Serendipity the Suriname, my first boa

... and she's PERFECT and I'm in LOVE. Such a difference with the personality between boas and BPs! I'm head over heels for her already guys, I can't even handle it. She's so perfect. Without further adieu, here is Serendipity, AKA Dippy:

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...31091589_n.jpg

https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...67614697_n.jpg
https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...93362184_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...68816567_n.jpg

Very Cool! I too am amazed at the differences in different snakes from BPs, I just picked up a childrens python and he has easily become my favorite!

Congrats!!! You've been talking about it for awhile now...glad you like her

Very cute, congrats! A suri is still on my wishlist....do you have pics of the parents?

Crap. I just found mites.

- - - Updated - - -

Also: thank you everyone :) No, no pic of the parents, I bought her from a store-front kinda online shop set up, where you select the gender but don't see a pic of the individual animal. I got her from Snakes At Sunset.

At least I THINK they were mites... never dealt with mites myself... But I'm pretty sure.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

At least I THINK they were mites... never dealt with mites myself... But I'm pretty sure.

---

Do you have a pic?

Uploading now, stay tuned. I'm 99% sure they're mites. I've only found three: one on her, two in the snake bag she came from. Took her out of the ReptiBark-filled tub I had her in and transferred her into another one on paper towels. She's sitting in a bowl of water like a good girl, first time she's been still all day. She seems to like it, but I see no dead buggies emerging.

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/...59184522_n.jpg

On the bright side, I've learned we like baths.

https://scontent-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/...29008075_n.jpg

Oh no! Hopefully those mites don't put up too much of a fight. She's gorgeous btw. I love how saturated her reds are. Congrats!

Well, removed her from water and made her slither through paper towels; not a single bug. Hm.

Thank you so much :) I do too. I was thrilled pulling her out of the bag.

You did it!! Yay. Shes beautiful too. Good luck with the mites. I'd bet some are hiding on her, probably why she's soaking. I've never seen either of mine soak. You're gonna enjoy her though, boas are such fun. :)

Well I kinda bullied her into the bowl, and then she stayed there after I took the lid off, :P Thank you, I can already see she's quite the character. So much personality!

Anyone know the difference between Provent-A-Mite in a spray can from the pro-product site and Reptile Spray from Reptile Basics? Or just using diluted human lice treatment?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

I found this on Amazon, will this be enough? If I wanna spray my six other tubs too, for good measure?

Maybe a couple of her spots fell off j/k. She's cute and looks like she will be quite the little character. Hopefully things clear up quickly for ya.

I would absolutely get the Reptile Spray from Rich at Reptile Basics. LOVE that stuff!! It is very safe too - you can spray it directly on the snake. And it WORKS. Wipe down the tubs of your other snakes with it too even if your Suri is in q/t. Mites travel.

And yes, that bug in the picture is a snake mite. Mites hide under the scales and in the heat pits, under the jaw, and around the eyes. They are VERY hard to spot on the snake. You are lucky you found them when you did.

Gorgeous baby! Congrats but be warned - boas are like potato chips. Bet you can't have just one!! :D

I'm already dreaming of hazaarding a litter one day ;) Got mite-killer on the way, two-day shipping! Oh, Evenstar, someone on my FB (though he admits to specializing in Retics, not boas) said she "looked weird", like her tail was a bit lighter than normal or something or she didn't look pure... thoughts?

He's suggesting she's BCI not BCC based on speckling (saying Surinames tend to be cleaner) and that BCI have the "same king of band"..

- - - Updated - - -

He's suggesting she's BCI not BCC based on speckling (saying Surinames tend to be cleaner) and that BCI have the "same king of band"..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

someone on my FB (though he admits to specializing in Retics, not boas) said she "looked weird", like her tail was a bit lighter than normal or something or she didn't look pure... thoughts?

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

He's suggesting she's BCI not BCC based on speckling (saying Surinames tend to be cleaner) and that BCI have the "same king of band"..
He's suggesting she's BCI not BCC based on speckling (saying Surinames tend to be cleaner) and that BCI have the "same king of band"..

