakes are going to get. While the BOA in the picture is absolutely stunning, it's a little more then I want to take on...especially the girth. Can I assume this is a normal size for a BCI adult? Or are males considerably smaller? I think I'm partial to the size that Behira is now (at least from the pictures you've been posting).

---

They had the adult male breeder there too. He had to weigh half as much, if not less, than the female. My guess is he was 1-2FT shorter and 1/2 the girth.

Male BCI are usually much smaller than female BCI. Key word there is usually.

Richardhind1972 is correct that if you want to stay small, you need to go with a dwarf locality Boa.

Also, from what I have heard and seen, that female Sunglow in the picture is about right for an adult female BCI, give or take.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RickyNY

Come on ckuhn, you can do it!!! If that girl in the pic can handle that boa, so can you. :gj:

---

Hahah.....I'm not worried about handling it. It's the thought of entertaining the conversation w/ my wife when I tell her I'm going to get my 2nd snake which is "slightly" bigger then our BP ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ckuhn003

Hahah.....I'm not worried about handling it. It's the thought of entertaining the conversation w/ my wife when I tell her I'm going to get my 2nd snake which is "slightly" bigger then our BP ;)

---

Katie was nervous about getting a big snake too. However, two thoughts.

1. If you do go big, start small! Get a baby or juvenile (1 year old or so tops) and let your wife watch him/her grow up. Boas take a long time to reach adult size. 4-6 years easy if fed properly (less is more). If I had brought home a 7FT female, Katie would have killed me. Behira was 1 year and 4 months old when we got her. Established, but still small ((in addition to being a Ghost (hypo angry) she's 66% het moonglow, so the breeder was thinking of keeping her and making moonglows before he decided to sell her). She was about 440G. She's already over 960G 8 1/2 months later and still growing fast. However, Katie has gotten to know her and appreciate her. She was even Katie's favorite snake (she loves her personality; BCI's can be very curious, but also very docile and predictable). However, she is in love with Solana now, the 2 month old and 8G Scaleless Sunglow (Red Factor) Motley corn she got me for our anniversary last week. She adores her! We fight over holding her!

Point is, it's not like Katie's going to wake up one day to a monster. She will watch Behira grow into a gentle giant.

I will say the conversation about keeping the small dogs away from Behira when she's bigger was a tough one, but she even accepted that, after some time. :).

2. Go for an animal you really and truly want. For me, I started out wanting a male BCI because they are smaller, but I loved the BCI temperament. Then, I realized this is my one shot at a large snake and decided to get the combo of best temperament, best looking, and best eater. I think we did pretty well with Behira. Did I want a 16 pound+ snake to begin with? No, but I have fallen in love with Behira and have no regrets. She is my favorite snake now. I think she's amazing both with temperament and interaction as well as beauty. I have zero regrets.

If you get something you really love and your wife really loves (Katie picked Behira out once I narrowed it down to 4 possibilities from a small local breeder who knew his snakes and their personalities well) you will have a great experience regardless. Katie was included in the process and truly enjoys interacting with Behira more than any of the other snakes. Also, getting an animal you really love will help you stay committed and caring for that animal for its life (20-30 years for a boa).

I would hate for you to compromise and not the get animal you truly want. Then you will have regrets (and maybe even resentment towards your wife) and might not have a snake that lasts his/her lifetime. Further, how much room do you have for more animals? I am at my limit now, so I choose Behira and Solana very carefully. I got exactly what I wanted with no compromises or impulse purchases. Now, I feel my collection is awesome and complete and I couldn't be happier.

Just my two cents, but as much as it is my hobby, Katie does dabble and enjoy the animals greatly (even if she doesn't always admit it :)).

Regardless of what you choose, know we are all here to help!

Behira ate Sunday night and we've been busy with Solana, the new baby scaleless sunglow motley corn snake. I took everyone out today, including Behira, for some dad time. I didn't want them feeling neglected :).

Got some funny pictures with Behira I thought I would share. She's so gentle and so curious!

She's doing great! She turned two years old this month and is growing at a great, healthy, pace; not too fast. Still feeding a small rat every two weeks. They average about 70-85G.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/h3A7Ykq.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kaNEDur.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/7Dl0RET.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/ioPDYuF.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9sp7uCV.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/dezbvk3.jpg[/IMG]

Nice bud!!

