The count is done diagonally. I have 5 snakes that are like your snake. 45 scale rows at midbody but with very wide, very dark markings like my adult gaigei. Perhaps they are the result of a cross of the two subspecies. Many of the snakes that have been sold as Peruvians are actually Brazilians. I also do not discount the possibility that these snakes are true Peruvians but with slightly higher scale counts. They could also be the result of natural intergradation of the two subspecies. Several sources have told me that Rainbow Boas along the edge of the range between the two subspecies have various intermediate scale counts. All of my 45 scale row snakes are from another breeder. Like my brightest red adult gaigei they were very dark and not looking so pretty up until after they were over a year old. 2 others that I got with them are more orange than red and they have 42 and 43 scale rows at midbody. The breeder told me they were from two different litters but did not identify which were from which litter when they were shipped to me. At some point in the near future (if not already) the Rainbow Boas will be reclassified and the snakes we call Peruvians will be lumped in with the Brazilians as the same subspecies. After that we will probably identify them as "Peruvian type" Brazilian Rainbow Boas and the scale counts will not mean much.

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