Just got a new Durm... few questions

Discussion in 'Boas' started by Belletair, Jul 15, 2011.

  1. Belletair

    Belletair New Member

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    Hello everyone.

    A couple of days ago I went to a local pet store to get some little mice, as my rodent pro order won't be in for a while. I was just looking around when waiting and noticed a little Dumeril boa marked down to $75 from $160. I offered the guy $50 for it as he said the snake just won't sell... and he took it. So I walked out with a bag of mice and a bag of little boa. :p

    My main question is, how fast do these guys grow? She's two years old and seems rather small to me, about 20-24". Not unhealthy feeling at all, quite firm and a nice pattern. Just extremely small. I dunno, maybe I'm just too used to the red tails. The last one I got is about a year old now (had it for a year, got it soon after birth) and is getting close to 4ft.

    My other question is, are Dumeril boas always so freakin' jumpy? I so much as touch her and she just takes off, yanks her body away from me and such.

    She seemed like a healthy snake, and is extremely nice when I'm holding her. I just don't know a whole lot about Dumerils as I've never owned one, so I don't have the experience of watching one grow.

    I figured it was time to branch out from RTBs only though. :p
     
  2. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  3. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Congrats on your new little boa :) I unfortunately don't have any experience keeping Dumerils but I didn't want your topic to go unanswered... From what I can tell through a bit of research online is just that they usually are about 6 feet... it doesn't give any sort of a time line for growth though :-/ Sorry!
     
  4. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  5. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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    Hey Belletair, good choice on a dum-dum! I love these guys, particularly their heads... really beautiful snakes

    I don't own any dums although have considered it... its my understanding they are quite slow growers though. Obviously the frequency at which you feed and the size of the prey item are going to play the biggest roles in the rate of growth, but being a terrestrial and realtivity laid back snake, I'd avoid going overboard or power feeding. My experience shows that once most snakes are large enough to begin taking medium and large rats, they begin to grow before your eyes LOL

    I have a couple of friends who raise these guys, I'll see what I can do about getting ahold of them for more specific details. I know one has had a male for about 2yrs that he purchased as a newborn and the snake is only about 3ft or so at best...so they are definitely not like RTB's when it comes to growing.

    As for being skittish, I've heard juvies can be pretty darn jumpy (as with most snakes) and I'd wager with yours only being a couple of feet in length your looking at an animal somewhere in the 12-18 month range (just a guess!). I'm sure with more positive interaction the little fella will calm down - odds are he wasn't handled or touched much throughout most of his life in the shop.

    Congrats on the new boa! = )
     
  6. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  7. Belletair

    Belletair New Member

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    Thanks for the replies, appreciate it! :)

    Well she's no longer skittish in the least... I'm thinking it was just the shock of being uprooted from where she had lived for the previous year+ and put in a new tank. Now she's just plain awesome, super laid back. Every night I see her in there exploring and trying to get out... no more hiding and running away whenever I enter the room.

    What's also awesome is that she'd been on live food her entire life, and took to a f/t rat right away. It was kinda funny, she struck at it a half dozen times giving of a hiss and being all defensive. Then she just went up to it and ate it. Was awesome to watch. XD

    I'm not too concerned about the dum's size, as she's completely healthy. I'll just start feeding her on a regular basis and see what happens (not a fan of power feeding either).

    Thanks again for the replies. ^_^
     
  8. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  9. StikyPaws312

    StikyPaws312 Moderator

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    Oh good! I'm glad she's doing much better :)
     
  10. JEFFREH

    JEFFREH Administrator

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  11. Belletair

    Belletair New Member

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    She is, yeah. Still more skittish than I'm used to but oh well, don't really care. She's healthy and eating well. ^_^
     

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