---

This is why I asked if you had photos of the parents...I do see Suri/BCC influence in her but my first thoughts was that your girl didn't look like a pure Suri (Suri to Suri breeding) and looks like a BCI/BCC cross.

Most BCCs/Suris (but not all) have peaked saddles while most (but again, not all) BCIs have dished saddles. {} (peaked) vs. )( (dished)

Tail color varies: I've seen some Suri babies with deep red tails (some almost looking black because they're so red) to very bright red/orange. But yes, the saddles and tail color did make me think the above (she's a posssible BCI/BCC cross). As far as Suris being cleaner: not all Suris are, some can be very peppered.

Edit: do you have pics of her head from the side view? BCCs will have differently shaped heads/facial markers than Colombians/BCIs.

Okay so should I pursue the seller then? He them listed as Suriname and specifically has the BCC scientific name.

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps82e0250d.jpg

Here is the seller page: http://www.snakesatsunset.com/surina...r-constrictor/

The baby pictured doesn't look like mine but says: The animal pictured is a very good example of high widow peaked Surinames boas. We don't have any more like this but have similar with great coloring available.

Here are some better shots, including of her pattern... a few brackets in the dish, and connecting saddles here and there... I dunno.

http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9ccd8f4b.jpg
http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps33d42e32.jpg
http://i760.photobucket.com/albums/x...psf72766e8.jpg

She doesn't look like a pure suri to me. I thought she looked like a cross too. I think it looks like there is some influence, and she is really pretty, but I don't think she's pure.

The colors and the markings just look off.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

Okay so should I pursue the seller then? He them listed as Suriname and specifically has the BCC scientific name.

Here is the seller page: http://www.snakesatsunset.com/surina...r-constrictor/

The baby pictured doesn't look like mine but says: The animal pictured is a very good example of high widow peaked Surinames boas. We don't have any more like this but have similar with great coloring available.

---

I would bring up my concerns with the seller, but it's up to you. Is she still a beautiful little boa that should make a wonderful pet regardless of her background though? Yes! I feel it wouldn't hurt to ask about photos of the parents and the parent's backgrounds though as in my personal opinion, she is not 100% Suri. Do I see Suri/BCC influence in her though? Yes.

Some Suris can have the dished saddles, but I just don't see 100% BCC in this girl.

Also, Fauna is down for me but I would search that seller on the Board of Inquiry: the name sounds familiar but I can't recall for sure what I read on them.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Daybreaker

This is why I asked if you had photos of the parents...I do see Suri/BCC influence in her but my first thoughts was that your girl didn't look like a pure Suri (Suri to Suri breeding) and looks like a BCI/BCC cross.

Most BCCs/Suris (but not all) have peaked saddles while most (but again, not all) BCIs have dished saddles. {} (peaked) vs. )( (dished)

Tail color varies: I've seen some Suri babies with deep red tails (some almost looking black because they're so red) to very bright red/orange. But yes, the saddles and tail color did make me think the above (she's a posssible BCI/BCC cross). As far as Suris being cleaner: not all Suris are, some can be very peppered.

Edit: do you have pics of her head from the side view? BCCs will have differently shaped heads/facial markers than Colombians/BCIs.

---

I would agree with this assessment. She does appear to have some BCI influence in there. I don't know if you can really go back to the seller on this though. That is one reason we usually recommend buying BCC in particular from reputable breeders. The pet store you bought from concerns me a bit that you just pick the sex but can't see a picture first (not to mention that she arrived with mites).

But she's a very pretty snake and if you are happy with her personality, that is the most important part! :gj:

The thing is, we paid the full price for a pure BCC. I have gotten attached to her already, but I did want a pure Suri that would get to the large Suri size.. I'm not sure how I want to handle this. I don't think it was ignorance, I think it was either neglecting to look at your product or intentional mislabeling.. because they were sure to put a nice peaked baby in the picture.

I've done a BOI search, the really only "bad" thread they had was some long drama about a customer getting in and argument with them in the store. I ordered my bumblebee male from them with no problem before which is why I trusted the purchase of the BCC... That really irks me. I won't take it to the BOI yet but I kind of want something done about this.

