Cloud Strife

[bigsnakegirl785]

I've introduced him here before, and discussed him many times (in fact he's the reason I joined!) but I decided it was finally time to give him his own profile, to have a place to share his photos all in one place.

After some advice, I have drastically changed his feeding schedule. He is now eating 1/2lb and smaller rabbits every 4-5 weeks, making sure it does not leave a noticeable bulge. My father breeds rabbits, so I got enough to last over a year otherwise I'd be switching between rabbits and large rats being fed every 3 weeks. I don't plan on feeding jumbos, and he still needs to grow to be able to take a jumbo anyways. He's been on this schedule since February and he's in excellent condition.

He had put on a whole pound when I first gave him rabbits, as when I gave him his second rabbit I only waited 2 weeks. Since then I've spaced out his feedings and he's been slowly burned off the flab he gained.

According to Serp Widgets, he is roughly 6'2", so he's grown a couple of inches since the beginning of the year, and he weighs 8lb 11.5oz.

I can share some old photos here as well.

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2014/196/0/d/footwarmer_by_luckisgone-d7qu8qm.jpg

http://th09.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2014/196/3/5/big_boa_head_by_luckisgone-d7qu8sd.jpg

http://th01.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2014/103/5/e/folded_by_luckisgone-d7ebvmb.jpg

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2014/244/e/c/boa_in_my_lap_by_luckisgone-d7xi9ga.jpg

http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2014/244/e/7/my__baby__by_luckisgone-d7xi9ey.jpg

[bigsnakegirl785]

Some more photos.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2324_zps06cbc854.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2324_zps06cbc854.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2580_zps204c5e75.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2580_zps204c5e75.jpg.html)

Expanding EcoEarth for a full bedding change. It takes 8-10 blocks to fill up his enclosure, so when I do full bedding changes, I'm doing a lot of work! haha
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2359_zps51e33ccc.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2359_zps51e33ccc.jpg.html)

In the shade, slightly lighter than what he looks like in person.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2379_zps51c3b208.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2379_zps51c3b208.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2224_zpsc1fe96f7.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2224_zpsc1fe96f7.jpg.html)

[Jim Smith]

Very pretty snake! He looks very healthy and looks like he has a calm demeanor/personality.

[sharthun]

Great shots and nice looking boa!

[BIGT FROM F.B.]

Awesome! Can't wait for my Sunglow to get like that. Grow baby, grow.

[SnoopySnake]

He's gorgeous & looks great! :) Makes me wish I didn't have to get rid of my 2 BCI, haha.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Very pretty snake! He looks very healthy and looks like he has a calm demeanor/personality.

Thank you. :) He does indeed have a very calm demeanor. He's wriggly when handling, but it's very difficult to get him worked up. He hasn't bitten me in over a year, since I stopped feeding out of the enclosure.

He's gorgeous & looks great! :) Makes me wish I didn't have to get rid of my 2 BCI, haha.

Thanks! And I'm sorry to hear that. :( Maybe you'll be able to get more at some point? ;)

And thanks everyone, he's probably my favorite (but shhh don't tell the other two :P ).

[EL Ziggy]

That's a great looking boa BSG. He's a big boi too :)

[bigsnakegirl785]

That's a great looking boa BSG. He's a big boi too :)

Thank you! And he's still fairly young, so he'll probably get a little bit bigger, too. Basing it off of when I got him, he turned 3 years old last month.

[drumcrush]

Erg i really want a boa, it's killing me lol

[bigsnakegirl785]

Erg i really want a boa, it's killing me lol

They're great. I think a boa constrictor would have been a better first snake for me instead of a ball python. I love my little guy, but they just aren't for me. lol

Here are some photos from the other day. They aren't as good because there wasn't much sun out.

https://38.media.tumblr.com/82df844124c72ca6e9f50ae7c3598900/tumblr_nbbmcqLfF71sjttato1_1280.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/a1c7b3804b0e4249ec58ca22f7e22f96/tumblr_nbbmcqLfF71sjttato2_1280.jpg

https://33.media.tumblr.com/69fc0751ecd1c3e1a9d203b80995b428/tumblr_nbbmcqLfF71sjttato3_1280.jpg

[sweatshirt]

He's looking good!

[bigsnakegirl785]

I took Cloud out for a bit today. He ate 6 days ago (7 days in a few hours), and he's getting a slight sausage butt. He doesn't really get a bulge, but his belly gets a bit rounded rather than being blocky like it is when empty.

He's had that look he gets when in shed the past few days, which is really weird because he just shed on August 30. He may just be in a dark mood lately, though, as his head is still light.

