Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Wanting to purchase a Dumeril's boa for my collection and need to know some good websites or sources of information to do as much research as possible before I purchase one.
Already own a happy and healtly Brazilian Rainbow Boa and would love to add a beautiful Dumeril to my collection.
Right now deciding between a new JCP or Dureril, probably end up with both eventually........lol.
Needing all information on husbandry, care, cage requirements, temperments, reputable breeders, or a breeder that may have on at any of the IRBA San Diego shows, ect.
Any responses to steer me in the right direction to get myself educated on this species would be greatly appreciated.
Happy Herping,
Uncloudy

Here's a good start. Jason has a pretty good website and beautiful animals. The dumerils are great boas and very beautiful (probably my biased opinion lol). You can find dumerils at just about every reptile show, at least most of the major ones. I've even seen more of them being offered at the smaller shows, so they're definitely gaining popularity. JCP's are also lovely, as are many of the carpets (I currently have 2 coastal carpets, a jungle X coastal cross, a jungle carpet, and a diamond X jungle cross). The Irian Jaya carpets are every bit as lovely as the jungles (in case you haven't seen any of those). Good luck in choosing! Raven
Classic Dum's

After reading and doing some research on Dumerils I was wondering if too much handling is a problem for this secretive boa? If so, I don't think I will get a Dumerils cause I can't seem to keep my hands off my small collection(4 snakes) and enjoy handling my reptile brother and sisters at least once every other day.

It depends on the animal and its individual personality. My female dumerils doesn't mind it once she's out of her cage, the male is more shy. My pure JCP doesn't care for it much at all, but his previous owner wasn't very good with him and didn't handle him much to begin with, so that's kinda iffy if it's personality or just not enough handling. Ask the breeder where you buy the snake and judge for yourself once you get it home. If it goes off feed or tries to escape when you handle it, back off and let it calm down then restart with shorter less frequent sessions.

Raven

Hello,

I would say that you cant go wrong with dumerils or jungle carpet pythons. I currenty have 2.2 pairs of both and love them. I smiled when you mentioned you would probably end up with both. I originally chose between dumerils and JCP's and now, as mentioned, enjoy both.

As you hinted at I would say that my JCP's are probably not as shy as my dumerils and better tolerate handling. As you have found, dumerils are a shy snake and seem to enjoy their privacy. My JCP's tend to be much more active than my dumerils, both in their cages and when being held. My JCP's also spend considerably more time outside their hides.

I have noticed that my JCP's were more inclined to strike and bite than my dumerils. My dumerils have rarely struck at me, while my JCP's were a little nippy when young. However, both my JCP's and dumerils have grown into very calm adults and are easy to handle. "Knock on wood" I haven't had either attempt to bite in a very long time.

I keep my Jungle Carpet Pythons a little warmer than my dumerils. I give my Jungles a range of about 78 degrees on their cool side to 90 degrees on their warm side. While I typically keep my dumerils at around 75 to 78 degrees on their cool side to 85 degrees on their warm side. In my experience dumerils feed more consistently when kept at slightly cooler temps than some other pythons and boas.

As far as humidity I would guess I keep them both at around 60 percent, though I am not positive on this. I have large water dishes in their cages, which are melamine and PVC. These cages seem to hold humidity pretty well. I typically keep the water dish just slightly on or near the heat tape to provide a little extra humidity (the heat tape is attached underneath my cages not inside). However, you may not need to do this as it is very dry where I live. In this setup both species of mine have had good sheds and have never had respiratory problems. A friend of mine orginally kept his dumeril in an aquarium with a screen top and it had incomplete sheds. He then swithed to a rubbermaid container, with adequate holes for ventilation, and the problem subsided.

The site you have been given at Just Dums is a very good source. I also know Reptilian Dreams and John Skipper Reptiles have good lines. Other good soures are New England Reptile Distributors (NERD) and Ophiological Services. I am sure there are plenty of other good breeders out there though.

Dumerils are great boas, which I have had for about seven years now. Contact me by email, if you want, and I can send you a magazine style article that I wrote about them. Just a couple things to keep in mind. Make sure you get a dumeril's boa that has been feeding consistently. They can sometimes be tough to get started. Buy one from a reputable breeder and make sure you have a dumerils from unrelated parent stock. The breeder should be aware of the genetic history of his animals, if not you might be cautious. Also enjoy your new purchase as both species are a true joy to keep.

Erin
starkserin@hotmail.com