Hope you guys can help!

[emmabee]

hi i have a pair of caatingas (assisi) who are now 2 years old. they had a bad start and it was touch and go if they would make it, but pulled through. ive had them for a year now..

...what im wanting to know is what size are these guys supposed to be at this age!
ive never seen an adult and these are so tiny its unreal! they arent common over here and its proving hard to get some info on them!

anyway this is the male
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x370/emmabee1976/Imagen302.jpg
and on and envelope for referance (sorry couldnt think of anything else!)
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x370/emmabee1976/Imagen301.jpg

he has just shed

this is the female who is deep in shed so very nippy (hense only one pic and im still holding her tail!)
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x370/emmabee1976/Imagen304.jpg

opinions guys!

[shaunyboy]

sorry,i know nothing of their species,but i can say,they look in perfect proportion and health

a credit to your husbandry pal

cheers shaun

[emmabee]

sorry,i know nothing of their species,but i can say,they look in perfect proportion and health

a credit to your husbandry pal

cheers shaun

thanks shaun, its been a battle to get them here!

i think they look in proportion too but cant believe they are supposed to be this small at 2 years!

[Rainbowsrus]

Can't speak to the SSP but do know that going through a rough patch can delay adult size. With BRB's, I've seen babies with problems eventually become normal size, just takes longer to get there.

IMO the important thing is not to play "catch-up" best to treat them as the individuals they are right now, well proportioned and healthy looking animals and feed accordingly, not over, not under.

[SnakeyJay]

I believe caatinga's are a smaller subspecies compared to brazilians.. :)

[Snakesitter]

Emmabee, in my experience, the majority of growth seems to stem from three factors: specific bloodlines, litter timing, and early feeding practices -- all of which are beyond your control. For the first, there are some lineages I've purchased that seem slow-growing even when fed the exact same as other fast-growing animals. Two years into their maturation, they are half to two-thirds the size of their comrades. Then there are animals that I've purchased from litters that were delivered early and small, and though gorgeous animals they again lag their peers in size, presumably due to the handicap that early start gave them. Finally, there are animals I've purchased from certain breeders that always seem to lag behind, and I suspect it is due to maintenance feeding before they are sold. Again, none of these are factors you can change later -- all you can do it roll with what you are given and feed them appropriately to their size. As Dave noted, never play "catch up." Your animals seem well-proportioned, so whatever you are doing, keep on doing it!

[CDN_Blood]

I'd say you have the subspecies correct, but in order to answer your question we need more information such as what are you offering them to eat, how often are they eating and what type of enclosure are they in.

Assisi are a smaller subspecies and adults aren't very big at all. I've seen specimens over 20 years old which weren't any more than 4 feet and that is average for them - rare that they get any larger.

[emmabee]

thanks guys!

the breeder of them is a really good guy but i no longer have contact details for him to ask his advise! his snakes were brought in as WC specimins labelled as BRBs and CRBs which he knew they werent!

they are definately assisi and i do keep BRBs too so know they are more slender and husbandry wise keep them pretty much the same way although these seem a little more bold and climb more.

i got them a year ago as a rescue TBH as it wasnt an sp. i knew anything about and wasnt looking to add them!

they were full of mites and had been infested for a long time and only getting fed a pinkie mouse every 2 weeks for the whole time they were with the guy i got them off....the breeder sold them as established feeders and doesnt let anything go if they have problems.

once i got them i treated the mites and started feeding pinkies every 5 days. they didnt want to feed at first but soon got the idea and ive never had feeding issues with them again. as they grew i fed slightly smaller prey items than i normally would for the next 6 months at weekly intervals. they now get fed normal size prey (small weaner rats) that puts a bulge in them for a day or 2 every 10 days.

dug out a picture of them the day the arrived, its not great, they were a year old here as they were born in june 2010
http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x370/emmabee1976/e0bf95c8-815d-48ba-8284-35109580a8a8.jpg

[Wildside]

I'm very confused! Are they a rescue or did you buy them in that condition from a breeder who is a "good guy"?

[CDN_Blood]

They're about the size of my young Columbian - she eats medium rats and that puts a bulge in her for a week. I'd strongly recommend upsizing the food.

[SnakeyJay]

I'm wondering the same as you wildside.....

[emmabee]

sorry didnt explain it well :eek:

the guy who bred them is great, he sold them on as established feeders as youngsters. the guy he sold then to was the one who didnt feed them and left them covered in mites (they were in perfect health and a couple of months old when they went to him)

when i got them, as i knew nothing about them, i took them into our local reptile shop and it turned out the guy who runs it had bred them and knew their history, he has kept and bred them for 20 years so got me going with them, we moved soon after and ive lost contact with him as the number has changed.

these guys would never manage a medium rat, they struggle on a large weaner, taking a week to digest and a long time for them to get it down.

ive never seen any as adults and would like to see pics if anyone has any with something in it for referance! i do keep other boas and ive never known such small ones!

[Snakesitter]

Awwww cute!

[emmabee]

Awwww cute!

they are cute! i really like these guys now, great little fellas to keep.