This is the closest to his true colors I've been able to get. Coloration varies. Sometimes it's very dark, sometimes he gets some reddish tints to his face, and sometimes it's a very very pale shade of brown, almost grayish, or just a regular light brown like in this photo (you can see some gray color though).
https://33.media.tumblr.com/5a595f1ab261fad01d7520ba137a501e/tumblr_nbrn2qDncU1sjttato1_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/6864141f25e8c3549ba57a21d637fe51/tumblr_nbrn2qDncU1sjttato2_1280.jpg

https://38.media.tumblr.com/21f215b19562d27bdb28e9c1705d65fc/tumblr_nbrn2qDncU1sjttato4_1280.jpg

https://31.media.tumblr.com/ba0c8319a6130943c31329909699e3e2/tumblr_nbrn2qDncU1sjttato3_1280.jpg

[bigsnakegirl785]

With the weather cooling down, there won't be many, if any, new photos for awhile. So I guess I'll post some older photos to show how much he's changed.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1014_zpsef4d370f.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1014_zpsef4d370f.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2398_zps3e167e74.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2398_zps3e167e74.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1914_zps438f556d.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1914_zps438f556d.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_16352_zps9ef20b29.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_16352_zps9ef20b29.jpg.html)

He had to see what I was doing.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2064_zps364cb0af.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2064_zps364cb0af.jpg.html)

Deep in shed.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1870_zps5a72830a.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1870_zps5a72830a.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2276_zpsec99bb04.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2276_zpsec99bb04.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1110_zps74f3b20a.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1110_zps74f3b20a.jpg.html)

[bigsnakegirl785]

The I've only seen the beginning of a shed a few times. And this is the only one I managed to get a documentation of.

Just rubbed his nose skin loose.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1388_zps1376e759.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1388_zps1376e759.jpg.html)

Saw parts of his body here and there.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1399_zps5075151a.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1399_zps5075151a.jpg.html)

Finally fully shed, sitting atop the wad.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1401_zps613f7626.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1401_zps613f7626.jpg.html)

Removed from under him and then I later unrolled it, flattened it out, and let it dry.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1402_zps5535bbcd.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1402_zps5535bbcd.jpg.html)

[toddnbecka]

Great looking boa, practically the same size (and girth, mine was overfed too) as my female was when I had to give her up many years ago. She shed pretty regularly, just about monthly, and grew about an inch each time. Had quite a collection of shed skins in a box in the basement years later, then one day found that some sort of tiny beetles, looked the same as the ones that would get into bags of flour that sat around too long, had eaten and destroyed the old dry skins.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Great looking boa, practically the same size (and girth, mine was overfed too) as my female was when I had to give her up many years ago. She shed pretty regularly, just about monthly, and grew about an inch each time. Had quite a collection of shed skins in a box in the basement years later, then one day found that some sort of tiny beetles, looked the same as the ones that would get into bags of flour that sat around too long, had eaten and destroyed the old dry skins.

I'm sorry to hear you had to give her up. :(

He doesn't shed very often anymore. Maybe every 2-3 months, and as far as I know he's only grown 2-3 inches over the past 7 months. During his second year, he grew 2-3 inches every few weeks, it was insane. He was 2.5ft at a year old, just about 5ft at 2 years old, and he reached 6ft when he was 2.5 years old. He's now 3 years and 2 months old going off my "getcha day." lol

I usually throw my sheds away once I have 3-4 from each of my snakes. Having several snakes, the sheds pile up quickly. Right now I've just got one full shed from Cloud, 2 from Draco, and once Bud sheds if I get it before it dries out I'll have one from him. As long as nothing gets to them, they last an amazing amount of time. haha I once had a few sheds from Bud that I had for about 3 years but I threw them out.

[toddnbecka]

Hated to give her up, but moved and couldn't take her with me. Won't have that problem now, looking forward to enjoying my new pets for many years to come. (Must resist urges to get more, 4 are enough... LOL.) Will always have fond memories of that red tail though, never forget the time I was sitting in a swivel rocker chair. She started exploring under the seat cushion, and when I realized she just kept shorter w/out coming out again I lifted the cushion up. She had found a hole in the lining and was disappearing into it. Couldn't pull her back out because she was stretching the fabric too tightly around herself, and pulling her out would have ripped off her scales. I finally had to cut open the fabric along the lower back of the chair to get her back out, then sew it back together. She was so gentle, never struck or bit, and would just curl around my neck for a nap with her tail down the middle of my back, most often with the tip through a belt loop on my jeans.

[bigsnakegirl785]

From this spring. He's staring out the window waiting forlornly for summer and outdoor snake adventures. (I know they don't think like that.)
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1964_zps293893fe.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1964_zps293893fe.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1864_zpsdb74e0e9.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1864_zpsdb74e0e9.jpg.html)

This is about as cloudy as his eyes get while he's in shed. I had him out to work on his bedding, and just brought him up by the door for a quick photo.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1927_zpsbcaa09d1.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1927_zpsbcaa09d1.jpg.html)

I once found a shed tooth on his lip.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1287_zps6609eed5.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1287_zps6609eed5.jpg.html)

Another shedding photo.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1906_zps2817812e.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1906_zps2817812e.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0329_zps143f2837.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0329_zps143f2837.jpg.html)

[bigsnakegirl785]

So I'm not sure if I discussed this in this thread (I don't see it in the most recent posts I made), but I've started fasting Cloud this winter and I plan to withhold food until about mid-February. Before the fast, he was being fed every 28 days, and today is day 61 of his winter fast. He started out at 8 lb 11.6 oz, and is now 8 lb 8.5 oz, but I do not think he was empty when I first weighed him. So, he has lightened a bit, but not much, and he's only got about 4-5 more weeks left before I start feeding him again.

