Meet Jenkins, the Vietnamese Blue Beauty.

[Klinger]

Hello everyone! I am a new member to your forum, and would like to introduce you to Jenkins. He's a nine month old VBB, and I've been working with him quite a bit to calm the beast down. I got him when he was only one month old, and there has been a lot of growth this past year!

This is not my first or only snake, but the one I know the least about, as there is very little information about them on the 'net.

I'm happy to be on your forum, and will be uploading many pics as this guy grows up! I suppose I could post pics of the 5x4x4 setup he will be moving into, once it gets started. Thanks for having me!

[Pareeeee]

http://i.imgur.com/b2UZDEN.png
Welcome to the Forum!

FORUM RULES (http://www.ssnakess.com/index.php?page=rules) :) :) :)

I love the look of this species! Looking forward to more pics of him.

[sharthun]

Hey and welcome! Very cool snake!

[reptiledude987]

Very cool snake! I love seeing some of the more uncommon stuff thats out there.

[EL Ziggy]

Welcome and best wishes Klinger. That's one beautiful Beauty.

[Albert Clark]

Good to have you! Welcome. International reptile keepers. That's so great.

[Klinger]

Here's a shot of him crawling down my arm towards the camera. I'd like to get a good shot of his length, but one handed photography is not easy as it is. I'll get a helper over one of these days...

The little guy mostly sleeps in his hide all the time, possibly because I'm feeding it too much. It is super active whenever it comes out, however, and doesn't show any signs of being overweight. Long, slender snakes are hard to adjust a diet for. It seems to be growing at the rate most do online, half an inch a week, so things seem good for now!

[Jim Smith]

Welcome and I really like your first snake. I've had my eye on the Blue Beauties for a while now, but space limitations have kept me from taking the plunge. Very pretty snake.

[Klinger]

Oh, it's not my first. I have a Sinoloan right now, and have had snakes on and off for years. This is the latest one, and it's taken two years to track down the breeder to get him.I'll make another post in the future of the Milksnake, and thanks for the welcome!

[sharthun]

Yeah I would love to see your others!:)

[Sylphie]

Uh, I'm confused, but from these pics it looks rather like normal Taiwanese, blues are.. more blue, like this (pic from pinterest), they are not having any yellow at all, even as an hatchlings:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3300/4572432166_c03c461c4b.jpg

But it's cool snake nonethless, one I'm dreaming about but I have not enough space. And welcome to the forum!

[Klinger]

Most VBB hatchlings that I have seen start out olive green, and change with age. If you look at my other thread there is a link to a blogspot with a young Blue Beauty that doesn't blue until it is one year old. Definitive proof is forthcoming, as my snake will be one in July. There is no good documentation of this specie, something I hope to alleviate.

Edit- Not my other thread, the other thread about beauty snake owners. The credit is not mine.

[Sylphie]

Klinger, that's interesting, I was just curious, because there are different opinions about Blue Beauty's as hatchlings, I hope that yours will turn out super blue as an adult! :D

[Klinger]

Yeah, I'm curious too. Gotta trust the breeder when there is no info on the net. You'll all find out when I do!!!

[Pirarucu]

It's not a Taiwanese, judging by the lack of pattern on the front part of the body. But I agree, it's got too much olive coloration. So far as I'm aware, they don't change to blue as they age. A quick google search yielded this picture of a blue hatchling:
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/members/storm-albums-rat-snakes-picture170746-2011-female-vietnamese-blue-beauty.jpg

I'd guess that the one you have is a cross between the two.

[Klinger]

Piruracu(love the name), the VBB in that picture is way to big to be a hatchling. Jenkins just went into "blue" yesterday, so I'll post pics next week after the shed. Look at my other posts in the other recent beauty thread, I gave a link with the year history of a VBB.

Happy herping!

[Pirarucu]

Not much of a colubrid guy, so I just picked the smallest animal I saw when I searched "hatchling vietnamese blue beauty". LOL. But after some more looking for baby pictures, I found this:
http://i24.servimg.com/u/f24/15/24/01/72/elaphe12.jpg
Hatchling or not, it looks significantly smaller than yours, but is blue.

I'm inclined to think that yours is a cross. I'm also inclined to think that the one in that link is a cross. Perhaps the mixed genetics result in an animal that gradually becomes blue, rather than one that starts out blue?

