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Jamaican Boas Breeding
- Thread starter cguarino30
- Start date
cguarino30
Member
and these shots were all taken in full spectrum lighting with no flash. They are all of the same animal, Holdback #4, who was in a good enough mood that I was actually able to handle her (sexed purely through delusional optimism) for the photos. You can actually see where some yellow has started to come through, as well as some well defined blacks in some of the scales.
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toddnbecka
Member
Pretty little pretzels, lol. Aside from the size at birth, they sound pretty typical of other baby tree boas. Some will start out eating rodents, others have to be fed lizards then switched over. When they get a little larger you might try sexing them visually. Males typically have longer tails than females; though that's not 100% reliable, it's at least an educated guesstimate.
cguarino30
Member
I don't have much experience with tree boas, but that does sound similar. Some behaviors, I would imagine, are quite un-tree boa, though. For instance, when I put holdback #4 back in her tub, she immediately burrowed under the bedding.
I am also hoping for some success in visual or bump sexing, as I am anxious about probing, especially while young. Time will tell.
Snakesitter
New member
Gorgeous little things. 
cguarino30
Member
Gorgeous little things.
Thanks. It's so tempting to constantly pull them out and look at them. Haha. I always have to restrain myself so I'm not stressing them out unnecessarily.
cguarino30
Member
A little bit of an experiment tonight. All three of the anole-eaters were offered a medium sized (small adult) frozen/thawed anole. I've never offered frozen anoles to any of them before, and I'm hoping that all three take them, as it will let me freeze the remaining anoles. If any of them refuse to eat, I will offer them live on Tuesday.
cguarino30
Member
Alright, not too bad of a night. For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to give the troublemaker group names. T1 is the one that was formerly called the "reliable anole feeder." This is the animal that has consistently eaten every anole offered to it. T2 was previously the "former non-feeder," who was the second to start eating (now three meals deep), and T3 will be the "non-feeder" who ate his first anole on Tuesday.
T1 and T2 both ate their frozen/thawed anoles, so things are looking good for the both of them. T1 was moved to a tub recently, and seems to be adjusting well (especially considering that it did not stop him from eating). I may start trying to convert T1 over to chick thighs, or possibly anole-scented pinkies in the near future. I will also likely be moving T2 over to a tub in the near future, and if T2 continues to progress like T1, will also start making the attempt at food conversion.
T3 did not eat the f/t anole offered, but I am not overly concerned about this, for several reasons. Firstly, T3 just ate a few days ago, and may not have been hungry. Secondly, the f/t anole for T3 had to be placed in the crook of a branch, which was probably not the most manageable place from which to take food. T1 is in a tub, and the anole was just placed on the bedding, and T2's cage has a feeding ledge. T3's cage has no such ledge, but instead has a feeding bowl tied to a branch. T3 has taken up residence inside the bowl, so I was unable to place the anole there, and hung it in the branches instead. The anole was on the ground this morning, so it is entirely possible that T3 attempted to eat the anole, or at least was interested in it, but when it fell down, abandoned the attempt. T3 has also only eaten a small anole before, and this f/t was a medium, so that may also have been a factor, either in causing refusal, or at least contributing to the reluctance that resulted in knocking the anole onto the ground and being abandoned. In the next couple of days, I will put a live, medium anole in with T3 to see if he is willing to eat that, and if not, I will try a f/t small anole. This way, I can work out the preference and get T3 onto f/t as soon as possible. I will update with results.
T1 and T2 both ate their frozen/thawed anoles, so things are looking good for the both of them. T1 was moved to a tub recently, and seems to be adjusting well (especially considering that it did not stop him from eating). I may start trying to convert T1 over to chick thighs, or possibly anole-scented pinkies in the near future. I will also likely be moving T2 over to a tub in the near future, and if T2 continues to progress like T1, will also start making the attempt at food conversion.