I've lowered his temps slightly as well since he isn't eating, and I've noticed little change in behavior beyond him up-ending his hides one night a week or so ago, which he's never done.

Since I no longer have an actual camera, here are a couple of phone pics to show his current body tone.
http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2015/006/e/b/3_by_luckisgone-d8ctcxs.jpg

http://40.media.tumblr.com/961c8c9019f75a4f73f9cca096b2ea56/tumblr_nhdrspAIn81sjttato1_1280.jpg

[Sirio]

Thanks for the anticipations on mine, they look exactly the same ^^ Needless to say I find him beautiful...

[marvelfreak]

Looking good.

[SnoopySnake]

That's one nice looking boa. They almost look velvety under certain light, I loved that about mine.

[ManSlaughter33]

LOVE LOVE LOVE the name. Final fantasy 7 FTW.
I have the same victory theme as my ringtone lol.

I was going to name my boa Tifa how funny is that.
Beautiful boa btw!!

[bigsnakegirl785]

For some reason I didn't see these responses. >.>

LOVE LOVE LOVE the name. Final fantasy 7 FTW.
I have the same victory theme as my ringtone lol.

I was going to name my boa Tifa how funny is that.
Beautiful boa btw!!

I haven't played FF very much. lol I just thought my BCI reminded me of Cloud's broodiness, and he also had the color of clouds as a baby, so I chose it. Also, because it irritated my brother. :P

Anyways, I broke Cloud's fast a little over 2 weeks ago, and he took his rabbit with no problems. It was about 4.5 oz.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0740_zps6g77box6.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0740_zps6g77box6.jpg.html)

Then he almost immediately went into shed.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0771_zpswkknfauu.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0771_zpswkknfauu.jpg.html)

And he shed a few days ago.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0797_zpsk7smj10t.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0797_zpsk7smj10t.jpg.html)

[chadabwts]

Very nice hes a good looking Boa..

[bigsnakegirl785]

I took Cloud outside a few days ago, and just under 2 weeks after having his first rat in over a year. He seemed a bit confused about it, but just as willing to eat. haha I've got 4 months worth of rats left over, so I'll probably feed him one or two more rats before I offer him another rabbit, so they don't go bad before I get my next shipment.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1233_zpsuh7clcwq.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1233_zpsuh7clcwq.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1240_zpsggoe7bir.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1240_zpsggoe7bir.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1245_zpsffjqwc9v.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1245_zpsffjqwc9v.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1246_zpsda5izpkd.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1246_zpsda5izpkd.jpg.html)

He was in the middle of attempting to hide in the grass. Let's just say short grass+6' boa =/= a hidden snake.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1241_zpsrbhspmov.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1241_zpsrbhspmov.jpg.html)

[guyabano]

I love the diversity in your photos. He looks great!

[trailblazer295]

Gahhh makes me want one but I don't even know where I'd put an adult. Looking good.

[bigsnakegirl785]

So, with the recent loss of my reptile food stores, Cloud no longer has any rabbits, so I guess I'll put him back on rats for the remainder of time left before I start fasting him in November. I'll try to pick up some more rabbits from my father the next time he breeds them.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1532_zpschamp52j.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1532_zpschamp52j.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1533_zpsrsd4vizk.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1533_zpsrsd4vizk.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1536_zpsg6apncwr.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1536_zpsg6apncwr.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1535_zpsx87nljrv.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1535_zpsx87nljrv.jpg.html)

Can you spot the boa? I bet you can't, he's just too well-hidden.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1543_zpsq6fdhnn3.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1543_zpsq6fdhnn3.jpg.html)

[EL Ziggy]

Cloud is looking great BSG!

[Albert Clark]

Wow, he looks terrific! Congrats on keeping him so healthy. Thanks for the progression update.

[AlexCrazy]

Such a cool snake! how did you get him all wet for the photo like that? sooo pretty!

[bigsnakegirl785]

Thanks everyone, it took awhile to thin him out! This is what he looked like before I implemented his new diet.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1411_zps70a27601.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1411_zps70a27601.jpg.html)

And this is what he looked like in the middle of his winter fast, which was later that year.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0094_zpspa9clnda.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_0094_zpspa9clnda.jpg.html)

Such a cool snake! how did you get him all wet for the photo like that? sooo pretty!

You mean this one?


http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2398_zps3e167e74.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2398_zps3e167e74.jpg.html)

I sprayed him with a water bottle. I no longer do this though, as I feel it's stressful on my snakes (I've had snakes strike at the water bottle, and the water is rather cool even at room temp, too). If I have to spray their enclosures, I try to refrain from spraying them directly.

[toddnbecka]

Hmm, I guess spraying with a water bottle could be stressful to a snake, for sure cats and dogs don't like it, but I don't see how it should feel much different than a rainstorm to a snake. I don't usually bother with a spray bottle to maintain humidity, I just dump some water directly onto the cypress mulch when it gets too dry and let it soak/spread naturally.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Neither do I, only really spray my retic's enclosure, because I can't exactly pour water into her paper towels and mix them up like with EcoEarth, or put the paper towels in water and ring them out like sphagnum moss.

