Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all - not posted for a while, but congrats to everyone who had babies this year. The insular Epicrates 'clan' had an amazing year - collectively, we produced several hundred babies. Between Jeff, Tom, Jay and myself, we produced subflavus, inornatus, fordii, DR reds, striatus fowleri, and striatus strigilatus.

My main project this year was focusing on the adult group of Turks/Caicos boas, Epicrates chrysogaster. The group were imported from Europe under CITES and are co-owned between Jeff/Jay/Tom/me. All together, we have seven adults. Breeding 'recipe' was standard for the insular boas - cooling for a few months, spraying the animals down periodically, and group breeding.

Two females ovulated in the first week of June and litters of 6 babies and 11 babies were produced at the beginning of October. Most have eaten live anoles to date, although a couple are still needing to be assist fed.
Ryan

Hi Ryan, you left out angulifer as I had 10 babies born 2 weeks ago [biggest clutch ever]. Babies are about 26"-27" long at birth...
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

How big was the female Angulifer Tom? I am waiting on a 7 foot girl to drop, I was guessing 10 or 12 from her, but she looks much smaller than she did when I made that prediction.
The largest litter I have seen was 19 live and 4 still born from a 13 foot female a friend of mine had in Havana.

She was only about 7' long. My experience has been bigger snakes, bigger babies, not more babies. I once had a 12' snake have 5 babies about 32" long!!!
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

Thanks for the reply Tom. I find with Cuban snakes, whether it is Epicrates, Tropidophis, Alsophis or Antilophis, The adult size and sexual maturity differs greatly, as does the size and number of young. Wish I had the time and money to sit in Cuba and study the [bleep] out of these reptiles, I know where to find them all.

I wish I knew more about them as I've been studying and breeding West Indian Boas for over 30 years now. The more I learn the less I realize I know....thanks
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Tom Crutchfield
www.tomcrutchfield.com

Agreed. A few months ago I was talking to a friend at the University of Havana about Tropidophis and we couldn't agree to the gestation for Melanurus. We both experienced gestation as short as 5 months and as long as fifteen. The largest litter he has had was 9 or 10 (can't remember) I have had upwards of 23...and from extremely small females (a lot were still born as well).
Around the grounds of the Municipal zoo in the neighbourhood of Vedado, you can find Antillophis andreae, I received a trio on year and they were about 15 inches, big enough to take a house gecko or adult anole. One of the females laid 3 eggs some months later, and what information I could find, said that that was the adult size. A couple of years later I was in the Province of Villa Clara and came across Antillophis, but they were 4 feet plus, at first I thought I was seeing black and yellow Alsophis, but they were the same snake.
When I was telling the folks back in Havana about them, they didn't believe it, but people down there to have money to spend on field research, so they don't get around much.

As much as I love BRB's, I really love these oddball boa posts! Great work!

Congrats Ryan, any stripped ones? I need some in my collection, let me know when you guys produce enough to spread around.
I am still looking for Biminis.
JQP,

Thanks, John, all blotched babies. I'm selling a pair, so drop me an email if interested.
Ryan

... let's see some more pics!

Great stuff, congrats to all.

just got a new camera, Ed, so this weekend