Chat Week on Kingsnake.com
Thursday, December 12, 2002
Jeff Ronne
Boas... of course. And Cages.

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The_Boaphile: I am READY!!!

AskJeffR: Good evening folks and welcome to Kingsnake.com's 5th night of our 4th Annual Chat Week

AskJeffR: Tonight's Guest is renowned boa breeder and "cageman" Mr. Jeff Roone..welcome Jeff

The_Boaphile: Good evening everyone. The Monster Tail Female is ovulating right now! She was bred by the following Screamer Hypo "Pearl-like" Hypo!

jeffb: That's Jeff Ronne

The_Boaphile: http://www.theboaphile.com/collection_files/screamerbabycopy.jpg

The_Boaphile: I am pumped and nervious but ready.

The_Boaphile: GO ahead

AskJeffR: Jeff, whats your big project for this coming year

The_Boaphile: I am hopeing to produce Pastels that are guarenteed het for Albino and more Pastel Albinos.

The_Boaphile: That is the most important project this year. go

AskJeffR: (Jeff..when finished response could you type next please

The_Boaphile: How about I type "go" when I am ready for the next question. Cool? go

PHWyvern: lol

AskJeffR: > I am in the proccess of building some acrylic cages, ranging from 1 foot cube to 3 foot cubed to 3 food cubed, do you think 1/8th thick will be thick enough? if not, how thick do you suggest?

The_Boaphile: No I would use 1/4" go

AskJeffR: Do you know how long nicaraguan boas have to be to breed

The_Boaphile: I think they will breed likely at 4 to 4 1/2 feet for female smaller for males. go

PHWyvern: To ask Jeff Ronne a question, please doubleclick on the name

AskJeffR: in the chat room and post your question to him there. For IRCle folks highlight AskJeffR and click MSG button.

AskJeffR: how are the cages doing

The_Boaphile: SPecific cage questions about cages purchased from me would be best answered personally by me on the phone. Please call. THanks. go

AskJeffR: what show will you be vendoring at next

The_Boaphile: I will likely appear at some point at the Shcamburg Ill show. go

AskJeffR: Jeff...What do you think the coolest boa out there is?

The_Boaphile: Sorry can't speel plus I am a nervous wreck about the ovulation I just saw! go

The_Boaphile: Go question.

AskJeffR: Jeff will you be at Daytona next year?

The_Boaphile: I don't think I really have an answer for that. There are so many cool boas out there. That's why I have so many. I can't make up my mind. go

AskJeffR: Will you be at The Reptile Extravaganza in NH on Jan 19?

The_Boaphile: I will be in Daytona. go

The_Boaphile: Not going to NH go

AskJeffR: is there one main boa that is easiest to breed and one morph that isn't for you

The_Boaphile: Colombians in gerneral are the easiest.

The_Boaphile: I am not into any morph that involves blatant crossing

The_Boaphile: of different locals. go

AskJeffR: Does anyone other then you sell your cages and racks?

The_Boaphile: RUss Lockenwitz in NY as well as Mark Kennedy in PA

The_Boaphile: go

AskJeffR: What is the best way to tell what kind of boa a person has (since there are so many crosses and mislabeling)?

The_Boaphile: That I am afraid is impossible to answer.

The_Boaphile: Experience is the key. Look at pictures of known aniamls and begin to develope an idea what is what. go

AskJeffR: Hey Jeff this is "Teach" Can you give anymore clues on picking those positive het for albinos out of the 66% possibles? Just hoping for a clue....hope your doing ok..

The_Boaphile: SOrry teach your out of luck tonight. go

AskJeffR: Have you ever heard of the Mocha boa?

The_Boaphile: OH yea! That would be on the most exciting things that could happen if my good friend Russ Lockenwitx can get her to go this year!!! go

AskJeffR: The ovulations I've seen in my boas have been compact , like perhaps eating a " MONSTER PIG" rat ...or Nerf football . NOW I have a female that's been bred since Sept. with mor of a looong / less wide swelling . Have U ever seen an ovulation like this ???

The_Boaphile: SUre. Ovulations are not created equal. go

AskJeffR: will you be branching out to other herps in future

The_Boaphile: Could be some day. Never say never... go

AskJeffR: Hi, on acrylic cages, I need cut out a large section for screen. Whats the best way to do this?

The_Boaphile: WIth a router and sraight edges. go

AskJeffR: When did you get your first snake?

The_Boaphile: I cought it myself. A garter snaek that pooped all over me. Musked me and bit me! I was hooked at about 8 years of age. go

AskJeffR: I've started cycling (about 2 weeks), would you suggest that I stop, bring them back up and continue with your formula?

The_Boaphile: Feed em and breed em. Get them together so they can do their thing. It's really not that complicated. Take good care of them and introduce them and leave them alone.

The_Boaphile: Of course buying my video wouldn't hurt... LOL go

AskJeffR: Did you expect then that you would get to this point in breeding boas?

The_Boaphile: Not until about ten years ago. It is really a dreeam come true for me. A lot of hard work and cleaning and here we are. It's all great fun! go

AskJeffR: Almost every boa I have been around does some wheezing - no drooling - is this normal of boas?

The_Boaphile: No. Likely a respiratory problem. That is unless you ahve special hearing that I don't possess. go

AskJeffR: I have seen on your website where you will be offering Anery's... Is this something new you are working on?

The_Boaphile: I have some babies. A few. just havn't had time to get good photos of them yet.

The_Boaphile: go

AskJeffR: Jeff i am a hudge boa fan, i love checking out your website seing all your boas........do you ever attend any of the reptile shows ??

The_Boaphile: Daytona each of the last wo years. I am hopgin to do more shows next year but no firm plans as of yet. go

AskJeffR: I just recently got back a pair of Columbians that I sold 2 yrs ago. They 3 1/2 years old and not much larger than when I sold them (4 ft) also very thin. My question is will I be able to bring them back? Meaning will they ever reach full size and be breedable?

The_Boaphile: SUre. Just feed them as if you didn't know their age. they should be fine. go

AskJeffR: WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ON T POS ARGENTINE BOA AS AN INVESTMENT ANIMAL?

The_Boaphile: Probably a good one but isn't a "T" positive animal really just a simple resesive hypo? Not expecting an answer. Just food for thought. go

AskJeffR: I would like to know your personal feeling toward the sunglows, are they in your mind a sought after trait?GO

The_Boaphile: I guess your trying to get me in trouble.

The_Boaphile: I don't really believe in it. Sunglows are supposed to be Hypo AND albino. If an albino lacks all pigment

The_Boaphile: and a hypo only lacks some pigment how can you tell if a boa with a "hypo" pattern is really a hypo or not if it is ALbino? go

AskJeffR: Are you currently working with Sunglows?

The_Boaphile: No I am not. I may make some of my own someday but will not sell any of the ALbinos as Hypos as well. i don't beleive we can KNOW that without proving it through breeding. go

AskJeffR: what are your thoughts on IBD, and do you think it dangerous to any boa breeding program?

The_Boaphile: More trouble huh?

The_Boaphile: It is really a VERY long story I have been treatening to write up.

The_Boaphile: I don't believe IBD exists. That is the bottom line. go

AskJeffR: Thanks for answering my screen question, but how do I attatch the sceen to the acrylic, what do I bond it with

The_Boaphile: That I do not know. go

AskJeffR: Jeff have you found any morph easier to breed then others?

The_Boaphile: Not relaly but I have not worked with all the morphs. Pastels have been the easiest of those that I have worked with. go

AskJeffR: Is there anything a person can do to rid a respitory problem besides higher heat and humidity? And how contagious is a respitory problem?

The_Boaphile: Tylan. I wrote something on this some time ago and many have used it with great success. Email me for the info. go

AskJeffR: Whats kind of probe thermostats do you use to regulate heat in your cages?

The_Boaphile: I use a thermostat I assemble myself. I will be adding them to my web site within about one week. go

AskJeffR: > How many snakes do you currently have in your collection?

The_Boaphile: I have about 8 Boas. LOL I don't know. A lot I guess. go

AskJeffR: I've been thinking buying your boa breeding video...have you discovered anything new since you made that video that might call for a newer version?

The_Boaphile: Lots of new info. I am contemplating doing a new one perhpas this year. go

AskJeffR: So since I have bred an Albino male to a hypo het albino female what could I expect for babies? GO

The_Boaphile: Half a litter of Hypos and half a litter of Albinos some of which will be both. My contention is we don't know FOR SURE which are whick.

The_Boaphile: which.

The_Boaphile: SOme siblings to hypos have the hypo type pattern. Most do not but some do. That is the problem in my opinion. go

AskJeffR: Jeff, is it true that you can physically tell the difference between het and normals in boas?

The_Boaphile: I have a theory. go

AskJeffR: what are your thoughts on IBD, and do you think it dangerous to any boa breeding program?

The_Boaphile: As I said earlier I do not believe in IBD. It's too long a story to detail here. go

AskJeffR: does this video also come in DVD format?

The_Boaphile: Not yet... go

AskJeffR: Do you think it would be a bad idea for a newbie to buy a dumeril?

The_Boaphile: Not really. Dumerils are hardy and for the most part do very well. Good luck with them. go

AskJeffR: Are "natural" hypo nicaraguans provable, when bred together should I expect a greater amount of hypo characteristics

The_Boaphile: I think they do work the same as the other Hypos but am not sure on this one. go

AskJeffR: Jeff, I had a male boa regurge during breeding any suggestions!

The_Boaphile: Probably would keep away from other Boas. That mean no breeding until he has a chance to eat quite a few meals withont another incedent. A dead breeder is no good to you and he could cross contaminate something to the female. Be careful. go

AskJeffR: where do you see are hobby in say 5-10 years? I mean with everyone and their brother trying to breed boas.

The_Boaphile: People said the same thing ten years ago.

The_Boaphile: Look at it now. I think there is a lot more room for growth. A LOT!!! go

AskJeffR: 16yo daughter wants a snake. Boa or maybe ball python, a cb baby. Experienced with turtles, leos, and corn snakes. We have a 75g aquarium, and want easy and friendly. What boas should we consider?

The_Boaphile: Captive born Colombian Boas including normals or if your pocket book can stand it go for one of the morphs. They all do very well. go

AskJeffR: I know U don't cool OR use multiple males.....If U have a 1 of a kind male who just isn't interested , how do U motivate him ?

The_Boaphile: Introduce another male but watch closely...

The_Boaphile: If you ahve that special female that only he should breed another male can mess up that plan in a hurry.

The_Boaphile: Leave the new male in for a while and see if this sprus any activity.

The_Boaphile: Normally I have found this doesn't help though. go

AskJeffR: Have U EVER had any success using a single male on multiple females ?

The_Boaphile: I only use one male on one female.

The_Boaphile: Now sometimes I have had one male that breeds like a champ

The_Boaphile: and can breed more than one female. i only remove and reintrouduce him to a new female AFTER the previous female

The_Boaphile: has deffinatly ovulated for the second and final time and is

The_Boaphile: going into a shed. go

AskJeffR: Have you ever introduced snakes , had them breed & ovulate & produce offspring without a PRE-OV swell ???

The_Boaphile: No. The Preovulation swell must occur first.

The_Boaphile: This is not alwasy easily observable but after seeing it a few times

The_Boaphile: you kind of get the hang of it. go

The_Boaphile: go

The_Boaphile: Just making sure it's still working here on my end.

The_Boaphile: I did have one male one year breed four females but that was really a fluke. go

PHWyvern: hold on a sec folks

The_Boaphile: I think we may have lost our moderator.

PHWyvern: I think so to. :)

The_Boaphile: Hey Teach fire another one at me! * PHWyvern is now known as AskJeffR_PHWyvern

PHWyvern: Folks if you would like to file some of your questions my way. We can hope Matt comes back shortly

PHWyvern: Next question: Do you find it hard to get a dumril to eat f/t?

The_Boaphile: The few Dums I have had ate like madmen. They were a little bit difficult to dela with becuase of this aggression toward food. go

PHWyvern: Question: What is your theory on telling the difference between het and normals?

The_Boaphile: That is a good quesiton that I can't reveal. Sorry. go

PHWyvern: Question: what other herps do you keep??

The_Boaphile: We have a Eastern Box Turtle, two pink tounge skinks and a yellow foot tortiose. go

PHWyvern: Question: Any theories as to why boas 'give birth' to slugs earlier than if they were carrying a live litter?

The_Boaphile: That is another good quesiton. I think perhaps it's a natural function that the fmelae gets a signal before the closing part of the gestation period that the time is near and they absorb moisture at this time.

The_Boaphile: The slugs are already sort of dry compared to babies and keeping them in for too long could further jeopordize the femlaes life. just anothe rtheory. go

PHWyvern: Question: What do you think is the next "BIG" morph or type of boa that people will most eagerly seek and what do you hope for with the next generation getting older?

The_Boaphile: I have not idea. I know

The_Boaphile: most breeders would give a self serving answer. i won't becuase I really don't know. go

PHWyvern: Question: Have you ever made a herping trip to South America, if not do you plan in the future?

The_Boaphile: Not yet. My wife won't let me go. Some day I am going to get down and dirty in the mud and crawl where BOas crawl. It's only right isn't it? go

PHWyvern: Question: is it hard to build cages?

The_Boaphile: Yes. Very difficult. I wasted thousands of dollars in materials and hundreds of hours tryoing to figure this thing out. If it was easy eveyrone would be doing it.

The_Boaphile: We sell plastic cages that cost double material wise that melamine costs at lower prices than melamine cages cost to buy. How do I do it? That I am afraid will not be devulged. go

PHWyvern: Question: I purchased a female boa in september and she was huge in girth, she has been eating like a pig but seems to have thinned out a little is it possible that preovulation sw2ell could happen that early in the year

The_Boaphile: Certianlly.

The_Boaphile: The first litter I ever produced was born in Feburary. Breeding in July in August. go

PHWyvern: Question: Have U ever had an isolated female go into her pre-ov twist as earley as Aug.? Did she deliver ?

The_Boaphile: Absolutely! Many times. go

PHWyvern: Question: Whats the status on the many new dwarf boa projects, whats a good way to get started in these animal

The_Boaphile: Dwarf Boas are not my forte I am afriad. go

PHWyvern: Question: Had a huge female die after mating had taken place and I assume during actual ovulation. Has this happened to you? I'm still not over it she looked to be progressing so good and the swelling never subsided with the ovulation and something went haywire big time. Any ideas ???

The_Boaphile: Yes it has happened many times. you have to remember...

The_Boaphile: When you breed your aniamls you are putting them through the greatest stress of their lives. Even under optimal conditions stuff happens.

The_Boaphile: If you do not want to take any chance of loosing an aniamls DO NOT TRY TO BREED IT!

The_Boaphile: You may be sorry. Females have a rough time breeding and I generally loose some females every year due to complications due to the breeding season. go

PHWyvern: Question: Does the pre-ov swell happen before or AFTER male introduction ?

The_Boaphile: Sometimes before. I love when that happens but ussually after for my Boas. go

PHWyvern: Question: what is your favorite morph at the moment, and what do you think future morphs will be like???

The_Boaphile: I love the Pastels. Self serving I know but I can't get enough of them and I am breedin them with all the other stuff I have. go

PHWyvern: Question: i just had a snake get loose today what would be the best way to find it?

The_Boaphile: If it is a Boa it will show itself.

The_Boaphile: Boas generlaly come out into the open at night. Aometimes you will find them hidding somewhere behind a door or someplace wrm good luck! go

The_Boaphile: I look like a moron don't I?

The_Boaphile: Can't sppeel anything right.

The_Boaphile: Oh well. No spell check here is showing my true self. Sorry about that. go

PHWyvern: Question: jeff......when can we expect to see some anerys for sale????

The_Boaphile: I am not sure. Maybe sometime before the end of the year. go

PHWyvern: Question: What causes a boa to give birth to slugs?

The_Boaphile: If I had the answer to that one I'd be rich.

The_Boaphile: Substandard temps I thnk. Too warm or too hot .

The_Boaphile: That or not providing lots of fresh water when needed. go

PHWyvern: Question: I am out of the loop - what is the backwards turd?

The_Boaphile: Well it's nearly time for Bob Clark.

PHWyvern: I think we have time for one more question Jeff.

PHWyvern: or would you rather we defer to bring on Bob?

The_Boaphile: Thanks for everyone for stopping by. I hope I offered something that was worth watching or reading.

The_Boaphile: The backwards turd is a long story. too long... go

PHWyvern: Well, Jeff, on behalf of Jeff B., Kingsnake, and Pethobbyist staff. I would like to thank you for taking the time to be with us tonight

The_Boaphile: Thank you!

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