BlumenBoas Links, Articles, and Helpful Info |
Here are a few of my favorite web sites that can help answer various questions, have great pictures of the various kinds of boas out there, and are a great place to talk with like minded boa enthusiasts! I have no affiliation with any of these web sites, they are just sites that I have found to be very useful: |
www.reptileinsider.com - This forum, run by Ed Lilley of Constrictors Northwest, has a terrific group of people and it is an excellent resource for information. Ed also makes some terrific cages - Pro-Line cages. |
| www.kingsnake.com - This website, run by Jeff Barringer, has a boa forum which is a terrific resource for information. I have saved some forum posts over the past few years that I thought were informational or entertaining to me, or might be to someone else in the future. There also is a large classifieds section on kingsnake. |
| www.redtailboas.com - This forum, run by Clay English, has a great community of boa enthusiasts along with a very well done boa care guide - a must read! I highly recommend this forum for the wealth of information and the wonderful, willing to help user base. |
| www.faunaclassifieds.com - This forum, run by Rich Zuchowski, has a section called the Board of Inquiry (BOI). This is a place where you can inquire about a breeder, company, or person to see if they have had problems with customers in the past. For the most part it is a good place to look for references before buying your reptile from someone. Be sure to use the search function before posting an inquiry about someone. There is a classifieds section as well. |
| www.gilbertboas.com - Chris Gilbert is taking on the daunting task of listing the boa phenotypes along with pictures and the origin of each phenotype. His list will definitely be a great resource! |
Here are a few web sites of my favorite breeders out there and these are not in any particular order: |
| www.classreptilia.com - I can personally vouch for Ron Michelotti as I bought one of my female DH Snows from him. He has some beautiful Sharps, and he is a great guy to deal with. He also was the first to create a Hypo Sharp Snow which he named the SnowGlow. |
| www.pkreptiles.com - Peter Kahl always has some unbelievable boas for sale, and he's the man we all need to thank for starting the albino craze! There also are some great articles on his site about genetics, IBD, and how the Kahl albino came to be. |
| www.basicallyboas.com - Mike Wietzman is another breeder that has some incredible animals, especially his Sharp strains! His Paradigm boa is a beautiful example of what hard work and thinking outside of the box can do! |
| www.salmonboa.com - Rich Ihle is THE man when it comes to the beautiful salmon boa. He has some absolutely stunning animals, and there are some great articles that can be found on his site. |
| www.vpi.com - Dave and Tracy Barker have done a lot to further the herp hobby over the years. Not only have they stood up to potential legislation in Texas, they have always been willing to share their information to help further the hobby. If you don't already own it, you must buy their very well done DVD, All About Boa Constrictors. There also is a wealth of information on their website not only about boas, but pythons as well. Their snakes are truly out of this world too! |
| www.boaconstrictor.com - Jeremy Stone has an incredible collection of boas, and is the man to thank for the incredible motley boa! |
| www.theboaphile.com - Jeff Ronne probably doesn't realize how many people he has assisted with successfully breeding their boas over the years. His breeding information that was first published in Reptiles magazine in November 1996 has helped a lot of people unravel the mystery of breeding boas. Jeff also makes some fine cages as well. |
| www.allboas.com - I've always enjoyed checking out William "Gray" Rushin's website. Not only does he have a beautiful collection of boas, he shares his knowledge and experience with having them. His website is certainly an inspiration! |
| www.locolizards.com - Mark Miller was the first person to create a Hypo Snow, and as such had the privledge of naming it - the moonglow. |
| http://www.burkereptiles.com/ |
| http://www.dmexotics.com/ |
| http://millerreptiles.com/ |
| http://www.sierraserpents.com/ |
| http://www.scoriaboa.com/ |
Here are a list of suppliers that I personally use for various items: |
| www.themousefactory.com - Great service, high quality selection of rats, and terrific packaging. I highly recommend them! |
| www.superiorenterprise.com - I order my shipping supplies from this company. |
| www.bigappleherp.com - Big Apple has a terrific selection of herp related supplies, and they have excellent customer service. |
| www.lllreptile.com - LLL Reptile is another company that has a terrific selection of herp related supplies and great customer service. |
| Degei Husbandry Database - a great computer program to keep track of your boas and their husbandry. |
| www.uline.com - I order the corrugated wrap that I use for liners in my cages from Uline. |
| www.visionproducts.us - I ordered my baby rack from Vision Products. Not only was it a breeze to put together, it has worked well. Their customer service is terrific as well. |
| www.boaphileplastics.com - Jeff Ronne makes quality cages that work well for housing your boas. |
| www.cagesbydesign.com - I use Cages By Design cages to house some of my boas. They work fine, and if you're interested in buying a Cages By Design cage (they're unfortunately not cheap), feel free to email me for some tips on why they work for me. |
Here is a list of links to boa caresheets that I have found on the internet. I advise taking them all in and keep in mind that many of the caresheets you find on the internet have a few items that might be incorrect or outdated.
