Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, my name is MacKenzie and although this is my first post I have been browsing the site for quite some time now. After looking at countless websites and reading a ton of information I am unable to decide what kind of snake I want, there are too many to chose from. I currently only have a reg. ball python, that I've had for just over a year with no problems to date, the snake is about 1.5 years old. Anyway, here's my question that I hope you guys can help me with... what should I get for a new snake? To narrow it down a bit here's a few things I'm looking for:
5-8 feet in length
colorful(the ball, although beautiful, is getting boring)
maybe somekind of unique feature(a bloods girth, rainbow boas irridesence*)
Here's what I've been thinking...
Emerald Tree Boa (saw one in a pet store, and it was love at first sight)
Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Jungle Carpet Python
Bull Snake

Difficulty in keeping, like I here the ETB's are, is a challenge I'm willing to take on. I just really want something different, that makes an impressive display and wonderful addition to my current one snake collection.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and sorry for the long post, thanks in advance to any suggestions.

-MacKenzie

BRB's are my favorite and they're not really hard to care for, just have o set the enclosure up right in the first place. I also have boa constrictors and many of the morphs are really cool as well.

High Red Savannah
High Orange Daisey
Hypo Dottie
M5 Bullseye Male
Hypo Mickey
Hypo Dumbo
High Red Rusty

and some BCI's

Albino het anery 2004
Salmon possible Jungle 05/17/2005
Summit Salmon 05/27/2005
Stripe 2006

Albino Pos het anery 5/27/2005
Anery Het Albino 04/21/2005
Ghost 2005
Super Ghost 05/24/2005
Super Salmon pos Jungle 05/22/2005
Stripe 2006
Reverse Stripe 2006
Pastel CBLT 2003
Albino Arabesque 05/15/2005

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Just wondering if you could tell what BCI stands for. They look like Red Tail Boas, which I've been looking into a lot actually, but I'm afraid most of the morph's that I could find a price for a bit to steep for me at the moment. The ghot caught my eye, someone posted a pic of a baby in the boa forum and they're gorgeous. Do you have any experience with Red Tails? They seem to average about 7 feet which sounds great to me, not too big or small, a very impressive looking animal.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, the BRB are a lovely snake as well, I have yet to see one in person and I'm sure the pics don't do them justice.

Thanks again, keep the suggestions coming, Mak.

OOPPSS, BCI is Boa Constrictor Imperator, commonly called redtail boa even though the "true" redtailed boas are Boa Constrictor Constrictor (BCC) Those pics after the BRB's are all redtails and there were a couple of ghosts in there:

For Color without the really high price, a nice hypo can't be beat:

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BRB's are my fav though, the colors are WOW and the prices are low enough for just about anyone to get several. Babies run from $100 to $150 each. And they don't get huge, 5 - 6 feet tops and not real girthy.

>>Just wondering if you could tell what BCI stands for. They look like Red Tail Boas, which I've been looking into a lot actually, but I'm afraid most of the morph's that I could find a price for a bit to steep for me at the moment. The ghot caught my eye, someone posted a pic of a baby in the boa forum and they're gorgeous. Do you have any experience with Red Tails? They seem to average about 7 feet which sounds great to me, not too big or small, a very impressive looking animal.
>>Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, the BRB are a lovely snake as well, I have yet to see one in person and I'm sure the pics don't do them justice.
>>
>>Thanks again, keep the suggestions coming, Mak.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Man! Where do you keep all those big ones? I love the BRBs! Derek

Just put this together last weekend for pic monday on the BRB forum:

First off is a layout drawing of my snake room. Typical story, I have a limited space and want to put a whole lot in there. So I turned the closet into a nursery for hatchlings and other neonates.
I also worked out a maximum layout of cage stacks and designed/built racks to also maximize use of the room as well.

Don't have a nice wide angle lens so pics aren't the greatest but here goes:

Looking in from the doorway, You can see Boaphile stack #1 to the right, Boaphile stack #2 by (in front of) the window, And my combination workbench and hatchling rack in the middle of the room.

This pic is looking back the other way, from left to right, my two Iris CB110 racks, the side of Boaphile stack 1 and my first oak BRB breeding cage. Also in the foreground is my combination workbench/hatchling rack.

A close-up of the room centerpiece. Has room for 96 hatchlings. Each level individually heated. The rack is made of two sections that are held together with pins and draw catches. Heating is controlled by two Helix DBX 1000's, six levels on each side can be disconnected when not in use. I also made a nice laminated top with a leftover scrap of formica from BRB cage #2.

