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Why isent there that many who breeds Argentine Boas?
We keep 3.2 adults But havent breed them yet..
But dosent see any for sale in europe?
Are they just hard to breed?

I think there may be several reasons, but i'll name three...

perhaps their attitude as youngsters is a turn off, but this is misleading! They may huff and they may puff, but they will NOT blow your house down! They won't even strike most times!

these days it seems many are moving towards smaller, and dwarf boas, as well as those with bright colors that stand out... bco do not fit either description...

and last but not least, they need to be cooled significantly more to be bred - down to temps that would more than likely give bci or bcc an RI. This makes overall breeding of this ssp a little less appealing and a little less successful.

But I think they are great!

Take care, Joe

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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Argentines, are one of the most beautiful of all Boas to me and I just like dark and contrasting Boas. My friend, Eugene Bessette was one of the first to breed these Boas successfully 20 or more years ago and he bred them successfully in hot temperatures " not cool. " The price on them remained stable at $500 or more a baby, for many years and like what happens with alot of Boas, more and more people were breeding them and seeing that they were not very difficult to breed and also very hardy as captives and the price dropped. I remember, when the price went down around 1996 or 97 and there was one breeder that produced a couple of hundred of them alone and a few others followed and they really dropped the price significantly and guys like Bessette that worked hard to get them started and put them out there were affected to an extent. Now, there are just a ton of them in the hobby and they do not sell as easy and definately not for the price that they use too. They can be bought now, for about the same price as a regular old Columbian and most of your keepers have swayed more towards Boas that are pink and purple and red and yellow and of course, morphs. It is sad, but it happens and there is not a whole lot of selective breeding that can be done with argentines as far as color and pattern. Some bloodlines are lighter and some darker and some may retain a small amount of pink, but in the end they are just dark Boas that have lost their price and interest by alot of keepers and breeders. That is why I am glad that I work with Boas that I like and not what the Market dictates. There are still some breeders that love them and enjoy working with them and produce them, like Gus Rentfro and some others, but most of the guys that I knew back in the day that were the pioneers in getting the Locality started, have long since departed from their efforts.......Johnson Herp

I totally agree with you. To me they are just beautiful. I am from Argentina my self so BO are a must have for me. I think the locale boas are just not looked upon as they should.
Joel Pretz

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Nice looking Boa Joel! Andy
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:S

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Hi Joe,
Since you're from Argentina I thought you might like seeing my Dogo Argentino, "Gotti". Are these guys very popular there? Brock

That is a very nice dog. Where did you get him from? I am trying to get a new place so I could get more Boas first , but I also want to get a Presa Canario, I really like training dogs for Schutzhund, great fun.
Thanks Brock,
Joel Pretz

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Gosh...I am really liking those Boas!!!! Great head shot! Andy
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Thanks for you answers..
Maybe we dosent cool them hard enugh..
We really love ouer boas and dosent keep morph, only locality Hog island and Occidentalis...
If any want to give a little more breeding info, please use my Email.

Argentine Boas, Boa.c.occidentalis is listed as a C.I.T.E.S. Appendix I animal. All othe Boa.c.ssp are CITES Appendix II.

Appendix I does not allow for the international trade of the species/subspecies it protects. And depending on National law may have further restriction.

So depending on what country you are in, the ONLY Argentine boas available to you are allready in your country. This obviously has a HUGE limitation on availability.

I know last summer when I was talking to Hans Winner at Daytona, U.S. customs had originally thought his Leopard Boas were B.c.o. because they were so dark/black. He had to have someone go in and prove that it was a mutation of B.c.imperator before he could claim them and offer them for sale here in the U.S.