It is boa season!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gio

Nice bud!!

It is boa season!

---

Katie had a rough day today and wanted to hold Solana ((our baby (9g) scaleless sunglow motley corn)). About a minute into holding Solana, she calmed right down and was smiling. I realized, Solana is Katie's "therapy snake."

Made me think, Behira is definitely my "therapy snake." She's my reptilian companion animal. I love her personality and we interact really well together. We really know and understand each other at this point (as much a grown man and 2 year old BCI can anyway). She makes me really happy and I am able to really relax interacting with her. It's not that the other snakes and lizards don't do that for me, Behira just seems to have the strongest effect. She's my buddy!

Also, nothing against the 5 dogs! They all make me happy, but I interact with them differently. They are definitely my snuggle buddies.

Nice to know Behira is beautiful and docile, but also very therapeutic!

As a final note. After holding Solana, Katie said she missed Behira and wanted to see her soon. That's a big deal. I did not take her out tonight because she had been out earlier today and the lights were out at that point. No reason to fight the food response and go through that battle!

Behira is going to shed soon. Her belly is starting to turn reddish and he skin/scales are getting darker.

Katie wanted to spend time with her tonight and I had to clean her water dishes and put fresh water in. Got a few good pictures too!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zcEzPqw.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/47iJqbI.jpg[/IMG]


[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/SB4YQh1.jpg[/IMG]

Behira should shed in the next week. She's darker, and her belly was reddish the past two days. Still waiting for her eyes to cloud over, unless I missed it. Humidity has been between 65-75%, but I am keeping it 75% and above until she sheds. She has yet to have a bad shed with me. High humidity = good shed every time.

Here are two shots of Behira after I put her back in her tank today. She's starting to fill out the 6X2' tank; key word is starting to. She has a long way to go - like another 6,000G (she's about 1,000G now).

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/e42aguE.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/BXh9ODX.jpg[/IMG]

Behira shed today! She didn't leave me any waste, which is unusual, however, she's eating smaller meals lately (the bag of small rats I got recently average about 75G each and she had been eating 85-90G small rats) so she might just be putting more to growth. Also, there's no rule that she has to go when she sheds, but she usually does.

Since she didn't go, I didn't weigh her. She was 965G before last meal.

In any event, she looks happy and beautiful. Pictures below.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/P9xWVFP.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Kg6Fvs2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/8Fhe5kE.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/90BjPKG.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bRynhxn.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/b3s6NFh.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/O3fQZgT.jpg[/IMG]

Looking great after her shed

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Looking great after her shed

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

---

Thank you! Yeah, I wish the pictures did her justice. In person she's so rich and iridescent. The lighting in my finished basement isn't great. I'll get some more shots outside soon.

As noted, Behira shed 2 nights ago, or early yesterday. I took her out to get the shed and take some pictures (earlier in the day).

I offered food last night, and for the first time yet, she refused.

Not sure if there is a correlation, or if something else is going on, or it's totally random.

I know if I take Shayna (BP) out the day of feeding she often refuses. I didn't expect that with Behira.

In any event, not too worried yet, and will offer again in a week (does that make sense or wait two weeks).

Snakes can be funny and she's very healthy and seemingly happy.

Temps and humidity are dialed in and she had a perfect shed. No change there in the past 6 months.

87-89F hot spot.

82-84F ambient.

78-80F cool side.

Humidity - 60-70% - higher in shed

Animals just do things sometimes that's not in the normal behaviour,they must have off days like we do sometime,I persononally try in a week's time, but the chances are she will be cruising in the next few nights for some supper like they do [emoji3] if that was her normal feeding night

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Animals just do things sometimes that's not in the normal behaviour,they must have off days like we do sometime,I persononally try in a week's time, but the chances are she will be cruising in the next few nights for some supper like they do [emoji3] if that was her normal feeding night

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

---

Thanks Richardhind1972. That's what I am hoping it is. Also, she shed the night before, so she might just feel a little off.

