Well..... not really. Depending on what types of boas your breeding, you might not get that many "quality" animals if you only go by looks.



I go by a few things. First I look at them. In every litter you'll have a few, more than a few if you're lucky, that will "stand out". They'll have a "LOOK" that makes them "SPECIAL". I tend to like colorful or unusual looking animals.



Second I look at the genetics. Even an ugly/average boa can give birth to a SCREAMER as far as looks go. I look to the parents or siblings from previous litters. I want to see if the traits I'm looking for were passed on consistantly or just a fluke. I want to get a boa that will pass on the desired trait.



Third I look at the size of the boa. Some babies are born HUGE!! They'll be considerably larger than the average neonate. I tend to like babies that were, on average, 22 to 26 inches at birth. These are normally aggressive feeders and are quite hardy animals. They grow up to be stronger, in my opinion, breeders. Also this is a sign that they came from larger or more mature female.



Fourth I look at how the boas are kept. I prefer to buy from someone that treats boas they're selling, like ones they're keeping. I look at temperament and feeding records. BTW most people don't seem to keep feeding records. If they don't have feeding records, I don't buy from them anymore. BTW there's nothing worse than going to a reptile show and seeing all these "pencil thin" babys.



Fifth I go with my gut feelings about a particular boa. It can be the ULTIMATE SCREAMER, but if something feels "off"..... Well, if it doesn't "feel right" I don't buy.



Maybe using the term "quality" is wrong. Quality comes in many forms. Ultimately each person has their own opinion of what a quality animal is. A boa that one person might see as average/ugly could be a quality/special to another. So, if someone has sold what they feel is their quality animals and have only "left overs"...... Someone could still feel that some or all of those left overs are quality animals.

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