Sudden color change?

[justinw]

I have a hypo harlequin boa and he has suddenly gotten way more pink in color. Is this normal for them to brighten up with age, it was my understanding they got darker? It happened sometime within the last week, cause I got him out today to put him in a new larger enclosure and was literally like "wow". I'm sorry if this is common knowledge, I'm really new to boas and only keep gtp's. I did feed him last night (didn't see him though cause he grabbed the prey from out of his hide) so my other question is do they brighten up after eating, could it be an indication of stress, impending shed, temps too high, temps too low etc.

Here's a photo of him I posted a little while back. He looked more pink at the time of the photo it's just hard to capture that color.


And here's a photo from earlier once again he looks even pinker than in the photo due to me not being able to capture it.




I wish I could get better pictures of how much he changed but you get the idea.

thanks everybody, Justin.

[Noelle7206]

Re: Sudden color change?

It's completely normal for boas to mess with your mind doing subtle color changes, going lighter or darker...& probably for reasons known only to them. I think it may show up more impressively on a light-colored
boa such as yours, which is very pretty, by the way. They may change some as they age too, but the changes I mean are the temporary ones like you're seeing....over the course of hours or days.

For every one who gets "tired" of their hair color & just has to modify it, this is yet another reason we pitiful humans can be jealous of snakes.

[Lampalagua]

Re: Sudden color change?

That color looks insane!

[Morgans Boas]

Re: Sudden color change?

They do get brighter , until a certain age - typically about 2 yrs or more, then
they slow down In growing / metabolism - . Once they are approaching breeding age ,then their looks don't seem so vibrant .

[justinw]

Re: Sudden color change?

Thanks ya'll for answering my questions! I wasnt aware they could change so drastically in such a short time frame, almost reminds me of a crested gecko fireing up. Ill keep my fingers crossed that he keeps his new colors for good haha.

Thanks, Justin.

[Reptilejunkie]

Re: Sudden color change?

Wow!! With any luck the color will continue to do that for you

[Jrock23]

Re: Sudden color change?

Thats a nice color change, boas keeps you on your foots. I would have woke up and said where this snake come from LOL..

[natieb]

Re: Sudden color change?

almost reminds me of a crested gecko fireing up

That's a good comparison actually. I have a couple of pastel boas that can swing from almost papery white to drab and grey from one day to another. They definitely tend to darken up after a meal; I'd guess it helps them absorb heat better in the wild for digestion.

[McCarthyBoas]

Re: Sudden color change?

His color change is normal just as Morgans Boas said. Here are some pictures to show you how the color changes over the years with a hypo boa.

All these pictures are of the same male DH Sunglow boa. I need to get some new pictures of this guy now as he is 7’ long and around 25 lbs now.

2009












2010



2011



2012






Take care
Tom

[Boxingboa]

Re: Sudden color change?

Very very cool.