I had to call Jeff Ronne, the Boaphile, about sending me a RHP for the bottom tank in my setup that I'm splitting into two 3X2's; one side for Figment and one side for Solana. I mentioned it to him and he said it's unusual for a Boa to miss a meal, but not to worry unless they miss two in a row.

Additionally, the temps have been crazy here. It went from 83-85F one day to 100F the next. Although her room is fairly well temp controlled, and her tank even more so, maybe Behira picked up on the atmospheric changes? Shayna struck at her rat last night (first time in a year - usually she wants me to put down and she pulls into her hide and eats) so maybe they all feel off in different ways?

I'll plan to feed in a week, unless she starts cruising, then I might offer a little sooner.

I'll keep everyone in the loop.

That’s ok then, I was going to ask wether you was having weird warm spells at the moment as I’m sure like us you don’t all ways feel hungry when it’s so warm
I normally try wait a few days after a shed just in case
Well good luck I’m sure she will start cruising any time


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

A couple of things.

First, since she didn't eat last night, and I am a worried dad, I took Behira out tonight for some one on one time. Katie was doing work upstairs and I had a call to make, so I figured I'd talk on the phone while chilling with my little girl.

I am pretty sure she would have tried my arm out hoping for a rat if I hadn't used the hook. She was in full "S" strike position and her head was off the ground eyeing me when I took the drape down :). A few strokes with the hook handle, and then a few more, and she was calm with head down. I reached in, picked her up, and all was well with the world. Either way, this makes me more optimistic that yesterday was an off day and she will eat this weekend when I offer.

Secondly, she's such a beautiful and wonderful creature. I really do adore her and love handling her.

Here are some pictures of her and us. The one where her head is on my arm, she is sleeping. She explored for a while and then curled around my arm and put her head down. She was like that for 25 minutes with no eye movement and no tongue flicks. She's so sweet and relaxed.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/0qlHehG.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/tTsjhtK.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zGlTtO7.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/yq0M4jb.jpg[/IMG]

Hi bud as regards the feeding ....

The hairdryer rarely fails ....

This method WORKS if done properly ...
I wait until evening as they're nocturnal of course . I let the rodent thaw out in the reptile room so they get the smell ..
Then I warm up the mouse / rat with a hairdryer and offer with tongs IMMEDIATELY whilst still warm . If refused simply repeat the heating and offering as many times as needed. .
A couple of mine will only strike feed from within their hides so I dangle the warm rodent in front of the hide's entrance - usually works but if it fails simply reheat the rodent with a hairdryer and immediately offer again whilst it's still warm continue until it's grabbed ...


Incidentally , if it shows no interest at all not even a tongue flicker maybe it's best to leave for a week or so.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

Behira left me a ton of waste today. She weighed in at 950G totally dry and having not eaten in almost 3 weeks. I'd say that's a good dry weight.

She shed earlier this week and is looking stunning. While I cleaned her tank, Katie hung out with her.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/SOEZYac.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/THuFXOR.jpg[/IMG]

Got some shots of Behira chilling in her enclosure today before I picked her up.

There is pretty good lighting in her tank, so the pictures are fairly representative, although I did take them with an iPhone :(.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/pg75oSr.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9nlvlwZ.jpg[/IMG]

She's looking really great dakski,love the grey bands on her tail

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

She's looking really great dakski,love the grey bands on her tail

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

---

Thank you!

I am fully expecting her to gobble down a rat this weekend (will offer Sunday).

I also love her color changes. Her head has been very light the past few times I had her out (since her shed). Today, as you can see in the pictures, a lot of dark shading/spots on her head today. Seems to have nothing to do with mood at all; she was a total puppy dog today, as always. However, she changes colors/shading throughout the day.

The gray banding on the tail looks almost purplish in person. Definitely grey, but with a cool hue/hint of color seemingly.

That's good then, yes I'm sure she will eat her lunch this time especially if she's roaming .
I love the way boas change colour it's so cool , you never know what shade you going to get when you open the glass, lol
It's like have a few different snakes some times,so hard to photograph aswell

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Here's a terrible picture of me holding Behira. My ugly mug looks in focus, but the lighting was crap and it was taken with my iPhone, so Behira, the star of the picture, looks out of focus.

