Species: Hog Island Boa Boa constrictor imperator
Expected lifespan: 18-23 years
DOB: 18/05/07
Tyree
is a stunning boa whom we've had since he was a tiny baby.
Hogg Island Boas are not commonly available in Scotland and
so a trip to Leeds was made to collect him from a fellow reptile
hobbyist.
He
was named Tyree after the Gaelic name meaning "island
dweller". Hogg Island boas are thought to be extinct
in the wild and so captive breeding is important. At the moment
there is a healthy captive population of these boas thanks
to the efforts of reptile hobbyists across the world. Tyree
will get a girlfriend at some point in time though we are
waiting to purchase a pure bred Hogg Island.
When
we first got Tyree he was just under a foot long and was quite
a timid little snake unless he could smell food. The first
few times I fed him he struck at his food, coiled around it
then hissed loudly at it. He
bit a couple of times when he was very young but has not bitten
for over 3 years now. We have to be very careful at feeding
time as he enjoys his food and will strike at anything that
moves (though this is true of most snakes). Tyree gets one large adult rat every 14 days and this is dusted with calcium and vitamin power once a month. As with the rest of our snakes he has never been fed live rats or mice and most certainly never will. Tyree usually goes off his food around the end of October until the end of December as this is his mating season.
Now
he is more or less fully grown at 4 and a half feet long he
gives the impression of a snake you wouldn't want to see the
nasty side of. His body is thickset and it can be difficult
to remove him from things he has wrapped himself around. In
saying this he has never shown any threatening behaviour since
he was baby and although he likes to "hold on tight"
he is really a big pussycat.
Hogg
Island boas are one of the few dwarf boa species which do
not get as large as the common boa constrictors. We had always
been interested in keeping boa constrictors due to their beautiful
markings and docile natures but felt we did not have the room
for a 7 - 12 foot snake.
Tyree
at the vet
Tyree has visited the vet in the Autumn of 2009 for a problem
with his nose. A scab formed over one of his nostrils so we
took him for a check up. He was given injections for 2 weeks
as our vet thought there was an abcess forming inside his
snout. The injections done the trick with that and his nostril
is reappearing more with every shed. Due to this problem Tyree is off work until at least March 2010. Oscar our corn snake will take his place until he's fit to return to work.
