Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Key West Boas

The mother of my “Key West Boa” proven breeder male was born in 1999 or 2000 in New York. Zach Murray owns the mother of my male. Zach is sometimes known as “Crotalus”, lives in the Florida Keys where he produced a litter that included my male in 2005. Zach had been pretty much a locality interested guy and was unfamiliar with all the morphs. In 2005 when Zach produced the babies, he knew they were beautiful, but was unaware of the genetic prize he had found in that first litter of Boas. Zach gave a number of those babies to friends and sold some to others. This is the mother of that litter that started it all:

I first saw my male when the person who Zach had given him to had posted a picture of him asking what he was. They had named him “Nina” not knowing his sex. Nina was a pet Boa not a breeder. After I saw him, I posted exactly what I believed he could be and set about obtaining him. After a long negotiation I was fortunate to make the deal. After his picture was first posted and before I obtained him, I found out about Zach and had a great conversation with him. Zach had taken pictures of most of the babies from that 2005 litter. About half the babies showed this connected pattern while half did not. So in my mind I had seen that this was a dominant or co-dominant mutation. This is exactly what I was hoping I would see again. That is if I could get him to reproduce for me, and if my results were just like Zach’s. Fortunately they were. Note how the Key West babies Zach produced are the identical color of their Grandmother, while the normal babies are normal baby Colombian Boa gray. Here are some of Zach’s babies from the litter in 2005:

This one is actually my male taken as a youngster:

Him now:

This is a female that Zach owns as she looks today:

What will come from this female when additional genes producing more color are introduced? I cannot imagine a more beautiful Colombian Boa that this one. The second female Colombian I had back in the 80’s was this color. I have not seen one since. I CANNOT begin to imagine what the Hypo version of this animal is going to look like! Can you? Even more mind boggling for me is if we are fortunate to eventually prove out a “Super Key”… I am weak in the knees thinking about how crazy that could be!

October 10, 2009 we were fortunate to produce the second litter of Key West Boas produced to date. This time they are second generational babies using our male, “Nina” that resulted in half a litter of “Key West Boas” and half a litter of normal looking Colombians. Here are a few more pictures of the Key West puppies that we were fortunate to have born here Oct. 10, 2009!

Even my wife who knows nothing about Boas can pick out the Key West kids from the normal babies.

Here are some pictures of them post-shed:

-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

That's a truly great discovery Jeff! Congrats to you for finding yet another great Morph!

There's just way to many cool and exciting new Morphs now days, to just pick one! I've already ran out of room for more new morphs and I even put an addition on my house a couple years a go, to accommodate them. Next step build a 22' x 32' outbuilding, hire some cage cleaners and quit my day job! That's just a dream of coarse, but I am thinking about the possibilities of doing this full time, specially with all the cool new morphs out there!

That's one awesome looking Boa Jeff, is it also a caramel Boa too, or is it just really nicely colored?

Thanks,
Chaz Neely

It's all great fun. I try not to think how much nicer if this would have happened about five years ago, but it has happened now and I look forward to making the most of it! I can't wait to make more and Hypos too!

This girl just makes me weak in the knees!

Imagine that in any other Boa Morph on the planet! Holy Moly Rocky!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

I agree with your 5 years a go remark. If you had these back in 04 or even 05 & 06, it would have been like hitting the state lottery!!! Now it would be equivalent to a scratch off ticket, not that I play any of those either... That's just throwing hard earned money away for nothing in return. But this new Morph on the other hand, looks to be another very worth while investment, even with the economy!

I'm sure you know what to do with them. I know what I'd do anyway,...keep them for another year or so, when the economy turns around....then it's.....JACKPOT! just joshing ya! not really though!

Seriously though, them are really cool looking. Kind of resemble a Suriname or het Roswell. Not in anyway implying that's what they are, just saying in comparison, they look similar and a lot more colorful!

I've been waiting for you to post a follow up to the birth announcement. They are beauties, that's for certain. Do you plan to use your Columbian hypos ?
.
Andy
.
-----
give up television - 100% cold turkey. Leave what isn't real and go to what is real.
Spend time with nature, see the ground and the sky, feel your place on this earth,
see the trees, the plants, birds, animals, feel their life. And feel your own life.
Dr. William Pierce (paraphrased)

Eventually. It will be a while before any of the girls are breedable in size from either the Colombian Hypos or obviously these babies. I'm working on it though! You can count on that.

Now to figure out what girl(s) are worthy of my single male Key West Male... decisions decisions...
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Coolest pattern morph I've seen

Dan Eby

Thanks Dan! I can't wait to see the Supers, though is some respects, the single Dose Keys may be more beautiful, but that still remains to be seen.

