Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, I have been waiting for a while for my rainbow boas. I met up with the guy at the show. He had a male and a female "Peruvian" rainbow boas. They are awsome. However, I was told they will be 2 years old in September. The female is 276 grams and the male is 142 grams. A friend has a "Brazilian" he said is 2 years but is much larger than my female. Someone posted on another forum a picture of theres that was 2 years old and agian, much larger. I have read everything I can find and am still having a hard time with the difference between Peruvian and Brazilian. I hope its ok but I will post a link to a couple of pictures of my new Peruvian/Brazilian rainbow boas. Please help.

Female
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z47/kahunadog/charms3.jpg
Male
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z47/kahunadog/lucky2.jpg

Well, I don't have any "peruvians" although I'd bet there is peruvian blood in some. Your's do have the classic peruvian look, bold dark outlines. Size is a function of food so you could have two year old peruvians that are smaller than a 2 year old brazilian that was fed differently. Ultimately Peruvians are larger than brazilians and with "normal" feeding yours should catch up to where they could be.
-----
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:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I have suspected this about a lot of brazilians, including the ones i previously bred, my last ones where blood red and thick banded like peruvians.
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Maybe I didn't read your post carefully enough. I'm not sure what you need help with. Are you concerned with their size or that they may not actually be Peruvians?

They seem a little smalll for two-year-olds. My yearling BRBs are closing in on 100 grams and I am notorious for growing my animals up slowly. The two-year-old animals I have are closer to 700 - 900 grams.

Dave is right, your animals look to have the markings of Peruvians. Jeff Clark (the resident expert on epicrates speciation) says on his website that

"The Peruvian Rainbows also have fewer and larger scales than Brazilian Rainbows. Peruvian Rainbows have 41 to 45 scale rows at midbody. Brazilian Rainbows have 47 to 51 scale rows at midbody."

For what it's worth, I have been told by several people that many of the animals in the US are actually Brazilian/Peruvian hybrids.

Try counting scale rows and see what you come up with.
-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I have linked to your two photos. Those two snakes look a lot like some Peruvians I have that were produced by Craig McSherry in September 2005. I suspect they may be from the same litter. Most of mine from the litter weigh almost a kilogram. The largest weighs 1045 grams. One male has been shy about feeding his entire life and he now weighs 210 grams. The only way to tell for sure about what you have is to do scale counts. Your snakes look enough like Peruvians that I suspect they will have low scale counts though perhaps not low enough to positively identify them as Peruvians. There are a lot of snakes being sold as Peruvians that are actually Brazilians or crosses or intergrades between the two subspecies.

>>Ok, I have been waiting for a while for my rainbow boas. I met up with the guy at the show. He had a male and a female "Peruvian" rainbow boas. They are awsome. However, I was told they will be 2 years old in September. The female is 276 grams and the male is 142 grams. A friend has a "Brazilian" he said is 2 years but is much larger than my female. Someone posted on another forum a picture of theres that was 2 years old and agian, much larger. I have read everything I can find and am still having a hard time with the difference between Peruvian and Brazilian. I hope its ok but I will post a link to a couple of pictures of my new Peruvian/Brazilian rainbow boas. Please help.
>>
>>Female
>>http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z47/kahunadog/charms3.jpg
>>Male
>>http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z47/kahunadog/lucky2.jpg

Well, After some research and talking to the guy I got them from, they are indeed from Craig McSherry. Guess I lucked out and was at the right place at the right time. I have 2 awsome snakes.

As long as the snakes are healthy - I would not worry too much. I bought a year old BRB, that was much smaller than a 3 month old BRB that I have. With normal feeding the year old one has been growing nicely, and seems 100% ok. The person I bought the small year old snake from fed more to sustain life vs. a normal feeding schedule that allows the animal to grow.

In writing this I now feel I need to get a scale - another new toy for me.
-----
Mike

5.6 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

I just want to thank everyone who replied. From the research I have done, if im correct Craig McSherry lives in or around Cinncinati Oh. The guy I bought them from does a show in Cinncinati the day before he does the show I goto. In Cleveland Ohio. I will ask him if that is where he picked them up. He did say they were born September of 05 so with an educated guess I would have to say everything is pointing in that direction. I also think he fed to substain life. I want to breed them so I need to get them eating. I offered food 2 days after bringing them home just to see if they would eat. They didnt but I know they are stressed due to the move. I will give it another week before I start to get worried. Thanks agian for everyones replies. If anyone has anything else they would like to add, please do. I will take all the knowledge I can get. Thankns agian

Are you offering food the same as what they were used to - Live, Fresh Killed, or Frozen Thawed? Also, rats or mice?

If they have only ate live it may take time to switch to f/t (if that is what you normally use).
-----
Mike

5.6 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

IMHO.....

Take it slow. Don't rush to get these two onto a "normal" feeding regimen. Remember they have been raised their entire life on what appears to be a survival diet. Small meals spaced out at longer intervals. Their systems are so used to that, a sudden change to feasting every week could be harmful.

No scientific data to back that up, just a gut feeling!!
-----
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:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I would agree - I always feed my new snakes smaller meals for their first few meals. I feel that even if they seem comfortable they may be stressed from being shipped and placed into a new environment, and they may refuse a 'normal' sized meal, but eat a meal that is smaller. I feel this method gets them used to their new home and allows them to adapt to my feeding schedule.
-----
Mike

5.6 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

closely, he did mention something about a pos related snake lack of willingness to feed aggressively, may not be an artifact of the previous keepers... maintain feeding regimen... may be the snake itself...some snakes are like that and there is little you can do to change it's feeding habits. For example, I have a few 7 year old ball pythons that have not hit breeding weight yet, it's not like I am slow growing them that slow on purpose, although most of my snakes are bred at a greater age then most. These snakes just do not feed as well as the other snakes I keep. It's just their individual way...BTW snakes like that make god belts (evil smile)
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

>>closely, he did mention something about a pos related snake lack of willingness to feed aggressively, may not be an artifact of the previous keepers... maintain feeding regimen... may be the snake itself...some snakes are like that and there is little you can do to change it's feeding habits. For example, I have a few 7 year old ball pythons that have not hit breeding weight yet, it's not like I am slow growing them that slow on purpose, although most of my snakes are bred at a greater age then most. These snakes just do not feed as well as the other snakes I keep. It's just their individual way...BTW snakes like that make god belts (evil smile)
>>-----
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Frank Roberts
>>Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research
>>
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

God would need a belt for....whoopin sinners?
-----
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:
24.36 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

lol

>>God would need a belt for....whoopin sinners?
>>-----
>>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:
>>24.36 BRB
>>19.19 BCI
>>And those are only the breeders
>>
>>lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research