The next BIG step

[Catherine]

She is a beauty! I like the name Melisandre, it is pretty sounding. She is still very young for a snake that is going to get a lot bigger and live a good long life. She is young enough that you will be able to fully get her used to handling and totally bonded with you. All the Columbian Red Tails that I know are really nice snakes. Your girl is going to be a treasure.

I am glad you took her. It is sad that a snake so young has been in so many homes. Did they say why the wanted to get rid of her. Maybe they realized just how big she will get. You are okay, there are two of you. I can't lift a Columbian red Tail on my own. They just get too heavy. My Brazilian Rainbow Boa is as big as I can go.

It is hard to say about colour. She is still young. The pastels and the hypos are both attractive snakes so it won't matter either way. 
See what happens when you look at snakes online. It is just too easy to see something you can't resist. I once went to a reptile show with no money and I still came home with two reptiles. 

The best way to determine gender is wait a bit and have her probed. It is more accurate than popping. I have watched my snakes when they poop and sometimes you get a glimpse of a hemipenes. I don't like popping. I have seen what happened to a snake that had his tail broken by popping. We know Mr. Green is a male, but he will never breed now. He is a beautiful snake,  but he is permanently damaged.

Have fun setting her up in a tank. You have years ahead of you. You will see her through a few tank upgrades over the years.

Congratulations. So what will you get next. I want an Asian water dragon.