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Color variations of Colombians

TrpnBils

TrpnBils

Jeff Hankey
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As I understand it, the two most common colorations (of normals) are some shade of tan or grey. Is there a particular name for the grey morph normals (not anerys, by the way...)? I've seen them listed as "silver redtails" but that seems like kind of a "call it as you see it" name rather than something concrete that would be used by breeders.

The reason I'm asking is that I'm not able to find much information or many pictures of them, even though I've seen quite a few grey ones at shows and stuff like that. I even passed up on getting one because the tan one was bigger. My most recent boa is a Central American, and I think I have it narrowed down to El Salvador as a likely place of origination. Since it was a rescue type of situation, I don't know a thing about the history of this animal, but I'm assuming it's a CB individual because of its temperament and apparent age.

Anyway, I'm thinking about maybe selling it in order to get a grey colombian if I can find a good one. Any thoughts or suggestions on where to find more information? If I do get one, I'm probably going to use it for breeding in a couple of years. I'm kinda curious to see what the result would be from a cross between the tan colombian that I have now and one of those
 
One of the reasons I love BC's is the widespread variation of its coloration and patterning. There are differences between each geographic locale and within each locale. Many Central American boas have a grey background coloration and, for the most part, terms used to describe color variations in boas is descriptive in nature.

Columbians generally tend to have a tan background color. Many neonates are born grey and "color up" as they mature and somewhat darken as they age.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" with these guys. Every boa is different. I've never met an ugly boa. Good luck, Art
 
Art Klass said:
Columbians generally tend to have a tan background color. Many neonates are born grey and "color up" as they mature and somewhat darken as they age.
Click to expand...

That's understandable, but I've seen several that were listed as Colombians that were as big around as my arm and still grey/silver...so that's what I'm hoping to find. As I remember, they weren't any more expensive than other tan colombians.

I like the color of CA BCIs, but I'm just not a huge fan of the growth potential. I was sorta bummed when I realized my 6'6" colombian wasn't going to get much bigger (she's 4 years old, and from what I've been told they usually don't grow significantly after that age, but I guess I'll just wait and see). And I had intended on finding a male Colombian for breeding in a couple of years, but when I saw this CA in real bad shape I took it instead. It's back to health now and doing fine after a month or so (no more mites, no more URI, no more dehydration, etc). Even if it were possible to breed that and my Colombian, I wouldn't want to. Maybe that's a stupid reason, but it works for me :rolleyes:
 
Jeff, Keep looking and you will find the Columbian that you want. Here are my thoughts on the breeding situation you mentioned. I think if someone wanted to breed any two BCI's together to maybe develop a certain trait it's fine. I personally prefer to keep the lines as clean as possible, but it depends on the breeding project. Breeders do need to be forthcoming about the offsprings lineage to perspective buyers.

I commend you for bringing in and healing the sick boa. Many kudos to you. Did you quarantine the animal? Always better to be safe. Regards, Art
 
TrpnBils said:
. I was sorta bummed when I realized my 6'6" colombian wasn't going to get much bigger (she's 4 years old, and from what I've been told they usually don't grow significantly after that age).
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I don't know who told you that, but I wouldn't count on her not growing more...4 years is about the average age for a normally fed female to reach sexual maturity. Growth doesn't stop there, though it often slows...especially if they are bred. Yours is right on the money, size-wise; and there is no reason to think that she will not reach at least the average lengths of the species. Remember, snakes never truly "stop" growing...and the fact of the matter is that in captivity, they tend to get larger than they would in the wild - that's the beauty of controlled environments and regular meals.
 
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