I'm quite happy with how all my rack projects racks came out but this one is stunning.

The rack shown split apart. Both halves are wired seperately. Had to make it this way so it could be rolled through the door. Overall joined size is 32" x 52" but breaks down into two 16" x 52" sections.

I built these two racks around Iris CB 110 tubs. 10 slots each and each slot individually wired and can be unplugged from the thermostat when not in use.

The CB110's are heated with 11" flexwatt. Each panel is recessed and the thermostat probed panel has a different color cord so I can't mistake which one has to always be connected.

My hatchling closet. On the sides are two racks I built around Sterilite 1754 tubs and in the middle are three, 30 slot each, Boaphile Rhino Raxx.

and the other side of the closet

My two homemade oak BRB breeding cages. So far all the breeding magic has been in number 1 on the left. This fall I have 2.5 BRB's that will be of breeding age in cage #2, more breeding magic to happen there soon.

A close-up of BRB breeder #2

A closeup of one individual cage section, this one is Petunia's cage, you can see her chillin in the moist hide box.

Three pics of my Boaphile stacks, this is where most of my BCI morphs are.

And of course some obligatory pics of Daisey and Savannah, don't have any new ones so you'll have to make do with ones I've already posted

Daisey:

Savannah:




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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

...I love it! Nice job.
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Diego

Diego & Tiffany's Zoo:
SNAKES
3.4 Corn Snakes (Different morphs)
1.0.0 Boa Constrictor
0.1.0 Dumeril's Boa
1.1.0 Rosy Boas (Mexican & Mid Baja)
1.1.0 Kenyan Sand Boas
0.1.0 Indonesian Dwarf Pacific Boa
0.1.0 Tangerine Honduran Milksnake
1.0.0 Honduran Milksnake
0.1.0 Pueblan Milksnake
1.2.0 Ball Pythons
1.0.0 Woma Python
1.1.0 Cape York Spotted Pythons
1.1.0 Macklot's Pythons
0.0.1 Ribbon Snake
1.0.0 Western Hognose
1.0.0 Albino San Diego Gopher Snake
0.0.1 Sonoran Gopher Snake
0.1.0 Mexican Black Kingsnake
1.1.0 Gray Banded Kingsnakes (River Road)
0.1.1 California Kingsnakes
1.0.0 Yellowtail Cribo
0.1.0 Blacktail Cribo

LIZARDS
1.0.0 Frilled Dragon
3.1.0 Bearded Dragons (2 Normal, 1 RedXGold, 1 Citrus)
1.1.0 Eastern Collared Lizard
0.1.0 Merauke Blue Tongue Skink
2.3.0 Leopard Geckos
1.0.1 Yellow Niger Uromastyx
FROGS
2.2.0 Southern Bell Frogs
1.0.1 Green Tree Frogs
1.1.0 Striped Walking Frogs
1.1.1 White's Tree Frogs

A jungle carpet would be a great choice. They make great display animals like the ETB you love so much. A female would also reach an impressive size and girth. If you want one a tad smaller, Irian Jaya carpets are also very beautiful and they can be even more arboreal than the Jungles, meaning you could admire it more often as it would not spend as much time in its hidebox.
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1.0 Spotted Python
1.0 IJ Carpet Python and 0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1 Ball Python
0.1 Macklot's Python
1.0 Variable Kingsnake

Just a couple quick questions, is there much difference between the charasterics/"personality" of boas/pythons in general?
The columbian red tail is mostly a ground dwelling snake, right?
And, one more if you don't mind, what are the average lengths and girth of the JCP and BRB? Too much variation on the websites I found to get a solid answer.
Thanks a lot for the help guys, Mak

Hey Mak, can't say for the JCP but BRB's I know!! They are typically 5 to 6 feet in length, very rarely going over. About 2 inches in diameter. Typical weights are around 3000 to 4000 grams for a typical female, males are a bit smaller.

>>Just a couple quick questions, is there much difference between the charasterics/"personality" of boas/pythons in general?
>>The columbian red tail is mostly a ground dwelling snake, right?
>>And, one more if you don't mind, what are the average lengths and girth of the JCP and BRB? Too much variation on the websites I found to get a solid answer.
>>Thanks a lot for the help guys, Mak
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Baja Gopher - much more beautiful than a Bull Snake IMHO.
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3.0 WC; 0.2 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata