return to main index

  mobile - desktop
follow us on facebook follow us on twitter follow us on YouTube link to us on LinkedIn
Click here for LLL Reptile & Supply  
click here for Rodent Pro
This Space Available
3 months for $50.00
Locate a business by name: click to list your business
search the classifieds. buy an account
events by zip code list an event
Search the forums             Search in:
News & Events: Herp Photo of the Day: Plated Lizard . . . . . . . . . .  Herp Photo of the Day: Gecko . . . . . . . . . .  St. Louis Herpetological Society - Oct 13, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  San Diego Herp Society Meeting - Oct 15, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Colorado Herp Society Meeting - Oct 19, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Chicago Herpetological Society Meeting - Oct 20, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Bay Area Herpetological Society Meeting - Oct 25, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Suncoast Herp Society Meeting - Oct 26, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  DFW Herp Society Meeting - Oct 26, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Southwestern Herp Society Meeting - Nov 02, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Greater Cincinnati Herp Society Meeting - Nov 06, 2024 . . . . . . . . . .  Calusa Herp Society Meeting - Nov 07, 2024 . . . . . . . . . . 
RodentPro.com - feeders for less!
full banner - advertise here .50¢/1000 views
click here for Healthy Herp
pool banner - $50 year

RE: Rubber Boa help

[ Login ] [ User Prefs ] [ Search Forums ] [ Back to Main Page ] [ Back to Rubber Boas ] [ Reply To This Message ]
[ Register to Post ]

Posted by: RichardFHoyer at Sat May 31 10:44:15 2008  [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by RichardFHoyer ]  
   

Taylor,
If all boa populations are similar in all respects to the population here in northwestern Oregon, then males can reach maturity at around 4 years of age and female at around 6 years at the earliest. The mean or average age at which males and females become adults is probably about 6 - 7 years for males and 8 - 9 years for females.

Locally (large morph) males reach maturity at near 18 inches and females at or above 22 inches. For other large morph populations, I suspect that males can be come mature at around 16 1/2 to 17 inches and females at around 20 1/2 to 21 inches although I an not certain I have found a gravid female below 21 inches.

Dwarf morph males may become mature at as small as about 13 1/2 inches and females possibly as small as around 17 or slightly below. The smallest gravid female of the dwarf form that produced a litter was 17 7/8 inches.

The above information was obtained by recording the smallest males that exhibit courtship behavior and smallest females that produced litters. So it seems to be a combination of age and length (perhaps weight as well at least in the case of females) that determines when the species becomes mature.

The only way of knowing whether any particular specimen belongs to the dwarf or large morph is to know where it was captured or the origin or if captive bred, the origin of the parent stock. That there are two reasonable distinct size morphs of the Rubber Boa is a recent discovery and not generally known (or accepted) by the professional herpetological community. Only through my posting of such information are some individuals in the amateur herp community aware of this situation.

Richard F. Hoyer


   

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]


>> Next Message:  RE: Rubber Boa help - SavsRule48, Sat May 31 22:36:19 2008

<< Previous Message:  RE: Rubber Boa help - SavsRule48, Sat May 31 08:24:12 2008