Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone on this forum own one? Any pictures? I love these snakes, but I've never seen one for sale or even in real life.

This is the only female in captivity, that I know of. I have a male on breeding loan with a Zoo. If I get them to produce, it will be the first time " to my knowledge. ".......Johnson Herp

how does one come across the opportunity to own one of these animals? and by that i mean the one of a kind animals and original morphs, rare locals etc.

thanks for the offtopic response

A combination of; " knowing the right people and being at the right place at the right time. " It is much more important to me, to locate these rarities, instead of worrying about finding what most people consider to be marketable. We all have different tastes in different things. My buddy Gus, thinks all my Boas are ugly, oh well. Here is a female from Caponi French Guiana ovulating and she will hopefully have a good litter. I will keep most of them, as I will the Melanogaster if she goes this year.......Johnson Herp

i figured it was something like that. i guess i just need to make more reptile related friends. i am very interested in working with rare boas, just do nto have the funds for the ones i see in the classifieds and dont have the luck to find the ones that are not in the mainstream. hopefully one day i will get lucky. i am always a sucker for something unusual, such as the boas you have. although they do not look 'pretty' when compared to some of the other animals out there, they do have a sort of prehistoric look to them which i admire.

Please let me know as soon as you have some neonates I really like a 1.2.
Thank you,
Joel Pretz

Do you have any pictures of her underside? I love the black stomachs on these animals.

I don't think many people believe the melanogaster subspecies to be valid, they are considered a phase of BCC.. Several populations from a wide area of the range of the BCC have produced 'melanogaster' looking boa. This animal photoed here is of Peru.. look at the blue-black irridescence and bold black side badges on him, and his ventrals are practically solid black.
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Later.

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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Quality is not an accident. Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

I have to agree with you Gus. There are quite a few dark Peruvian BCC in captivity. Some of the ones I saw in Iquitos were pretty dark too. Even if melanogaster is a valid sub species, I would bet that 99% of them in captivity have probably been put into BCC breeding groups...

I'm skeptical that the "black boa" qualifies for a separate subspecies. Here's a really dark older Peruvian female that is just a Peruvian bcc

with a young male on her


Mark

I have learned as I have gotten older too; " keep arguments to a bare minimum " you cannot win them anyway. So, I do not argue the Subspecific Status of this animal, but I will tell you this; " I have had my share of Peruvians in the past and have seen tons more and I have had and seen several of the dark phased animals, that looked like Whitneywees and Rentfros. " This female, and the female that I brought back from Ecuador in the mid 90s, are completely different. It is more than just having a Peruvianesque Boa that is dark and calling it Melanogaster. The dark on these animals, are totally different. It is one of the deepest and richest ink blacks, that you will see on a Boa. The pattern is different and especially the markings to an extent, but the most intriguing factor is the difference in the actuall body and head structure and I am talking Bone Structure and scalation on the head. Since nobody else has any except for a couple of Zoos, it is hard for you guys to comprehend this, BUT if you guys ever get through Tennessee, let me know and I will let you see for yourself. Is Melanogaster a Subspecies? I believe that the ones that are " real " are just as deserving of Subspecific Status as alot of other Boas that have gotten it. By the way, the few that I have seen at a few Zoos, share these same characteristics as mine. Mine was brought out of Ecuador, when she was a baby and raised by one man for over 10yrs, until I got her. She is pure and my favorite of all my ugly Boas. If you seen these Boas in person, you would quickly see that; " They are not just dark B.C.C. ". If I produce them and people want to haggle over this debate, so be it. I just as soon keep them all anyway..........Johnson Herp

My buddy John!

Nobody here is after you for your opinions on Boa ssp. or challenging your right to have an opinion on the uniqueness and beauty of your Boa! You da man... If you see something special in those interesting animals go for it. Breed them, enjoy them, market them.. go and 'git 'er done!... I'm willing to stick my head out here and speak for most people I know and say 'kudos to you for your efforts'. Heck, I know you would be the same way towards other serious keepers who want to show off their animals.

Only a rabid dog looking for an argument would be saying their stuff was best, that only they are experienced enough to see how special their boas are or certainly not that other's animals are intergrades of unknown origin! This forum and all your boa-keeping comrades are not about that kind of attitude at all!

Be good. (here's that Corona you were commenting on.. I'm busted).
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Gus
A. Rentfro
RioBravoReptiles.com
www.riobravoreptiles.com

"Quality is not an accident. Perfectly healthy animals are a minimum requirement.. everything else is just salesmanship" gus

of " watered down Mexican Cerveza. " Gus, Corona is a luxury Beer, if you are going to consume; " liquid bread " while working, let it be Budweiser " The King of Beer " massed produce by " Anheiser Bush, St. Louis Missouri. " See, when a man is working, there is a formula that must be kept sacred, if you are to graduate to the ranks of " Red Neck. " Hank Williams Sr. or Jr, playing on the radio, a ball cap with a racing team of some kind on your head to keep it from blistering and a Cold Beeding Bud, while you smell the familiar aroma of Momma cooking Southern Fried Chicken and your best friend " we will say T.V. " standing in the background not doing a single thing, but telling you how he could do it better.This formula cannot be wavered from to much or you will be just another one of those " High Society Snobs from the Trailer Park. " You may teach me how to breed Boas one day, but hopefully I will teach you how to upgrade your Social Standard, so you can be a " High Roller " like the rest of us Southeasterners. Ha!.........Your Buddy.....John Clovis Cletus Elmore tewilliker Fusnotty Johnson the third.

.. I take your comments seriously and I know your advice is founded on vast experience.. the only thing I offer in my defense is that I was drinking that stuff before it was trendy (way before, not to put too fine a point on it).
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I'm trying to be a better person.. at some stage that will include re-thinking my choice of beverages.
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Gus.