Thanks much!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

I dont know how they could improve any, if the supers are striped or patternless they'll be cool, but not as cool as these you just produced.

Dan Eby

a new project of that caliber in such great hands. I know you'll play the cards right to advance this incredible new morph as effectively as possible. Those things are LOADED with potential. Can't wait to see them plugged into EVERYTHING!
-----
-Ryan Homsey
TopNotchBoas.com Website

Where do I start!? LOL
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

That fem "Key West Boa" sister of Nina male Zach has is off the chart gorgeous.
What a perfect specimen she is. I wonder if Zach is running around
trying to get those babies he gave away , LOL
I know I would be , LOL
They all had that really redddish pretty colored pattern like your
male and his sister plus have kept it into adulthood.
That's one of the big draws to these "Key West Boas"
the color of the pattern !

. . . Lar M
-----
Boas By Klevitz
Boas By Klevitz

I am having fun you know!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

be the same gene as Laddertails or square tails?

No they are not related in any way to animals that came from the Square Tail bloodline that came from Europe. Those animals were not imported into the US till around 2003 or 2004.

No they are not whatever a ladder tail is either. I have seen ladder tails sold as such going back 15 years. Literally. The first ones were offered to me by a guy name Mike Klonowski about 15 year ago. Trouble is none of those lines or any other that appeared with the "ladder tail" pattern ever proved genetic.

The Roswell bloodline is the first to have the ladder tail appearance that have proven to be genetic. They parents of the first Roswells were born in 2003 I believe to Surinam Red Tail and Albino parents. These are not related to the Roswell animals.

We do not call these ladder tails because of the fact that "ladder tails" are common in collections as a polygenic characteristic in all cases except what I described. It's a generic term for Boas with that type of pattern that has been around for a long long time. Sort of like floating saddles, or a connected pattern. We understand what those terms mean, as they have been used for many years, but they do not define a specific known mutation for us.
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Thanks for taking the time to explain that. I never really
understood about those two pattern morphs before.

They look very nice, I love the connecting pattern, kind of
similar to an arabesque. The color is interesting too, I've
seen some Venezuelan boas with that lighter shade of brown to them. I can't wait to see what else you end up doing with those.

Those boas are awesome and I cannot wait to see if there is a super form as well.

Also your new Camera ROCKS
-----
www.BetterBoa.com

7.5 BCIs
4.5 Corn snakes

I can't wait till I actually have some idea what I am doing with the camera! That is going to be fun! It would be a whole lot easier if I read directions. Alas, I am allergic to that. LOL
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

You know I'm gonna have to get me some of those!

Congrats!

Mark
-----
uncommonboa.com

You do know how to find me... LOL I'll be bent over staring into my baby shoe boxes staring at the new kids!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!!!! They are STUNNING!!!!!!! Congrats!

No idea who the mini co-pilot it, but thank you!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

They are absolutely gorgeous Jeff, Great project and can't wait to see if their is a Super form...

Al Brown/Brown's Boas

I can't wait either Al! In the mean time i have lots and lots of other cool stuff to make with them! Thanks much!
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site

Thanks for the story on these. They are very unique. There seems to be BCC influence with the ladder tail, connecting pattern and hint of peaking. Do you think they are BCI X BCC ? The adults have great color, almost like a jungles trait. Congrats on the project and great looking boas. (Tom)

No, they are Colombian. There is nothing about them that hint at BCC other than the pattern. The pattern is the mutation. There isn't any way to make that pattern without it being the connected/laddertail pattern that it is. So if the pattern reminds you of BCC, that will always be the case. But there are no BCC parents in the history of these animals going back to at least three generations to about 1995, when the fact is that crosses were exceedingly rare. People didn't do them because it was frowned upon so much.

One fellow who was a very well known and respected Boa breeder crossed an Ecuadorian Boa with a Suriname Red Tail in around 1990. Both BCC but different localities. That highly respected individual came under such unbelievable pressure for doing so that many lost much of their respect for him. He never did it again. The greater cost of the true red tails would have kept the original breeder of the grandmother of these babies from having one anyone. They were just long term pet shop Boas.

The next "crosses" that were made were when Argentines were bred into Kahl Albinos and Surinams were bred into Sharp Albinos in around 1998 or 1999. The mother of my Key West Boa, shown above was born in 1999 or 2000 to Boas that were purchased in a pet shop years before then.
-----
Jeff Ronne Sr
The Boaphile
Director USARK

Originator of Boaphile Plastics
The Boaphile Boa Site