- - - Updated - - -

The thing is, we paid the full price for a pure BCC. I have gotten attached to her already, but I did want a pure Suri that would get to the large Suri size.. I'm not sure how I want to handle this. I don't think it was ignorance, I think it was either neglecting to look at your product or intentional mislabeling.. because they were sure to put a nice peaked baby in the picture.

I've done a BOI search, the really only "bad" thread they had was some long drama about a customer getting in and argument with them in the store. I ordered my bumblebee male from them with no problem before which is why I trusted the purchase of the BCC... That really irks me. I won't take it to the BOI yet but I kind of want something done about this.

Gah. I thought this too. While I am far from a boa expert, I thought saddles looked bci, not bcc. No peaks...

Eh, I'm sending him this:

Hey Mike, do you happen to have pictures of her parents? She does not look to be pure BCC / Suriname at all. I even asked for feedback from boa hobbysists and breeders, and all seem to agree she looks to be more of a BCC / BCI cross, not a true BCC.. dished saddles all over, shape, color.. Suri influence agreed upon, but everyone is seeing a BCC x BCI cross, not a true BCC, which concerns me since she was labeled as pure BCC and a pure BCC is pictured on your page. You posted that not all animals might be as highly peaked as that one, or colored, but that there were similar, but she's not- or even appears to be the listed species..

Also, she arrived with mites. Not complaining much about that, I get stuff happens when you have animals moving in and out of the store, but thought I'd give you a heads up in case she was with some of your other animals.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

Eh, I'm sending him this:

---

I think this is reasonable.

I don't know this seller, but if he did intentionally send you a cross, I don't know that he will be completely upfront about the parents. But I think your letter is worded nicely. Let us know what happens with this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shann

i don't know this seller, but if he did intentionally send you a cross, i don't know that he will be completely upfront about the parents. But i think your letter is worded nicely. Let us know what happens with this.

---

x2

Will definitely keep you guys updated, thanks for the help. :) Here are my main thoughts on this, now that I've settled down:

Patrick is more upset about this than I am. (Mind you, I'm a bit disappointed, but still) After his initial rage, he got dejected because now he feels like his present is ruined. So, I'll tell you guys what I told him: she is beautiful, she is sweet, she has some sass (she threw a tantrum earlier today), and while she is not a purebred, I bet she'll still get big anyway. She's a mutt, and that's okay. Her name is Serendipity, which means something that happens by chance that is fortuitous. Now, is she perfect to what was desired? No. Do I love her anyway? Yes. Serendipity. Not ideal at first, but lucky still.

Now. That being said: I do want some sort of acknowledgement and/or atonement to this issue from the seller. But.. could be worse. And I'm certainly not sending Dippy back now. More I handle her, the more I love her. Besides.. I've already invested in her mite treatment. :rolleyes:

Irregardless to what her bloodlines are, I'm sure you will love her personality just the same. I hope you wind up satisfied with what ever the outcome.

Indeed, I hope y ou are happy with what ever you get, but for sure is not full blooded BCC!!

I'm far from an expert, but these are what TOP examples of the Suri local look like.

http://www.legacyreptiles.com/collection/Suriname.htm

Look over the pictures in the link. The breeder is VERY reputable and only sells top quality animals.

That said, if you love your girl already and KNOW its a girl for sure. A Suri cross should get plenty large. She may not be a cross either.

I'd get her probed to make sure you didn't get screwed there in case there are questions.

But I like the snake and am very happy for you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Shann

I don't know this seller, but if he did intentionally send you a cross, I don't know that he will be completely upfront about the parents. But I think your letter is worded nicely. Let us know what happens with this.

---

I agree that your letter is nicely worded. I hope the seller responds in kind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

Will definitely keep you guys updated, thanks for the help. :) Here are my main thoughts on this, now that I've settled down:

Patrick is more upset about this than I am. (Mind you, I'm a bit disappointed, but still) After his initial rage, he got dejected because now he feels like his present is ruined. So, I'll tell you guys what I told him: she is beautiful, she is sweet, she has some sass (she threw a tantrum earlier today), and while she is not a purebred, I bet she'll still get big anyway. She's a mutt, and that's okay. Her name is Serendipity, which means something that happens by chance that is fortuitous. Now, is she perfect to what was desired? No. Do I love her anyway? Yes. Serendipity. Not ideal at first, but lucky still.

