Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've only had BCI so far with boas, but I've been interested in getting a pair of surinames. A friend of mine who owns a big pet store says you have to really watch out on them, since many are sold as suri but are not purebreds. Any suggestions on how to tell, and maybe a good breeder of "normal" or maybe pinker suris? Thanks!
~Krystie

You've come to the right place. There are plenty of excellent Suri breeders here.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Also, you might check Gus Rentfro of Rio Bravo Reptiles. He might have some. Just one more name for the list.
You are right about those selling mixed boas as pure Surinames.
Thought I saw one today in the Classifieds. Some don't know any better and some could care less.
jsc
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"As hard as I've tried, just can't NOT do this"
John Crickmer

Hes got some of the best and they are goin at it like...we will just say I think some of us are almost as excited as he is. Anotherperson that posts here is kitchi. Between the two of them if you want a top of the line lookin suri they are your guys.
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My Photobucket

As the others said, there are a number of good Suri breeders, some on this forum. I would also look into Bob Futo, Rob Tudehope, Miller Reptiles and Florida Redtails as they are some very well-known Suri breeders.

Suriname (or any BCC for that matter) tend to have a crisper pattern due to the higher scale count. It is like a hi def television has more "pixels". If you consider each scale as a pixel then the more of them you have, the better the contrast will be.

The tail color tends to hold up better over time as well (hence: "TRUE" red tail). With most BCI the tail will dull down with age.

Suris tend to have a distinctive head shape...sort of more shovel like than most BCI.

**The biggest differences are in husbandry and feeding habbits. BCI tend to be hardier and more forgiving of husbandry mistakes and inconsistancies. BCC don't respond as well overall to things like, improper temps, humidity levels, heavy feeding schedules, stress, etc....Once you are used to thier needs however, they are as easy to handle as any other subspecies.

Here are a few examples of Suriname BCC that I like....

Hope that helps...If you are used to looking at BCI perhaps seeing these can show you some of the differences in looks...Good luck on your search
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I think Dank's got you covered.
Here are some more pics for you including a really interestingly light one that's unfortunately deceased.
Aaron

Thanks everyone for your help. I do think I'd like to get a pair this next year. We just have to get everyone's larger cages made to make sure we have room for whatever else we want to get. I really appreciated the pictures - They do look SOOOOOO nice! I love the BCIs just with all the different varieties you find from the wide range they live in, but a suri is absolutely wonderful too!
I'll be back!