[Klinger]

Honestly, time will tell. It should be awesome, whatever the outcome. I really wish there was more info out there, and I love that pic you found!!!

[Klinger]

Today I sent an email to the breeder I bought the snake from, in an attempt to learn more about the coloration. I also looked up his website, and the pics of adult VBB's there seem not to be very blue at all. I'll do some more research, as it may be variants of the blue actually do exist, and will post whatever info I find. He is still a wonderful snake, and more mysterious than ever! This photo is after the morning shed, as bright as can be!

[Klinger]

I talked to the breeder the snake came from, and he said they start bluing up when they reach four feet. I have seen pics from another reputable vbb breeder, and some hatchlings were a darker blue, and some looked like mine. It could just be natural variation in colors. Time will tell, but I will keep studying!

[Albert Clark]

Both localities, Vietnamese and Taiwanese are very terrific looking specimens. :D

[Klinger]

If you look closely at the side a few inches behind the neck, you can see that the blue is starting to come in. It is very slight, but definitely there. Everything about this snake is an adventure! I am still waiting for a helper to come and take some photos that will show off his length, so the patterns are more visible.

[millertime89]

Gorgeous! My VBB was quite blue when I got him as a hatchling and he slowly started to turn green as he grew. Yours seems to be very calm, something you don't see too often in VBBs. Ultimately why I got rid of mine unfortunately.

[Klinger]

I've been working hard to keep it calm, millertime89. I keep cut off parts of old shirts in its tank so my smell is always familiar, and learned how to hold it without making him excited. The milkshake I own is a lot easier to handle still, but things are going good. How large did yours get?

[millertime89]

She was about two feet long when I sold her.

[Klinger]

Sorry for the lack of posts, the world has gotten a bit crazy over here. Here is the most current photo of Jenkins, taken today. I have talked to several breeders, and the jury is still out if this is a cross breed or a color variant.

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010028.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010025_1.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010023.jpg

Trying to beat the clock getting the new living quarters done, these grow fast!!!!

[sharthun]

Beautiful snake!

[Pareeeee]

Man I wish I had room for one of these guys. Sadly they need too big of an enclosure for the space I have left.

[Klinger]

So, he's close to five feet long but as you can see the head on this guy is still pretty small. I haven't weighed him in a while, but he eats three mice a week. No sign of being overweight, but no bulges in the sides either. Should I up the ante to four mice in a few weeks, or could this tiny terror take on a weaned rat? They still seem very large compared to the head

[Klinger]

I just went online, and found multiple rat sizes not available locally. Good to know, but too bad this snake will outgrow a 25 pack of fuzzy rats. I'll ask the local shop tomorrow for advice.

[IW17]

He's definitely big enough for weaned rats. You'll be surprised how much he starts growing once he starts pounding rats down.

[riddick07]

I agree he is big enough for weaned rats.

A blue beauty is on my wishlist for snakes! He is beautiful no matter what he turns out to be. For some reason the beauties always remind me of mini retics when I see them.

[imnotarobot]

I also have a baby vbb. She is pretty green right now. It was my understanding that's just what they're like when they're babies. I also think some of the photos :(from online a little shopped. They definitely have a blue tint to them but I think they are more of a blue/gray than straight blue even as adults.

[Klinger]

I noticed when he is looking for food his head slightly bobs left and right. Is this a way to pick up more scent? I've never seen a snake do that before, and assumed it would be something a pit would do, not a rat. I'll try a weaned rat tomorrow, and see what happens.

[chairman]

Many snakes/lizards with forked tongues and Jacobson's organs will do that. The animals essentially taste right and left and make a decision on which way to head. They'll frequently weave while they zero in on their target, or until they get locked on visually.

[Klinger]

Thanks, chairman! My sinaloa milk has never done it, and I thought it must be a scent thing.

[Klinger]

No luck with the rat, which is odd because it ate pinky rats a few months ago. I'll try scenting it with a mouse tomorrow and see what happens.

[Klinger]

Jenkins tried to squeeze through a hole after eating his rat, and no longer fits. There is some mild skin damage, but no blood or anything deep. Hopefully the next shed will help this. Looks like he tried to back out and scraped about a half inch of body length.