Now. That being said: I do want some sort of acknowledgement and/or atonement to this issue from the seller. But.. could be worse. And I'm certainly not sending Dippy back now. More I handle her, the more I love her. Besides.. I've already invested in her mite treatment. :rolleyes:

---

That's the best attitude you can have! She is very cute and you will love having her. And even pure BCI can grow to impressive lengths so you may still wind up with large boa. Plus, it is possible that she is, in fact, pure BCC. If the parents are not top quality, they could potentially throw babies like this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Gio

I'm far from an expert, but these are what TOP examples of the Suri local look like.

http://www.legacyreptiles.com/collection/Suriname.htm

Look over the pictures in the link. The breeder is VERY reputable and only sells top quality animals.

That said, if you love your girl already and KNOW its a girl for sure. A Suri cross should get plenty large. She may not be a cross either.

I'd get her probed to make sure you didn't get screwed there in case there are questions.

But I like the snake and am very happy for you.

---

Agreed. :gj:

Well, this is what I got back:

No way! We got her in trade from a good customer last week. She was in our spray rack and looked clean. When I see him I'll ask details on parents. You can send her back and we can send you a different one? Mites is weird, all snakes on the rack get sprayed every other day for quarantine.



Advice on where to go from here?

I would ask for images of the "other one" then if its more bcc looking, trade it in. But as others have said, if you like her, keep her :)

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

Mites I don't care about (it happens, whatever), but now we have a dilemma. Do I wait and inquire about parentage? She's clearly not Suriname on either side of the coin. Do I want to ship her back? She's still pretty and has a fantastic personality, but she's not what I originally planned, and I don't know if I'll ever "get into" boas full time, or breed, so I don't know if I could use her for another project in the future. I don't even know *how* to send a reptile back, or who would cover charges, or what. Even if I got another boa from him, I'd want pictures to the nth degree beforehand. And I'm a really whimp about asking what I want, so I don't know about asking a partial refund or anything like that. I'm waiting for the mister to wake up to see what he thinks.

Just saw your reply. I'll ask about pictures first I suppose. Might as well see. Still not sold on sending her back, she is sweet and full of personality. And the matter of I don't even know how lol.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

Well, this is what I got back:

No way! We got her in trade from a good customer last week. She was in our spray rack and looked clean. When I see him I'll ask details on parents. You can send her back and we can send you a different one? Mites is weird, all snakes on the rack get sprayed every other day for quarantine.



Advice on where to go from here?

---

If they got it in last week than it for sure could have had mites; that's a very short amount of time to have a snake (and IMO too short to go right around and sell it without monitoring its health before putting it up for sale).

I would wait for details on the parents and see if you can get photos of them. I just really don't see pure Suri in this animal, even a low-quality pure Suri. She looks like she has too much Colombian influence to me, but we'll see if he can send you pics of the real parents. I personally would not send your snake back and would keep her and ask for a partial refund back. You paid $150 correct? IMO $150 is on the low end for a pure Suri, but if she is indeed a cross then I would ask for a partial refund of whatever would make you satisfied. If he agrees to that then you can wait it out for a real-deal BCC from a reputable breeder.

If you like her I would keep her, but try to work out some other deal with him for something else maybe? I personally wouldn't breed her in the future, and just keep her as a pet (especially if she's a sweetheart!). And then if you wanted to work with boa projects in the future, I would look into getting one from a really reputable boa breeder. There are a lot of stunning boas out there from really awesome breeders. I don't see them around here, but if you poke around on some boa enthusiast sites you'll find some drop dead gorgeous BCCs out there. But if you just want a pet she is very pretty.

If you REALLY want a Suri BCC, I'd suggest asking some of the breeders that are here, or check the link I sent in the earlier post, or I can list SEVERAL local specific breeders that will give you a drop dead beauty of a Suri.

Just for fun, look at the Suri's on Deviant Constrictors web page.

Legacy Reptiles is assisting with Rio Bravo Reptiles stock as well.

I'm not sure what is going on with Gus but he has temporarily suspended operations and has advised people to check with Legacy Reptiles and

let's not forget CUTTING EDGE HERP. Vincent Russo's program.