It does show how much she's grown AND how much she has to grow!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/tqXiJko.jpg[/IMG]

Great news! Behira nailed her F/T rat (70G) tonight. I put it in and she seemed super interested, but watched me, watched the rat, etc. for 3-4 minutes. Then, BAM! Struck and coiled. Would be nice if she did her usual 2 second strike, but I'll take it. I'll also take that over nailing the acrylic doors! :)

So relieved. I guess last week was just an off day for her. She had literally just shed and who knows. What matters is she ate tonight! Glad she is back on track and is going to have a full belly!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kQhliVt.jpg[/IMG]

Behira ate and digested Sunday's meal and is back to her old self, seemingly. We had a good time tonight chilling for the first time in about 3 days.

Who cares what Katie thinks? Behira likes the beard! :)

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/DbqsJUG.jpg[/IMG]

Sometimes I forget how strong she is!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/qInsydM.jpg[/IMG]

It's outside picture time! It's outside picture time! It's outside picture time! It's outside picture time!

Behira shed recently and it was a perfect 85F here in sunny Northern Connecticut today! I was also sick most of this week and didn't get so spend much time with my beautiful, growing (did I mention growing), little girl.

We spent some time on the deck taking in the sunshine.

She is FAST outgrowing the little container I have to put in her when I clean/transport her in. I need a bigger one soon!

Without further ado: Behira, the 2 year old, Ghost BCI!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/yFT7CBD.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/hVoMdul.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/PH9r1bu.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/uBOU9ex.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zeGFfZo.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/jI0N2wy.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/tngC1wU.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://i.imgur.com/HdpJaBr.jpg?1[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/8SKclqU.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/nsvx9Nt.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/E3XOhj0.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/hyiZPrI.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/gOyABuw.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/F0GhqvP.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bo2d18o.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/CCPIwOj.jpg[/IMG]

Snakes look so different in natural light , was she in her dark phase as her head looks like it was a higher speckling than her last few photos, makes you wonder where they hide them spots sometimes as they come and go on my boas too

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

What a pretty girl! She's growing well too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Snakes look so different in natural light , was she in her dark phase as her head looks like it was a higher speckling than her last few photos, makes you wonder where they hide them spots sometimes as they come and go on my boas too

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

---

Richard,

She was kind of in between, maybe a little more dark (but not nearly as dark as she can be), when I brought her outside. However, after a little while, if I recall, and from knowing the chronology of the pictures, she lightened up a bit.

Her colors are nice inside, but in the sunlight, she's super rich and contrasts well and shows off some of that Boa iridescence.

Love her color changes and love getting her outside for some sun and to enjoy her beauty.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

What a pretty girl! She's growing well too.

---

Yeah, I got her for the temperament, and frankly, was looking for something more colorful in the beginning (like a Sunglow - I love striking and bright animals - look at the rest of my collection). However, I got to meet her first, and she was established, etc. However, I've come to love her more subtle beauty, contrast, and uniqueness (I have nothing else that looks even close to her). Plus, her personality is amazing and she's my favorite snake to have out and interact with. She's my buddy.

She's growing fast, but not too fast, and is healthy and happy. All I could ask.

Good luck with your new Motley EL-Ziggy and keep us in the loop on him!

We've got a climber!

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/igCWzva.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/am8xHD8.jpg[/IMG]

​Sigh, I won't be able to hold this lady in one hand like this for much longer.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/KtmpTGV.jpg[/IMG]

That's great, she's looking so amazing! Sascha has been doing a lotta climbing lately too, I take her out then within seconds she's on my head lol

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dakski

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/tqXiJko.jpg

---

She's still looking great! Glad things are going well with her. Looks like you're about to play her like a guitar in this photo! rock on

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Avsha531

That's great, she's looking so amazing! Sascha has been doing a lotta climbing lately too, I take her out then within seconds she's on my head lol

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

---

Thank you Avsha531!

They love the head/hair for some reason! Yeah, huge difference with Behira over my other snakes. The corns want a lot of support and just like slithering through my hands/arms, etc. Shayna, the BP, is definitely better at getting a grip on me, but does not have the desire or climbing prowess that Behira does at all. Behira was born to climb and is curious and investigative.

