Progression of my boas

Hi all! I wanted to start a progression thread for my two boas, 0.1 Normal het sharp and 0.1 salmon possible (66%) het sharp. I think it will be cool to be able to look back and see their growth overtime, and maybe others will like to see as well. First off here is Stella, my normal. As of these pictures she is a few days over 7 months old:
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FEFsjWtm.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FtVa0pIz.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FKOdVmSR.jpg[/IMG]
She is an awesome snake and growing very fast. I was worried about how large she seemed compared to what ive seen other snakes her age are but from what i can tell i am not over feeding. She gets a rat pup (they average 27g when i weight them out) every 7-10 days. Ive documented every meal/shed/poo since shes been in my care, and everything is going great. Ive had her since 8/10/16 and she was born 6/29/16. Next is my Salmon possible het albino i picked up this past week. She had quite the temper when i brought her home, she was among the lightest of the hypos the breeder had and he said he was not sure when she had shed last so i took her and she shed that night. I was told she was born on 5/9/16, making her older than stella, but she is way smaller. The mice he has been feeding her are tiny, look to be mice fuzzies. She has yet to be named.
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FCigRAmC.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FkvoGRpo.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2Fp3llGta.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FCZivNzi.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FqVShKDl.jpg[/IMG]

I am still trying to find the right name for my hypo. Also, i plan on making a DIY lightbox and having a friend bring over his nice camera to try and get a couple of quality pictures so you can see their true colors, these pictures from my phone with bad lighting do no justice!

Oh and the 2nd picture of Stella she appears really round, its just the camera angle and the way she was wrapped around my hand.

Theyre both gorgeous! But why aren't you quarantining your new pickup? If I were you I would not be letting her interact with Stella until you've quarantined her for at least 3 months... that's how diseases spread. Even if she seems 100% healthy you can never be too safe

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Nice looking boas but dang they are are huge for that age or its the pictures. Rango my little salmon 100% het snowglow boy was born Mar 31st 2016 and he's on hopper mice and about 24". He has been slow grown though. And yeah you definitely want to quarantine. I mean at the least if you have to keep them in the same room, don't let anything between the new snake come into contact with the old snakes and always wash your hands inbetween handling and stuff. Here's a picture of Rango to give you an idea of how much smaller he is.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...314889e1_b.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...a554c5ac_b.jpg


Oh and honestly, I would feed your snakes mice until they are big enough for weaned rats. Baby rats have underdeveloped muscle, bones and organs and are filled with mothers milk which isn't great for a boa. All my boas get mice until large adult mice no longer leave any sort of lump at all, then they go up to small weaned rats.

Also with boas, they develop the fat around their organs first so by the time you actually see the fat on the outside, it has already been going on in the inside for awhile.

Really nice snakes! Love that tail!

You know that is a wonderful question. In my excitement i completely forgot. They are from the same breeder, not that that makes it okay. Is there any point in separating them (rooms of course, they have their own enclosures) now? I feel pretty bad now that i let that completely slip my mind :( Ill be sure to have no more interaction between them for the next few months and be extra careful to sanitize anything they come in contact with.

And Sauzo, yeah stella is pretty large. Her rats are hardly noticeable when she eats them, and she appears to have good muscle tone but im kind of worried that she's too big being about 36 inches at 7 months old. She was larger than her siblings when i picked her up though, so hopefully it's more genetic than improper feeding proportions. Rango looks awesome and appears to be about the same size as my new hypo. Would you suggest i switch stella over to mice of a similar size? or spread her meals out further?

Good looking Boas you have there, I especially love that tail on your girl! :)

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

You know that is a wonderful question. In my excitement i completely forgot. They are from the same breeder, not that that makes it okay. Is there any point in separating them (rooms of course, they have their own enclosures) now? I feel pretty bad now that i let that completely slip my mind :( Ill be sure to have no more interaction between them for the next few months and be extra careful to sanitize anything they come in contact with.

And Sauzo, yeah stella is pretty large. Her rats are hardly noticeable when she eats them, and she appears to have good muscle tone but im kind of worried that she's too big being about 36 inches at 7 months old. She was larger than her siblings when i picked her up though, so hopefully it's more genetic than improper feeding proportions. Rango looks awesome and appears to be about the same size as my new hypo. Would you suggest i switch stella over to mice of a similar size? or spread her meals out further?

