Rubber Boa

[jon7]

Has anybody from Washington state ever caught a wild rubber boa? If so, please share. Im thinking about doing some real field herping this coming weekend and would like to know of some spots to go.

[katach]

I know they are in this area, but I've never seen one.

[jon7]

I was just looking around the internet, and i found that its not leagal to even pick one up in the wild let alone keep it. kinda sucks. i was looking forward to finding one. i remember as a kid finding them up north in port towsend, but i was so young, i didnt know the difference. lol

[katach]

Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen one other than in pics. Doesn't surprise me they are protected.

[jon7]

The wild life law in general is crap for this state. I can understand having a protected species, but acording to the law, you cant even touch any animal in the wild without a special permit. This includes hunting and fishing, those are easy to aquire. The other permit, you have to be a zoo to aquire!

[ssssnakeluvr]

thats ridiculous..... rubber boas are neat snakes... tough to get feeding, but once you get one eating they make great pets!! I have a male rubber boa...excellent eater, very tame snake. I have yet to find one in the wild here in Utah, but theres lots of them. a friend caught this one in Montana.

[jon7]

Washington is the only state with rubber boas that enforces that law.

[Steveo]

They are protected in CO but that just means you can't take them home. As far as finding them, CO herpers seem to do best at night, usually road cruising. I'd put them at moderate difficulty, not as easy as P. catenfer but much easier to find than the elusive milk snake.

[ConcinusMan]

Has anybody from Washington state ever caught a wild rubber boa? If so, please share. Im thinking about doing some real field herping this coming weekend and would like to know of some spots to go.

Yes, I have found them. Unfortunately, the places I have found them are no longer suitable for any snake. Fall is actually a good time to look though. They tend to be active at night or at twilight when it's very cool. Anyway it's hit and miss with those snakes. If it's too dry or too hot they'll disappear. Conditions have to be just right for them to be found anywhere near the surface. They can be difficult in captivity as well. If they're not perfectly comfortable, they will refuse to eat. Some people have good luck getting them to eat, although even in the wild sometimes they will only eat a few times a year!

I think it's going to be too dry to find them, but we did recently get a little rain and it's going to be cool and cloudy so you never know. Look for them in natural open meadows bordering forests. Look for them in grassy places near the edge of the forest, someplace that is not far from water. The thing is, I've never been able to find them unless there was some kind of cover such as logs, boards, tin, etc. I usually find them hiding under objects.

[jon7]

Im gonna give it a shot. Just wont be taking any home. Lol.

[katach]

Don't forget to take pics! :D

[jon7]

Oh ya i plan on it!!

[ProXimuS]

OOO I love rubber boas! I've never seen them in real life, only online. I'd like to get one at some point, but didn't know they could be difficult...

Can't wait for pictures!

[snake man]

Can someone post a pic of one i am very curius now.

[ProXimuS]

http://www.californiaherps.com/snakes/images/cbbottaemp406rh.jpg

I like how they're all wrinkly:)

[snake man]

Thank you.

[ConcinusMan]

I used to find drab olive green ones too. Sometimes even greener than this one. Like canned pea green.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/species/graphics/snake5.jpg

[snake man]

Those are cool are they friendly?

[ConcinusMan]

They move very slowly. When you pic them up, they simply wrap tightly around your hand/wrist and will stay there for hours, or until you gently remove them. In other words, yes. Extremely docile. Absurdly so. Friendly? I don't know. They all act as if they've known you their entire lives. When alarmed or threatened, the only reaction is that they roll up into a tight ball, hide their heads, and stick the blunt tail up. Presumably to trick a predator into thinking that is their head.

[snake man]

They sound like funny snakes.

[kibakiba]

Pumpkin would pull the 'curl up in a ball and stick his tail up' thing if you tried picking him up for a few months after he was born. It was cute.

[ssssnakeluvr]

They move very slowly. When you pic them up, they simply wrap tightly around your hand/wrist and will stay there for hours, or until you gently remove them. In other words, yes. Extremely docile. Absurdly so. Friendly? I don't know. They all act as if they've known you their entire lives. When alarmed or threatened, the only reaction is that they roll up into a tight ball, hide their heads, and stick the blunt tail up. Presumably to trick a predator into thinking that is their head.

mine moves pretty darn quick... he seems to be moving all over the cage all the time too...

[ConcinusMan]

They don't usually act like that unless overheated, which is easy to do.

http://www.rubberboas.com/Content/captivecare.html

[Zach_Lim]

Gravid Northern Rubber Boa that I found at a dumpsite within the hills of San Mateo county, CA. Boas are extremely easy to find here in the Bay Area, especially where there are lots of flippable artificial cover (boards, tin, trash). Despite the field guides claiming these chubby little snakes enjoy damp, forests, the majority of Charina I have found were in chapparal or grassy hillsides.

Any true field herper has got to herp the San Francisco Bay Area! You've got your boas right near your mountain kings!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v622/oi_clockworkorange_oi/Herping2012010-4.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Nice! I don't know about what books say but its well known that they occur in a variety of habitats. In the northwest we find them in open grassy areas bordering forests, under debris too. Usually found by "flipping"

Still, one must know a good "spot" and just because it's the right habitat doesn't mean they are there. Another problem is, even in the good spots where they are known to occur, you have to get really lucky. Some people find them consistently, or find many in one day and guys like me can go to the same spot a few days later/or and look for years and not find a single one even if someone else claims they are "easy to find" :cool:

I have found very few so to me they seem very rare. Other people find 10 in one day, right where I have been looking for years with no luck. I just can't figure that out

[Selkielass]

Sounds funny, but I think you need to 'tune in' to wh just thet a particular species likes and then listen to your. Subconscious when that little voice says look, there, thats just the spot...

I'm getting a bit better at spotting the right spots for garters, and part of it HAS to be my subconscious. Picking up on things I'm not aware im seeing.
I'm good at spotting mantis and common toads, getting better with garters, but have little. Or no luck with other reptiles and amphibians.

[snake man]

Aswome find.

[ConcinusMan]

Sounds funny, but I think you need to 'tune in' to wh just thet a particular species likes and then listen to your. Subconscious when that little voice says look, there, thats just the spot...

I'm getting a bit better at spotting the right spots for garters, and part of it HAS to be my subconscious. Picking up on things I'm not aware im seeing.
I'm good at spotting mantis and common toads, getting better with garters, but have little. Or no luck with other reptiles and amphibians.

I guess you're missing the point. I can look in exactly the same places where other people find numerous boas, only I'll find nothing. Even under the same objects they find them under. It's not that I don't know where to look. Anyway, there are several places in the county where I have found them, but they are all parking lots and shopping centers now.

[jitami]

Used to find these guys in the Santa Cruz mountains... they seemed plentiful when we were there in the spring. We found them in grassy areas surrounded by redwood forests. They're the only snake, other than added garter variety, left on my want list, because of the fond memories I have of them during my childhood... Don, if you ever find yourself needing the space...