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 terrific place to talk with like minded boa enthusiasts! I have no affiliation with any of these web sites, I have just found them to be very useful:

www.reptileinsider.com - This forum, run by Ed Lilley of Constrictors Northwest, has an excellent group of people and it is a great 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.
 
 
Here are a list of suppliers that I personally use for various items:
www.bigcheeserodents.com - Great service, high quality selection of rats, and terrific packaging. I highly recommend them!
www.superiorshippingsupplies.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.
Pro-line Cages - I use Ed Lilley's cages and they are excellent! They are EXTREMELY easy to clean, and the workmanship is incredible. I really like the white cages as they let a little natural light into the cages. Ed has terrific customer service as well - you can't go wrong with his cages that's for sure!
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. I have a stack of 6-foot Boaphiles that are able to be made into 3 foot cages if needed.
www.cagesbydesign.com - I use Cages By Design cages to house some of my boas. They work great, 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 a look at all of them and keep in mind that many of the caresheets you find on the internet have a few items that might be incorrect or outdated.
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)
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)
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
Video on how to sex snakes - Kathy Love (CornUtopia)
Snakes as "Pets"
USARK (United States Association of Reptile Keepers) - JOIN TODAY!!!
PIJAC (Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council)
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....
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
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
Building false rocks for your enclosure
Wiring Flexwatt
Flexwatt - where to buy and how to install
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
Snake origin theories spark venomous debate
The meaning of the word Ophidiophobia
Python-Tracking Puppy Trains to Patrol Everglades
Python vs. Alligator Video - YouTube
Two-headed boa - ABC News
Differential Theory of US Armed Forces (Snake Model) - humor
Coops and Cages - provide quality pet housing products for loving homes in Australia
Pet Rescue - non-profit organization that helps rescue pets from shelters and find adopting homes for them in Australia.
 
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