#acrantophis dumerili

Chester didn't want to come out today, he just wanted to rest his head on my hand and chill 🥺

Some choice photos from my snake blog, shoelacecollection!

Gave my Dumeril's Boa, Chester a full clean today!

Fresh substrate, more foliage, a slate tile, and a new branch to climb. He seems to love it and has been busy exploring for an hour or so now!

Each full clean I try and add something new and enriching, or make one improvement to the setup.

He came over to say hello and thank you!

Matilda is the household sweetheart and the lady featured in our header image. She is gentle and quietly curious, looking about the world around her without actually leaving wherever she's settled down to. She's a bit of a lap snake in that her favorite hobbies include sitting still and not moving, and while she's not quite as much of a pet rock as a ball python, Matilda is a fairly sedentary girl overall.

Facts about Matilda (acrantophis dumerili)

Matilda is a Dumeril's Boa. Dumeril's Boas are native to the island of Madagascar, where they spend their time hiding under leaf litter and waiting for food to wander past. They're a moderately-sized boa, and while some females can reach 10ft (3.3m) in size, it's very uncommon, and most average out around 6ft (2m) in length. Though incredibly uncommon, Dumeril's morphs (pattern or color differences) do exist -- but mostly in Europe, and they're hard to find even then (look into Germany.) Matilda is a wild-type Dumeril's boa, looking just as they do in nature, with all of her pretty pinks and browns on display.

While Dumperil's Boas are native to the southwest of Madagascar, they aren't really available as wild-caught species anymore, and thus the overwhelming majority (and Matilda herself) are captive-bred!

Matilda is about 3 years old, around 5ft (1.6m) long, and weighs abound 5lbs. They are a slow-growing species compared to many other snakes, and she has many more years to grow before she reaches her final size!

Matilda loves to bask in the sun on the back porch, and enjoys wrapping around long cylindrical objects like tree branches, bannisters, and your arm.

Matilda has a black tongue!

Matilda is a very patient and sweet snake, but a little shy. She loves to hide under things or in tubes, and while she can be curious, most of the time she's happy to sit right where she's plopped until something catches her attention. She's easy to please as long as she feels securely supported on or around something solid.

Matilda was named for the titular character of the Roald Dahl book of the same name.

Todays Snake Is:

The Dumeril’s Boa (Acrantophis dumerili) is a constrictor endemic to Madagascar. Its intricate patterning makes for great camouflage among the leaf litter where it may wait for prey.