I started this project in 2001 when I bought this pair from a Herptologist from North Carolina... using money that I received as gifts at my wedding, lol. The female was fairly standard, brick red with a little pattern showing through.
The male was pretty nice compared to most Colombian Rainbows I had seen until then, very orange without any pattern showing through... like a creamcicle bar. At night he is simply beautiful as where he should have some pattern is very white. This picture was taken at night to show his full potential.
For two years I looked high and low for any other CRBs as light orange as him. I would see pictures of CRBs for sale on kingsnake that looked pretty similar and I would buy them. But the pictures often overrepresented their color, and they weren't even close. I even bought a few Trinidads, as I was told they were some of the lightest variants available. They were nice too, but not even close.
In 2002 I had my first litter of Rainbows, 13 perfect little guys and gals... but to my dismay none of them turned out like the male parent. I kept back a male and a female. Below is a picture of the father next to his daughter.
And a close-up...
Last fall his daughter was around 3-4 feet and about 3 lbs. I figured what the heck and line bred her back to her male parent. This winter/spring I received a little litter of 4 babies. They looked good, they looked about the same but there was a slight difference that I felt was promising. I really didn't know what any of them would look like in a few months, CRBs go through so much color change as they age and the patterning fades out.
Well, its been almost 6 months and things are looking good. Two of them are getting the more common brick red color of my other adults. The other two are staying very light... just like the original orange male. Picture is of one of each.
I'm going to wait until they are yearlings to get too excited.. but these could be the first proven hypo Colombian Rainbows.
Thanks All-
Matt Schubarth
Pet Nebula