My general experience with using spray bottles is that spraying the enclosure is basically useless if you want to maintain humidity.

[Albert Clark]

So, Cloud went on weight watchers! I have a couple of ball pythons that need a referral. Haha.

[bigsnakegirl785]

So, Cloud went on weight watchers! I have a couple of ball pythons that need a referral. Haha.

Just space out feedings and reduce prey size, that's how I got Cloud to thin out and is the most recommended method of slimming a snake out. It's also safer, because if a snake is too overweight just stopping food altogether can cause a death from fatty liver disease (I don't think ball pythons are as prone to this as boas though, but just to be safe).

It may take awhile to slim out though. It took Cloud a year to slim out.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I think Cloud has grown a bit since last August...hmmm....

From last August.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2632_zpsz9apihh8.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2632_zpsz9apihh8.jpg.html)

From this month, in the same exact tub as the photo above. He was measured 6'3" last November, so he couldn't have been much smaller in August, so I would not be surprised if he's now reached 6.5' with that kind of size difference. I'm going to try to get him measured in November and see for sure. He also weighs 8 lb 14.7 oz, so despite not seeming to have gained any girth, he's put on a few ounces in weight.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1950_zpsm3yiylrm.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1950_zpsm3yiylrm.jpg.html)

Some other photos from the past few days.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2039_zpsy3aijufp.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2039_zpsy3aijufp.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2044_zpstqvwftzh.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2044_zpstqvwftzh.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2047_zpsls2gzbau.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_2047_zpsls2gzbau.jpg.html)

[ManSlaughter33]

Augh hes so gorgeous

[bigsnakegirl785]

When I first got him to the trailer I had to buy some of this Carefresh-like bedding to hold him over, since Petsmart was closed (it closes at 5pm which really sucks). Now I have to get off my lazy butt and replace it since he appears to be going into shed and this bedding absolutely sucks for humidity. His belly was flushed pinkish but he hasn't gone dark yet, so for now it's a waiting game.

He's also been coming out and exploring a lot lately, just about every time I go into the snake room he's either in the middle of crawling around, or is laying at the front of the enclosure, staring out. The past 1.5-2 years he's pretty much lived in his hides and despite being in the same room the majority of the day, I almost never saw him out. Not sure if it's the bedding, the new smells in the enclosure (I had to bring the other enclosure from my father's and leave the one he was in at the apartment but I'll be bringing it to the trailer ASAP), the fact there's rarely anyone in the same room anymore, or what. He's even climbing in the tree now.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/03/43f0854f11a2da8e38ab44378415a9fd.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/03/4350d84ce27945a3608d06baa832f7ae.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/03/6258544641dc0460b93979147518eefe.jpg

[trailblazer295]

Nice pics, hope my little guy becomes more active too.

[Albert Clark]

Just space out feedings and reduce prey size, that's how I got Cloud to thin out and is the most recommended method of slimming a snake out. It's also safer, because if a snake is too overweight just stopping food altogether can cause a death from fatty liver disease (I don't think ball pythons are as prone to this as boas though, but just to be safe).

It may take awhile to slim out though. It took Cloud a year to slim out.
Thanks bsg, I have taken your advice on the slimming tactic and now I can already see some minor advances. Thanks. It's my female normal and female pastel that are just out of control. I will stick with the smaller meals spaced out over a longer period of time. :D

[bigsnakegirl785]

Thanks bsg, I have taken your advice on the slimming tactic and now I can already see some minor advances. Thanks. It's my female normal and female pastel that are just out of control. I will stick with the smaller meals spaced out over a longer period of time. :D

Good to hear! Are they out of control as in being bitey/food driven? If so, they may get used to it after awhile. :)

[bigsnakegirl785]

I've got quite a few pics to catch up on!

As an update, he ate his last meal for the winter ~3 weeks ago, and I dropped his temps a few days ago. He's started leaving sperm plugs in his water dish again, and continues to mostly disregard his hides. He's very active, inquisitive, and responsive, which is weird because he's basically lived in his hides for 2 years. lol (I'm thinking it's the decreased foot traffic.)

He's all out of large rats for now, so he'll be getting a few rabbits once I bring him out of his fast before I order some more.

