Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a corn a king snake in typical 3ft vivs and am considering getting a larger snake like a boa or carpet python. Does such a set-up require a lot more electricity? what is the right size tank for an boa? Are the food items very expensive and large? I'd love to but don't want to take on too much if ya know what I mean?!!
Thanks in advance,
willzy

I love boas and carpets, I love snakes I guess. I make a modest income and still manage to keep upwards of 20 snakes... In my opinion, snakes are less upkeep than most other animal. They require minimal electricity if you have a warmer house, don't require uv lights, usually only need cleaning and fed once a week, and even less than that as they age.
As for boas (some of this applies to carpets also), males would be easier to keep generally (IMO) since they do not grow as big and therefore need less space and can be fed smaller prey. If you buy mice/rats/rabbits from a pet store they will sometimes charge quite a bit for these things. Usually I've seen around $2.50 for a small rat and up to $5 for a larger rat, could be worse of course. Bunnies can range a bit as well, but commonly I see them for $10 ea. but once you are feeding rabbits your snake is at the age where you are feeding less often, so it evens out somewhat.
I think it is easier than having a large dog (which I also have) who can go through a bag of dog food in a week and a half that costs around as much as a barrel load of rats depending on brand. LOL! So, I think snakes are cheap to keep compared to other pets. An adult female boa however, you'd need a larger cage. Many build their own, but I always recommend something preconstructed by a make like boaphile, animal plastics, etc. There are a lot of choices, but like I said, usually a male will need less space... if that helps!
Good luck!
Steph S.
ps- You came to the right place to ask, there are a lot of experts on here... I am NOT one of them! ;p

My cages for my adult boas run between 20-40 watts of total power. Flexwatt is very low wattage and effective.

Amount and size of food as well as the size of the adult enclosure varies a LOT depending on the exact type of boa you get, as well as if it is male or female.

For some good information on different subspecies and different locales you may want to check out a few sites:
RioBravoReptiles.com and CuttingEdgeHerp.com. I have some information on the different subpecies, locales, and all the morphs up on my site too. There are litteraly hundreds of choices of Boa constrictor (that is all ONE species).

So, pick a size, pick a color, boy or girl, and then you can work out feeding and a cage.

Most boas should be kept in a 4'x2' cage anywhere from 10"-18" tall. Feedings depend largely on type, but as frequent as 7-14 days for babies of various types, to anywhere from weekly to monthly feedings of adults (more dependent on sex and individual condition than anything).
You also have to consider if you might breed. Boas should be raised a little different if breeding is the goal to make sure you have very healthy animals that are in the right condition and will still live a long life and lessen the stresses of breeding.
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http://www.GilbertBoas.com/

Do your self a favor and get as much information as you can before you get a bigger snake. You are going to have it for 20 years so take your time! Pick something very special from a reputable breeder, go to a few shows, talk to people, and read as much as you can! The cost of the snake is nothing divided by 20 years. The time it takes you to save up the cash can be used to research your perfect snake. Your initial investment in housing can be minimal because you don’t want to put that baby snake in a 4ft enclosure for quite some time, a sweeter box or a 10-20 gallon tank will do nicely. A very small snake in a very large cage can stress the snake out.

As for your choice, I couldn’t decide, I have 3 carpets (2 Jungles and an Irian Jaya) and 2 Boas. I love them all for different reasons. I would like to say that Carpets are more nippy (they usually are) but I got nailed by a 36” female pastel boa on Friday. My fault, didn’t hurt, sh*t my pants anyway. I believe, in general, Carpets are not seen as much as Boas by the average Joe and they are smaller, but they are a little harder to tame and care for.

Good luck and remember, research twice and buy once!

PS: If you get a Carpet, DON’T FEED MICE, start it out on pinky rats! They are so hard to switch later and in some cases impossible!

Thanks for all your kind advice info.. everyone who replied, i'm gonna research it more and see what comes up, still not sure boa/python..

Thankyou!

willzy