Dante, a super friendly snake

sophiedufort · 04-27-15, 09:23 PM

We got this gorgeous guy about a week ago. He's been in a tiny enclosure at the reptile store for many months. My husband and I looked at him every time when we went there to buy mice/rats. We felt so sorry for him... So, last time we visited the store, we decided to take him home. It was an impulse decision that we will never regret. He is such a happy and curious little fellow! And he loves our company. Every time when we take him out of the enclosure, he starts exploring, then he seeks out his daddy. Crawls up on him and winds around his neck.
Here's the link to a video that I posted on YouTube. https://youtu.be/PGPLOeA9nFc
Also, a picture of him after he climbed on me and fell asleep around my neck. Cuteness overload!

**lady_bug87** · 04-28-15, 06:33 AM

I'm really happy you love your animals. I think Its sweet and misguided and wonderful you take such good care of them.

I will advise you however to stay hands off until he ia consistently eating without issues (3-5 consecutive meals) and ensure that you're practicing proper quarantine.

If you would like a breakdown of what proper quarantine is feel free to PM me. Or I can post it here if you wish.

sophiedufort · 04-28-15, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lady_bug87

I'm really happy you love your animals. I think Its sweet and misguided and wonderful you take such good care of them.

I will advise you however to stay hands off until he ia consistently eating without issues (3-5 consecutive meals) and ensure that you're practicing proper quarantine.

If you would like a breakdown of what proper quarantine is feel free to PM me. Or I can post it here if you wish.

Thank you

Yes, we quarantine him, and fed him as well. He's a fantastic eater.

**EL Ziggy** · 04-28-15, 08:59 AM

Very nice critters Sophie. I'm a little jealous though, my snakes never crawl up on me like that

.

prairiepanda · 04-28-15, 11:05 AM

He's gorgeous! Hope to see more pics and videos of all your snakes

Wish I had room for a boa.

**lady_bug87** · 04-28-15, 12:01 PM

One feeding does not a fantastic feeder make but now we're getting down to semantics.

sophiedufort · 04-28-15, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lady_bug87

One feeding does not a fantastic feeder make but now we're getting down to semantics.

What I meant, was that his strike is amazing, the coil perfect, and he was eager to eat within a couple of days after his arrival. Usually, we wait about a week before feeding our new arrivals. Not this time.

sophiedufort · 04-28-15, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

He's gorgeous! Hope to see more pics and videos of all your snakes

Wish I had room for a boa.

Thanks

Yes, I think he's gorgeous. It puzzles me that the store owners kept saying that nobody wanted to buy him for months, because he's not good looking.

Here's another picture of him. He has a beautiful face.

Also, an older picture of my Brazilian rainbow boas, Casey (AKA Princess) and Ally (AKA Mini Me). They are inseparable. They sleep together, coil around each other, move together (next to each other) when allowed to roam free on the bed.

Snakesitter · 04-28-15, 01:34 PM

Sophie, it sounds like you really take care of your animals. I think what Lady Bug meant, however, was that a full and careful quarantine goes on for some time, just to be extra safe. Diseases can rear their ugly heads six months after a purchase...I've had it happen, and I'm super cautious. That said...great snake, and glad he's eating well for you!

sophiedufort · 04-28-15, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

Sophie, it sounds like you really take care of your animals. I think what Lady Bug meant, however, was that a full and careful quarantine goes on for some time, just to be extra safe. Diseases can rear their ugly heads six months after a purchase...I've had it happen, and I'm super cautious. That said...great snake, and glad he's eating well for you!

Thank you

Yes, we do quarantine him. We always do it with a newcomer. We once had a problem with a beautiful Colombian red tail female. She died of inclusion body disease. Luckily, no other snake was affected, as they were not in contact.

**Aaron_S** · 04-28-15, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sophiedufort

Thank you

Yes, we do quarantine him. We always do it with a newcomer. We once had a problem with a beautiful Colombian red tail female. She died of inclusion body disease. Luckily, no other snake was affected, as they were not in contact.

When was this? Did you have a necropsy done to ensure this was the cause?

IBD is serious business and it can lay dormant in boas for some time. Your other animals are at risk if it hasn't been a long time. To be honest, if it hasn't been more than a year to two years since this happened I wouldn't be buying new animals.

sophiedufort · 04-28-15, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

When was this? Did you have a necropsy done to ensure this was the cause?

IBD is serious business and it can lay dormant in boas for some time. Your other animals are at risk if it hasn't been a long time. To be honest, if it hasn't been more than a year to two years since this happened I wouldn't be buying new animals.

It was about a year ago. She had all the symptoms of the disease. It is believed she got infected at birth. (We never saw the parents)

**Aaron_S** · 04-28-15, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sophiedufort

It was about a year ago. She had all the symptoms of the disease. It is believed she got infected at birth. (We never saw the parents)

With all due respect if it's truly believed that she has IBD you need to quarantine ALL your snakes for the next year. Your collection should be shut down and closed off from selling anyone as well as bringing anyone new in for a little while.

Just because your other snakes didn't come into contact with her it doesn't mean they still didn't contract it. You clearly didn't notice it at first before purchase so you could have held her then handled another. You may have let the snake around your neck and without showering had another snake there.

Hopefully it wasn't IBD and it was another cause and this would be only precautionary.

prairiepanda · 04-29-15, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sophiedufort

Also, an older picture of my Brazilian rainbow boas, Casey (AKA Princess) and Ally (AKA Mini Me). They are inseparable. They sleep together, coil around each other, move together (next to each other) when allowed to roam free on the bed.

Do you keep them in the same enclosure, or is this just when you have them out for roam time? I love when snakes actually get along with each other like that; it's such a rare occurrence! Makes me want to get into garter snakes.

sophiedufort · 04-29-15, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairiepanda

Do you keep them in the same enclosure, or is this just when you have them out for roam time? I love when snakes actually get along with each other like that; it's such a rare occurrence! Makes me want to get into garter snakes.

I keep the Brazilian rainbow boas in the same enclosure, because they are inseparable. I have a separate thread with more pictures and details about all my snakes, it is in General Discussions I think, it is called 'All my snakes'. Quite a few members commented on that thread that it is really bad to house the snakes together, but I don't see it that way. These two will not separate. When they sleep in the hide, they do it coiled one around another, not one on top of each other. It is not dominance, it is bonding.
I am yet to see that snakes get stressed as a result of spending time together, or with us. They are calm, don't jerk away when touched by another snake or by my husband and I, to the contrary they seek company. A stressed snake would be agitated, grumpy, aggressive. Never seen ours like that. They were a little reluctant when we first got them, but they soon became very trusting, and attention seekers. What you see in the video in this thread is just one of the countless examples. I could make videos with each and every one of our snakes seeking us out, all in their different ways, as they have unique personalities. They are amazing.