Some from the other night:

He's NOT enjoying being forced into this bucket while I was wetting his bedding, but after almost getting stuck under the bathroom door, in the bucket he goes. Usually he sits there and behaves once I get him in the bucket, but this time he was slowly creeping up the sides, so I sat the lid down on top of the bucket. Didn't snap it into place or anything, and he gave up that easy. lol
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/23/93f0febe513e2f78c4f33d6c5a7c58fe.jpg

Hanging out:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/23/ed2538798509908eb3d4225df298c6be.jpg

And some from the last few weeks or so:

Waiting for his turn to eat.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/25/404e84a8e383b4891c5da94841c5f516.jpg

Then he zipped into his hide to watch me as I fed River, he was following me around in anticipation. lol
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/25/d9b7743f0a06489bd3f02b9832570ab3.jpg

And he finally gets his turn, bending the rat neatly in half in his enthusiasm. :P
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/11/25/536b3482665f2da3811bb05eb572e16e.jpg

[bigsnakegirl785]

Cloud is now on Day 69 of his winter fast, and he's even gained some weight since I started spacing his feedings from every 4 weeks to every 5 weeks! The weight before last was 8 lb 14.7 oz and his most recent weight was 9 lb 2.1 oz. So not much weight gain for a snake of his size, but that's still almost 3.5 ounces.

I haven't tried to measure his length again, but he'll probably end up somehow still being 6'3" anyways. -.-

He's definitely full swing in breeding mode this year, he was pretty chill last winter, but his hormones are raging this year. He's left several sperm plugs in his water dish and even left one on me. -.-

In his holding tub while I dampen his bedding.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0067_zpsct23gfub.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0067_zpsct23gfub.jpg.html)

Some tail shots.
http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0079_zpsfxldlffs.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0079_zpsfxldlffs.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0083_zpsribihqli.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0083_zpsribihqli.jpg.html)

[bigsnakegirl785]

Some photos of Cloud I forgot to post! He ended his winter fast about 3 weeks ago, so he's got another week before he gets his next meal, and I'll begin spacing it out to 5 weeks again after he's taken a few meals.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0215_zpsdtxkiovv.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0215_zpsdtxkiovv.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0216_zpsawuydl0g.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0216_zpsawuydl0g.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0225_zpsnruubybh.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0225_zpsnruubybh.jpg.html)

He went into shed just days before I was going to offer him his first rat of the year, so he ended up being a week or two late.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0277_zpsliucsall.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0277_zpsliucsall.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0278_zpso6ezk6z6.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0278_zpso6ezk6z6.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0324_zps1q9fe5n5.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0324_zps1q9fe5n5.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0325_zpsnarupn7y.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0325_zpsnarupn7y.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0326_zps4hksshox.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0326_zps4hksshox.jpg.html)

[bigsnakegirl785]

And a couple of other photos. He's gotten some permanent plastic hides so I can finally ditch the cardboard. It's a real pain trying to find intact boxes large enough to hide him. I might get one or two more, because they don't take up much space in his cage.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0563_zps2kyiy88o.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0563_zps2kyiy88o.jpg.html)

Hanging in his tree.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0444_zps3nqsiapb.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0444_zps3nqsiapb.jpg.html)

[Tsubaki]

Looking amazing! such a pretty face :D

[AwesomeGuy376]

Looks absolutely stunning! also gotta say, i really like that makeshift cardboard house :P

[bigsnakegirl785]

Looks absolutely stunning! also gotta say, i really like that makeshift cardboard house :P

lol Yeah but they start molding after a few months. In my PVC enclosures, they've started molding after only a few days, so I'm going through a lot while I wait for some plastic hides to come into stock.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Cloud took his second rabbit of the year yesterday, this was the last rabbit small enough for him, the others are a tad too large. I like to go a bit smaller with his rabbits than I do with his rats, because they take a little longer to digest and he gets chubby eating too many of them in a row. After this rabbit, he'll be going back to rats so River can take the other rabbits. There's only a couple rats left, so if my father doesn't have rabbits by the time River gets through her's, I'll order another couple packs of large rats to hold them over.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0756_zpsx7qr8u9c.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0756_zpsx7qr8u9c.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0758_zpsjimoquyp.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0758_zpsjimoquyp.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0759_zps020hxlkp.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0759_zps020hxlkp.jpg.html)

And an old-ish full body photo of him.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0589_zpsygq3yvar.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/DSC_0589_zpsygq3yvar.jpg.html)

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well my suspicions have finally been proven! He HAS grown. :P I stretched him out earlier, and he came out to 6'5". :D So he's only an inch short of 6.5' now, and he's grown 2" since November 2014. Not much, but he's still growing.

[macandchz]

how long does it take him to shed completely? beautiful snake!

[bigsnakegirl785]

how long does it take him to shed completely? beautiful snake!

He sheds about every 1-3 months, and it takes him about 2 weeks to shed.

The photo I took of the first signs of him being in shed was from Feb 9, and I have him recorded as shedding on March 1....so it took him 3 weeks to shed last time if that's correct. Which I'm fairly sure it is. The blue photos were from February 23.

[John962]

Congrats on such a lovely looking boa and nice manageable size. I always wanted a male about 6 foot. Mine has grown to 8 feet and over 22 pounds! And he only gets a large rat every 3 -4 weeks.

[macandchz]

dear big snake girl, how long does it take him to shed? looks like that's a perfect one there.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Congrats on such a lovely looking boa and nice manageable size. I always wanted a male about 6 foot. Mine has grown to 8 feet and over 22 pounds! And he only gets a large rat every 3 -4 weeks.

