Dumeril's Boa Question

[SVT Wylde]

You have 2 beautiful boas with great temperaments and they are pets first and foremost. I don’t thing believe the minor variances are of any importance and anyone in the market for a Dumerils boa would be very happy with their offspring.

[Zincubus]

Hi All,

Are there any Dumeril's Boa keepers on the forum? I had wanted them for quite some time and got a male and female from separate sellers later last year. They're both thriving and doing excellently and have amazing temperaments, which I couldn't be more pleased with. (The female's parents are both 34 years old from Richard Goergen who used to be out of Buffalo, NY but sadly heard he's passed)

But after getting my female and comparing her to the male, I noticed her head is a bit stubbier and more blunt, whereas the male's head looks a tad longer and pointier. I also noticed his patterning does not really connect on the back anywhere, whereas the female does have some connected patterning. With that noted, I started to wonder could the male have some Madagascar Ground Boa in him as well?

Based on my research, the Madagascar's have reduced patterning and a more elongated head shape and their patterning doesn't usually go as high up the sides/doesn't go over the snake's back or connect as often. However, I also know that there are different color/patterning variances between each species, so I wanted to get feedback from a longtime keeper who might have a better eye for it., as I've read some can look quite similar to each other.

I've attached pictures of them here and would appreciate anyone's feedback regarding the male. In the split-screen photo the male is the one pictured on the left and I also I included individual photos of each. Like all of my animals, they are first and foremost my pets and passion, but years down the line when they've grown my plan is to breed them, so just trying to do my due diligence on the male.

Thank you so much for any input and if you'd like more pictures, please let me know and I can definitely take some. Also, would love to see your Dumeril's boas if you have pictures to share! Really such awesome snakes.

Anthony

Beautiful.


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[Zincubus]

What are their temperaments like generally speaking ?


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[AR29]

Also from what I hear it's normal for males to be reduced in pattern compared to females, although I have no idea why that would be.

My male



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He's beautiful! I can definitely see some similarities to the pattern of my guy. Love their little tails by the way, something about the shorter kinda fat/stubbiness is just so cute

[AR29]

Close ups of their heads would help btw. MGB have those big head and above eye scales compared to Dums.


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Thank you! I've attached a few pictures here I grabbed over the weekend. I tried my best to get decent pics but the lighting in some isn't the best unfortunately:

These are the boy:







And these are the girl:

[AR29]

I only have one Dumeril's so am no expert. Your snakes are beautiful, and don't look like any of the Madagascar/Dumeril crosses I've seen. Their colors/patterns are very strong and look classically Dumeril's to my eye. Sexual dimorphism in head size and shape exists in several snake species - I just don't know if Dumeril's are on that list, but that could partially explain what you are seeing.

Thank you so much! I really appreciate you responding. It is crazy how different they can look from snake to snake. I found the below link which puts a Dumerils and Madagascar side by side in a few different photos and it helped me to see the differences between the two a bit better.

http://www.sareptiles.co.za/forum/vi...14330&p=142880

[AR29]

You have 2 beautiful boas with great temperaments and they are pets first and foremost. I don’t thing believe the minor variances are of any importance and anyone in the market for a Dumerils boa would be very happy with their offspring.

Thank you! I love them and am so excited to watch them keep growing. The iridescence on these guys is really cool, I didn't realize how shiny they can look!

- - - Updated - - -

Beautiful.


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Thank you!!

[AR29]

What are their temperaments like generally speaking ?


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From everything I've read and folks I've spoken to, overall fairly laid back/chill but curious and they have a great feeding response. Apparently some can be a bit on the shy side, like with other types of snakes though. In the baby/juvenile stages I've also heard some can nip a bit, which was the case with one of my friends and hers. But he's great for her now and mellowed out just fine.

In my case, they're both definitely laid back and outgoing and overall very pleasant. They both take frozen/thawed but the boy takes it from the from the tongs and hits it like a freight train, whereas the girl, I just put it in with her and she eats it on her own, no movement needed. The breeder I got the female from, said that's how he raises all his babies to eat because it makes it easier on him. (And I have read that in general, some can tend to be shy feeders.)

[GoingPostal]

What are their temperaments like generally speaking ?


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Mine is honestly the easiest snake I own. Faster moving and stronger than a ball python when handling so have to be ready for that. He's never so much as hissed at me. Never refused a meal although he does prefer rodents. Never had a bad shed or needed any special care during one.


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[SVT Wylde]

Mine is honestly the easiest snake I own. Faster moving and stronger than a ball python when handling so have to be ready for that. He's never so much as hissed at me. Never refused a meal although he does prefer rodents. Never had a bad shed or needed any special care during one.


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I have 2 Central American boas and I can’t say enough good things about them. I could never go back to ball pythons because a fancy paint job only goes so far. My boas are so fearless, inquisitive, never a bad shed, and they eat like tanks. When I walk in the room they actually want to see what I’m doing other than just running in their hide and getting away from me. Maybe I’ve had 5 ball pythons that aren’t normal but boas definitely get my vote.