probable super hypo boa constrictor...

PachelbelsCanon350D said:
Gosh, he looks so TINY in your hand! The cool thing about the original photo you shot of him was that there was nothing to scale him against, so I thought he was this behemoth boa thing 4 inches thick who could squeeze me to death. :lol: Now I'm not so afraid anymore.
Laughing. Yes, he is just a toddler. Don't worry he won't eat you. Yet, that is. smiling...

Joerocket said:
I thought the exact same thing. So hypo basically means albino?-Joe
edit: looking at the pic again I see his eyes have black in them so maybe im a lit tle off in thinking hupo means albino.
You're correct in that hypomelanistic is not the same as albino (Amelanistic). Albino is a complete lack of black pigment. Albinoism in boas is a recessive trait (the young must recieve the gene for albinoism from both parents for the trait to show).

Hypomelanism is reduced black pigment (to varying degrees) and is a co-dominant trait (dominant if one of the parents is a super) and the young can show up with it, even when only one of the parents has it in his/her genetics.

Standard everyday columbian boas (not mine):
443101.jpg

445593.jpg


Albino boas (not mine):
445592.jpg

438827.jpg


Edit: These pictures were found in the www.kingsnake.com classifieds

Thanks for the interest everyone :) It's great...

I think my boa is a hippie. He's extremely mellow and chill, even if he does get a little bratty with his tongue once in a while :)

- Damian
 
Rob said:
Great capture, you've completely spoiled my mental image with the second shot though - as was said, I had an image of a car crushing super hyper mega snake thing which could devour whole gazelles. Still, I suppose you're gonna feed him up to be like that one day!

I know very little about snakes, but they look cool. I'm not sure I could deal with feeding them frozen mice or whatever though - I'm a bit girly with things like that! Still, at least they don't smell (I guess).

Cool picture!

Rob

Thanks :) Though, I'm sorry I ruined your mental image. smilin...

They are so easy to take care of. Feed them once a week. They poop like once a month. And most boa constrictors are quite mellow, beautiful, and a great conversation piece. I hope some of you "snake dislikers" have been converted to some degree by this thread.

- Damian
 
Nice photo, like the fact you caught him sticking his tongue out... looks very amusing :thumbup: .. kinda scary though :pale:
 
I'd love to get a snake. I had a simple corn snake when I was alot younger but he passed away as a baby (some type of digestive problem). The boas are beautiful snakes but they get too big for my liking. Is there any snakes as pretty as boas that dont get quite so big?

-Joe
 
Joerocket said:
I'd love to get a snake. I had a simple corn snake when I was alot younger but he passed away as a baby (some type of digestive problem). The boas are beautiful snakes but they get too big for my liking. Is there any snakes as pretty as boas that dont get quite so big?

-Joe
Hey Joe, (and I absolutely can not resist... how'd you get that gun in your hand?)

Males don't grow as large as females. Males can get up to around 8-9 ft, and females 10-12 if fed weekly. But don't let that scare you.....Please read on.

In the first 2 years of a boa's life, they grow quite fast (they can get up to 4 feet in their first year). After that, the growth slows down considerably. Though it's not recommended in the first couple years, as they are still developing their internal structure and such, you can SUBSTANTIALLY CONTROL THEIR GROWTH after that by slowing down the feeding regimen. You would easily be able to keep a standard Columbian Boa Constrictor Imperator male at about 6ft (which really is not as big as it sounds).

The Hogg (some say Hog) Island boa is an AWESOME snake and absolute MAX size is about 6 ft. TRUE PURE hoggs could easily be kept at 4-5ft. These snakes are awesome and actually change color! They developed isolated on this island but are still considered the same species (Boa Constrictor Imperator), though some feel they should be re-classified as their own. Also, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SPECIAL FORM OF HYPOMELANISM!!, and they are just beautiful.

Besides the Hog, there are several more species of island boas. Here is an EXCELLENT link to some more detailed info on the different types of island boas. http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/boas_island.htm . Please take a look, there is some great information about how the island boas developed and such.

So if you don't want to go with a Colombian, I personally would recommend hog. I can't say enough about how cool these guys are.

If 4 ft is still too big, you can look into the rubber or rosy boa. Personally I don't think they're as interesting or unique, but that's just my own opinion. There are some very nice looking rosy's out there.

I would look in the boa classifieds at

http://market.kingsnake.com/index.php?cat=8 . If you want, I could recommend some places that are reputable. Rio Bravo is one of them, but last time I checked (about 2 months ago) they didn't have any hogs available. There are a couple different "lines" of hogs out there too, so think about what you want in terms of looks. Some are quite clean, some are very speckled, but have awesome coloration (the one pictured at rio bravo is an great example).

Hog Island boa (not mine, this picture comes from rio bravo):

islandboas_07_f.jpg

Beautiful....Now I REALLY want one :( maybe I'll have to move somewhere else..

I hope I haven't been TOO long winded here. I guess you know what one of my favorite topics is..... Anyways... please contact me or check out the kingsnake boa forums if you have any questions at all.

- Damian
 
wow, thanks for all the info Damian! I'm not sure yet if I will get one though. I already have a chameleon, bearded dragon and about a dozen cichlids. Next on my list is a white's tree frog or a red eye tree frog, or both lol. But if and when I seriously look into getting one I definitly know who to talk to! Thanks again for all the info!

-Joe
 
Hey Joe,

It was no problem. I actually learned a couple things in the process, because I had to research a couple facts I wasn't positive about.

Sounds like you got yourself on the right track with your reptiles.

Lemme know if and when you pick one up, or if you have any more questions.
Peace,

- Damian
 

Most reactions

Back
Top