Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This post is mostly directed toward Mr. Hoyer, but since I figured it might also be useful to other rubber boa afficionados so I am doing a general RB forum post.

Background: I am getting a new male rubber boa, and was planning on putting him into the same 15 gallon tank as my female (her name is Bonita) when he is over the quarantine period.

1) How long should I quarantine this new male RB? My CB Western hognoses and corn snake were each quarantined for a month, but didn't know if a (presumably) wild caught RB would need more time.

2)Also, since Bonita is brumating, I wasn't going to introduce them until she was active again. Or can I put them together just as soon as the quarantine period is done, whether or not she is up?

3) Will I need to increase to a 20gal long tank if I want to house them together? Or will the 15gal be all right for 2 RBs?

I have tried to figure out these next few questions via the internet, but no luck. So I am appealing to the venerable Mr. Hoyer.

1) Is there any visual way to tell between a Northern RB and Southern RB? (I ask because the woman who gave me my new male didn't know, and I wasn't sure if this was even much of an issue. My female is a Northern, I assume, since I found her in San Mateo County. I get the male tomorrow (I haven't actually seen him yet), and according to the picture, he is olive colored with a yellow underside--just like my female. I assume he is a Northern as well. But you know what they say about assuming things...)

2) If he is a Southern RB (doubtful), can he still eventually be put together with the female (again, I am assuming she is a Northern)? Or are the distinctions between the two subspecies too minimal to make any difference?

3) My female will be a yearling come 2013, but is that too young to be stuck with an adult male who will make overtures? Since 1 male 1 female usually equals babies, I want to make sure it's not too soon for her. She is a healthy girl, pounding 3-4 pinkies at a time, and has been gaining weight and shedding regularly. (Currently she is brumating, refusing to eat and rarely coming up to the surface at dawn or dusk like she normally does. She's been like this for almost 2 months, and I am expecting her to continue until at least February.)

I will say "Thank you" in advance, and hopefully, these questions and their respective answers will be informative for others here on the RB forum.

Thank you in advance!!

Laila

p.s. Mr. Hoyer, I am sorry I missed out on meeting/herping with you this year. I hope I can get the chance in 2013!

Laila:
With respect to your reference to the SRB, that particular designation pertains only to populations of the species in the San Bernardino and San Jacinto Mts. Those two populations have been listed by the CDFG as 'Threatened' and thus are in a hands-off protected status.

Question #1: If the male you received measures 20 inches or greater (stretched length), it is highly unlikely to be a SRB. If its maximum dorsal scale row count is 43 or greater, then it is not a SRB. If the boa's ventral count is in excess of about 210, it is not likely to be a SRB. If the suture between the parietal and frontal head plates is moderately to strongly curved, it is highly unlikely to be a SRB. (Add details below).

Question #2: There is no problem with having specimens of different origins or subspecies being housed together.
Question #3: I believe I answered that inquiry in my response to your private email.

Richard F. Hoyer
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Based on only two specimens, one from each of the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountain ranges, in 1943, Lawrence Klauber proposed those two populations be assigned the subspecific status of Charina bottae umbratica, Southern Rubber Boa.

In 1971, the CDFG placed the SRB in a protected status officially claiming the subspecies to be "RARE". In the early 1980s, CDFG changed the status from 'RARE' to 'Threatened' to conform with federal terminology.

The primary distinguishing features of the SRB are as follows: They are a dwarf form of the Rubber Boa as shown by a study myself and Dr. Glenn Stewart undertook between 1993 and 1997. Recorded maximum lengths of adult males and females are about 19 1/2 inches and 22 1/4 inches respectively. Males above about 17 1/2 inches and female over 21 inches are uncommon. Most SRBs generally vary from light brown to tan dorsally and the ventrals are also a light shade of yellow. The maximum mid dorsal scale row count on the SRB is 42 however the vast majority of specimens have 41 or fewer dorsal scale rows. The suture between the frontal and parietal head plates tends to be flat or have less curvature than boas from other regions. Ventral counts are also lower than other populations.

There exists problems with the above features that once were defining traits of the SRB. That is, since the late 1990's, I have found that there are a number of other boa populations in S. Calif. that are of the dwarf phenotype. Most of those populations also are tan dorsally with light yellow ventrals. Although the other dwarf populations have somewhat higher mean dorsal scale row counts, higher mean ventral counts, and on the average have somewhat more curvature to the parietal / frontal suture, there exists considerable overlap in those traits between the SRB and these other dwarf boa populations. For instance, last year I determined that 38% of the sample of boas I had examined from Mt. Pinos (west of I-5 and Frazier Park, CA.) would key out to be SRBs using the combination of the above defining SRB features.

RFH