BCC or BCI

[tatdaddy]

8) Hello
Well I just got my first redtail bout 2 and 1/2 weeks ago.
I got her from a local pet shop. The lady there told me that
she was a BCC. I am having trouble telling if she is.

I know that a BCC has 20 or more saddles and a BCI
has 20or less. My ? is where do you stop counting ?
Also she has some pink on her sides and her tail is pretty bright.

I hope to post a pic with in a week so that someone can tell me
just what she is and what trates she might have.

Just one more ? she is about 5 months old now and she is 24" long and not verey thick. Is that normal?

thanks to anyone who might be able to help me!

[ClayEnglish]

Re: BCC or BCI

It is really going to take a picture for us to help. Either that or the one of those mind reading hotlines. ;D ;D

[Red]

Re: BCC or BCI

I had the same problem at first with my boa's. You can do a head to vent scale count... This can be very difficult if you have a squirmer... My larger boa was easy..(big scales) My baby was realy hard she just moved all of the time... I hade to get a non-toxic marker and put a lil' number on each scale... Well any way if you count the scales then we could tell you...
Eric aka...Red

[payeager]

Re: BCC or BCI

Do I have it wrong? I understood that the BCC had 20 or less and the BCI had 21 or more saddles from behind the head to her vent?

The best way I have found to reach an accurate ventral, midbody and subcaudal scale count is to use a newly shed skin. (if it's a full shed)

Then again, every scale count on my boa leads me to believe she's a BCC, but every person that I have asked and sent pictures to say she's a BCI Columbian. ??? (check out my post "A little confused..." under "Boa Constrictor Morphs".)

[tatdaddy]

Re: BCC or BCI

s34.gif Well I hate to have to tell every one this.
My little girl has passed on. Here is my story.

I bought her from a local pet store about a month ago.
I put her in a 20gal. glass tank. I put a Zoo Med UTH
on the side of the tank where the screen was. I used
aspen for bedding with a layer of news paper under it.
I had a water bowel, a hide box(half of a log) and a grape
vine branch in her enclouser. I was useing a towel to cover
the top of the tank to keep the humidity between 50% -60%
I used a 60 watt buld during the day time. The temp stayed
between 90-95 on the warm side and 80-85 on the cool side.

I was feeding her every 4-6 days. About two weeks ago
she cwm8.gif. So I did what Clays care she said to do.
A few days after she cwm8.gif i saw that she had mites.
I went to the local pet shop (not the one I got her from)
I got some Mite Guard and followed the instructions.
I took every thing out of her tank, washed the in side of it out
and put the Mite Guard in with 3 layers of news paper on top.
Then I put her water bowel back in.

She was in there for about a week with just the news paper. Then this morning I went to turn on the light in her
tank and she was belly up. She was laying on the side where
thw UTH was and when removed her she was verey hot.

I am thinking that mabey it got to hot and she over heated.
If anyone thinks or has any thoughts of what I did wrong please
inform me so that this may never happen again.

Thank you
Joshua

[Josh]

Re: BCC or BCI

Im shure the snake did not have chance when you bought it. I have never seen a snake in a pet store that didnt have mites. I bought my first boa from a pet and she was coverd in mites. Thankfully I cought them fast enough and now she is doing just fine.

If you want to buy another boa I would buy one of Clays that he has for sale right now. Stay away from pet stores!


-Josh

[Guest]

Re: BCC or BCI

Sorry about the Boa,

But if you get a new one I would definitly buy one from Clay.  I would have bought from Clay myself if I had found this site before I went boa shopping. I was lucky enuff to find a good local petshop.

[boaz]

Re: BCC or BCI

Hi
Sorry about your snake.The same thing happened to my first boa and it was cause of the heat.But the petstore gave me a new healthy boa and I have had no problems with him since that.

[tatdaddy]

Re: BCC or BCI

Wow I forgot about this post. I have scence got a new boa from clay and he is doing ust fine. I am getting ready for my new boa also from clay. She should be here mid march.
good luck with you boa ;D

[Red]

Re: BCC or BCI

There are those that think infact argue that a columbian is a bcc so I don't know... By the way it is jeff ronne.. There are place's in the wild that the colombian and the well I can't reamember what the other boa's name is but it is a bcc reigons cross and some cross breeding occers...
Eric aka...red

[UnFazedSlim]

Re: BCC or BCI

I am a fan of local pet shops. I work for one, and work very hard to make sure our reptiles are in good health. I do not work for one of those giant Walmart type stores...it is a local mom and pop run shop. I do see the advantage of shopping with reputable breeders like Clay or Jeff!!, but the local shop can be just as good of a place. For instance I never sell a reptile that has not eaten, I personaly buy panacure (spelling?) and administer it to all new reptiles we receive in, and lastly I check them over for mites, and yes even quarantine them before adding them to the public display cages. Most of this is done of my own time and money, but I don't mind because it is for the good of the animals. So before you knock the local pet shop...go in there ask a few questions and see for yourself if they are worth buying from. You never know, you may run into someone like me. Besides the little shops can offer better customer service than those big places.
~Slim (Future reptile pet shop owner...I hope)

[tatdaddy]

Re: BCC or BCI

Slim it is good to see that someone out there is takeing the proper steps to insure that the reptiles are getting the proper care. I am not sayin gthat all pet store's are bad. It has just been my experince most small and large pet shops that I have been to don't have the first clue about careing for any kind of snake or any reptile for that matter.

Again thankyou for takeing the proper steps to make sure that the animales that you take care of are properly cared for.


Cpl.Hanson
USMC 29Palms
s32.gif

[LORI]

Re: BCC or BCI

unfazedslim....

We don't knock ALL pet stores. The problem is that the majority of them are best off not carrying and/or selling reptiles though. For the most part MOST of the pet stores I have run across.. HIGHER %  of them that is, cause more damage to the health and well being of reptiles and have just the making of a quick buck or so in mind...AND that is ALL that they are interested in ! NOT the health and well being of the reptiles , or even the supplying of any type of accurate information/education in properly keeping any of the species which they are offering for sale

Kudos to you for making a difference in this area though. NOW if only there were MORE shops in existance that did such rather than more that do NOT.....

[redtailedmel]

Re: BCC or BCI

some pet stores are very nasty with theor reptiles, i have been lucky enough that i have always gotten good conditioned animal from mine well of course my dad owns it, hehe and ive seen where the snakes were bred at. but recently since my dad no longer has time for a pet store and does something else for a living i took the risk and bought one from a pet shop in texarkana texas, i went in a few times to see her before i bought her and none of the times did she have mites or looked ill or was her enclosure nasty, the only thing was the lady that feeds them said she didnt like her LOL well she seemed to like me till i got her home lmao the lil stinker bites HEHE but is doing better