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The next BIG step
#1
As if my husband and I hadn't already decided to get our rainbow boas which could get longer than I am tall. Which is still a few years off. (I'll have to post more current pictures of Brienne compared to when we got her in October. I'll do that on her thread.) Last night I was doing the dangerous thing of looking at snakes for sale and then somehow ventured onto craigslist... well that's when I spotted a Kenyan sand boa pretty cheap with everything. I inquired about it but it had already been sold. I kept looking and came across this beautiful Columbian redtail boa. Not too far away either. I asked and she was still available. Next thing I know I'm meeting this lovely couple and their daughter to get this snake and they immediately hand it to me. They didn't know the sex but had been calling it a girl because she is very pink. Once I got her home I tried the "poping" method to sex her and tested it against Renly my male rainbow boa and I do believe it's a female.  Having never tried it I was being super careful but she popped really easily. Renly not so much he kept peeing on me and was squirming a lot because he is very active. But I did get one good look and gave him and myself a rest.
We already have a name too. Melisandre also from game of throwns. If down the road we find out she is actually a he then we can change it to Mal which is from Firefly and really close so it wouldn't be a complete name change. My other suggestion was The Doctor from Doctor Who but Melisandre in the show is called the red woman/priestess/lady and she has red hair so we couldn't past up connection since she is a red tail. If we get another red tail and it's a boy I really do want to call it The Doctor because of the bowties on the back. Anyone who has seen Doctor Who should understand the reference.

Pictures
http://myparadog.tumblr.com/post/171543765835

Pictures do not do her justice she was sold as a pastel red tail but a friend of mine thought she was a hypo and she's really knowledgeable about boas. But some times you just don't know unless you know what the parents are.  Unfortunately I don't know who the breeder was. She was an unexpected litter and he raised them up and sold them to petstores as soon as they were hardy at 2 months then the people I got her from only had her about 4 months. So she's only 6 months old and I'm the 4th and hopefully last stop in her short time.
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#2
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.
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Catherine

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#3
I wasn't really looking to buy. I saw the Kenyan sand boa and thought heck for $55 with tub set up bedding and food I'll take it, but when they told me it was sold I was like eh that's fine. I was looking at rabbits and dogs too. Every time I look for red tail boas only breeders that are sold out pop up. So when she popped up I kept going back and started asking Kasey how he felt about getting one without actually giving away that I really really wanted to get her. Which previously I had said no snakes that could get to 10ft. So I surprised him with her.
I was super scared to ever trying popping so I was being very very careful. It didn't take hardly any pressure to check her. Renly was a bit more difficult to the point I was going to call it quits but he finally did pop for a second, long enough that I could compare. I could see how if someone who didn't know what they were doing or didn't use the right movement that it could really do damage. I've watched so many videos of popping that I felt comfortable enough to attempt it. Also I have small hands and being artistic I have really good control over my hands. An odd thing to boost considering what we area talking about. Once she gets big enough I still want to get her probed. Some palpate too. Which I tried that first but I couldn't tell. I figure as I get more familiar with what I'm feeling then I can do that instead. I'm just excited to see her grow. Depending on how well she does I really want to look into getting a cow retic.
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#4
Your snake is really very young. She still looks like a baby.  You will know more about her when she is bigger and you know what colour she is.

The person I know who broke the snake's tail while popping it, was an experienced breeder, but he has big hands. I have never considered him careful enough. Your hands are finer and more dextrous and that would help. A Colombian red tail is a good sized snake even as a baby so you have more to work with. I would never try to pop a corn snake. They are so fragile as young snakes. When they are bigger it is easier to tell by tail length and thickness. 

Even if you weren't looking for a boa, deep down inside you know you wanted one. I hadn't planned the get a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, but when I had the chance I couldn't pass it up. It is too bad you didn't get the Kenyan Sand Boa. They are really pretty.

Melisandre will take years to reach ten feet,  if ever. You kind of grow into a big snake as it grows with you. I am glad she has a stable home with you. Sometimes the bigger snakes get passed around from home to home because people are not sure how to handle them.
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Catherine

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#5
I'll eventually get a Kenyan sand boa. When I got Jack my leopard gecko 6 years ago I was looking at the getting one. So it will happen it's just a matter of time. Now that we have 3 different types of snakes it's now long now. Plus they aren't very expensive.
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#6
Melisandre is right at home. She's already eating like a champ. Sunday, when I picked her up, was when they normally feed her and she knew it. We feed ours on Tuesdays because we are less likely to hold them Monday-Wednesday so they get a good 72 hours of no contact except for the moment of opening to feed. I'll have to post the picture but I swear she was begging for food from the moment I put her in her tub to the moment she got food Tuesday. Most say to wait 1-2 weeks before feeding a new snake to let them get used to their new home but you would not believe how pitiful it was to watch a snake beg for food.

Catherine have you ever come across a snake Beijing for food?
She was staring at the lid just waiting for hours.
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#7
My snakes know when it is feeding day. They know the thermal bag I bring the food home in. They know when the food is defrosting. They know when I have started a feed. You should see the expectant faces. I would say the word begging comes to mind.

I had my first snake on a precise feeding schedule and I was handling him the day before feeding day. He wanted to be fed. I said no. He bit my finger. I defrosted his food and fed him. After that we had an understanding. If he said he wanted to eat I fed him. The snake knows when it is hungry.

I am glad you fed  her. Two weeks is a long time to make a hungry snake wait for food. She knew it was her feeding time and she was hungry. It would be a poor start to her relationship with her if you let her go hungry for two more weeks. Now you have established with her that she can count on you for food. Think of it as a bonding exercise.

Too bad you are not closer. We have Kenyan Sand Boas at the reptile centre. I have one, but he hatched with a damaged spine so I am looking after him as a rescue. He has grown, but not like a normal snake and he is a poor eater.

We even have some anery Kenyan Sand Boas. They are pretty.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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