Vigil the Dumie. Hmm wonder how THAT happened.

[redshepherd]

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.

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.

[distaff]

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.

[distaff]

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.

[redshepherd]

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.

[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.

[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.

[redshepherd]

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.

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

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.

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.

[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. I'm very glad she ate the F/T though! Hope this continues!

[JoshSloane]

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. I'm very glad she ate the F/T though! Hope this continues!

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.

[ratchet]

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.

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!



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...

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