[Klinger]

Hey people, sorry for the lack of posts, but life has been insane lately. Here is a current picture of Jenkins.http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010053_1.jpg

He's easily over seven feet long now, and a gentle giant! There is a bit of blue in areas, but this is a very yellow Vietnamese Blue Beauty. The more homework I do, the more it seems there is a bit of color variant in this species, and mine is low on the blue side.

I have some better photos on my cell phone, but taking pics with a phone in one hand and a fast snake in the other are not easy. I'll try and dig one up.

[Klinger]

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/WP_20160318_14_42_12_Pro1.jpg

Here is a shot from the phone. I've only had one false strike from him, and that is because the tv was on and the motion was too distracting. He does need to calm a bit right after coming out, but will sit in my lap for the better part of an hour. Still working on the larger enclosure, more parts for that coming this weekend.

I'll try to post more photos, and hopefully get a friend with a decent camera catch some really great pictures!

[EL Ziggy]

Looking good Klinger.

[IW17]

He's a looker. I love beauty snakes. If I had to choose one family of snakes to keep, these would be it.

[macandchz]

he is absolutely gorgeous! it is so great to see a really awesome snake.

[Klinger]

Took Jenkins for the first walk of the summer, he didn't cause any trouble at all, other than trying to pull off my moustache.

http://1drv.ms/1qUAxKd

Posting pics from this phone is tricky, sorry.

[macandchz]

dera Klinger, welcome to the forum . that is a sweet little snake you have there.

[Klinger]

It seems some of my photos are having issues. Here's a video about Blue Beauties, and a bit of talk about their color.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTm19kAXYh4


Jenkins should shed in a day or two, will try and post some better quality pics then.

[Klinger]

Sorry, life is busy and posting pics takes time. Jenkins and I went for a walk a few days ago......http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/13240723_10209683310062105_3032276333687536842_n.j pg

[macandchz]

klinger-welcome to you and jenkins. he's a very cool snake.

[Klinger]

Not sure how to share pics from my phone, but Jenkins' latest shed is 93 inches long!!! https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=FEBC3B8102E90031!2610&authkey=!ACxiafRRwDJf3E0&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

[Klinger]

Last Saturday Jenkins and I went to an art festival, and we helped watch a booth all afternoon. He's doing fine meeting new people, very calm and happy! Here he is, 26 months old now. His tail is at the tip of my left hand (in the sleeve), you can see how big he is already! They grow up so fast....
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/14322226_10210705566617880_440751604385193300_n.jp g

[Minkness]

That is awesome! Blue beauties are such pretty snakes! Hopefully he was well received at the festival. =)

[Klinger]

Only two people were not happy about a snake being there, and it was not a problem. The kids loves him, several people who never touched a snake got to for the first time, and I got to teach a lot of people things. Comments went like this-

"Is that a poisonous snake?"- I don't know, I never tried to eat him.

"Our significant others don't like snakes, but we wanted to meet him."(Two women)- They don't seem very significant to me!

""Can I come over and pet him?"- Are you talking about me or the snake, we are both very friendly!

It was a great day for the both of us.

[Minkness]

Oh man, I like your humor! Haha.

[SWDK]

Wow...looks nice. Grew quite a bit since your last pics. My VBB is growing quickly too. She's just over 4' now and almost a year old.

[Klinger]

Here is a video of Jenkins eating his dinner. Apologies for the camera quality, the lighting was very poor. He has never turned down food, but is rather shy about eating in public. He's in blue now, hopefully I'll get the good camera and some great pics of him next week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuzunOq2EUM

[SWDK]

That's a cool video Klinger. Jenkins definitely looks much greyer now than in your earlier pics where he was more olive colored.

[Klinger]

There is still a ton of green on this guy, but it's cool because very few people can identify what he is, and I like that. it starts a lot of conversation. Every shed I wait for a magical blue change, though...

[toddnbecka]

There's quite a bit of variation in colors among snakes, yours may just be a greenish phase for life. Doesn't matter to the snake... lol.
For that matter, you could breed him/her and see if the color carries over to the offspring, could eventually become a line of green beauty snakes. How awesome would that be?

[Klinger]

Here's a photo I took today, left handed with a right handed camera. Big snakes are so hard to photograph by yourself!!! He's somewhere between 8-9 feet right now.

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010067_1.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010071.jpg

[SWDK]

Jenkins is looking quite impressive.

[REM955]

A lovely animal. As I was thinking of one as a far off plan.
To go the other direction, what would you say to discourage me from getting one?