She is so incredibly chill after being out for even a minute. That climbing picture was taken at the end of a 20 minute handling session where she spent 15 minutes on my arm and chest, basically, not moving. :).

Amazing how strong she is at not even 1,000G. Going to be interesting when she's 7,000G+. However, she's so calm and predictable and gentle. She's going to be a gentle giant for sure. Not too worried.

As awesome and impressive as it's going to be having a 15+ pound Behira at 7FT, I'll miss my little baby BCI who I could hold with one forearm and hand! (Tear) How fast they grow up!

BTW - Been following Sascha's thread; quite the beauty and you and she seem like real buddies now! Very cool.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

She's still looking great! Glad things are going well with her. Looks like you're about to play her like a guitar in this photo! rock on

---

LOL! Unfortunately, I am basically tone deaf, and from a musical perspective, might as well be an earless snake (I do appreciate music however). Couldn't play an instrument if my life depended on it.

However, I've got the snake act down!!!!!!

I am a pretty funny guy; witty and sarcastic and punny and a great joke teller.

Maybe Behira and I can do a stand up act together?

A comedian and a Boa walk into a bar...............

Well, Behira and I, kind of hit a snag with Katie today.

We (me and Katie, not Behira) went to the local reptile store today to get some food for the Leopard Gecko's (Dubai roaches). Adam, who owns the store, and I've known for a while now, had a big tank with a large female BCI (anery) and a male albino (Sharp, I believe) that he's trying to breed.

Katie saw the female BCI and asked what it was. Me being totally honest, as I always am, and having shown Katie pictures of adult BCI females, and discussed it with her when she picked Behira, a female, etc. says, "oh that's a female BCI, like Behira, except Behira is a ghost so she's hypo anery and not as dark as this one."

Apparently, that was the wrong answer, because Katie freaked out!

This happens to be a large female. My guess is over 20 pounds. Knowing Behira's parents' that (20 pounds) is about the largest I am expecting Behira to be, but who knows?

Katie could not fathom how our "big" (in her mind) 1,000G Behira is going to be 7,000+ and 7FT+. It hit her hard.

She thought we saw adult BCI's at the show where we met Behira's breeder, but I am pretty sure he showed us pictures of adults and had some 3 year old male BCI's. I would never intentionally mislead Katie and have told her from day one that Behira will be big and it takes 5+ years for her to reach adult size. I guess Katie thought a 3 year old 2K gram BCI was big at the time.

I don't want Katie to resent me or Behira, and I will see how all this plays out. She seemed a little calmer tonight and even held Behira. However, she's mentioned a few times in the past few weeks that she's already getting big. Further she's darkened up a little which somehow makes her seem scarier to Katie and did nail me with a food response bite once. She also is an aggressive feeder.

Behira has never shown aggression or defensiveness and is totally chill while being handled. The hook training has gone great and she snaps right out of food response mode if she's even close to it. I can read her well now and I am not scared of her, even her at 7K grams plus.

However, Katie, who seems to read the other snakes fine, gets scared if Behira pulls her head back while being handled and enters anything resembling an "S" position. It's obviously incidental to me, and she has a happy tongue, and hasn't tensed, etc. However, Katie gets a little fearful.

Seeing that big female today really shocked her and intimidated her.

Again, I am going to give it some time and we will see what happens.

I just feel really bad that Katie thought she had all the info, but obviously did not.

She feels I was a little pushy with getting Behira, and I probably was, and probably just said "whatever" when I said Behira is a female and gets bigger than the males. Somehow, in her mind, that meant a little bigger than what she saw at the show, not BIG.

Anyway, and advice would be appreciated, and I'll keep everyone in the loop. Sorry I rambled, but I just mostly feel terrible for Katie, and a little scared that she will always be upset about having her. That probably isn't rational.

Here are the pictures from tonight.

