Meet the Animals
Dahlia
IMG Motley Sunglow boa · Boa constrictor
Sunset colors and a sweet soul. Dahlia is a female IMG Motley Sunglow boa, double het for Blood and Anery type 1, born in August 2021. She's about 5.5 feet long and super sweet, and as far as Gilly knows, she's a one of one.
The genes
A stack of rare traits
Dahlia's Sunglow is the combination of Kahl albino and hypo: no black pigment, with bright, clean oranges on a pale background. Motley changes the pattern, connecting the saddles into chains and stripes. IMG stands for Increasing Melanin Gene, a trait that makes a boa slowly deposit more dark pigment as it ages.
Hidden genes
Double het
“Double het” means Dahlia carries one hidden copy each of two recessive genes, Blood and Anery type 1. She doesn't show them herself, but she can pass them to her babies. Visual Blood boas show boosted reds and oranges, while Anery boas lack red and orange pigment altogether.
Big dreams
World's firsts?
Gilly hopes Dahlia will produce a handful of world's firsts someday, so stay tuned. She's super sweet, and she dines on small rabbits or XL rats. Like all boas, any babies would be born, not hatched!
Field notes
About boa constrictors
- Boas give birth to live babies instead of laying eggs, often around 25 at a time.
- Boa constrictors range from Mexico through Central and South America to Argentina.
- They're nonvenomous constrictors: they hold on and squeeze.
- With good care they can live 20–30 years, and sometimes even longer.
- Dahlia was born, not hatched: boas give live birth.
Cared for by
Braxton “Gilly” Gilbert
Dahlia is cared for daily by Gilly at Jefe and Friends (Gilly's Exotics LLC). Questions? Email gillysexotics@gmail.com.