Vladimir, the Dominican Red Mountain Boa

[ra94131]

Just wanted to post a few pictures of the new addition. Probably more properly called a Hispaniolan or Haitian Boa (Epicrates striatus striatus), Dominican Red Mountain Boa is a commercialized name for the specific locality/coloration.

The first couple of pictures are the dame/sire (courtesy of Tom Crutchfield), followed by a few pictures of Vladimir on arrival, and finally his enclosure. (I'll get some better pictures of him down the line, but I'm letting him get accustomed to the new environment for now. I snapped those right out of the shipping box.)

http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1909_zps49deeffd.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1908_zps149228ca.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1942_zpsce8ce79a.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1940_zpsc2ca00d1.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1948_zps48e2334b.jpg
http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u416/ra94131/IMG_1949_zpsbbbaa5a0.jpg

Enjoy!

[RBD]

I love these guys, I just haven't pulled the trigger on getting my own. You will have to post updates as he grows and colors up.

[smy_749]

Awesome. I was contemplating getting a pair of these as well, beautiful snakes

[SnoopySnake]

Wow! They're stunning!

[Amadeus]

Very awesome boa.

[Snakesitter]

Nice pickup! Congrats, and please keep us posted!

[Concept9]

Ugh ! ! ! !

Another Boa I have to guy now. :)

Great snake mane.

[Mark Taylor]

Awesome looking boa.:)

[sweatshirt]

Nice! Stunning snake.

[marvelfreak]

Very nice! Your going to have fun watching him color up over the next couple years.

[MM1]

I didn't know these came so red. I have had the pleasure of keeping one (a more "normal" brown coloring- same pattern) for 30+ years. Hope this guy has a long healthy life with you.

[ra94131]

I didn't know these came so red. I have had the pleasure of keeping one (a more "normal" brown coloring- same pattern) for 30+ years. Hope this guy has a long healthy life with you.

As information on these guys is a bit scarce (compared to more common captives) I haven't always been able to fact check the husbandry info, so if you have any tips I'd love to hear them. Based on his behavior so far I think I've got the basics set up correctly, but I'm always on the lookout for new insight. (Right now he's set up pretty similar to my JCP, but I'm guessing he might be a little more humidity sensitive when winter rolls around.)

EDIT: By the way, I "stalked" your old posts a bit to find a picture to find pictures of the old guy and he's a really good looking snake and I think it's really awesome that you've had him since you were so young. My mother purposely got me a much older ball python (20+, and very likely 30+, but then again he was poorly documented and almost certainly WC) when I was in middle school so that she wouldn't get stuck with it when I left for college. (She did anyway, but only for a couple of years. I think she grew to really like him. We were all pretty sad when he died.) A lot of your posts/responses here (http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/epicrates/98979-old-man-rudy-feeding-day.html) echo my feelings about keeping snakes almost exactly.

[EL Ziggy]

Congrats on the new addition. Very nice snake and I like your set up..How large do they get? Are they relatively easy to care for? Enjoy every moment.

[ra94131]

Very nice snake . Congrats on the new addition. How large do they get? Are they relatively easy to care for? Enjoy every moment.

I'm thinking he'll end up around 6', but anything between 5' and 7' wouldn't shock me. (I've heard of 8', but those were all females.)

The care seems pretty straightforward from what I've researched and discussed with others, but information is much more scarce than for some of the more popular species. Currently I keep him very similar to my JCP, but I've already noticed he tends to like it just slightly warmer and I think he may need a slight humidity bump in the winters here. I'll try to jump on occasionally and post any new observations or information I find.

[smy_749]

There are a few phases with these, Reds , normal or brown, and pastel I believe as well. I'm exhausted, There are a few breeders out there that would be more than willing to help. I'll look for email addresses tomorrow.

Oh and for those considering purchasing these, they will run you a hefty sum of cash. 7-800 being on the cheap end I believe. Hes beautiful and the rents are outstanding, starting saving so you can have a pair !

[ra94131]

There are a few phases with these, Reds , normal or brown, and pastel I believe as well. I'm exhausted, There are a few breeders out there that would be more than willing to help. I'll look for email addresses tomorrow.

Oh and for those considering purchasing these, they will run you a hefty sum of cash. 7-800 being on the cheap end I believe. Hes beautiful and the rents are outstanding, starting saving so you can have a pair !

Thanks. I've talked to a couple breeders (including the one I get Vladimir from), so I think I've got a solid baseline of care. I would never have purchased him otherwise. I just see a lot less certainty than when I set up my Jungle Carpet, since there were so many more resources for them. I rarely find myself satisfied with only one or two sources; the more info to sift through the better.

I'm not really into the breeding side of the hobby; mostly I just enjoy the husbandry and potential educational aspects. If I'm only going to have a few snakes, I don't mind paying for quality. (I do think I was able to get a decent deal because there were more males than females available, but I'm not positive.)

[smy_749]

You probably did get a good deal, hes had them posted for some time and when I asked him for a price on the pair he shaved off a few hundred. I have to say, for only deciding to keep a few snakes, you picked a great bunch. Hows his temperament?

[ra94131]

You probably did get a good deal, hes had them posted for some time and when I asked him for a price on the pair he shaved off a few hundred. I have to say, for only deciding to keep a few snakes, you picked a great bunch. Hows his temperament?

Temperament is great so far, but I've mostly let him get acclimated at this point so I don't have a large sample size. I'll update once I've handled him a few more times.

[MM1]

Mine has never bitten me or anyone else. The most I've dealt with is when I need to move him and maybe a hiss. He has peed on me several times though. But overall great temperment. That said, I try not handle more than a couple times per month and I do use an old backsctrachinh stick as a hook to let him know there's no rat forthcoming.

[leper65]

Those are gorgeous but out of my price range for now. If you haven't seen this website, its a good one with detailed care information.....

Dominican Red Mountain Boa (Epicrates Striatus Striatus SSP) (http://www.dominicanredmountainboa.com/)

[ra94131]

I got Vladimir to take a small pinky rat this evening. (Probably a little small, but wanted to take it easy with the first one.) He was a little reticent, but I'm happy to see him eating. That's always reassuring with a new acquisition. I'll continue to mostly let him be for the next week or two, but all signs are still strong that he's a very healthy specimen.

Those are gorgeous but out of my price range for now. If you haven't seen this website, its a good one with detailed care information.....

Dominican Red Mountain Boa (Epicrates Striatus Striatus SSP) (http://www.dominicanredmountainboa.com/)

Thanks, leper65! That was actually the first breeder I contacted about the Dominican Red Mountain Boas, but they only had 2009/2010 animals and I was looking for a younger one. (They were also somewhat difficult to get in touch with.) The information on the site does seem sound and was my first source of information. I haven't found anything to contradict it to date.