As others have said if you like her/him? Hold on to it. It's a pretty snake

You have a great attitude and deserve a BCC if that's what you want.

Keep us posted.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Daybreaker

You paid $150 correct? IMO $150 is on the low end for a pure Suri, but if she is indeed a cross then I would ask for a partial refund of whatever would make you satisfied.

---

I thought this too, but I hadn't looked at BCC prices in a while. I don't like how quickly he turned that animal around though, that would bother me.

Just searched Kingsnake to see if I could see Surinames for sale to get a reference on price (all I found were mature males; anyone know a good Suri breeder or two whose prices I can look at?), and what I did find was SaS's ad trying to sell a Suri female. From the description, and pics (though she looks way darker in them), I'm positive it's her: http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=8&de=1014962

My mite-spray comes in tomorrow, so that'll be addressed. I agree, short QT time. I'll go after pictures of the parents. I'd like to know if maybe she's like half Suri or pure BCI or what, and if just pure BCI (are you guys sold on BCI x BCC? What BCC influence, given the dished saddles?), what locale? Grr.. did not sign on for this.

- - - Updated - - -

Whoa hold on, lot of posts while I was typing mine, lemme read

She is much prettier than most BCIs (and I love BCIs!). Much cleaner, and she has very interesting markings. Her saddles are nice and thin, and she is pretty light. I think she would keep a nice color well as she grew, and she is very pretty. The vertical lines between some of the saddles are really neat too. But if there is suri in there I would guess it's less than half. I would guess more BCI than BCC in there. But it's all guesswork and hard to tell without seeing the real parents. She is a very attractive boa though.

Okay! So, here's what I'm thinking upon further review:

Yes keep her. I don't even know how to return an animal, I don't LIKE the idea of returning an animal, and yeah, you're right, I should go with a reputable breeder and not a store-front operation for this sort of thing. I'll still ask if he can ask whomever he traded with for pics of the parents. I think I'll ask him if he would mine giving me a deal on future snake sales? Even if it's a screw up, I feel bad asking for money back when I'm keeping an animal, so I figured this way I am staying with his business- I'd be willing to buy another BP from him, I have zero complaints about my bee he sent me- so he'll be more agreeable. He DOES have some pastel ghosts in I was looking at (ghost projects- squeeeee), so it wouldn't go to waste anyway. I'll agree to the not breeding Dippy; if I'm selling an animal I want to be able to say "oh this is a purebred xxx, the mom was xx and the dad was xx". This does mean, however, that I will have to get another boa. Oh, the travesty :rolleyes: Well played, snake gods, well played...

As for reputable breeders:
Holy bananas the Divine Constrictors and Cutting Edge Herp snakes are to DIE for!! More info wanted on Cutting Edge Herp; I see they breed hoggies and BPs as well- but I don't see an available page or anything, just info under each species they handle. Thanks for sharing, and I definitely appreciate the sentiment, Gio.



Now, for an update our beloved mutt:

No one warned me how impossible the task of returning a boa to their home was. Or taking a picture. How does anyone here take pics of their boas?? Doolittle, do you drug yours? Do they get calmer with age? Good God I take her out and she like flails around and wants to explore everything. Trying to photograph her is like trying to hold on to air. I have a feeling if I get her a mouse, she'll eat for me already. Also, she lays around her hides, not in them. Do boas not use hides?

Lol, every boa I've ever met was reluctant to go back into their cage. I get good shots by taking two hundred and hoping I get a few good ones. Good lighting is the best way for me to get consistantly good pictures though. They are such fun animals, and they only get more fun as they get older. All the ones I have known do calm down with age. My boa rarely uses her hides, but I still leave them in there for her. I know lots of boa keepers do away with them completely as they get bigger. Mine usually lays on top of it, or in her branches. I had trouble getting my boa to eat the first time, because I handled her too much at first. Once I left her alone she took her food no problem, and she has a killer feeding response. She is an extremely aggressive eater, and I think she would eat anything I threw at her.

Baby boas take a weekly feeding schedule like BPs then move up to every other week once they get to large rats, (or is it just after the first year), yes?