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Stevie-eff
Snake mite
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
 Posted - 09/06/2011 : 16:50:15
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Hi all,
I have a female CB10 BRB. I purchased her in Feb 2011. I couldnt get an exact age from the shop, she was just marked up as CB10.
I am trying to determin her approx age. Can anyone out there offer any opinions?
She weighs approx 100g and last shed skin was 73 cm long.
She is active enough, really tame, sheds well, on average about every 5-6 weeks. She is eating 3 small mouse fuzzies a week, but i am just about to move her up a food size.
There are photos and videos of my her on this forum.
Can anyone hazzard a guess at her age?
Thanks
Steve |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 18:01:15
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| Steve, guessing a snake's age by size is unfortunately a *very* imprecise game. We could estimate by comparing against average weights for a given age, but that correlation would only be accurate assuming similar feeding schedules and genetics. Most baby Brazilians are born in the June to September timeframe, so somewhere between nine and 12 months is probably a good guess. I'll have to check at home though to see if her weight matches that range. Sorry I cannot be more definitive for you.... |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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flaboye
Hatchling
USA
178 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 18:17:16
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As Cliff mentioned, most breeders have clutches in the May/June to Sept/Oct range unless they are using ultrasound and other techniques which the place I worked did to have year round birthings. Also, as Cliff mentions, genetics and feeding schedules, size of prey items fed, frequency, etc., can make using this method very imprecise. I'm sure Cliff will have some "ranges" that should satisfy your query when he gets a chance to review his records.
As well, perhaps some others will pipe in for you and give their estimates based on their experiences and their current stock of CRB's.
Nice looking CRB by the way!
Joe |
0.1.0 Brazilian Rainbow
1.0.0 Hypo BCI
1.0.0 Columbian RedTail
1.0.0 Great Pyrenees
0.0.1 Armadillo under house |
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Stevie-eff
Snake mite
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2011 : 19:09:55
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Thanks for the replies folks,
I was guessing mid to late 2010, i knew it was a long shot but i also knew that some of the experience round here would offer an educated guess.
Steve
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CDN_Blood
Rainbow oddball
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 11:36:23
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I suppose taking a cross section and counting the rings is out of the question here, and I agree with everyone that it's next to impossible to know for sure, but at least you do know what year it was produced. A lot of people would never even get that far in their quest to discover their animal's age.
Slough rate is generally only accepted as an indicator of age for a mature - very mature animal. I have a Guyana Rainbow that's 4 years old and still moulting every 4 weeks like clock work, which is rather odd for that age. On the other hand, my Argentine Rainbow is a baby and doesn't moult quite that often (approx 5-6 weeks apart at the moment).
I also have a Solomon Island Tree Boa that only sheds twice a year (at best) which indicates that she's very mature if not actually old. This is a good illustration of why one shouldn't put *too* much weight behind the shed cycles as age indicators because there are so many other factors which drive it, such as food intake and environmental factors.
If you trust the CB10 label it's been tagged with, you're probably quite safe to say it was born mid-year, so my advice would be to pick a date in July-Aug-Sept that floats your boat and call it a faux birthday. Whether it's accurate or not, you can always just celebrate the anniversary of the day you brought it home and raise a glass to it's health then. That's what I do for animals I don't have full details on :) |
TODD
25 Years of Commitment and Responsibility in Private Herpetoculture |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 10/06/2011 : 20:42:50
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| Steve, based on my data, Brazilians usually reach 100 grams somewhere between eight and nine months of age. That squares well with typical birth dates for the species, implying September or October. I'd actually guess August or September though, which adds one month of "padding" based on the knowledge some sellers feed conservatively, which slows growth rate a bit. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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Stevie-eff
Snake mite
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2011 : 13:49:55
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Cheers Cliff and CDN,
Thanks for the info and for the time you have obviously put into trying to find and answer for me.
I will go for about 9-10 months age on her then, sounds about right given the info you have provided.
My birthday is september 1st so i will raise a glass to her birthday on that date too!!
Just out of interest, the comment about supliers under feeding snakes and slowing there growth has got me thinking, does the amount i am feeding her sound right to you? 3 small mouse fuzzies a week all in one sitting, although i have just bought some larger mouse fuzzies and i will try her with them on her next feed. I am always nervous about going up a food size, i always think "thats massive, she wont eat that!!" although i know snakes can eat suprisingly large prey with ease.
What, how much and how often do you feed your BRB's at this approx age?
Thanks
Steve |
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CDN_Blood
Rainbow oddball
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2011 : 19:45:50
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Tough question, Stevie-eff. Thanks for makin' me think, eh! :)
A lot about feeding will ultimately be relative to the keeper, so it's really your call. I tend to opt for large meals with less frequency. I've always done that, I've always been very pleased with the results and it affords me the benefit of maximizing the play time between meals, since they'll be out of commission for a good week or so after a large meal.
One other added bonus is that I find that smaller meals offered more frequently can cause some snakes to make a bad connection between people and food. I don't want my snakes thinking "Awesome, here comes Food Guy so I'd better get ready for some action" when I approach them because all they think about is food when they see me coming for them. There are individuals where that can become the case if fed too frequently.
Oh sure, it's easy to calm them down once they realize food is not coming, but it can be a little stressful on both animal and keeper, so I just made an executive decision long ago to do the larger, less frequent feeding thing. I also find that a little more natural - there are times of plenty and leaner times for all my charges, and I don't use any sort of schedule for feeding whatsoever. I recall what was last fed to any given snake and when it was, so that's all I use for my feeding guide.
A lot of folks find that crazy, but my very fit and happy animals speak for themselves. In the end, you just do what you're most comfortable with to ensure your snakes are also happy and healthy :) |
TODD
25 Years of Commitment and Responsibility in Private Herpetoculture |
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Stevie-eff
Snake mite
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
Posted - 11/06/2011 : 21:38:26
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Thanks for the reply CDN,
Looks like my snake has also given me the answer! I offered her a large mouse fuzzy and she didnt want to know, that tells me she is happy with the size food i am giving her and not ready to take on something bigger. Not to worry, i will chuck em in the freezer and try again when she has grown a bit more  |
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CDN_Blood
Rainbow oddball
Canada
489 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2011 : 02:32:05
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I love happy endings! I'm so glad you didn't try that cross section and count the rings thing. That's never really all that good for their health  |
TODD
25 Years of Commitment and Responsibility in Private Herpetoculture |
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Stevie-eff
Snake mite
United Kingdom
43 Posts |
Posted - 12/06/2011 : 21:26:57
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| LOL |
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Help in estimating snakes age
