New snake today

I've wanted one of these about 2 years. Sorry about the quality of the photo. I will get more after he's settled. Meet unnamed blue beauty. Name suggestions welcome. Has not been sexed yet.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z...bluebeauty.jpg

Those are some of the prettiest rat snakes around! Congrats on the new addition.

Sweet pick up there, Congrats!

Thanks guys, can't wait till he's grown! :)

Very pretty little worm you have there. I love the blue beauties. Congrats on the new pick up.

Very nice. Hows the attitude?

That's not a blue, looks like a Taiwan. What color is his tongue?

The attitude is great. It is a blue. The color on the pic is terrible. As I said, I'll post better pics. There were Taiwans there also. You could see the difference.

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Originally Posted by SerpentesCiconii

That's not a blue, looks like a Taiwan. What color is his tongue?

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Thats a Blue Beauty alright!

Ok, it is blue. Can you tell me what makes it different from friesi so I will know in the future?

Awesome! They're gorgeous animals! I've eyed them from afar but I've heard they're a little snippy.

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Originally Posted by SerpentesCiconii

Ok, it is blue. Can you tell me what makes it different from friesi so I will know in the future?

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You seem to be the expert. I am not. It is a dark olive in color, which I know is true in both juveniles. And no, the tongue is blue not red. I would research it for you, but I'm on my way to work. Both tiawan and blues were there. Some differences. Let me know what you find.

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Originally Posted by python.princess

Awesome! They're gorgeous animals! I've eyed them from afar but I've heard they're a little snippy.

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Thanks! :):) Yes they can be real snippy. Even after handling for a while.

I apologize for the sarcasm. Some differences between the two include tongue color, where the pattern starts after the neck, body shape, and blotch pattern - though the two look very similar as babies. Do you have any new pictures yet?

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Originally Posted by SerpentesCiconii

That's not a blue, looks like a Taiwan. What color is his tongue?

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Blue Beauties do not get their full colors until they are almost mature, they don't even get a deep blue until they are a year or two old.

My pair, at almost four years, are getting a deeper blue with every shed.

That is a beautiful little Blue Beauty, by the way. :)

He's a beauty! Congrats! Keep us updated on how he grows ^_^

Thanks everyone. The new pics are in my herp album. It is hard to get pics of him. Moves very fast!:) He is dark olive in color, but I had to use a flash to get a pic at all.

My patience has run out. That is a Taiwan beauty, like it or not. If you still don't believe me, tough, you can wait years for him to become blue but it will never happen. I am sorry the seller mis-identified the snake and likely charged you what a blue beauty is worth (more than a Taiwan). Michelle(or Crissy?), I am aware of the ontogenetic shift blue beauties undergo.... but the tongue will always be red.

Sorry If I came off as being rude.

His tongue is blue. Very blue! You may be right, but since I wanted both it won't bother me what he is. I bought him for display not breeding. But if you are going on tongue color, you are wrong. I plan on owning a variety of asian ratsnakes, so I don't care. By the way, if he is a beauty I got him at a steal.

Sorry for the poor word choice about the tongue -blue's tongues are red. I was saying no matter how the body changes color for blues the tongue will always be red. However I am not only going on tongue color, everything about it screams Taiwan. Who was the seller? Like you said if you wanted both it won't matter, but the seller should not be calling them blues.

I've seen imports Asian Blue Beauties with blue or red tongues. Tongue coloration is also supposed to be dependent on just on subspecies, but locale as well. Seeing as Blue Beauties come from multiple locations (Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam). It is my opinion, you can not identify a species on tongue color alone.

In order to get a 100% identification on an animal this young, she'd need to get a ventral, subcaudal, and dorsal, scale count.

Either way, to me, if I wasn't breeding the animal, it wouldn't make a difference. It is a very attractive Beauty snake, and time will tell you if he's a Blue or not. I guess if he turns a lovely blue color, you can call him a Taiwan Blue Beauty. :D

I do agree the patterning leans a bit towards the possibility of him being a Taiwan, but I've seen Blues with very similar patterns. Either way, again, beautiful animal!

