Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a few snakes that I just purchased off of a reptile auction site. They were sold to me as thayeri (presumably pure thayeri because there was NO mention of hybrid at any time.) I have very strong reasons to suspect 2 are hybrids, and more than that, I have strong reasons to suspect who was selling them prior to this seller. I have no complaints about these snakes because I had a mild suspicion about the hybrid status of at least one of them prior to purchase (even though the seller never said as much and would not reveal who the breeder was or the prior seller - all he said was that these snakes were received by him on trade.)

Anyway, I think I can confirm that 2 are definite hybrids, but I am not so sure about the 3rd (a younger female.) Does anyone know how to tell if a thayeri is pure? I know their markings and colors vary so much, but do they have particular belly markings, a particular common facial pattern or something else used to confirm their status? Unless proven otherwise, I will label this girl as a hybrid to be on the safe side (I wish I knew what else was in her, for curiousities sake) but if there was a way to know if she was pure thayeri then I would like to know that too. I do know that the suspected prior seller of these snakes sells hybrids as well as "pure thayeri." The trade might have involved a mixture of both pure and hybrid snakes, but there is no way for me to confirm that since the seller was unwilling to reveal their source.

Any opinions appreciated! thanks, charlene

P.S. Just to make sure that I am being clear, I am not in any way disappointed by their hybrid status. I would just like to know if the 3rd is or is not a hybrid also.

Hi charlene

If that pic you have posted is the 3rd snake you are talking about then it is a positive hybrid.

if not, post a pic and let us see if we can help you with the info you need...

Paul..

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Pinky's taste nice,only if there fresh..

I just received the new snakes today so I don't have pics yet, but I will post a pic when I get some. thanks

>>I just received the new snakes today so I don't have pics yet, but I will post a pic when I get some. thanks

Ok.

Hey thats pretty sh$ty of your suplyer not giving you the info.

its those type's of people that give breeders of hybrids and the pure snakes they breed bad names, not only that its those people that are the one's that will be ultimately responsible for the integration of hybrids into peoples populations of non hybridized snake collection's without those people knowing which is bad.

in the future i would sugest that you stick with purchasing your snakes from someone that has a record of trust and is not afraid to tell the linage of any snake they have for sale. Take AAA for example, he is doing a great job of informing people of what to expect from there purchase of hybrids....

Paul..
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Pinky's taste nice,only if there fresh..

agreed. I try to only buy from reputable breeders, typically those that I have either had prior contact with or have heard a lot of good things about them. However, in this case it was an auction site (that I don't generally buy from) and the snakes were being resold (not directly from the breeder.) If these snakes are from the breeder that I suspect them to be from originally, then he is a reputable breeder, and these are snakes that I have seen before at a show (I wanted to buy them then but hubby did not want me to spend more money on snakes at that time.)

I completely agree that the seller should have been honest about the heritage of the snakes, I assumed that because they said they were thayeri that they were pure, but I also understood that they might be of mixed heritage (based on the photos of some of the snakes.) For my purposes, mixed heritage was fine. Also, the seller does have a good rep from what I could determine (or I would not have trusted him with my money,) and he states on his website that all snakes sold are honestly represented. The snakes were not available anywhere else (with the look that I wanted.) The only snakes from this group that sold were sold to me and another hybrid breeder (I bid on the other snake too but since I was out of town, I did not win that particular auction.) Since I am now convinved that at least 2 of the snakes that I received are hybrids, I wish that I had bought the remaining 3 available snakes. At least if I have them (or another hybrid breeder who recognizes that the snakes might not be pure) then they won't wind up being bred with pure thayeri and marketed as pure. I have considered making an offer on the remaining snakes but I really have more snakes than I need right now. I am waiting to see if they are put back up for auction. If you want more info then feel free to contact me.

Sorry i forgot to add the pure info...

Scalation:

Dorsal: 21 - 25 rows
Ventral: 190 - 211
Sub-caudal: 51 - 65
lnfralabial: 8 - 11
Supralabial: 7
Analplate: Single

Head:
Normally displays a nuchal blotch that is light centered. Typically has a postoccular stripe.

Dorsal:
Blotched, ringed, saddled (usually with white rings) red to brown/black

Ventral:
Mottled dark and light gray with dorsal pattern fused into area at times

Paul..

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Pinky's taste nice,only if there fresh..