Reptile & Amphibian Forums

. Have you seen the posts over on the Boa forum? It looks like they are having the same arguement that got started there five years ago. I don' think we have had one shouting post here since this forum started. Rainbow Boa keepers must be nicer people than Boa Constrictor keepers.
Jeff
ps, my 1.2 Surinam Redtails are doing great!

Morphs vs Loacality? LOL!

>>Morphs vs Loacality? LOL!

It started because one individual was using known morph names for snakes that were not that morph or even proven genetic...and got called on it. It pretty much grew from there unfortunately.

But it is nice to visit a quiet forum. And just to participate on topic, here's a pic of my 16 year old Colombian rainbow, Hudson (a pretty boy even if I am biased *G*).

Raven,
. Hudson is a healthy looking old boy. CRBs are very hardy snakes. I know of several CRBs that have grown old in captivity.
. I saw the recent arguement start in the Boa forum. It is just another round in the continuing arguements surrounding morphs. I know several of dogs in the fight and IMO most of them come out of the fight looking less honorable than they did going in. It is an unfortunate situation. As I see it the underlying problem is that people have the mistaken belief that morphs are rare or are prettier than normal spacimens. Because of this people stand to make more money off of morphs than normal snakes and so they get their hackles up whenever anyone treads on the sacred name of whatever sacred morph they are in position to make money on. Morphs are not rare. There are thousands of different morphs in the herp hobby. Many of them in species that are relatively easy to breed. It is silly for anyone to think that they should be valuable because they are rare. They are just not rare. I know it is just a personal opinion about whether morphs are prettier than normal snakes but IMO many people's opinion of the beauty of the animal is clouded by their visions of dollar signs superimposed upon the snake.
Just my .02
Jeff

>>It started because one individual was using known morph names for snakes that were not that morph or even proven genetic...and got called on it. It pretty much grew from there unfortunately.
>>
>>But it is nice to visit a quiet forum. And just to participate on topic, here's a pic of my 16 year old Colombian rainbow, Hudson (a pretty boy even if I am biased *G*).
>>

A lot of people get their panties in a bunch over the whole morph debate and it is because so many of them only see dollar signs as you said. The online fights often taint individual reputations when people lose control and the reputation of reptile enthusiasts as a whole. To me the hobby is - or at least should be - about the love of the animals. It should also be about honesty and integrity...elements sorely lacking in some circles. As for which is more attractive, that's in the eye of the beholder. Of the 26 snakes I own, I only have 4 that are morphs (a pair of snow corns, an albino burmese, and an aberhant patterned Bci that a friend produced), the rest are all natural phase animals and they are ALL beautiful, at least in my eyes.

As for old Hudson, he's a far different snake today than he was 7 years ago when I got him 'free' from the previous owner. He was thin, dirty, dehydrated and generally unhappy when I got him. I didn't even know what he was back then (thought I was getting a Brazilian rainbow and didn't even know any other types existed). As soon as I saw him, the condition he was in and his living conditions, I knew I was going home with him even if I had no clue what he really was. Glad I did, too. He's a great snake - gentle, calm, and a good feeder - all but trouble free not counting those first few months.

Raven

My oldest Colombian rainbow will be 10 years old this year.
However, while talking to Terry Cullen at the Expo last summer, he said that he has two very old ones still......one from 1969 and one from 1970! He also said (and I agree) that Colombian rainbows are one of the most, if not the most trouble free boid there is and that they are very underrated.

Wow! Those are pretty old for snakes! It's fantastic to hear that they've been taken such great care of that they're still with him. Congrats on your 10 year old, too. A long, healthy life is where it's at. It's really kind of funny...everyone was telling me how difficult rainbows are to care for after I got him – the extra-high humidity, the perfect temps, etc. or they'll die - but the previous owner had him in a ten gallon tank with a screen top and a shorted out heat rock with no water in his dish and old shed, waste & urates laying about the tank when I picked him up. Per the previous owner when I got him, he was 9 years old and the guy had gotten him while he attended college. I figured if he lived through that guy’s care, what harm could I do? He’s set up like the majority of my other boas and pythons and has thrived since I took him in – he’s grown in length, added weight, and went from a plain dark brown snake to a lovely iridescent milk chocolate color with a faint pattern. I figured I must be doing something right. And you’re right, the Colombian rainbows are underrated – especially when most people compare them to the really bright colored Brazilians. They’re beautiful snakes despite the lack of a bold pattern or bright colors. Anyone who’s seen Hudson always remarks how attractive he is and they just love the iridescence. I’ll admit I have other snakes that are more colorful or showy in appearance, but he’s a beauty through and through…and yeah, I’m biased.

Brazilian rainbows------that is a common misconception about them. They are more demanding than Colombians but still fairly easy boas.

All true and well put. There is a real trend in the hobby to make a lot of money and make a name for one's self.
The quickest way to do this it seems, is by 'creating' a new morph of some sort. Then, like some kind of pyramid scheme, everyone wants to produce these new morphs as fast as possible in order to make big bucks before the value of them falls.
The sad part for me is that there seems to be no shortage of eager lemmings out there willing to shell out ridiculous sums of money for these (in many cases) mutated monsters.
One other thing I've noticed with some of the Boa constrictor morphs is that while the young look strikingly beautiful, many of the adults are very muddy and ugly.
I could write more as this is a real peeve of mine but you get the idea.....

I always read Boa Forum, Rainbow forum and tortoise forum twice a day, and I need to start reading the ball forum, and this is the one most interested, I love when you guys start talking about sub species. This is as near as been in a table having some beers and talking about reptiles, Thanks you guys

That should be renamed the "Mutated, Inbred and Hyped Forum".
It is also pathetic to see them arguing over stupid names for the latest 'designer(feh!)morph'. Laughable!

only 400$ plus shipping

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

Original line SDT Rainbow!!!!! I have told some people. This is the real thing!
This snake REALLY came from a semi-desert Texas locale. So I call it a SDT Rainbow.

Ha Ha Ha,

I am really glad this forum isn't like these posts.
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

Are you sure that's not a Melted Reduced-Pattern Blushing Texan Locale Morph? lol!