He could still get a little bit bigger, he's only 4.5 years. He could grow another foot by the time he turns 6, and I've heard of boas hitting growth spurts at 9 years plus. Right now he's manageable, but who knows how big he'll end up? He's still growing, but very very slowly. My ball python on the other hand, hasn't grown an inch since he was 2 or 3 and he's going to be 10 this year, but boa constrictors grow considerably slower than a ball python.

dear big snake girl, how long does it take him to shed? looks like that's a perfect one there.

I answered that question earlier in the thread.

[dannybgoode]

Don't think I've really looked at photos of Cloud before BSG. Very handsome chap and very healthy looking specimen.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Don't think I've really looked at photos of Cloud before BSG. Very handsome chap and very healthy looking specimen.

Thanks! He was the snake that really made the addiction kick in, although he was my second snake.

[dannybgoode]

Thanks! He was the snake that really made the addiction kick in, although he was my second snake.

Well Aunty Rachel has certainly kick-started my addiction to boas! I keep trying to wear Mrs Danny down about getting more and have couple of plans in mind!!


Can't beat a really nice boa...

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well Aunty Rachel has certainly kick-started my addiction to boas! I keep trying to wear Mrs Danny down about getting more and have couple of plans in mind!!


Can't beat a really nice boa...

I got a few plans in mind for my boa constrictors as well, unfortunately the male I have in mind is a hard one to find so it may be awhile before I get him. The morph I was looking for was at the Atlanta show, but sexed female, so the hunt continues. I've got an acquaintance looking around for one, in the meantime I'll pick up a second female to complete the trio if I don't get my hands on the male by fall/winter, that way I've got a female ready to go the year after I breed Nymeria.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well Cloud is in shed again! He looks handsome, even in blue. :) Just as I was saying "only 2/9 went into shed this time!" Cloud, Bud, Homura, and Demigod went into shed all at the same time. Nymeria also is showing signs of an impending shed, and I'm keeping an eye on Sanji and Morzan. Draco will just end up surprising me like usual (I don't like digging the poor shy boy up too often).

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7659/26804235955_6f524eab09_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7270/26737518041_76ac55fb10_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7279/26199556674_70edaaed72_b.jpg

I'm going to measure him again once he's out of shed, because he grew 2" in such a short amount of time. From November 2014 to September/October 2015, he was 6'3". I measured him a few weeks ago at 6'5", so I'm going to see if he's grown any more. If he's still 6'5", I'll give him a few months or until August until I measure him again.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Cloud got to go outside a few days ago, and he seemed to enjoy it. At least he was active and inquisitive. He didn't try to hide, just kinda checked everything out. I tried to get some full body shots but the lighting wasn't good for that, he just turned out dark like a shadow, so I'll try to get more next time I take him out.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7642/27475263593_6712b9352c_b.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7218/27475265223_d70d9191c4_b.jpg

[bigsnakegirl785]

Double post.

[Ian of Oldham]

Fab looking snake and love the pattern, Can not Wait for my Boa to grow

[bigsnakegirl785]

Fab looking snake and love the pattern, Can not Wait for my Boa to grow

It takes them awhile, but when they get there it will feel like yesterday they were just a tiny thing. :)

[Ian of Oldham]

If it is dark out side Put your ISO up and your speed down on the camera that will help with the shot, you can lighten it up in light room

[macandchz]

love this snake! i'm glad he's doing so well for you.

[bigsnakegirl785]

If it is dark out side Put your ISO up and your speed down on the camera that will help with the shot, you can lighten it up in light room

I have yet to figure out how to do that without severely affecting the quality of the color, or just getting a completely black photo. Usually, though, it has no effect on the photo at all.

[Ian of Oldham]

Ok your ISO.speed and F stops all work as a triangle. so your best f stop for snakes is F8 this will give you a good sharp image, then put your ISO up to 200 -400 there well be no noise at that setting now put your speed up or down to get the exposure wright, It is best to under ex than over ex as you will get better information and tri not to use jpeg as you loose lots of information. good luck.


2 Royals 1 Corn 1Boa and a mad Cat

[bigsnakegirl785]

Ok your ISO.speed and F stops all work as a triangle. so your best f stop for snakes is F8 this will give you a good sharp image, then put your ISO up to 200 -400 there well be no noise at that setting now put your speed up or down to get the exposure wright, It is best to under ex than over ex as you will get better information and tri not to use jpeg as you loose lots of information. good luck.


2 Royals 1 Corn 1Boa and a mad Cat

I will try that later, but usually all I do is change the angle I'm coming at the snake from, so the light hits the lens differently, and that usually works. I'm just not used to doing full-body shots in the late evening, I mainly do close ups. lol Everything else was lit up well, just the snake itself was a shadow. Either I was blocking the sun by going to the opposite side, or I was on the side the sun wasn't hitting, so that's why he didn't show up well. Didn't save any of the photos to show what I mean unfortunately.