T3 did not eat the f/t anole offered, but I am not overly concerned about this, for several reasons. Firstly, T3 just ate a few days ago, and may not have been hungry. Secondly, the f/t anole for T3 had to be placed in the crook of a branch, which was probably not the most manageable place from which to take food. T1 is in a tub, and the anole was just placed on the bedding, and T2's cage has a feeding ledge. T3's cage has no such ledge, but instead has a feeding bowl tied to a branch. T3 has taken up residence inside the bowl, so I was unable to place the anole there, and hung it in the branches instead. The anole was on the ground this morning, so it is entirely possible that T3 attempted to eat the anole, or at least was interested in it, but when it fell down, abandoned the attempt. T3 has also only eaten a small anole before, and this f/t was a medium, so that may also have been a factor, either in causing refusal, or at least contributing to the reluctance that resulted in knocking the anole onto the ground and being abandoned. In the next couple of days, I will put a live, medium anole in with T3 to see if he is willing to eat that, and if not, I will try a f/t small anole. This way, I can work out the preference and get T3 onto f/t as soon as possible. I will update with results.
Snakesitter
New member
Love the scientific method!
cguarino30
Member
Haha. Thanks. I'm trying to be methodical, as I don't want to make any mistakes twice. Part of the reason I'm making this thread is so I can refer back to it in the future, so I'm making an attempt to explain my thoughts and actions in a way that will help promote future success.
cguarino30
Member
Feeding update:
I went to give a live, medium anole to T3 and realized that there was already one in there, which I mistakenly belived to have been eaten last week. This means that T3 has only eaten one anole so far. A small, live one. T3 and T2 switched cages, and T3 was offered a small, live anole. If he eats this one, he will be offered a small, frozen one next week.
As a result, T2 has also now been put into a cage with two live, medium anoles. I am interested to see if both get eaten right away, or if T2 opts to wait to eat the second, and if so, for how long.
T1 (now in a tub) was offered a chick thigh, as I had an extra one and figured, what the heck.
All of the others have been fed the usual (thighs/scented pinkies). I will update with results in the morning.
I went to give a live, medium anole to T3 and realized that there was already one in there, which I mistakenly belived to have been eaten last week. This means that T3 has only eaten one anole so far. A small, live one. T3 and T2 switched cages, and T3 was offered a small, live anole. If he eats this one, he will be offered a small, frozen one next week.
As a result, T2 has also now been put into a cage with two live, medium anoles. I am interested to see if both get eaten right away, or if T2 opts to wait to eat the second, and if so, for how long.
T1 (now in a tub) was offered a chick thigh, as I had an extra one and figured, what the heck.
All of the others have been fed the usual (thighs/scented pinkies). I will update with results in the morning.
cguarino30
Member
None of the three troublemakers chose to eat. T1 refused the chick thigh, and T2 has not eaten either anole. I assume this is because they both ate a few days ago. However, T3 should be more than ready to eat again, and has refused the anole given. I think I need to try a smaller anole.
One more non-holdback has taken a scented pinkie, and has been moved to the "pinky eater" group. In addition, one of the "pinky eaters" has been moved back to the other group, as he has refused a scented pinky three times now. He will periodically be given scented pinkies in the future to see if he goes back on them.
Otherwise, everything is as expected, with one exception. Holdback #4 refused to eat, presumably in protest over her photoshoot the other day. I have no doubt she will be back on feed next week, though.
One more non-holdback has taken a scented pinkie, and has been moved to the "pinky eater" group. In addition, one of the "pinky eaters" has been moved back to the other group, as he has refused a scented pinky three times now. He will periodically be given scented pinkies in the future to see if he goes back on them.
Otherwise, everything is as expected, with one exception. Holdback #4 refused to eat, presumably in protest over her photoshoot the other day. I have no doubt she will be back on feed next week, though.
cguarino30
Member
Some good news. On a hunch, I put the smallest frozen/thawed anole I could find into T3's cage, and this morning, it is gone. T3 is looking nice and fat, so I think it's a safe conclusion to draw that he ate it. This is interesting, because the slightly larger, live anole is still present in the cage, and has been for a couple of days without being eaten. I think this means that size is significantly more important to T3 than freshness, so I will make an effort to continue feeding him the smallest anoles.
T2 still has not eaten either of the live, medium anoles, presumably due to not being hungry and/or going into blue. I will update when one of them disappears.
