Meet Benito, my Brazilian Rainbow Boa

[Catherine]

I posted a year ago that I was thinking of getting a Brazilian Rainbow Boa. I decided to do it.

Do meet Benito.

I can't believe I have done this.



He is very beautiful. 



He has perfect markings.
If you look at his side he has crescent moon markings down his side. He has 3 perfect lines on his face. 
We do think he is male. He is way smaller than a female littermate.

I met his mother and father yesterday. I will get pictures of them soon. There is a variation in background colour so I don't know how dark or light Benito will be. The father is a lighter colour phase and the mother is darker and  more of a copper red. 
Either way Benito is a BRB and that makes him an amazing snake.

Why Benito. He is Brazilian and needed a Spanish/Brazilian name.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...3WJKsNg297

Also it turns out there is a town in Manitoba called Benito.
https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&...VaRDFuC50_

Even better, Benito is the Spanish form of Benedict. So he is my little Benny.

Added bonus to the name, if Benny is actually a girl I can call her Benita. We know how often I get the gender wrong with reptiles. If he is a girl then in 4-5 years we will have babies.

I need to get newer pictures because Benito has grown a bit. He is nocturnal so I usually work with him at night with a purple light. I am not sure what colour he is right now.

[Libby]

Awwww I've been looking into getting one too!  So beautiful!  Gender swapping names are the best when it comes to reptiles.  I like the name very appropriate.  I expect pictures as he grows.



We are waiting for the exotic pet expo to see if we can get some new enclosures before we add any more snakes.
We are going to get something like this.
   
They come in parts.  The bottom 2 levels are what we would have.  Each door opens to a single enclosure but you can get them where the whole enclosure is the full length.  Our snake friend has one that's the full length and she loves it.  She has 3 others that are similar for her rainbow boas but they have sliding doors and the snakes are bad about peeing in the track so when you open the door you run the risk of splashing it everywhere.  I like the one where the door opens down and locks.

[Catherine]

Brazilian Rainbow Boas are considered the best as far as looks are concerned. Benito will keep the beautiful colouring all his life. It is really purple circles on a copper background. And of course there is a rainbow iridescence. BRB are the most beautiful snake ever.

You would love having one. 

I have seen those types of enclosures. A lot of people like them. The fact that they stack is good. They use less space and you can house a number of snakes in a small area.

So I wonder what your next snake will be.

Mine will be a couple of this year's babies or three. I am really looking at them and choosing wisely. I have so many pretty baby corn snakes. 

I only have one Benito and he is special.

[Tobi]

Benito is really very beautiful! Welcome to the Animal Lovers Web "Family", Benito!

I saw (a video of...not in real life) -an Indigo Snake tonight. They look very dark blue almost black, but when the light hits their scales, the scales are actually incredible iridescent colours like jewels. Too big to have as a pet though! They were (before the Burmese Pythons took over) the largest snake in Florida. But also very beautiful snakes. (Non-venomous.)

[Catherine]

Many of the snakes have that beautiful iridescence.  All the rainbow boas have it. Brazilian Rainbows are the only ones that have such incredible colour with the iridescence. That is why they are so special. Picture little Benito at 7 ft long with the same intense colour. Now that I have seen his parents I know what he will look like. I already knew in theory, but seeing is believing. 

The Indigo snake is beautiful. I just hope the Burmese pythons don't out compete them for the ecosystem. The Burmese are pretty dominant.

[Libby]

(10-09-2017, 03:48 PM)Catherine Wrote: Brazilian Rainbow Boas are considered the best as far as looks are concerned. Benito will keep the beautiful colouring all his life. It is really purple circles on a copper background. And of course there is a rainbow iridescence. BRB are the most beautiful snake ever.

You would love having one. 

I have seen those types of enclosures. A lot of people like them. The fact that they stack is good. They use less space and you can house a number of snakes in a small area.

So I wonder what your next snake will be.

Mine will be a couple of this year's babies or three. I am really looking at them and choosing wisely. I have so many pretty baby corn snakes. 

I only have one Benito and he is special.

So happy you got Benito.  It's such a cute name.  Very beautiful snake.  I haven't looked into how long it takes them to grow to full size.  They are like 7ft snakes once fully grown right?

The less space but not a compromise in enclosure size is what I love.  They are kinda expensive at $250 a level but I think it will be worth it.  The other plus is the snakes will feel safer because they are more enclosed.  I've looked into tubs but I don't really like them because I want display enclosures so I can see into them.  I have a lot of family and friends that like to see the snakes but aren't comfortable with them being out and I like for those people to see be able to see them.
We have been looking at Rainbow Boas and Blood Pythons.  I've been looking at Sand Boas too.  I still want a corn snake eventually but others have caught our eyes and corn snakes are pretty easy to find.

[Catherine]

Sand Boas are cute and they stay small. They have pretty colours.

I know a blood python. They don't get too long, but they get very thick. They also weight quite a bit. I can't lift them. Someone has to put the snake on me.

This is me holding a Blood Python. She is classy and not yet full grown.

If you get a chance to have a Brazilian Rainbow Boa don't turn it down. They are not that common.
I think they are close to 2 ft. to begin with. At 1 year Benito is about 3 ft. He is not that thick yet. They get about as thick as a Ball Python, but they are much stronger. I am going to work with Benito's parents at the reptile centre so I am prepared for how big he gets. (We just took on his parents this week because the owner has to go back home to look after family)

The boxes are expensive, but they are solid, secure and they display well.
I have tanks because I could get them second hand. I have bins, but I only use them for babies and temporary housing. Bins are good if a snake needs extra humidity for a while. I use bins to soak my snakes. 
For long term housing I don't like them. Even the clear bins are not really clear and you can't see your snakes.
Sometimes a temporary stay in a bin will get a poor feeder back on track. It can work for hibernating snakes too, if you have a species that needs hibernating.

Keeping snakes is an art and it takes a good instinct. You must find that you know your snakes and can understand their needs now that they have been with you for a while. 
I find there are things to learn with each new species you take on. They each have their differences and you need to understand those differences. 
Have fun setting up new enclosures.

I got a new picture of Benito.
It is hard to get a sense of his size but you can see his markings are really good. Iwill work at getting better pictures. After all, he is my special baby and I have so few pictures of him.

[Tobi]

It's easy to get an idea of Benito's size in the picture where you are holding him.

[Catherine]

He has grown since the picture in my hand. I waited before posting the first pictures. He was small and I wanted to make sure he started to eat properly and was doing okay before I introduced him to anyone.

I want to get a better picture of him now in proper light so I can see his true colours. I am not sure how dark he is. 
I want to take pictures of his parents so I can see who he resembles. They are both beautiful.

[Libby]

How is Benito doing?
My Brienne and Renly are getting big. Brienne especially she sheds about twice a month. I need to take a current picture of her. Shes grown even since the last picture I took of her.