Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I has a great Christmas surprise! A fellow Candoia bibroni biobroni keeper had to leave Fiji a bit earlier than expected, and I have inherited 5 new Fiji Boas! I can't keep all of them myself, so I am spreading them out over our small Candoia community here in Fiji. (Sorry, can't export due to CITES regs.)

The really exciting thing is that I now have access to C. b.b. from three separate Fijian Islands, and they seem to have different patterns. I'm going to start photographing and cataloguing.

So between three of us here in Fiji we now have:
3 large WC females, 2 from Taveuni Island, 2 from Kadavu Island
1 small CB female, from Taveuni Island
4 small WC males, from Viti Levu Island
2 small BC males, from Taveuni Island

Here are a few pics:
The two larger Kadavu females,
Two of the Viti Levu males
The two Taveuni males with the small Taveuni female.

Hope your Christmas was as good (and your New Year will be as busy!)

Link

Photos came out in wrong order:

First is the Taveuni threesome (zigzag pattern and red bellies)
Second is the Kadavu females (blotchy pattern with plain bellies)
Third is the Viti Levu males (blotchy pattern with black belly stripe)

Oh, and I meant to say that I HAD a Christmas surprise, not 'has" - not trying to Cheezburger-speak

Hi Helen,

Great news getting more C.b.b, I've been waiting in anticipation to find out how the mattings of the three you put together went?? did you get any ovulations? have you seperated them at all yet??

Hope you had a good christmas!

Cheers Matt
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1.2.23 C.b.australis
3.5 C.paulsoni
2.0 C.tasmai
2.1 C.aspera
2.1 C.carinata

Hi Matt,

Still waiting on the results of the mating: she never showed obvious ovulation, and she continued to eat voraciously, so although she seems fat we're not certain she's pregnant. Conversely, we're not certain she isn't.....

She went back to her original owner on 10 December (as I was going away for a while), so she was mated between 10 November and 10 December. She's given birth before. Still hopeful!

I just put these 2 other females in with the male who mated before, and he's shown no interest, whereas with the earlier female he was on her immediately, so (unless he was indeed scarred for life by that experience) I can only assume that her chemical signals were out there and she was ready.

They are pregnant for around 9 months, right? So we'll know for definite by August!

Cheers and Happy New Year,
Helen

Hi Helen,

My fingers are crossed for the matings to pay of with that female!

Mine went for just pretty much bang on 9 months gestation, so let us know then! you should se a noticable change in size with her, mine was huge and fed right through copulation and gestation.

My male only showed slight intrest this year, but i'm not expecting anything this time round, young are doing well so i'll post some pics if I get a chance,

Cheers Matt
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1.2.23 C.b.australis
3.5 C.paulsoni
2.0 C.tasmai
2.1 C.aspera
2.1 C.carinata

Hi Matt,

Well, she's still eating and still fat - so I'm still not sure whether she took or not. I never convincingly saw ovulation, but I wasn't examining her daily. Hope still springs....

I'd love to see photos of yours - I've just aquired 5 more (as a keeper left Fiji suddenly) and will start another thread with pics soon.

Good to hear from you, hope you are managing to dig yourself out from under all that snow over there!

Helen

THATS IT...I'M MOVING TO FIJI...ARE THERE ANY SINGLE WOMEN THERE THAT WOULD SUPPORT ME?...LOL...AWESOME HELEN....GORGEOUS ANIMALS AS ALWAYS....I HAVE SOME AUSTRALIS THAT LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE COLORS AND PATTERNS....HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!...JERRY

So far two of the five have shed, and are knocking back pieces of chicken as fast as I can deliver them, while the other 3 are holding out (possibly for geckos - I have a delivery from the local kids due in a couple of days).

Jerry, you should come over to Fiji - we could give you a fascinating time herping (but you may die of frustration because you can't export). Lot of local girls dying for overseas husbands - unfortunately they don't support you - it's kind of expected it will be the other way around - life sucks huh?

Have a great New Year!
Helen

BTW Jerry,

Which of these are most like australis? The Taveuni snakes have diamond/zigzag back markings (4 specimens), while the Kadavu (3 specimens) and Viti Levu (5 specimens)snakes have irregular dark-edged splotches more like leopard spots.

So far all the Taveuni and Kadavu snakes have had plain cream or flecked bellies, while the Viti Levu ones all have a bold black stripe down the belly.

I know you can't speciate just by markings, but I wonder if I'm seeing the start of differentiation between island communities.

I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR PICS AGAIN HELEN...AND ACTUALLY, AUSTRALIS ARE A BIT DIFFERENT....THEY DONT HAVE SPOTS OR THOSE ZIG-ZAGS LIKE THE FIJIS....I WISH I COULD TAKE DECENT PHOTOS OF MY ANIMALS...I'M NOT A GOOD PHOTOGRAPHER....I'M SURE EVERY ISLAND HAS A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT MORPH...LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU PRODUCE ALBINOS...LOL...GOOD LUCK...JERRY

I dunno about your photo skills Jerry, the photos you post are really nice.

I really do think we have different morphs on different islands, and I'm collecting standard photos of head / back/ belly shots of all specimens I can find. When I've catalogued I'll post them somewhere

More than albinos, I'm interested in the melanistic variants - I've seen (but don't have) black snakes with scarlet bellies that I'd love to be able to produce. We shall see...

THAT WOULD BE AWESOME HELEN...I DONT OWN ANYTHING MAN MADE...I PREFER THE NATURAL COLORS AND PATTERNS....BUT MELANISTIC WOULD BE INCREDIBLE ON ANY CANDOIA SPECIES....GOOD LUCK...AND KEEP THE PICS COMIN....JERRY

LOL...IF THEY ARE DYING FOR AMERICAN HUSBANDS, THEY SHOULD BE WILLING TO SUPPORT ME HELEN....LOL...HAPPY NEW YEAR! ...JERRY

Unfortunately here in the islands, US Passport is thought to = US $$$$$. Plus you get to support the extended family.... not quite the South Sea paradise everyone hopes for!

HELEN, HAVE YOU HEARD ANY MORE NEWS ABOUT THE EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS?...I SAW A BLUB ABOUT IT ON THE NEWS LAST WEEK

Hi Jerry,

Yes there was an earthquake and Tsunami 2 (or 3 now?)days ago in the Solomons. Main damage area Gizo Island. Sounds like quite a lot made homeless in coastal Gizo and surrounding islands, but no damage to higher ground, and no loss of life last I heard. Not as damaging as the earthquake a few years back.

We're having an unquiet time in the region: Tsunamis in Samoa and Tonga, Earthquakes in Solomons and Vanuatu last year, an early cyclone for Fiji just before Christmas. Mind you, at least we're not snowed in like you guys and most of Northern Europe!

I HEAR YA HELEN....I LIVE IN SOUTH FLORIDA...ITS BEEN BRUTALLY COLD FOR THE LAST 11 DAYS SINCE THE NEW YEAR...I'M SURE LOTS OF GATORS, SNAKES, LIZARDS, TURTLES AND FROGS ARE DYING OUT THERE EVERY NITE....I CANT WAIT TO GET MY 80 DEGREES BACK FULL TIME!

Dose that mean you managed to cycle your animals now the weather has turned Jerry?!

It's too bloody cold here in the UK, and snow keeps turning up!
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1.2.23 C.b.australis
3.5 C.paulsoni
2.0 C.tasmai
2.1 C.aspera
2.1 C.carinata