[Ian of Oldham]

The shots are so cool anyway so its all good.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Well Cloud and Crona went into shed at the same time, and shed on the same day. lol

As an apology for not really updating, here are a few pictures of me looking dead from exhaustion with Cloud. He really is tiny for a 6.5' boa, idk how a boa of this size can be considered "large." He looks even tinier all curled up.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/Me/IMG_1737_zpshgldm9je.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/Me/IMG_1737_zpshgldm9je.jpg.html)

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/Me/IMG_1740_zpsby9qtsbi.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/Me/IMG_1740_zpsby9qtsbi.jpg.html)

I think this is the rat that I gave him that made him moody for like 2 weeks straight...I gave him the largest large rat I had, to get it out of the way, and I didn't anticipate how large of a bulge it would leave because it didn't look all that much bigger than the others. The next night I was working in River's enclosure to change her water and whatnot and he actually struck at me behind his doors! I've had him 5 years, and he's never struck at me from inside his enclosure. If I reached in to get him, he'd be extra twitchy and eye my hand. Once he digested his rat, he was back to normal, but gotta be careful what size meal I give him in the future. haha

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1813_zpsa6ndu1uz.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1813_zpsa6ndu1uz.jpg.html)

And just chilling on his hide, this is how he lays most of the time.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1810_zpsk7lgwsfm.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/My%20Snakes/Cloud/IMG_1810_zpsk7lgwsfm.jpg.html)

[dannybgoode]

Stunning snake BSG. Great to see a boa in such good shape. I love the squared of but muscular tone of a healthy boa.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Caught him red-handed. ;) He leaves sperm plugs in his tree all the time, so I know he uses it, I'm just rarely in the snake room so I don't always see him.

http://66.media.tumblr.com/62547e887f7d6bb16014ac68e4870bbb/tumblr_odrrknazyf1sjttato1_1280.jpg

http://66.media.tumblr.com/ca40609e2d3b3b13ea41a06f142f80de/tumblr_odrrknazyf1sjttato2_1280.jpg

http://67.media.tumblr.com/082a1655b41618e28eb9f614cd05a74c/tumblr_odrrknazyf1sjttato3_1280.jpg

He's currently on a rabbit-only diet, and getting fed a week early each feeding, to get him ready for his winter fast.

[dannybgoode]

Looking so good bsg. I'm know I'm preaching to the converted here but the body tone of a really healthy boa is an awesome sight.

Quick question. Would you fast a what would be an 18 mo female and if so how long for and would you marginally drop the temps?

I know Vincent Russo suggests that boas eat more during the summer months naturally but wondered if this applied to young snakes too in captivity?

[bigsnakegirl785]

I personally plan on continuing to feed Tirel and Nymeria (who are currently 15 months) throughout the winter, but feeding them half as often (4 weeks rather than 2) from Oct or Nov through to around Feb. Their temps should naturally drop since Tirel is on heat tape, and Nymeria has a heat lamp but is currently housed in a tub. I don't plan on fasting them until the following winter, when they will be roughly 2.5 years. Around that time they should both be in 4'x2's and I'll drop their temps like I do Cloud: I drop his ambients from 85F to 80F and his hot spot from 88F to 85F.

I think Russo's advice is best followed when done from birth when it comes to the cycling. People tend to get RIs if they turn off the heat and let it fall to the 70's, but I assume since he does it from hatchling stage his are more used to it. Never heard him address any RI issues at least.

As far as feeding by itself, a baby should do just fine having their feeding spaced out during the winter, but I personally wouldn't completely withhold food for their first 2 winters.

[dannybgoode]

Thanks bsg. I'll give it a go but be somewhat led by how I read her behaviour also. She'll be fully on weaner rats by then and I'll be slowly spacing out her feeds in any event so will probably fall somewhere in the middle.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Thanks bsg. I'll give it a go but be somewhat led by how I read her behaviour also. She'll be fully on weaner rats by then and I'll be slowly spacing out her feeds in any event so will probably fall somewhere in the middle.

Would definitely space her out a bit, she's a bit big for what I'd expect a dwarf of her age to be. She's not that far behind Nymeria's weight (363 grams empty as of the 18) and she's a month younger.

[dannybgoode]

Would definitely space her out a bit, she's a bit big for what I'd expect a dwarf of her age to be. She's not that far behind Nymeria's weight (363 grams empty as of the 18) and she's a month younger.

She's on 14-15 day feeds at the moment of approx 10% body weight and am I extending that slowly.

I extend spacing very gradually over a 6 month period going forward a day, then back before forward again and so forth before eventually she is going that extra day or 2 for a few weeks and then repeat instead of going from 2 weeks to 3 weeks overnight.

I will push out to 21 or more days over winter then come back to somewhere around 16-18 days over spring and stretching back out toward 21 days for when she reashes 2 yo in June next.

And of course there's dwarfs and dwarfs. She is of stock that reaches a little over 6' so by no means not at the Hogg Island end of things and she is not by any measure being overfed in the slightest.

[bigsnakegirl785]

6' is actually bigger than dwarf size, so her line is a large one. I did mention in her thread that multiple prey items do encourage more growth in both length and girth, even when the two combined are lighter in weight than the size you plan on moving up to. Even 2 or 3 feedings can do it. A couple feedings of multiple small rats caused River to grow 6" in a matter of a couple weeks, a couple feedings of multiple medium rats caused her to grow 1.5' in the space of about a month, maybe two. This is much more extreme than Sanji's growth, but he was gaining more grams eating multiple hoppers than he did eating a single small adult mouse. Even now eating jumbos he isn't growing quite so fast as then.