T2 still has not eaten either of the live, medium anoles, presumably due to not being hungry and/or going into blue. I will update when one of them disappears.
boidsonly
Member
1-If live anoles of appropriate size are not taken, kill the anole and leave it in o/night.
2-Slit an anole open and rub a small PM around in the guts until it is coated with body fluids. Leave the PM in o/night. Rarely fails to work and beats cutting up chicks.
3-Always save the shed from anoles-works just as well.
4-Anole soup can be used several times if frozen between feedings. Simmer 2-3 anoles in a small saucepan (when the wife is not looking). Leave PM in the soup for an hour or so and leave the scented PM in o/night. Refreeze the soup-can be used around 4 times before you discard it.
5-Wash PM to remove any scent. Leave wet and toss in a deli cup full of chick fuzz. Shake until the PM looks like a chick-it should be unrecognizable as a PM. Leave in o/night. Rarely fails.
Subflavus eat when they want to-not when you are ready to feed them. Males are notorious for refusing to eat at any age for long periods of time. Be prepared to discard any food that did not get eaten. Never offer it to another boa-a terrible habit to develop.
It sounds like they are doing very well. Your real challenge will be to decide what to do with them all. Once you saturate PA with subflavus, your options quickly dry up. After all, they are CITES I...
2-Slit an anole open and rub a small PM around in the guts until it is coated with body fluids. Leave the PM in o/night. Rarely fails to work and beats cutting up chicks.
3-Always save the shed from anoles-works just as well.
4-Anole soup can be used several times if frozen between feedings. Simmer 2-3 anoles in a small saucepan (when the wife is not looking). Leave PM in the soup for an hour or so and leave the scented PM in o/night. Refreeze the soup-can be used around 4 times before you discard it.
5-Wash PM to remove any scent. Leave wet and toss in a deli cup full of chick fuzz. Shake until the PM looks like a chick-it should be unrecognizable as a PM. Leave in o/night. Rarely fails.
Subflavus eat when they want to-not when you are ready to feed them. Males are notorious for refusing to eat at any age for long periods of time. Be prepared to discard any food that did not get eaten. Never offer it to another boa-a terrible habit to develop.
It sounds like they are doing very well. Your real challenge will be to decide what to do with them all. Once you saturate PA with subflavus, your options quickly dry up. After all, they are CITES I...
Snakesitter
New member
Good news on T3!
Maybe T2 wants a smaller one as well?
Maybe T2 wants a smaller one as well?
Snakesitter
New member
Jeff, great tips. That said...I hope your wife does not have an unposted Fauna login. ;-)
cguarino30
Member
Good tips there. I especially like the one with the chick fuzz. I'll have to give that one a shot next week.
As for the market, I'm not overly concerned. The reason I got into subflavus was for the conservation of the species, so inundation of the PA market would be a goal achieved, haha. I have plenty of other programs that are more economically conscious. This one is purely for the love of the animals.
cguarino30
Member
T2 ate a medium frozen less than a week ago, so I'm not overly concerned. If he stops eating, I'll certainly try something smaller, though. The only reason he even has anoles in with him are that I accidentally put two in that cage and don't feel like trying to catch them. Haha.
boidsonly
Member
2 anoles work better than a single anole-even if just 1 gets taken. Trick is to always have 2 anoles in at all times. They cause each other to move-a single anole may stay frozen most of the time and is difficult for the boa to zero in on.
Other tip:
-wash a PM. Remove a small section of an anole's tail and rub the open wound all over the head of the PM. Smash a tiny section of the tail and place on the PM snout. Remove small sections from a live/frozen anole as needed-one anole and its tail can go a long way.
Other tip:
-wash a PM. Remove a small section of an anole's tail and rub the open wound all over the head of the PM. Smash a tiny section of the tail and place on the PM snout. Remove small sections from a live/frozen anole as needed-one anole and its tail can go a long way.
cguarino30
Member
Also good tips. With regard to pinkies and anole soup, would it make sense to scent a large number of pinkies and refreeze, then to thaw as needed? My thoughts are that it would eliminate the need to discard the soup after 3-4 thaws if I used it all at once.