Vigil the Dumie. Hmm wonder how THAT happened.

Well, guess who actually came home with me from the Reptile Super show. :| Another snake.

I drove to the show, walked in, saw all the snakes and thought to myself: if I see a nice and chill Dumeril's or BP at a really good deal, I will bring it home. If not, and I probably won't, I will just enjoy the show and go home snake-less. Welp, out of luck... look what happened.

A cute little Dumeril's female who I named Vigil. But she is not vigilant at all. She is a relaxed and chill as heck little girl who apparently fell asleep on my lap right here while I was editing photos... She is curled up and hasn't moved in 30 minutes. LOL. I got her for $110 from Susan Hardy's booth. I'll estimate her at ~500g. Even at the show, Vigil was super calm when I took her out and just very slowly slithered around. A few of the other snakes I took out to handle were were either freaking out or curling into a tight ball python ball, but Vigil is just... so chill. Can't think of a better word. Susan told me that Vigil is on live rats though, so I will see about switching her to F/T and hopefully she does.
(All my snakes are in different sections of the house, not in a rack, to anybody wondering.)

There was only one other male Dumeril's I saw at the show, and that booth owner kind of blew me off when I asked to take him out... He looked me up and down in this oddly suspicious way and asked, "Are you considering buying?" and I replied, "I'm considering...", to which he just replied, "The snakes are stressed. The geckos are all stressed too." Simple as that, and basically straight blew me off. I'm almost 99% sure it's because of what I look like/my demeanor, from the way he was looking at me. Well, lost my business there. :\

Here's Vigil.

https://40.media.tumblr.com/24fd74e1...2zso1_1280.jpg

https://41.media.tumblr.com/3f19f82c...2zso1_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/1cf8117b...2zso2_1280.jpg

I can't even express the jealousy that I am feeling right now. I have been wanting one of these for so long now. I'm actually going to a reptile show here in Portland, OR at the end of the month. Bringing my roommate in hopes that he'll talk me down from bringing home a small army.

Congrats on the new addition. Her temperament sounds amazing. And that's sad to hear about being blown off like that, but it sounds like you walked away with such an awesome boa.

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Originally Posted by Tash

I can't even express the jealousy that I am feeling right now. I have been wanting one of these for so long now. I'm actually going to a reptile show here in Portland, OR at the end of the month. Bringing my roommate in hopes that he'll talk me down from bringing home a small army.

Congrats on the new addition. Her temperament sounds amazing. And that's sad to hear about being blown off like that, but it sounds like you walked away with such an awesome boa.

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Ohhh I bet there will be a few at the reptile show with you guys too! I'd originally wanted a male though since they generally max out significantly smaller then females... females who possibly do get to 8 feet, not too rarely either.

Hmm, or go alone and do bring home a Dumeril's and a small army of BP's. :P (half joking...)

She's definitely awesome so far! I'm almost glad the other guy blew me off.

:O:bow: she is just so pretty!!! Those markings in the second pic man oh man...

I was leaning towards a male for that very reason but if I found a pretty female with amazing temperament I'd have to scoop her up.

She is just beautiful! Congrats. :D

Very cool! I am super jealous that everyone seems to have quality reptile shows in their area. Denver used to have a good show, but lately it is sad and getting even more pathetic. Last show only had 6 or so vendors with paltry animals.

Great pick up!

😀 Gorgeous! Congrats. These guys are just too awesome to pass up. When my husband and I bought our Dumerils, we never really planned on buying a snake that day... oops. We were blown away with how cool they looked. The seller was kind of pushy, but the breeder came up and apologized for his staff and talked to us and really made the deal for us. Great people who have tons of knowledge about their animals that are willing to share and teach really gets one even more excited about the snakes! Too bad that one breeder wasn't interested in talking to you, even if the snakes were stressed, doesn't mean he had to push you and a possible sale away!
Vigil sounds perfect, good luck with her! :) Awesome pictures too, I love the dof you get in your snake pictures and the soft lighting!

Thanks guys! She is purdy... most importantly, small and relaxed as heck.

Tash, that's exactly what happened to me too. This girl was too good to pass up, so it happened.

Josh, that's sad... I saw your thread in another section about the show in your area. Hope the issue gets resolved by next year. :s

Ratchet, thanks! And yesss, dumeril's are definitely so cool looking. ;; When did you obtain yours? It's always good to hear about breeders who teach and care about their animals instead of pushing a sale.

I also experienced a bit of a pushy seller at the expo. To be honest, I was blatantly lied to... :\ I inquired about these three little hatchling dumeril's and asked how many meals they have had, and the guy said, "They were hatched just recently, 3 weeks ago, had a couple meals already. If you give them a live mouse though, they'll snatch it up right away."
A couple minutes later, I just happened to ask the breeder the same question, and he gave me a different honest answer. "They just hatched 3 days ago! They haven't eaten yet." The other dude stood there silently right next to him. I just said, "Ohhh.. I see," and the breeder apologized again and reiterated that they just came out of the egg 3 days ago. It was awkward and I thanked the breeder.

