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My first Cribo ( 4 year old male uni)

amattel Apr 04, 2010 04:10 PM

I have acquired my first Cribo! He's a 4 year old unicolor male.

upon close inspection of him I have noticed a few things that I have questions about.

1. He doesn't always completely retract his tongue. Sometimes 1/2" of the tip remains sticking out. When he flicks his tongue afterward, it will go all the way in and then come back out and usually be retracted all the way at that point.

2. He breathes very different from my Boas. HE takes a deep breath and seems to hold it for a few seconds before releasing it with a slight hiss. when he does this he seems very calm. I am wondering if he has respiratory issues? Is it normal for Cribos to breath this way? His nostrils seem clear.

3. He seems to have had a nose rub issue recently and in the picture you can see a powdery substance that seems to be coming from between his scales on his face.

4. He seems very awkward in may arms. My boas will twist and contort around my hands all the while moving effortlessly. This guy seems to get "stuck" and has trouble maneuvering through my hands. Perhaps he is just a more terrestrially oriented animal than I am used to handling.

I found out that he was imported as a baby and the guy I bought him from obtained him from Jeff Snodgrass approximately 4 years ago.




Replies (8)

bobassetto Apr 04, 2010 06:46 PM

snake looks ok.....nose rub ain't bad at all.....looks like he was pushing against something....or maybe got restless in a bag....but its very slight.....as for the tongue behavior....maybe he's just getting more information about his new environment.....nice looking snake....now get him a girl friend...

jodscovry Apr 04, 2010 08:58 PM

the breathing thing sounds normal and it looks very healthy, their not constrictors so it wont wrap around you and hold it self there like a boa, and they do like to be at ground level...

KevColubrid Apr 05, 2010 08:28 PM

Unis are great snakes...when mine are excited, they tend to let out a slight hiss or huff, pretty characteristic for them. I know what you mean about seeming awkward off the ground...these are extremely intelligent snakes that a lot of the time seem like they're trying to figure things out when they're off the ground, thus the "pausing" behavior that you were talking about. They also eat like pigs, mine absolutely will never refuse a meal, and love everything from mice, rats, quail, etc. Good luck, they really are great snakes, probably my favorite of the cribos. Lots of personality too, almost playful sometimes.

Kevin

amattel Apr 11, 2010 01:45 PM

I hope to be able to afford a girlfriend for him next year when I produce some Leopard Boa Morphs and Hets

Lovin2act Apr 06, 2010 12:07 AM

Very cool!!! Did you by chance get him from Brian Bernard?
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~Markus

The very existence of flamethrowers means that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves..."You know, I really want to set those people over there on fire...but I'm just not close enough to get the job done!

amattel Apr 11, 2010 01:43 PM

Yes. I did buy this guy from Brian.

Lovin2act Apr 11, 2010 02:57 PM

Ah right on! Glad he found a good spot for him!!!
-----
~Markus

The very existence of flamethrowers means that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves..."You know, I really want to set those people over there on fire...but I'm just not close enough to get the job done!

nevermore Apr 11, 2010 12:15 PM

Yeah, the breathing hiss is normal to drys. I had the exact same worry of respiratory problems when I first got my eastern indigo.

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