Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi , I'm 14 and am wanting to get into boas. For a while now, I've been wanting a snake that gets bigger than my Ball Python or corn snake, but doesn't grow out of proportion (I go to schools and do educational reptile talks, and bring my menagerie with. A bigger snake would be a nice addition). I've always liked the look of Red Tails, and have been doing some research on them. I have a friend in the reptile business who has bred them before, and told me the that males average out at 7-8 ft. I wanted to clarify this, is this true? Also, would a tank or custom cage measuring 4'L by 18"D by 24" high be adequate for an adult of that size? Thanks for any help!
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2.0 African Fat Tailed Geckos (Goliath and Jambo)
1.2 Leopard Geckos (Chandler, Casper, and Monica)
0.1 White Lined Geckos (Janice)
1.1 Crested Geckos (Basil and Banana)
1.0 Ball Pythons (Snuggler)
0.1 Corn Snakes (Pheobe)

....since you do educational presentations at schools. Bravo young man, that is outstanding. A red-tailed boa would be a super addition to your show. In regards to size - although a male is capable of reaching that size I have not had any males attain 6' yet and I have several that are nearing 4 years of age. I only have two adult breeder females that have attained 7' in length. However, I am a conservative feeder who believes in slow growth and I prefer to work with smaller animals. The feeding routine that you establish will certainly impact the ultimate size of your boa. This is my experience and opinion. Hopefully, you will hear from others.
gray

n/p
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2.0 African Fat Tailed Geckos (Goliath and Jambo)
1.2 Leopard Geckos (Chandler, Casper, and Monica)
0.1 White Lined Geckos (Janice)
1.1 Crested Geckos (Basil and Banana)
1.0 Ball Pythons (Snuggler)
0.1 Corn Snakes (Pheobe)

I also used to take my snakes to school to show my science classes....I had the coolest teachers lol...Boas are the best "large" snake to own,period.Get a nice captive bred baby colombian boa (B.C.I.)...the true reds (suri's,guyanan,peruvian,etc.)tend to be a little more difficult for beginner boa keepers in terms of care and temper. A colombian is a better choice because although they MAY not get as big as a true red,but at 6-9' and around 10-50 lbs.,they are plenty big enough.They also tend to be very docile if raised from a young age (if you want a tame snake you are going to have to handle it...alot.)

as a side note there is a website called mcarthyboas.com....they have some pics of huge boas...both B.C.I. and B.C.C.

and have a 1.1 pair. my male is 4'9"(flicker) and my female is 5'11"(cyanne) and she's a little nippy. i love them. they have the best personalities. a BIG word of advice is to get them from a place with a good rep. i got flicker from a very nice name that surfs this forum,drimes, and my female,even though i wont give her up, got her from a pet store which she had mites, now gone, and was a bit thin(6' and 7 pounds, now she's 10 1/2). i believe you should get a male as they tend to be smaller. best of luck to you.

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1.2 leopard geckos1.0 jungle carpet python
1.1 columbian BCI

That is very wise advice about where you get your boa from. It isn't only the health and quality of the boa which is already plenty, but also the customer service you recieve at the time of the purchase and also afterwards if a problem should arise.
Caden