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I saw in your last paragraph you already recommended mice. Im going to make the switch and give her smaller meals for the next few weeks, i never give her anything too large but i want to be sure i cant see the mice when she eats them, she is the best tempered snake and i really dont want her to have health problems from growing too fast or eating too much

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

You know that is a wonderful question. In my excitement i completely forgot. They are from the same breeder, not that that makes it okay. Is there any point in separating them (rooms of course, they have their own enclosures) now? I feel pretty bad now that i let that completely slip my mind :( Ill be sure to have no more interaction between them for the next few months and be extra careful to sanitize anything they come in contact with.

And Sauzo, yeah stella is pretty large. Her rats are hardly noticeable when she eats them, and she appears to have good muscle tone but im kind of worried that she's too big being about 36 inches at 7 months old. She was larger than her siblings when i picked her up though, so hopefully it's more genetic than improper feeding proportions. Rango looks awesome and appears to be about the same size as my new hypo. Would you suggest i switch stella over to mice of a similar size? or spread her meals out further?

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I personally feed mice until they are large enough for weaned rats. Some people like to start early on rats but for boas who eat anything, I don't see the point really. As for size, she might just be a big baby lol. I don't think you need to space out the feedings yet. I usually do weekly until they are on weaned rats. Then I go to 2-3 weeks per feeding. Then once on medium rats and larger, I just stick to 2-3 weeks for females and 3-4 weeks for males.

And thanks. Rango is definitely a little looker. Thinking of pairing him up with a snow or snowglow female to make my own sharp snows, snowglows, sharp albinos and sharp sunglows but who knows. I've never bred boas so it would something new and I would have at least 5 years to anyways :D

Alright, thanks for the advice. Yeah he will definitely produce some nice offspring someday! I would like to have a litter eventually just to say ive done it and to have a nice boa i produced, but yeah no time soon im looking at a lot longer than five years. I just think they make such great pets! though i could see myself letting my collection grow a bit, i just graduated from college and have a relatively small amount of debt, so once im a little better off i might expand and consider a future breeding project. But for now its just awesome to learn and watch them grow.

Yeah I don't have any big plans as mine reasons would be the same as yours, just to say I've done it and have a snake that I actually produced.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Yeah I don't have any big plans as mine reasons would be the same as yours, just to say I've done it and have a snake that I actually produced.

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Same reason I'd like to do the same eventually. Awesome looking boas y'all! Someday I'll join the club. Kinda want a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, an ATB, or a BCC.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Same reason I'd like to do the same eventually. Awesome looking boas y'all! Someday I'll join the club. Kinda want a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, an ATB, or a BCC.


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A locality boa would be cool, i really like peruvian BCCS

Same. I'll be getting a Pucallpa Peruvian BCC from either Vin Russo or Joel Diaz this fall if everything goes good on their end. They definitely aren't cheap though. Vin's will be starting around $1000 and going up from there based on color and pattern and Joel's will start at around $600 and going up from there based on color and pattern too. They are both from Rentfro stock though so you know they will be good. I gotta start saving the pennies now so I can hopefully get a smoking hot female one :D

I attempted to get pictures of the two next to a tape measure to try and give perspective of size. PLEASE KNOW i have followed your advise, though the pictures are on the same table, i sterilized the glass as well as switched the pane for each snake, and used two seperate tape measures. Nothing in the images came in contact with both snakes, and everything was sterilized just in case.

Here is stella, she did a bit better to spread out and sit still for me:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FDYS5HXx.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FGnW4G30.jpg

And the yet to be named Hypo (any name suggestions?):
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2Fo1py4ck.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FLnf5ViV.jpg

Heres a few pics in natural sunlight, finally got weather decent enough to get them out for a little bit. These ones still dont do them any justice, the hypo is legit salmon colored all the way down her sides and stella has nice pale sides with pink blotches throughout

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FxHaJiaV.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2Fn1y2jNM.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FTdYardC.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FrifboIa.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FQ8P7wGV.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2F0n1SJ7V.jpg
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FMGGszj5.jpg

