Color change question

I am aware that the boas tend to change colors, i.e. quite muddied at one point and very bright at another. However, I was wondering if there are any correlates that cause the change. The last two times I have fed my beautiful hypo the next morning she is seriously muddied and not her usual gorgeous self. The color change tends to last all day and then she goes back to her original color. I have seen her change color mildly many times, but it has been so drastic the last two feedings that I just want to make sure this is absolutely normal and not caused by any kind of stress or anything else. Thanks!!

I'll be honest, I never noticed any specific correlation with feedings...but that girl has done that since birth; the female siblings I kept continue to do so, probably to a greater extreme than her (based on what I saw before you got her). Her mother did the same thing when she was younger - she still shows some changes, but not nearly so drastic.

I specified female siblings - not because her male siblings didn't undergo similar color changes; but because the 3 males that I kept from that litter seem much more consistent in their appearance. I'll have to keep an eye on her next litter, see if there is any difference based on gender.

Interesting. I will have to take a picture of her in her color change so you can compare it to her siblings. It is quite drastic which had me wondering...

normal. A lot of boas either get darker or more intense coloration in that 24-48 hrs after feeding. I wonder if it has to do with darkening up for more heat absorption to help digest faster which would be beneficial in the wild? just speculating.

I'd say that's a pretty good theory. Either that, or camouflage.

I can't say they all do it, but it's not at all what I'd call abnormal. I always considered it the same way April mentioned, as maybe extra heat absorption.

Funny there's a thread on this topic. I could have sworn one of my snakes was darker than normal after a feeding one time, but i thought I was just losing it. And I would say that theory is pretty accurate. Although I would say it may be for the camo approach over heat absorption. Most boas go into "hiding" after a meal so they can digest in peace, or DIP as I call it. But who knows, maybe we are all wrong..
Interesting to think about though..

another theory I was thinking about - you know how boas that are stressed will get darker, maybe the body is stressed as it's using resources and energy to digest.

things that make you go hmmm