Lesson learned, need to ask multiple people at the same booth the same questions.

Wow. There are so many issues with this breeder I don't know where to start. First, boas aren't hatched, they are ovoviviparous and give live birth. Second, a newborn boa that hasn't eaten yet has no business being sold at a show. All my boa babies get two or three meals before I think about selling them.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

Wow. There are so many issues with this breeder I don't know where to start. First, boas aren't hatched, they are ovoviviparous and give live birth. Second, a newborn boa that hasn't eaten yet has no business being sold at a show. All my boa babies get two or three meals before I think about selling them.

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Exactly! I actually just found out that boas give live birth yesterday, but... forgot off the top of my head just now when I made that post though. (facepalm) But even my thoughts during the show: breeders have no business selling snakes who have not at least three meals, in my opinion... much less no meals.

Now I kind of wish I'd wrote down what the booth's name was.

I've grown jaded over the years.

Unless I know something of their background, I don't trust a breeder's/seller's word on any animal. The person doesn't have to be well known, but I always want some prior interaction or documented history before I'll even consider them.

ETA: I couldn't access Hardy's facebook page - but it may have been one of the many taken down recently. She is interviewed on an episode of Herp Nation Radio Network (Royally Addicted, date??). I haven't listened to that one yet, but I'll have time this evening.

Thinking back, I wonder who exactly those people at the booth even were, to not know that boas don't hatch from eggs... if anyone even remotely familiar with boas should know how they breed and are born. I suppose they both weren't even the breeder. :\ Who knows what the truth is at this point LOL.

Distaff, true that.
And let me know what you think when you watch the interview! I honestly didn't have a legit flowing conversation with Susan at the show or anything, besides a few of the basic questions about Vigil and some "she is a sweet girl" comments from Susan.

RS, congrats on your Dum! She is a real beauty. I love her coloring and markings as well.

Probably for the best that the other guy with the male Dum blew you off. You ended with a better match for you.
If you have his card, send him a pic of you with your girl. :D

Good interview with Hardy on HerpNation Radio. Most of her efforts are in Balls, she is working with a couple of morphs, the Blitz and (IIRC?) Verdigris. The most interesting part of the interview for me was near the end, when she was speaking of some of her Peruvian Boas that originate from Gus Renfro stock.

There was no mention of the Dumerils, but again, I could not find a date on this interview.
Seems like a nice lady, and also a good breeder who cares about quality.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Reinz

RS, congrats on your Dum! She is a real beauty. I love her coloring and markings as well.

Probably for the best that the other guy with the male Dum blew you off. You ended with a better match for you.
If you have his card, send him a pic of you with your girl. :D

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Thanks! She is perfect. And yeah, definitely nodding my head at that guy. It's too bad I didn't pick up his card. LOL

Quote:

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Originally Posted by distaff

Good interview with Hardy on HerpNation Radio. Most of her efforts are in Balls, she is working with a couple of morphs, the Blitz and (IIRC?) Verdigris. The most interesting part of the interview for me was near the end, when she was speaking of some of her Peruvian Boas that originate from Gus Renfro stock.

There was no mention of the Dumerils, but again, I could not find a date on this interview.
Seems like a nice lady, and also a good breeder who cares about quality.

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Interesting- possible that she didn't breed the dumie herself then, or just breeds them on very rare occasion? I also took a listen to the recording, and she sounds very enthusiastic about the BP and boa morphs.

Thanks for your thoughts! I agree, she sounds like a passionate and dedicated breeder.

Vigil was on live rats before with the breeder. I offered a thawed weaned rat today, dangled in front of her... she seemed like she had no interest in it whatsoever. Not even a little sniff.

I put the rat down in her tub and just kind of watched her for 10 minutes. She slithered around pretty slowly, came back to the prey... sniffed it a little bit. Found the head. Opened her mouth. Started eating.

No strike, no coil, no intense interest shown either- just very slowly started eating.

God, I have only heard tales of such lazy snakes and now I have one myself. :rofl:I'm very glad she ate the F/T though! Hope this continues!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Vigil was on live rats before with the breeder. I offered a thawed weaned rat today, dangled in front of her... she seemed like she had no interest in it whatsoever. Not even a little sniff.

I put the rat down in her tub and just kind of watched her for 10 minutes. She slithered around pretty slowly, came back to the prey... sniffed it a little bit. Found the head. Opened her mouth. Started eating.

No strike, no coil, no intense interest shown either- just very slowly started eating.

God, I have only heard tales of such lazy snakes and now I have one myself. :rofl:I'm very glad she ate the F/T though! Hope this continues!

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From my experience a lazy eater who eats consistently is the best case scenario. Less potential for stupid feeding errors where you get bitten.

Trust me, that's much better than having a snake that rockets out of the enclosure the second they smell food.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Ratchet, thanks! And yesss, dumeril's are definitely so cool looking. ;; When did you obtain yours? It's always good to hear about breeders who teach and care about their animals instead of pushing a sale.

