Introducing Venus

cbgarner2002 · 10-19-16, 09:51 AM

Hello all,

I picked up this girl at an expo about 11 days ago or so. I decided to call her Venus because she's got such lovely markings. The breeder said that she had both BCC as well as BCI in her.

macandchz · 10-19-16, 09:53 AM

you are certainly right. she does have beautiful markings.

marvelfreak · 10-19-16, 10:03 AM

Nice looking Boa.

cbgarner2002 · 10-19-16, 10:16 AM

Anyone with any thought on what locality she may be? She looks like a Venezuela or a Brazilian from the chart I saw up on the top of the thread chain but I couldn't tell for certain. She looks full BCC to me but the breeder did say she had both.

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-19-16, 09:33 PM

She looks more Boa imperator than Boa constrictor. Being a mix and having such heavily imperator-influenced looks, it's impossible to even guess at her constrictor locality. If the breeder hadn't said she was a mix I'd mistake her for a pure imperator. That's the problem with hybrids; it's impossible to tell they're hybrids. F1 generation can be easier, but it's a luck of the draw, and the more of whichever species they have mixed in, the more likely they are to look like that species.

The way the tail saddles connect with diamonds is probably the most constrictor thing about her. She's still gorgeous, though, can't say I've seen a boa constrictor I haven't liked. haha

**Tsubaki** · 10-19-16, 09:36 PM

Haha yeah BSG posted at same time I did, didn't see her post.

She is absolutely beautiful, love the name! But take it from someone who bred a lot of redtails and imperators in the past. She is 100% not a pure bcc, you can trust the breeder on that, (s)he had no reason to lie about it. It's impossible to tell what she is exactly, most likely would be Colombian Imperator x ??Redtail, (Colombia/Brasilia/Suriname? Who knows)

Also I do agree with BSG she looks more imperator, one of her parents could have been part bcc.

cbgarner2002 · 10-19-16, 09:57 PM

I'm honestly relieved that she has the look of a BCI for the simple fact that she's my first boa and I was a bit intimidated at the thought of her growing up to be a very big girl, lol. I've researched enough to know that it's not a hard and fast rule that she would get a lot bigger just because she's BCC and that as a BCI she could still get to be an 8 to 9 foot snake but still, the information is out there that suggests the BCI girls stay slightly smaller. I'd love her either way, of course.

The BCC vs BCI distinction is one of the most confusing snaked subjects I've looked into thus far. Not in the sense of the localities or the overall geographical differences in the species as that's straightforward enough, I just mean in terms of judging it by sheer appearance alone. I'm sure with experience I'll learn to tell better but at the moment it's still difficult for me.

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-19-16, 10:33 PM

Yup, the visual bits just come from experience of seeing verified Boa imperator and Boa constrictor individuals. Once you get used to seeing them, the differences between pure individuals becomes obvious.

The main thing about Boa constrictor is their tails. They have those bright red tails, and even if it isn't cherry red it's a much much deeper cleaner red than an imperator. They either have none of the little white lines on the sides of the tail saddles, or that's all the white they have. The rest of the tail will be solid red. They also have much better color contrast, darker saddles with sharper outlines, and tend to have a more arrow-shaped head than imperators. Even a dark, "muddy" constrictor will have a stark contrast between colors. The bat-shaped saddles are a classic sign of constrictor, but doesn't hold true 100% of the time. Another bit is the face. The stripes going through their eyes tend to be much darker, and I've noticed a lot constrictors have little eyelash patterns above their eyes. An unbroken head spear (the stripe going between their eyes) is another good indication of a constrictor.

The constrictor locale that probably resembles imperator the most are the Peruvians, but again - they have contrast and dark saddles with sharp outlines.

**Tsubaki** · 10-19-16, 11:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

The constrictor locale that probably resembles imperator the most are the Peruvians, but again - they have contrast and dark saddles with sharp outlines.

In my personal opinion, Colombian Boa constrictors look most like imperators

and PURE Colombian imperators resemble constrictors the most. Probably because their territory overlaps. Haven't seen either in years, not 100% guaranteed pure. Stöckl has some proper pictures.

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-19-16, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsubaki

In my personal opinion, Colombian Boa constrictors look most like imperators

and PURE Colombian imperators resemble constrictors the most. Probably because their territory overlaps. Haven't seen either in years, not 100% guaranteed pure. Stöckl has some proper pictures.

I haven't seen any pictures of pure Colombian BC so that's why I said Peruvian. lol I have seen the natural hybrids - Type B and Barranquilla, but no pure Colombian BC, just some pure Colombian BI.

The pictures on Stöckl actually resemble more Suriname/Guyana BC than Colombian BI to me. lol As you, say, their territory overlaps, so it's not common to find pure Colombian BC.

**Tsubaki** · 10-19-16, 11:45 PM

Inquitos bcc are still amongst my all time favorites though! Had a very nice clean yellow pair

then again, it's hard to find ugly boas !

cbgarner2002 · 10-20-16, 05:53 AM

That I agree with. They are absolutely beautiful snakes in every way. The first thing that attracted me to them was their body shape, oddly enough. I love the tall sides amd almost rectangular look to them as opposed to the perfect circular tube shape of some other popular snakes. I love my little Louise (ball python) but Venus takes the cake on beauty.

Still, Louise is a darling little pastel and she's come a long way from her mite ridden past, poor girl.

cbgarner2002 · 10-23-16, 08:30 PM

She just had her first shed with me! She's pretty efficient as I see no stuck shed and she did it quickly. The camera doesn't do her coloration justice as she has so many pigments of this pinkish/orange color on her lower half that are just gorgeous.

Venus - My Photo Gallery

JellyBean · 10-23-16, 10:43 PM

She's a beauty for sure

Albert Clark · 10-24-16, 02:16 PM

Congrats on the pickup of Venus! Amazing looking reptile.