HUGE finds...

...but in a small package.

Another species which I have been seriously deesperate to find locally is the Rubber Boa. I know they exist in my area...it was just of matter of timing.

Last night, my girlfriend, my daughter, and I took a quick cruise around some back roads...again...and found 2 Rubber Boas, chillin' in the middle of the road, less than 20 feet from each other, heading in opposite directions. So...Kaylee(my GF) collected one for herself, and Zayne(my daughter) and I collected the other for her.

So here they are, in all their glory...one of my most favorite native species, Charina bottae...Rubber Boa:



Kaylee's sub-adult, at about 14" long, and still showing the faint pinkish tones of a juvenile.



Zayne's juvenile. This one is only about 8" long, and was probably born late last summer...around September or October. It still has an intense pink tone.

Thanks for Looking!

Very cool Chris!
I swear - the next time I make it out that way I desperately need to go herping with you guys!

Finally!! Have you determined what sex they are yet? Would you need a permit to breed them? They are beautiful! I think we need a Florida field trip to Chris and Kaylee's neck of the woods!

Suh-weeeet! I've been waiting for this update. Very cool finds. They look great. I know a lot of wild rubber boas are scarred up, but those look pretty unmarked.

Chris, that is a great find, I have been wanting a pair of Rubbers for a long time. Lucky SOB..

YAYYYYYY!!! I'm so pleased you found one, aren't they adoreable. Thats a particuarly light specimen...

WOW, what an incredible find!! HUGE congrats!
I have always wanted a pair but I have heard they are finicky feeders.
Please let us know how they do for you!

Super cool Chris. Very nice.

Nanci-
I believe they are a male and a female...but it doesn't really matter. I would need a propogation permit to breed them, and I don't plan on getting one very soon. They are also both young. Kaylee's is a sub-adult, and Zayne's is a young juvenile. That is why the color is particularly bright and pinkish, rather than shiny and grey.

I also found out a particularly interesting piece of information...apparently, Rubber Boas have been known to live for up to 40 years in the wild...

As for feeding...whose to say? What is "difficult"? You just have to be willing to provide what they want to eat. Rubbers are fond of rodents in the wild, so getting them to eat live or f/k mice shouldn't be too much of a stretch...

Originally Posted by Roy Munson

Suh-weeeet! I've been waiting for this update. Very cool finds. They look great. I know a lot of wild rubber boas are scarred up, but those look pretty unmarked.

Yea...I was pretty shocked at how clean and unscathed these two are. Let me tell you the story...

We were cruising up a road that is known locally for being a rubber boa "hotspot" at very specific times of night and year. We had been cruising for about an hour and hadn't seen anything.

This is a back mountain road...lots of twists and turns, steep drop offs on the right and a cliff wall on the left(as you head up). Out of nowhere, a car came flying up behind us. So we picked up speed to find a pullout and let him pass. Another car was coming down in the other lane, and out of nowhere..."Snake!". And Not 2 seconds later, at about 30mph..."Crap! Another one!".

Kaylee pulled over on a very narrow shoulder, edged by a huge, steep dropoff. If I had opened my door and stepped out, I would have fallen very far. We didn't think they would still be alive after us, the car behind us, and the car in the other lane...but we flipped around to look anyhow.

And there they were...both of them completely unscathed, about 15 feet apart, heading in opposite directions. I would have LOVED to let Zayne catch hers by herself, but it was a REALLY bad spot...blind corner, heading down a steep hill...so I just ran over and picked it up real fast, and immediately gave it to her to hold. Kaylee grabbed hers herself, and as soon as she got back in and closed the door, a car came up the hill in the same lane as the snakes, and another came down VERY quickly behind us. It was close...but we got them both...safely.

And those are the only two snakes we saw all night...not even a D.O.R. gophersnake...