Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Do they all completely turn black? When purchasing one id there a chance it may not completely turn? How do you determine a good strain?

No, they do not all turn completely black... In fact, most do not become truely solid black. You can nearly always find a touch of pattern on the ventral scales near the head, or a couple tiny flecks of color somewhere on the animal.

Most breeders would have you believe their animals come from "solid jet black adults" and that is not the case.

Ask to see pics of the adults... Any breeder worth a hoot will provide them. That will give you some idea of how black a younger animal will grow up to be.

Also, there has been some talk of cooler temps causing black milks to darken more quickly.

Lastly, there are a few lines... Some being legit and some being a mix of other lines. The San Antonio Zoo line is the most common and known for nearly solid black adults. I can't recall the details of the other lines at the moment as I have the info stored on my work computer, but I may get around to posting it in a few days.

Thank You for the information

>>Do they all completely turn black? When purchasing one id there a chance it may not completely turn? How do you determine a good strain?

All 4 of mine went jet black, no trace of colors at all. They were all San Antonio zoo line which is the majority of what's available. Some take longer to fully change, but once they do say bye bye to the colors. I no longer have them but they were and still are amazing snakes! Easy as a rock to care for...almost

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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."