Your spacing plan sounds good though! Good luck with her this winter. :)

[dannybgoode]

Thank you and keep the updates coming on Cloud. Lovely lovely snake.

Yes I'm getting a taste for carpets but boas will remain my favourite :)

[stevo-d]

He's a great looking snake. Mine should be that size in no time. No offence but with a name like big snake girl I pictured you being a big girl. Your clearly not . My bad.

[bigsnakegirl785]

He's a great looking snake. Mine should be that size in no time. No offence but with a name like big snake girl I pictured you being a big girl. Your clearly not . My bad.

Yeah when I made my account the "bigsnake" refers to the fact I wanted a retic, and "girl" because that's what everyone assumes I am. lol I'm a very small person, just like my snakes to have some size to them.

It took him awhile to get to this size. At 1 year he was 2'7", and he reached 5'2" at 2 with some overfeeding, and at 3 years he was either 1" short of 6' or 6' even. He reached 6.5' at about 4-4.5 years old, and he should still be growing, but now that he's growing very little per year I measure him maybe once a year. I'm guessing he'll top out at 7'. If I didn't push him to his adult size prematurely he still has at least another year to grow, and several years beyond that to hit a few growth spurts.

Cloud's currently in shed but I should be able to get another meal or two in him before I fast him.

[bigsnakegirl785]

So Cloud tonight was very out of character. :/ I woke up from a bad dream where one of our friends had released all of my snakes and thought I heard a thunderstorm going on so I went to the snake room to check and make sure the heater was still going and everyone was ok.

When I flipped on the light, I saw everything was ok and then walked around the corner of Cloud's enclosure to look at him because he's usually out and about this time of night.

When I did I was greeted by a 6.5' boa in full-on defense mode and he struck the glass several times. He tried his hardest to get away from me, and eventually began hissing.

He clearly had been agitated for awhile because his bedding was flung to the side and his hides moved, and there was bedding in his water.

I thought maybe he was getting too hot from the heater, but my temp gun read his body at around 80-81F and nothing else in his enclosure was all that warm, either. All surfaces read anywhere from 79F to 83F.

Nobody else in the room was agitated, and I've entered the room similarly many times before over the year we've lived there and he's never once gotten defensive. He's literally never acted this way in his life.

I'll see how he's behaving when I get off of work and try to give him a once-over, but I'm kinda worried about him. I have no clue what could have set him off.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Btw: there was no thunderstorm and it wasn't even raining. A thunderstorm would have been my next guess but there wasn't one.

[Tsubaki]

Doesn't have to be anything wrong perse, everyone can have an off day.. Maybe you caught him off guard? Hope he's all right.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Doesn't have to be anything wrong perse, everyone can have an off day.. Maybe you caught him off guard? Hope he's all right.

I'm hoping so, too. He was ok today behaviorwise but I decided not to take him out. I'm going to give him a bit more time to himself after that fiasco. Plus I've been up for 18-19 hours and I want to rest. lol I may end up taking him out later on in the night if I wake up or in a few days idk.

[bigsnakegirl785]

As an update, he's been acting perfectly normal since that incident. I've even flipped on the light and walked in several times, he has yet to be startled. :/

He's also going into shed now, but that normally doesn't affect his behavior beyond making him hide away more. He doesn't get pissy or defensive.

I guess I'll just chalk it up to a random occurrence.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Cloud is currently in a shed cycle, has yet to go blue, but should be heading there soon.

http://i.imgur.com/0VvzuGI.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/d12cwVP.jpg

[bigsnakegirl785]

After being worried about Cloud's body tone, I started feeding him every 2 weeks for awhile and he's back to normal so I'm glad. I think he may have just hit a point where his metabolism was a bit higher for whatever reason. I'm probably going to keep him on rabbits only for the rest of the year since rats are a bit too lean, to make sure he keeps some weight on him.

Here are a bunch of old pics from the beginning of the year.

These two show his leanness the best. He was barely over 8 lbs at one point, but is almost back up to 9 lbs now.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3909/33168780422_2a303cb60c_h.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3760/33168779432_eaf5211d0a_h.jpg

He overall didn't look too bad, though, so beyond upping his food intake slightly I wasn't too worried, especially now that he's gaining weight back.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/764/32302337212_8396da2470_h.jpg


https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/624/32453437925_f524430eda_h.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/761/33168776902_6f75e2f1ba_h.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/760/32481303984_d238b5bda3_h.jpg

And the two most recent ones.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4179/33683090393_6fda05e86c_h.jpg

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4159/34493077555_678f427c5f_h.jpg

[Tsubaki]

Great looking boy, how long is he now?

[bigsnakegirl785]

I haven't measured him in over a year, so as far as I know he's still 6'5".

[dannybgoode]

Looking good as always. Nice body tone to him in particular but then I'd expect nothing less from you :)