So I’ve been really interested in this species for a while now. When I saw this guy pop up, I needed to have him. I really like the high level of color he has. It took him a few weeks of settling in before he would eat for me, but now he’s eaten successfully twice for me, so I thought I would introduce him now. This is a Gila, a calabar! He seems to be a very chill little guy, loves making an intricate network of tunnels in his substrate. After I feel comfortable and confident with this species, I would like to get a female to try breeding.
Cool looking animal! I swore at first he had no eyes. 
10 Likes
They blend right in!
8 Likes
That’s awesome! Those are a great species.
9 Likes
He is so perfect! I have often thought about getting one, just as a pet, but I have not so far. Like I need another one! lol!
Congratulations @solarserpents I can’t wait until you find a female as I am still thinking? I hope this was ok to say?……. 
3 Likes
Isn’t He a Sand Boa? He reminds me of one I saw at a reptile show.
3 Likes
No @wmb1965 He is Calabar Boa. Calabars resemble sand boas a bit.
8 Likes
He’s not, but they do look kinda similar with those stocky bodies!
6 Likes
He is actually a Calabar Burrowing Python but is a type of boa 
5 Likes
I have 3.4, they are fun little critters.
I am sorry to inform you that they will lose a lot of that colour/contrast as they age. They still look good, just more drab and less pop
As a word of warning, these have proven to be a tricky species to breed. More people seem to be having success with second generation CBB animals, but as most of the ones out there are WC, we have not hit a good tipping point for reliable production. They are also pretty slow to grow up, my CH trio are still only on mouse fuzzies (though they are taking 4-5 at a sitting)
9 Likes
Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard! Still a challenge I would like to take on and worst case scenario I have two (or three) cool snakes that are just fun pets.
How old are your captive hatched ones and how much do they weigh? Since this one is wild caught, I’m not really sure of his age, but he weighs about 150 grams.
8 Likes
Very cool, I love Calabars! They’re so weird, they look like alien worms, I love it.
Best of luck with any future breeding attempts!
7 Likes
I hundred percent agree with you on this. That’s why I actually really want to own at least a pair one day.
6 Likes
I would have to check my records for the first and I have zero clue on the second since I have never thrown them on a scale. They are maybe the diameter of my thumb, whereas my biggest adult female is probably as big around as a bratwurst
4 Likes
I have one these named Wicket…he is so cool & interesting to me & an absolute sweetheart…& Im a sand boa breeder (just starting) so very interesting species… fun fact the fibers in skin is crossed not lined…besides 2 headed snake another is Rino snake fir there skin… I actually recommend everyone hold one if given the chance. Keep like a ball…kinda. but also like a burrowing snake. Super fun species 
congrats! On your addition!
3 Likes
Nest raiders thO…& mine is wild caught…I buy hundreds of frozens in bulk @ a time…& I still cant get him to eat f/t. Only down side…cause I drive about 30min to get live rat pups currently
3 Likes
Reclassified a few times…but officially boas!! Yes! Owed so many types of both…definitely more a boa in my none completely scientific opinion…after keeping one.
3 Likes
Cool little boa. I see a lot of potential for these, they might be pretty popular eventually. I wonder what an albino would look like.
5 Likes
So Gila had his first shed with me a little while ago. I was very curious to see how the shed might look and feel different than what I’m used to with corn sheds. It didn’t really feel any thicker or different, but what I did notice is that there’s a lot less skin between the scales than a corn snake shed, which makes sense of course, since they’re a less stretchy species than most. I took a couple pics under a little pocket microscope to compare sheds.
Calabar python shed, mostly scales, very little skin between:
Corn snake shed, of a similar weight (on a red background so you can see details), mostly skin with scales at the edges of the circle :
Another thing I’m curious about is his anal scale. It seems to be tucked or folded under itself. I thought it might self correct after his shed, but it didn’t. I’ve only ever seen this before occasionally on female corns after being bred. He seems to be moving/eating/pooping just fine, so I’m not too worried, just wondering if this is normal for the species?
8 Likes
That is an absolutely amazing comparison between the two!
4 Likes