Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Savannah but not in a good way. Reminds me of how she looked when she came to me, not color but the less than optimal conditions they must be kept in!

Things I see that make me very sad:

Both pics - look how dried out the skin is, most noticably on the heads.

Second pic - you can see they are kept in some kind of shaving product but DUH, not moist!

first pic (worst IMO) Indicated as a subadult, not much bigger around than the thumb of the hand holding it yet, looks deflated like a female who just gave birth. Skin folds, spine ridges etc.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Where did these poor BRB's come from?
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Renee

2.0 amel & anery corns (Foxfire & Daguerre)
1.0 BRB (Loki)

in the ads
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I saw those pictures on the classifieds and felt the exact same way as you Dave. The snakes just looked so dried out I was shocked. That's really sad that they are kept like that.

they are wild imports, most likely suffering from some form of parasitism ( regardless of said treatments ) and very undernourished. This type of scenario helped create the herpetocultural phase, "It was a rescue!!!"

" Big heads " in comparison to the snakes body are usually a good "marker" that they are imported.

Also, the hydration / parasitism are issues that are typical in snakes that stayed in " quarantine" before being shipped into this country (US). It is sad, but I can find some ( dark / Irony ) humor when they use the phrase " animal was quarantined " before being shipped to the states.

This " quarantine period " oddly, usually involves, thousands of snakes being kept in cramped suboptimal conditions, that defecate all over one another, while being, slowly starved to death, in addition to the fact, that they have no access to ample clean drinking water.

This perhaps may be a " hypocritical "phrase to use when the importers / exporters denotation of the word "quarantine" is the EXACT opposite of mine.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Interesting, yet sad. Thanks for the information, I didn't know that much about the wild caught snakes, but from your description this is why I only buy captive bred reptiles. How come a wild caught BRB has a bigger head than a captive bred one?

The large head is actually an indication of an older animal. The real difference is most long term captive animals see regular meals and are not skinny.

More I think of it I would not be surprized to find out the skin fold one is a female and one that has had a litter semi recently.

Looks a lot like this (Nov 2006):

Except she now looks like (Tuesday):

Or even Eve, a WC het for hypo and maybe stripe as well:
February

Tuesday

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Ike,
....They look like they are big headed because their bodies have lost weight and are so thin in comparison to the heads. Also....Some Brazilian Rainbow Boas do get bigger headed in relation to their overall body size as they get much older. Their bodies will grow rapidly if fed well and their heads grow slower but do eventually catch up. Some imports may be 15 or more years old while most CB ones for sale are less than four years old.
Jeff

>>Interesting, yet sad. Thanks for the information, I didn't know that much about the wild caught snakes, but from your description this is why I only buy captive bred reptiles. How come a wild caught BRB has a bigger head than a captive bred one?

before the snake came into the country, it most likely did not feed for quite some time, so the weight loss makes the size of the head appear disproportionate to the rest of the snakes body.
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

...
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

when I saw that "ad", I thought / said ( it's bad when you talk to yourself about it ) the same EXACT thing with a few more expletives.

That's because Frank's a "potty mouth" and Dave is not!!!
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

As soon as I saw the pics - I knew the ad they came from - really sad!

I have deceided to keep, for a while at least, my 06 female that I got in a package deal. I was not impressed with her, so I was going to try to sell her last weekend. On Friday I went to get her out to look over, and she was turning blue. Thus, her shed saved her at least least for a while. I will now see how she looks after her next shed or two. I actually can not wait to get home tonight and see her after this current shed.

I think having a moss pit for her should help her. I feel the moss pits are like a spa for them.
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Mike

2.4 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

EXACTLY... I can't say it enough, the damp moss hide boxes will improve the overall health of your rainbow and will keep the skin so well hydrated that it GLISTENS!!!! Only down side is there is yet another cage feature to maintain. About due for my periodic change out. I usually get a month or two between full change outs. Spot cleaning in between!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Quite a few of the imports I got 15 years ago looked like those snakes. Most of them cleaned up nice and put on weight and got to looking better within just a few months. The snake that I have posted here recently named Jari actually came to me looking much worse and thinner than those snakes. Many BRBs in the wild look great but most of them that come through the long delays in suboptimal conditions during export and import end up looking like those snakes. The good news is that they can be rescued and often turn out well.
Jeff

>>Savannah but not in a good way. Reminds me of how she looked when she came to me, not color but the less than optimal conditions they must be kept in!
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>Things I see that make me very sad:
>>
>>Both pics - look how dried out the skin is, most noticably on the heads.
>>
>>Second pic - you can see they are kept in some kind of shaving product but DUH, not moist!
>>
>>first pic (worst IMO) Indicated as a subadult, not much bigger around than the thumb of the hand holding it yet, looks deflated like a female who just gave birth. Skin folds, spine ridges etc.
>>-----
>>Thanks,
>>
>>
>>Dave Colling
>>
>>www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com
>>
>>
>>
>>0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
>>0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)
>>
>>LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
>>21.29 BRB
>>19.19 BCI
>>And those are only the breeders
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Yeah, Eve was pretty skinny and is already added on 50% to her weight 1KG - 1.5KG in 4 months

And Savannah, don't have pics from when I got her...no digital camera back then. She looked a lot like them, all dried out and crusty. Now she looks like:

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Eve is looking really good! The first pics I saw of her - I thought she is nothing special on the outside, just has a great recessive gene, but she is looking good enough now I would let you send her my way.......
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Mike

2.4 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

Thanks, she is similar to Savannah, in that she came to me in not so hot condition. Time spent at club Rainbows-r-us-reptiles is doing wonders for both of them!

Oh, thanks so much for allowing me to send her your way but I really wouldn't want to put you out like that!!!
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats