Sonoran Desert Boa Constrictor?

[Boabrat]

Heya folks,

 I have run into a breeder/wholesale supplier who specializes in 'Sonoran Desert Boas', and after a whole lot of searching I have found next to nothing about this subspecies. I have seen only one website with any real information, and that was mainly about morphs of the Sonoran's, including a dwarf boa that only gets about 30" long.  cwm13.gif  I was wondering if any of you all have had any experiences or dealing with Sonorans, or could suggest a decent reference source. I like to know about/learn what I can about species of snakes before I start stocking up on them.

-John da BoaBrat

[azdesertman]

umm do you mean like rosy boas?

[Boabrat]

No, not Rosies. These are BCI Boa Constrictors, I am guessing a variant on Mexican/Cemtral American Boas, but the couple pictures I have seen they are slightly different in coloration. The couple pics I have seen their have gthe classic BCI heads and saddles, with a darker colored tail. They also tend to be more brownish in color.

[ksshane]

Although I havent dealt with them personally.. I would assume you keep, and breed them just like other bci.

[Boa_Keeper]

I posted this on the Idler Boa Forum in Regards of Sonoran Boas...

There is also a couple pics there, if you like to see them.

Cheers, Luis.



Sonoran Boas have been around for a while...

Sonoran Boas have not been very popular due to their nervous temperament. Well, that was until the appearance of the Leopard Boas came out from Europe, Germany I think.

Leopards are a genetic mutation of Boas from the Sonora Locality. They are Bci

The care for a Sonoran Boa is no different than of a Common Boa. Heat requirements are the same. Humidity requirements are the same.

I have had once a Sonoran Boa in my collection. I had this one male that never grew over 3.2 ft long.

And I fund a thick 4 ft female that was like 16 years old, but was not able to purchase her. Eventually I sold the male.

Some people claim that there has been records of Sonoran Boas found in Arizona. Obviosly those were imported illigally from Mexico. Sonoran Boas are not fund for about 200 miles from the USA border.

The Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson Arizona has Reproduced Sonoran Boas succesfully for many years.

Beaware that some people sell Sonoran Boas as Peruvian Long Tail Boas, as some specimens appear remarcably close to B c longicauda.

If I think of more info I will post it here.

Regards, Luis

[AZ_Dragoon]

Since I have returned to the hobby, I have become somewhat amused at the Sonoran boa phenomenon. Back in the 1970's through 1985 when I left BC breeding, we could hardly give away our captive born offspring. These were usually from wildcaught BCI, formerly referred to as B. c. mexicana from Sonora and Sinaloa. We usually ended up selling them to local pet stores for $20 each and could not always move them at that price if they aready had lighter colored common boa babies. And other another note, the locality specific Sonoran boas did not look any different in general appearence than other locality specific BCI from Central America, specifically Panama, that I have seen. It is no wonder that B. c. "mexicana" was placed in the synonmy of B. c. imperator long ago. They were usually very dark colored boas with a nasty temperament. I have never seen any light colored "mexicana" nor pink ones although many being produced at the ASDM did have some pinkish or salmon lateral scales. Being located in Tucson, AZ all these years I am about 200 miles from their natural habitat and have seen many. And no, they do not range into AZ although escaped boas pop up every once in awhile, like in any city. Average adult size was in the 6' range.

I am not saying some of these morphs do not exist in the wild, I just do not have any experience with them. I have seen some remarkable cross breeding done with Lampropeltis alterna as the base species and I suppose this could be done with any of the BC ssp. to produce "locality specific" morphs, etc., when in affect they are not. Again, I am not saying this has been done, just that it is a possibility.

Others mileage may vary...

Kevin

[ddr]

~~~~o.
I bring up this old thread again because it is about Sonoran.
I just recently bought a BCI "Mexican" the paper says.
Pic: http://daydreamer.xcomputer.se/Bilder/Mexikanaren/slides/DSCF0113.JPG
Just wounder what kind of mexican it could be?
What i do know is that it was brought here to Sweden about 5 months ago and now the Weight is 112 grams.
The snake is very well taken care of.
The guy i bought him from said it was a Dwarf boa from mexico (as the paper from the breeder says.)
nOw i am curious what u guys think about it.
I will try to get in touch with the breeder A.S.A.P.


(sorry for my bad english, Hope you understand anyway)

[j_becwar]

I live in tucson too and I know that they do not live in Arizona and I doubt that they acually live in the sonoran desert at all. As for the desert museum I would also doubt that reproduced sonoran boas if they are not from the sonoran desert. I could be mistaken about this but I have only seen animals there that live in the wild around the Tucson area, and I haven't been there for a couple of years but I don't remember ever seeing one.

All the maps that I have seen of the Sonoran Desert are a little different but here a couple to give you an idea of where it lays.

This map is from the university of arizona and if this shows the real boundaries of the sonoran desert than i doubt that the sonoran is from there.
http://www.ispe.arizona.edu/research/suuase/
If the desert goes down as far as this map shows than there is a good posibility that this boa could really be from the sonoran desert. The first picture was taken just outside of tucson and it may explain why I believe that the sonoran boa must live much farther down south. It is just too dry and hot for a boa to live here at the US Mexico border.
http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/51310.htm



I found this on the arizona sonora desert museum web site and thought it was funny after what Kevin said about boas popping up in cities

http://www.desertmuseum.org/edu/faq_desert.php
[quote]What kind of snake is in my yard? We can tell you the most likely candidates. There are any number of possibilities--including your neighbor's escaped pet boa constrictor! [quote]

[ddr]

not shure if you did that reply to me or what?

[j_becwar]

Sorry ddr, i was replying to the original post. As for mexican boas I have no clue. I heard once that mexican boas are a little smaller, that they are more aggresive, and that they hiss louder but really i have no clue. If you find out any info from the breeder I would be interested in hearing it. Sorry I don't have any info -jamie

[ddr]

Ok.. tnx anyway mate. Will let u know as soon as i talk to the breeder.
Here is another pic:
http://daydreamer.xcomputer.se/Bilder/Mexikanaren/slides/DSCF0095.JPG
She shure is small.
And she can hiss like no other snake i have ever heard.
Yesterday i heard her hiss from another room and the snake was in her cage.
(my 4 year old boy was a little to ancious to see her)

/Robban Sweden

[ddr]

A little update.
The german Breeder don`t know if it`s Sonoran or tarahumara boa`s he has been breeding? (beat`s me why he don`t look it up).
I will post pics on my lady and her Brother and sister who a friend of mine owns.
Now we know the date of birth 2005-05-11 (weight under 150 grams)

Here is a pic : http://daydreamer.xcomputer.se/Bilder/Mexikanskan/slides/IMG_0372.JPG

/best regards Robban Sweden