Also took a weigh in today, Stella came in at 426g at a few days over 8 months old, and Red? (still not sure about a name!) came in at 147g @ a few days short of 10 months old. Which is a massive difference. Stella has been switched to adult rats and both snakes feed on the same day ranging between 7-10 days. Everything seems to be normal and healthy, i'm hoping that stella's relatively large size is genetic and not due to being fed rat pups early on. Anyone with long term experience know if overfeeding was the case, will it be enough to affect her lifespan already? I want her to live forever! Also ive seen alot of careguides in which yearlings are swithced to bi-weekly feedings which is what i was planning on as it seems to be widely accepted as appropriate. Is this based on size or maturity from age? Should i bump Stellas feedings out now or wait the four months until she reaches a year? Thanks ahead of time!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

Also took a weigh in today, Stella came in at 426g at a few days over 8 months old, and Red? (still not sure about a name!) came in at 147g @ a few days short of 10 months old. Which is a massive difference. Stella has been switched to adult rats and both snakes feed on the same day ranging between 7-10 days. Everything seems to be normal and healthy, i'm hoping that stella's relatively large size is genetic and not due to being fed rat pups early on. Anyone with long term experience know if overfeeding was the case, will it be enough to affect her lifespan already? I want her to live forever! Also ive seen alot of careguides in which yearlings are swithced to bi-weekly feedings which is what i was planning on as it seems to be widely accepted as appropriate. Is this based on size or maturity from age? Should i bump Stellas feedings out now or wait the four months until she reaches a year? Thanks ahead of time!

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Typo, meant to say adult mice

Heres an update:
Havent actually taken new measurements but stella is easily longer than a yard stick now, so 36+ inches. Weighed her yesterday at 569g, but she is due for a poo any day now if she sticks to her usual schedule. Also here are a few pics i snagged last month, stella was not cooperative so i i couldnt capture how bright the sides of her tail still are compared to her saddles.
http://i.imgur.com/csihdHt.png
http://i.imgur.com/hXspFtS.png
http://i.imgur.com/Aw3CZME.png

I also weighed Enzo last night after cleaning a fresh poo and she came in at 255g, and is definately longer than when i brought her home. Heres some photos from the same shoot
http://i.imgur.com/XmwTFy3.png
http://i.imgur.com/LAxLr6w.png

really like the new photos, well done!

Thanks April! it was my first attempt at a homemade light box so ive figured out what kinks i need to work out for next time, theyll be even better!

Havent posted any updates for quite some time! Ill try and update lengths and weights soon but here are some pictures ive taken of Stella and Enzo over the past few months.
https://i.imgur.com/gOrwQa5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/M785JKI.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/39iTxA7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/49rIHZG.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/097lz25.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/AkzOIHC.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/v8qtF9W.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

You know that is a wonderful question. In my excitement i completely forgot. They are from the same breeder, not that that makes it okay. Is there any point in separating them (rooms of course, they have their own enclosures) now? I feel pretty bad now that i let that completely slip my mind :( Ill be sure to have no more interaction between them for the next few months and be extra careful to sanitize anything they come in contact with.

And Sauzo, yeah stella is pretty large. Her rats are hardly noticeable when she eats them, and she appears to have good muscle tone but im kind of worried that she's too big being about 36 inches at 7 months old. She was larger than her siblings when i picked her up though, so hopefully it's more genetic than improper feeding proportions. Rango looks awesome and appears to be about the same size as my new hypo. Would you suggest i switch stella over to mice of a similar size? or spread her meals out further?

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Why would you switch a boa from rats to mice? I can,t understand that.

Havent posted here in a VERY long time, the boas are pretty slow growing though haha. Stella is now in an AP T8 and she loves it! When shes not roaming or acting like a windshield wiper and begging for food, she uses the track like a pillow. She's hands down my most trustworthy snake and the easiest to handle.
https://i.imgur.com/5asWg22.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/j0DsqmU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/F1sXfCv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Acqm6Ha.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/51eeC5r.jpg


Enzo is still pretty dainty so ill be ordering her T8 after i get an 8 footer for the retic.

Great looking boa, mine sit with there chin on the runner when I slide the glass, probably waiting to see if I pick the tongs up like for munch time


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She’s looking beautiful!

This one was a hit on the Boa Constrictor Keepers FB page.
https://i.imgur.com/dm91DQY.jpg

That really was some perfect timing
,such a cool picture of your really nice boa


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dxw425

This one was a hit on the Boa Constrictor Keepers FB page.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/dm91DQY.jpg

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BOA YAWN!

Nice!

Looking good!