I also experienced a bit of a pushy seller at the expo. To be honest, I was blatantly lied to... :\ I inquired about these three little hatchling dumeril's and asked how many meals they have had, and the guy said, "They were hatched just recently, 3 weeks ago, had a couple meals already. If you give them a live mouse though, they'll snatch it up right away."
A couple minutes later, I just happened to ask the breeder the same question, and he gave me a different honest answer. "They just hatched 3 days ago! They haven't eaten yet." The other dude stood there silently right next to him. I just said, "Ohhh.. I see," and the breeder apologized again and reiterated that they just came out of the egg 3 days ago. It was awkward and I thanked the breeder.

Lesson learned, need to ask multiple people at the same booth the same questions.

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Sorry for the late response! But I got my girl August 24th of 2013. So she is just over 2 years old now as she was 2 weeks old when I bought her. I put her in a 12.5"W by 24"L tank when I got her and now I'm looking at a new one for her, so she hasn't grown extremely fast. But still pretty and mellow. :) Here is a side by side of a then and now picture to show how much she has grown in 2 years!

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08...9680180a46.jpg

I'm glad the Dums don't grow fast, so they are easy to get used to their size. Still can't wait till she is fully grown! I'll be getting a pexi glass and melamine board cage for her, I think, something that will last a few years. I'll build it myself, if I can get the supplies cheap enough.

Too bad the guy wasn't honest... at a reptile expo, I'm surprised he was trying to take advantage of people! Chances are he'd get caught lying like he was rather than being successful with sales. Cause boas hatch out of eggs... [emoji17]

I hope yours is doing well! Feel free to post more pictures! ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

From my experience a lazy eater who eats consistently is the best case scenario. Less potential for stupid feeding errors where you get bitten.

Trust me, that's much better than having a snake that rockets out of the enclosure the second they smell food.

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Agreed!

None of mine have extreme feeding responses, and I actually only have a few out of my 14 snakes who like to strike at all. Lazy but consistent eaters for the win! :gj:

Regarding the so called breeder. Often times at shows people vending will display animals that aren't bred or owned by them. It's often that they will show animals for a friend, or simply purchased a litter soon beforehand and sell them as their own. Definitely looked down upon to flip animals like this. I have no problem with people selling animals for friends or colleagues, but I appreciate if they are upfront about the source of the animals.

Doesn't take away from the quality of your animal though.

I know this an older thread, just wanted to chime in about Susan Hardy, she's super nice! I didn't buy from her at the last super show, but I had already bought Sadie my baby normal bp, but at the time I was at Susan's booth I still didn't know the sex because the girl taking care of the one I bought from didn't know it and wasn't comfortable with her popping skills (the breeder was off at the moment looking for possible stock). It didn't matter to me really since I had no plans to breed, but Susan offered to sex my new baby for me and talked for a while until she had someone with serious purchasing inquiries. Your boa is super pretty too btw! Do you have any recent pictures?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

I know this an older thread, just wanted to chime in about Susan Hardy, she's super nice! I didn't buy from her at the last super show, but I had already bought Sadie my baby normal bp, but at the time I was at Susan's booth I still didn't know the sex because the girl taking care of the one I bought from didn't know it and wasn't comfortable with her popping skills (the breeder was off at the moment looking for possible stock). It didn't matter to me really since I had no plans to breed, but Susan offered to sex my new baby for me and talked for a while until she had someone with serious purchasing inquiries. Your boa is super pretty too btw! Do you have any recent pictures?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Awesome- yeah, Susan seems very passionate about ball pythons. So I'm not sure where her one random dumie came from (maybe initially kept as a pet, who knows), but Vigil is with me now! :D

I do have recent photos. She's getting a wider, doggy head shape. Vigil has grown quite a bit since this thread was made, even though I was told that they grow slowly. I'm guessing her at around 450~500g when purchased from Susan- and she was apparently born August 2013. I just weighed Vigil last week, and she's around 880g now (if I remember correctly... It was definitely over 800g though). So nearly doubled her weight in only 4 months.

http://40.media.tumblr.com/9d4ee04ec...2zso2_1280.jpg

http://41.media.tumblr.com/5993ad955...2zso1_1280.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/28e3a1214...2zso2_1280.jpg

http://41.media.tumblr.com/4a9638b19...2zso1_1280.jpg


And this is a reptilebasics medium sized hide box, for size reference:

http://40.media.tumblr.com/41a286146...o1_r1_1280.jpg

Vigil is lovely. I really wish there were reptile shows within viable distance for me to visit.

Holy she's getting big! My little baby dum is only around 300 grams, was around 100 I think when I got him spring. I love how chill they are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Caspian

Vigil is lovely. I really wish there were reptile shows within viable distance for me to visit.

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Thanks! Aw, that stinks a bit. Where are you located?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

Holy she's getting big! My little baby dum is only around 300 grams, was around 100 I think when I got him spring. I love how chill they are.

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Oh wow. Seems to be growing at the same % as Vigil, which is interesting for being so young! I thought younger snakes grew faster. :0

Yep, I love the chillness. I think they're like cats. They sit in your lap and stay there for an hour, and you provide the with body heat. LOL