The seller called it a vetmanese beauty, which I understand to be a blue. I also checked out a website before shopping that claims it is the tiawan s that have a red tongue. That is why I stated I am not the expert. I have yet to find pics that are clear enough to see the neck patterns, so that is all I had to go on. Both juveniles are olive in color. Either way I would like to have a positive ID. I still plan on getting whichever one I don't have. And sorry if I snapped, you did come across pretty aggressive.
Anybody else wish to add some advice on beauties. I thought I armed myself before shopping.

Blue beauties do not actually live in Vietnam. They got the name because that is where they were often exported from, though the snakes themselves were caught in Thailand or Myanmar. As for the neck, you will never see a blue where the pattern starts that close to the head. They have a lot more "plain" area.

Post the new picture on the rat snake foundation (ratsnakefoundation.org) and you will get a lot of advice.

[QUOTE=Blu Mongoose;899805]you did come across pretty aggressive.
QUOTE]
Yeah, my bad. :( I am actually disappointed in the seller, not anyone here. :)

Thanks, I'll check them out. The seller never said "blue" He stated veitmanese. I got my information for buying from several sources, some possibly flawed. I have always wanted a blue beauty but have never had the chance to see one up close and personal. Since I plan on buying more beauties I will definitely check out that site.

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Originally Posted by Blu Mongoose

The seller called it a vetmanese beauty, which I understand to be a blue. I also checked out a website before shopping that claims it is the tiawan s that have a red tongue. That is why I stated I am not the expert. I have yet to find pics that are clear enough to see the neck patterns, so that is all I had to go on. Both juveniles are olive in color. Either way I would like to have a positive ID. I still plan on getting whichever one I don't have. And sorry if I snapped, you did come across pretty aggressive.
Anybody else wish to add some advice on beauties. I thought I armed myself before shopping.

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If he called it a "Vietnamese Beauty", he was definitely implying it was a Blue.

The patterning does lead me more to believe it is a Taiwan Beauty. You can wait until he sheds, get a scale count and that will give you a certain identification.

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Originally Posted by Michelle.C

If he called it a "Vietnamese Beauty", he was definitely implying it was a Blue.

The patterning does lead me more to believe it is a Taiwan Beauty. You can wait until he sheds, get a scale count and that will give you a certain identification.

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I did notice in the pics of your blues on the other post that the pattern started further down the neck. Thanks for all the help.

:clap: Yay! Congrats on the snake (whatever it is; I noticed there was a little debate going on. ;)) Isn't it so exciting when you finally have one you've been wanting for a long time? The day I get my black blood I will be able to do nothing but sit in front of the tub and drool. I'm going to take off of work that day so that I can do just that. :P

I honestly can't wait to see more pictures! :)

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

:clap: Yay! Congrats on the snake (whatever it is; I noticed there was a little debate going on. ;)) Isn't it so exciting when you finally have one you've been wanting for a long time? The day I get my black blood I will be able to do nothing but sit in front of the tub and drool. I'm going to take off of work that day so that I can do just that. :P

I honestly can't wait to see more pictures! :)

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Thanks!:)
There are more pics in my album. I can't really drool over him since he hides all day. But after he settles in you can bet I will !

Very nice snake you have there. They are beautiful and excelente display snakes.

I also believe it is a Taiwan Beauty. Not from the colours but basically from the neck pattern as already stated.

If you wish to find more information about the two sub-species, you may check them here:

Ortriophis taeniurus spp (Blue Beauty)
http://www.ratsnakefoundation.org/mo...php?itemid=138

Ortriophis taeniurus friesi (Taiwan Beauty)
http://www.ratsnakefoundation.org/mo...php?itemid=134


Enjoy your snake !

Thanks for the links. At least I didn't make a mistake that was costly. He's still a gorgeous snake.

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Originally Posted by SerpentesCiconii

My patience has run out. That is a Taiwan beauty, like it or not. If you still don't believe me, tough, you can wait years for him to become blue but it will never happen. I am sorry the seller mis-identified the snake and likely charged you what a blue beauty is worth (more than a Taiwan). Michelle(or Crissy?), I am aware of the ontogenetic shift blue beauties undergo.... but the tongue will always be red.

Sorry If I came off as being rude.

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Wow... angry much? :rolleyes:

Congrats on the beauty! Even though I cant see pics at work, I'm still jealous. :D

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Originally Posted by Blu Mongoose

Thanks for the links. At least I didn't make a mistake that was costly. He's still a gorgeous snake.

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IMO you may end up gaining with the switch