Branch a la Katie

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/2d6F3HH.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/j21l96U.jpg[/IMG]

Remember it doesn’t mean that she will necessarily get that big and not all do
My 8year old common boa is only 5ft she has a large rat every month and has pretty much stayed the some sort of girth as she has been for the past 4years except when she was pregnant

At least with her growing up with her she will get to read her body language and generally boas are slow and quite graceful .the corns won’t be as girthy but some can get to 6ft and are pretty much on the go all the time where at least most boas will sit and chill with you, your shanya will probably stay chunkier than behira as most ball pythons are , yes there is the exception with some overfed boas
Good luck and remember there’s still a few years to go before adulthood for you as a family to enjoy her growing and maturing with you


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

^^What Richard said.^^

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

Remember it doesn’t mean that she will necessarily get that big and not all do
My 8year old common boa is only 5ft she has a large rat every month and has pretty much stayed the some sort of girth as she has been for the past 4years except when she was pregnant

At least with her growing up with her she will get to read her body language and generally boas are slow and quite graceful .the corns won’t be as girthy but some can get to 6ft and are pretty much on the go all the time where at least most boas will sit and chill with you, your shanya will probably stay chunkier than behira as most ball pythons are , yes there is the exception with some overfed boas
Good luck and remember there’s still a few years to go before adulthood for you as a family to enjoy her growing and maturing with you


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by EL-Ziggy

^^What Richard said.^^

---

Yeah, I think her slow growth is what's going to make this work. Katie will have a lot of time to adjust as Behira grows.

Still a little anxious because Katie gets nervous around Behira (at least somewhat) and doesn't seem to read her as well as the other snakes.

As stated, I will give it time and let them grow to know each other better as Behira continues to grow.

Thank you both!

Ok, so an interesting evening on the Behira and Katie front.

We were having a good night with the reptiles. The geckos were left alone, but all the snakes came out, as did Frank (the BTS) and we cut his nails (I hold, Katie cuts, although he's pretty good about it).

Behira left a lot of urine, urate, and a little poop, and although I don't think all the poop is out, I weighed her at 1,000G even.

Back to the story.

I took Shayna (BP) out and Katie held her for a bit while I checked water, etc. Katie then took Figment (corn snake) out and held him for a bit.

Then, she blew my mind. I said I was going to take Behira out. She took the drape down herself, I unlocked the door (she was sitting on top of her house, away from urine, with her nose basically against the door) and opened the door slowly and took a step back. I went over to reach for the hook and there was Katie walking over to Behira, with hook in hand. She rubbed her a few times and I explained Behira's changing body language to Katie. First, a little startled and curious, then relaxed on the house and loose; ready to be picked up. Katie started reaching for Behira! I took the hook and showed her that to be safe, I often put the hook handle between Behira's head and my arm until she melts into my hand. Katie picked her right up and spent time with her while talking to her dad on the phone and while I cleaned the tank.

She asked about letting her wrap around her neck and I explained it's okay to drape her over your neck, but not okay to let her wrap around, especially when she's bigger. I also explained to always know where the tail is, so if she does squeeze a little, you can gently unwind her.

Things were going fantastic!

We put Behira back and took baby Solana (scaleless corn) out. Katie and I were discussing how she's very much Katie's snake and how calm she is.

Katie started talking about Behira and how she didn't understand how big Behira was going to be. She said it scares her because she bit me. I explained that I understood she was fearful, but that it wasn't rational. Behira has never so much as coiled into an "S" while being held, it was an isolated incident, and since hook training, has been a non issue. I also explained that a younger, hungry and growing Boa, is probably more likely to have a food response bite, and that even after Behira nailed me, she let me pick her right up. Not a mean bone in her body. I told her snakes bite because they are either thinking of food or being defensive. Behira has never been the latter and the bigger she gets the less fearful (not like she is fearful at all now) she will be. I also said that the bigger she gets and the less she needs to grow, her food response might lessen a bit.

I pointed out that we were planning on getting a male and that she wanted Behira for her looks and I wanted her for her temperament. I had told Katie to research it, come to shows and see adults, etc. but she ultimately said, you are going to take care of her, and I like this one (Behira) as well as you, so let's get her. I don't care that she's a female even if they get bigger. She's basically your responsibility.

Katie now points out that she didn't have all the information and that Behira has darkened up and seems scarier now not being as light.

I told Katie it's great that you took her out tonight and that you are spending more time with her and learning her body language just like you have the other snakes. As she continues to grow you will have more comfort with her as well.

She didn't let it go. I asked, what would you like to do?

