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Expo pickup

Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)

Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z)

Zookeeper
This weekend in the PDX area, an Exotic and Unusual Animals Fair is taking place. We went--we had a corn snake to deliver to Jessicat. Z and I arrived hours earlier, due to a wreck on I-5 that really slowed Jessica and her mom down.

Cruising through the disappointingly small expo, we still saw some cool creatures--Lions and Tigers and Camels, oh my! We also visited the herp section. Just wanted to buy some frozen mice. Then we came alongside a table full o'pretties--including one little non-feeder fella. I got him for $20, which was 1/4 or less what was being charged for his feeding siblings. Here he is!

babyBCI1a.jpg


Never in a hundred bezillion years did I think I'd EVER bring home a BCI, but here he is, nonetheless. I got him 'cause he was cheap, and because I figured that if nothing else, I could tube feed him until he started to eat, and if he someday gets too big for my comfort, I'm sure I can find a nice home for him. I just didn't like the thought that this little guy might starve.

But the coolest thing of all? He ate a F/T fuzzy mouse as soon as we got home! He was born August 24th, and this was his first meal, ever :). Whether it was because he finally was hungry enough to eat, or because the hour-long ride home stimulated his appetite, I don't know. Nor do I care, so long as he ate! He struck twice and missed both times, actually hitting the fuzzy strong enough to send it flying. The third time was the charm, and he swallowed it down without any problem.

So now I have a snake that's going to get big. How big? I'm not even sure. I guess I'm going to have to do some research :). I already know his temp and humidity range, but that's about it. As for a name? I don't know, yet. He's a tiny guy compared to his siblings who have been eating since they were born, so maybe it'll be something to do with his size. Or maybe his fiesty personality. Whatever we call him, we will love this cute little guy.

Soooo.... whatcha think?
 
Males are usually smaller than females. Depending his locality, he may get 6-7feet. He could get bigger, but probably not. He's a nice looking BCI. What's him name? Do you have a Kieran yet?
 
No name, yet. I like Kieran, though. Does it mean anything in particular?

This snake's dad is 5' long, and his mom is 8' long. They're pretty. I hope he stays on the smaller side, though. I really don't want some monster snake :).
 
Nice little guy! He will be small for a while yet, and by the time he isn't, I am sure you will be too attached to give him up! Ask Kokopelli for help, he knows his BCI care, and I am sure can give you pointers. I love the little bit of pink blush on his cheek, so cute!

Edit: if snakes are like humans, you can guesstimate that he won't be all that big with a 5' dad & and 8' mom. Not likely to exceed 6 1/2' if the human estimating scheme applies. And I am pretty darn sure I have read on reliable websites that how fast a BCI gets to their adult length depends on feeding, so once you get this little guy well started, you can keep him from growing at maximum speed. Check with Oren (Kokopelli) -- he knows, I'm sure.
 
wstphal said:
Nice little guy! He will be small for a while yet, and by the time he isn't, I am sure you will be too attached to give him up! Ask Kokopelli for help, he knows his BCI care, and I am sure can give you pointers. I love the little bit of pink blush on his cheek, so cute!

Edit: if snakes are like humans, you can guesstimate that he won't be all that big with a 5' dad & and 8' mom. Not likely to exceed 6 1/2' if the human estimating scheme applies. And I am pretty darn sure I have read on reliable websites that how fast a BCI gets to their adult length depends on feeding, so once you get this little guy well started, you can keep him from growing at maximum speed. Check with Oren (Kokopelli) -- he knows, I'm sure.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice and info. Will do!
 
megaggie2002 said:
What a cutie!! So exciting to hear he ate for you; looks like it was meant to be!
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You may be right :). I didn't even have to ask Z for this one. I just looked at the snake sitting there all tiny and defiant, and Z said, "Oh, all right. $20 isn't much. You can have him". I about fell off my chair! Z is somewhat suspicious of my tiniest corn babies, let alone anything bigger than a pencil! LOL!

I just hope he keeps eating. I want him to live!
 
You can expect him to reach adult size within 3 years- the growth rate is very rapid during these first few years, after which it really slows down.
The fact that the parents are at that size may or may not serve as a good indication since we don't know what's their age- it is possible that they will grow a bit more in the next couple of years.(if they are both around 6-7 years old, than you should be quite safe).

is it a 100% male? from time to time, it is possible to miss at this age, and since the size is an issue for you, I suggest you have him probed again in like... a month.
 
Bringing home any sort of non-desert boa is a bad idea if you don't know the locales and gender for certain.

Hopefully he won't get too big for you.

Nice job getting him to eat somehow! I considered buying a crapload of non-feeding corns from someone here but decided I had enough to deal with at the moment. xD
 
Kokopelli, the breeder says it's a male, but to be safe, I'll have him probed in a month to be sure. I know that mistakes can and do get made when it comes to the gender of babies.

Shenzi, all I know is that he's a BCI. Good idea or bad, he's here, now, and we'll take the best care of him that we can. I knew that he could possibly get fairly big, although I hope he'll stay on the smaller end of the spectrum. Since his is not a "giant" species, I feel we can live with that :). If he had been a burmese python or an anaconda or a rock python, though, the owner/breeder couldn't have paid me enough to bring him home.
 
He won't reach 9-10 feet if it's a male.... unless it's not a BCI.
Probing would be the best course of action.
 
Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z) said:
Shenzi, all I know is that he's a BCI. Good idea or bad, he's here, now, and we'll take the best care of him that we can. I knew that he could possibly get fairly big, although I hope he'll stay on the smaller end of the spectrum. Since his is not a "giant" species, I feel we can live with that :). If he had been a burmese python or an anaconda or a rock python, though, the owner/breeder couldn't have paid me enough to bring him home.
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Amen to that! :laugh: I think a trio of 6-8 foot bull snakes is as big as I'll go, or a trio of the small boas (hoggies or Sonoran or similar).
 
Hog Isle can reach a good size too. I have a male that's 5.6 feet, easy. It's not the norm, and the former owner over-fed him like a lunatic... but still, it -can- happen
 
Ah, true. I saw an OLD ad for two female hoggies that were 7ft. I'm finding a lot of conflicting info on them.
 
It's not conflicting info... it's just the natural curve, an average is still a middle point between a range of sizes.
Regardless, Hog Isle are a safe bet, especially if you know the parents and can see their sizes.
I work with HogXColombian stock, and I can assure you that they are quite small... most males are around 4-4.5 feet at 3 years of age.
 
Kokopelli said:
He won't reach 9-10 feet if it's a male.... unless it's not a BCI.
Probing would be the best course of action.
Click to expand...

Yep, will take him to the herp store in awhile to have him probed. Certainly he was the smallest of his clutch--probably because he hadn't eaten up to yesterday.

I hope it's a male. We'll see! As for his species, I can only hope that the breeder has a clue what they're breeding! Certainly, his container was marked "BCI male. Nonfeeding. No guarantee".
 
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