[Klinger]

A lovely animal. As I was thinking of one as a far off plan.
To go the other direction, what would you say to discourage me from getting one?


That's an odd thing for me to answer. they do grow very large very fast, and need to be fed a lot of food, so the cost is a bit higher than some other snakes. Mine "huffs" when it is out and is being guided in a direction other than where he wants to go, so it is fairly obvious it really doesn't like being handled, but this particular snake has no desire to actually fight with me. Controlling a large quick snake is more of a chore than a pleasantry to some, as well.

They also need a large space to live in, if you consider that a con. It also seems the more blue ones are not easy to find, it is fun to show people a v"B"b and try to tell them why it is green.

I never tried to talk someone out of a snake before, That was no easy task.

[REM955]

Cage size was not a concern as I was thinking I would end up with space for a 8x2x2 cage further off.
And I have seen they typically do not like being handled.
But the actual blue part is something I was unaware of. I suppose coloration should always be expected looking at individuals.
Food from what I saw online was something like 2 food items once a week of typical size, matching thickest point. Is that correct or is it more frequent?
I think the biggest concern I had was temperature; it seemed some guides had mentioned 70 as a minimum, but others 75-85.

[Klinger]

Mine is eating two small/medium rats every seven days, and seems very hungry on feeding day. They do prefer lower temps, people argue about humidity but I haven't seen any real issues with it. I keep it a bit on the low end, and never had a bad shed.

The southern vbbs are more green, just make sure to see the breeders parent snakes. That's the best way to ensure a true blue one. I didn't and got my lovely green giant.

(See? I can't steer you away from a snake) :)

[REM955]

Ha. They were a consideration before you showed up with yours. I wouldn't burden with such a task.
Though like any species, I personally require a bit of research before gathering for one. Still have plenty of time to change my mind with the others taking precedence.

[Klinger]

Jenkins may be between 9-10 feet long now, very hard to tell. I still haven't finished his new home yet. It is now impossible to get a full body shot due to his size, my one handed camera ability, and the fact that a camera seems to make him nervous. Here is the unhappy face I took tonight, trying for the January photo contest. As soon as the camera was near his face, he started to slightly bare teeth. I never feel like he wants to bite, but there is still plenty of distrust. Hopefully he calms down like my old milksnake did.
http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/P1010074.jpg

[SWDK]

Jenkins is looking good. It would be nice to get a full body pic of you're able to.

[Klinger]

As soon as the new home is done(which keeps getting pushed back) I'll get some full snake pics. Too many work hours, and car repairs, and life in general. I'm going to start waking up at 2am just to get things done every day!!!

[SWDK]

No worries Klinger...in due time. What is Jenkins eating these days? My VBB is on chicks & small rats and takes them no problem. She's somewhere between 5'-6' in length, but still doesn't seem to be quite 6' yet.

[mattd]

welcome love the snake

[Klinger]

Jenkins has been eating one medium rat every week, though after this shed he hasn't eaten. Tuesday I'll offer another one, he is acting hungry.

[Klinger]

It's been a while since I posted, but here are some pics I took of Jenkins today. I still don't trust him enough to take photos when I am not holding him, so you will just see a lot of balled up snake. :)http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/WP_20170605_17_46_52_Pro.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/WP_20170605_17_48_36_Pro.jpg

http://i562.photobucket.com/albums/ss64/leonardnimoysdog/WP_20170605_17_48_53_Pro.jpg

He is well over nine feet, and turns three years old in July. Possibly next weekend I can have someone take a full body picture of him.

Jenkins has also stopped eating medium rats, and prefers two small ones. Maybe a bit more growth will change that, this doubles the price of feeding. I hope all your snakes are happy!

[Scubadiver59]

I can't quite handle my Taiwanese Beauty like that yet--he's still getting to know me--but hopefully one day...

Only fed my guy once since getting him, and he eagerly took a medium rat which left a nice bulge.

http://i.imgur.com/ig2W2zr.jpg

[Klinger]

It seems that my photo host is holding my pics hostage for cash. I'll try to work around this asap, sorry! Jenkins is big and hungry, shedding more often than ever! Will post pics when I can.

[jjhill001]

It seems that my photo host is holding my pics hostage for cash. I'll try to work around this asap, sorry! Jenkins is big and hungry, shedding more often than ever! Will post pics when I can.

Use imgur. Much cheaper.