She said, "maybe get rid of her."

STOP THE TRAIN! HOLD THE PHONE! WHAT!

I told her that would only happen with an ultimatum, her or Behira, and that I would regret and resent giving her up if forced too.

About an hour later Katie apologized and said she was overtired and got anxious and it just came out and she was sorry.

Okay, but I keep thinking that a drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts. Are an overtired and anxious Katie's words a calm and awake Katie's thoughts?

Plus, it totally caught me off guard. Look at the juxtaposition. She takes Behira out of her tank for the first time ever and chills with her and then 20 minutes later she's the enemy!?!?

I am not sure what to make of all this, but I am choosing to focus on the positive. Katie took her out of her tank, hook and all, had a good time with her, and she just recently saw an adult female BCI, so it's still a shock.

Deep breathes and hoping Katie relaxes a little and lets this go.

To be clear, I love Katie more than anything, and would never purposely make her uncomfortable. I did not knowingly misinform Katie. I offered a ton of information, but Katie basically said, whatever.

She told me tonight she is glad we got Solana. I am not sure she has ever been so glad about Behira and feels I was too pushy about getting her. I very much might have been. Behira was basically my decision and Katie agreed, but wasn't 100% on board. This doesn't help the situation. Solana was 100% Katie approved.

Anyway, I'll continue to keep everyone in the loop. In case it wasn't clear, Behira is doing amazingly well, and is as calm and docile as ever.

Below is the picture of Katie while Behira was out tonight.

[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/oIA4Rwg.jpg[/IMG]

That was a really good read till you dropped the bomb shell.ouch
feeding responses are always a shock especially out the blue , my oldest female when I first had her was 4 and i thought she was as tame as kahlos my big albino, but she was crawling round my lads legs and he tried to unwind her that's when he got bit, in front of her and i think that scared her a bit but not really said anything since but that was over 4years ago .I won't get her out when she's home now ,don't want to push my luck but still get the others out in the garden and she just looks at them , her grandkids love them thank goodness and are always stroking them when I've got them out
That was all really positive especially Katie getting her out etc, she will lighten back up as you know,
Fingers crossed she was overtired and wasn't thinking straight
Good luck

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by richardhind1972

That was a really good read till you dropped the bomb shell.ouch
feeding responses are always a shock especially out the blue , my oldest female when I first had her was 4 and i thought she was as tame as kahlos my big albino, but she was crawling round my lads legs and he tried to unwind her that's when he got bit, in front of her and i think that scared her a bit but not really said anything since but that was over 4years ago .I won't get her out when she's home now ,don't want to push my luck but still get the others out in the garden and she just looks at them , her grandkids love them thank goodness and are always stroking them when I've got them out
That was all really positive especially Katie getting her out etc, she will lighten back up as you know,
Fingers crossed she was overtired and wasn't thinking straight
Good luck

Sent from my TA-1024 using Tapatalk

---

Thanks Richard.

Obviously, if I had to re-home Behira versus loosing Katie, it's a no brainer. However, I don't think Behira, or I, deserve to be in that position. She made one "mistake" and has never shown aggression or come close to anything resembling that while out. She had a confusing moment and two seconds later, was calm and let me pick her up.

I told Katie tonight that I was proud of her for taking Behira out for the first time and it looked like she had a good time with her. She responded with, don't read into that and think I like her, and I didn't enjoy holding her.

I think sometimes, like everyone, Katie just likes to be combative and/or refuses to admit that she might have enjoyed Behira tonight if that means she is wrong and Behira really is a good animal.

It's human nature.

Again, going to focus on the positives from tonight.

I told Katie if Behira was a viscous animal, I wouldn't want to keep her either. I told her when I was younger, I had gotten a king snake from a breeder and all it ever thought about was food and it was defensive. I tried working with it for a few weeks, but to no avail. I ended up giving it back to the breeder. I didn't know enough to work with it longer and I didn't want a defensive and food crazed animal.

However, Behira is clearly not that. I asked Katie to be rational and trust me. We will see where that gets us.

Thank again Richard. I'll keep everyone in the loop.

Fingers crossed for you mate and let’s hope behira behaves herself too for her sake


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk