Update on Ruby

I posted a thread on my emerald tree boa a while ago, and there were some questions about the ontogenetic colour change they go through. So I thought I would post some updated pics.







So she is greening up rapidly the lay month or so, these pics are a few days old now, and I think she has already gotten a little greener since.

She is greener than before for sure. How big is she now?

I wonder if the food snakes eat can also affect their color. Like if there is any natural color enhancing food you can feed to them for better color. We do that with aquarium fish (for example fish food made of whole salmon can bring out the red, but of course the fish has to have red on it naturally to begin with. the food just make it brighter). Maybe there is something your snakes can eat to become brighter green?

You know, that's a good question. I'm sure there is, but there still isn't enough research, in the amateur hobby or professionally, to say one way or the other. But, for an example, the green tree pythons that come from the Aru islands, typically have lathes areas of high white scales down their back, but this seems almost impossible to reproduce in captivity. There have been theories about whatever food the neonates eat to uv levels. There are other localities of gtp's with similar coloration oddities as well. I think food has to have something to do with it.

With lizards, and apparently frogs, there is already one product on the market to enhance colors, mostly reds, yellows, & oranges, Repasy's Superpig. I've seen the effect on geckos & beardies. I'm hesitant to play with it much yet, but the thought has occurred to me as to what it may do to a snake.

I love her new green "dress" - LOL! Very pretty! I'm glad I happened to come across your thread to see how much she has changed from the red color she used to be. I find the topic that Ram brought up about food influencing color very interesting. Hey, you should experiment and be the first one to publish results on how food can enhance a snake's coloring! Fame & fortune - ya just never know!

(08-24-2012, 01:39 AM)Fishbone Wrote: You know, that's a good question. I'm sure there is, but there still isn't enough research, in the amateur hobby or professionally, to say one way or the other. But, for an example, the green tree pythons that come from the Aru islands, typically have lathes areas of high white scales down their back, but this seems almost impossible to reproduce in captivity. There have been theories about whatever food the neonates eat to uv levels. There are other localities of gtp's with similar coloration oddities as well. I think food has to have something to do with it.

With lizards, and apparently frogs, there is already one product on the market to enhance colors, mostly reds, yellows, & oranges, Repasy's Superpig. I've seen the effect on geckos & beardies. I'm hesitant to play with it much yet, but the thought has occurred to me as to what it may do to a snake.

I am all for natural color enhancement through the use of food made of natural ingredient. No artificial color enhancer will be fed to my pets.

For fish, we are also able to make their color brighter through enhanced vitamins, better simulation of their natural water PH, hardness.


I guess sometimes if you want to duplicate the colors of a specific species, you might also have to duplicate the environment on the top of the diet.

Not sure if it will also work on the snakes.