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| Red Tail Boas General Care Guide - I believe this is one of the best care guides out there that covers pretty much everything. Definitely start with this one! |
| Melissa Kaplan's Red-Tail Boa Care - Melissa has a lot of great information in her care guide as well as the rest of her site. Spend a few hours on her website, it's time well spent! |
| VPI Common Boa Constrictors Information and Care - Dave and Tracy have years of experience keeping boas, and this is a terrific care sheet on the proper care of boas. |
| Rio Bravo Reptiles Care Sheet (for BCC's) |
| Western New York Herpetological Society Care Sheet |
| Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians - Find a vet in your area that specializes in herps! |
| Reptile Emergency Preparations - How to be prepared for emergencies if you own a reptile. |
Books that cover general care and other information on boas: |
| The Boa Constrictor Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli, Roger K. Dum, Jeff Ronne - you should be able to find this excellent book at most major pet store chains or on Amazon. It also includes the breeding information that was published in the Reptiles Magazine in 1996 by Jeff Ronne. |
| The Reproductive Husbandry of Pythons and Boas by Richard Ross and Gerald Marzec - This out of print book (published in 1990) is a terrific resource that is a must have. You can usually find copies on Ebay for sale. |
| Designer Morphs by John Berry - This book has incredible pictures and covers just about every boa and python morph out there. |
| The Complete Boa Constrictor by Vincent Russo - The name of the book says it all. Vin Russo has traveled all over the world viewing boas in their natural habitat. This book is a great resource to learn more about locale specific boas from a man who knows a lot about them. |
| Reptile Medicine and Surgery by Douglas Mader |
| Reptile Care: An Atlas of Diseases and Treatments by Fredric L. Frye |
Here is a list of links to articles for some great information. I take no responisibility if you follow any of the advice in the following webpages, I'm merely providing links to help others find information: |
| Inclusion Body Disease (IBD) by Melissa Kaplan - Melissa has some great information and links to other IBD articles. |
| Another excellent article/paper on IBD |
| Forum post by BW Smith about IBD wiping out his collection of boas |
| Follow up forum post by BW Smith about IBD wiping out his collection of boas |
| The Life History of Snake Mites - VPI.com |
| Mites: What to do about them |
| Genetics Wizard |
| Reptile Genetics (NERD) |
| Class Reptilia Genetic and Morphological Terms |
| Chad Horne Listing of Genetic Outcomes |
| Buddha Boa Genetic Breeding Explained |
| Redtailboas.com forum thread - What do you get when you breed what with what... |
| Genetics 101 (VMSherp.com) |
| Genetics 201 (VMSherp.com) |
| Genetics 301 (VMSherp.com) |
| Genetics 401 (VMSherp.com) |
| Genetics 501 (VMSherp.com) |
| Possible Het "Tid Bit" - from Ralph Davis |
| Hets...What Are They? (Part 1) - from Ralph Davis |
| Hets...What Are They? (Part 2) - from Ralph Davis |
| Boaphile Breeding article from November 1996 Reptiles Magazine |
| Rio Bravo Reptiles Breeding Information |
| Constrictors Northwest Breeding Information |
| Ultrasounds of baby boas - Sierra Serpents (Linda Hedgpeth) |
| Snake Sexing Methods |
| Video on how to sex snakes - Kathy Love (CornUtopia) |
| Snakes as "Pets" |
| State and Local Laws Governing Exotic Pets |
| Exotic Animal Pet Laws/Legislation/Political Links |
| Animal Law.com |
| Help! My Snake Won't Eat |
| Feeding Your Snake Outside the Cage? - Why it is not a good idea.... |
| An excellent alternative to rats for your boas (feeding chicken) |
| Nutrient Composition of Whole Vertebrate Prey |
| A Discussion on Live vs. Frozen Feeder Rodents |
| Captive Reptiles and Public Safety…The Numbers Don’t Lie!! - An article on the number of reptile related deaths compared to other types of fatalities. |
| Statistics on Human Fatality Linked to Captive Reptiles (2001) - Rio Bravo Reptiles |
| Treating and Preventing Venomous Snake Bites - U.S. F.D.A. |
| Venomous Snakebite Information - maintained by the National Library of Medicine |
| Common Reptile Drugs and Dosages |
| Home Medications and Cures for Common Illnesses and Injuries of Reptiles |
| CNAH - The Center for North American Herpetology |
| Snakes of North America |
| Snakes of New Jersey |
| Anatomy of a snake |
| How to build an easy rack cage system for boas - Rio Bravo Reptiles |
| A cheap IKEA-based rack |
| How to build a 4x2 enclosure for $100 |
| A Double Arboreal Cage for Emerald Boas |
| Faux Rock Construction - How to make fake rocks for your cage. |
| Build a cage with a rock wall |
| Making fake rock walls in your enclosure |
| Building false rocks for your enclosure |
| Wiring Flexwatt |
| How to mount and use Flexwatt |
| Flexwatt - where to buy and how to install |
| A forum thread written by Jeff Ronne (Boaphile cages) about the safety of using PVC cages |
| How to ship a snake - Allboas.com |
| Basic Overview of Shipping Reptiles - Clay Davenport |
| Moving and Shipping Reptiles - Melissa Kaplan [please note that it is illegal to ship snakes via USPS] |
| Foam insulated shipping boxes |
| Old National Geographic picture (1931) of an Anaconda skin |
| Snakes and Illegal Drugs |
| The Divine Serpent in Myth and Legend |
| Fear of Snakes Drive Pre-Human Evolution |
| The myth of snake evil |
| Snake origin theories spark venomous debate |
| The truth behind snake charming |
| The meaning of the word Ophidiophobia |
| Python-Tracking Puppy Trains to Patrol Everglades |
| Python vs. Alligator Video - MSN Video |
| Two-headed boa - Roussis Reptiles |
| Cartoons with snakes in it |
| Differential Theory of US Armed Forces (Snake Model) - humor |
Here is a list of cage suppliers that haven't already been listed above: |
| http://www.animalplastics.com/ |
| http://pmherps.com/racks.html |
All images and content © 2009 Blumen Boas, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. |