Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi! I have had 4 years experience with a CB ball python since it was almost a new born. I was in care of it while my brother was in the army. She was the most docile snake that I have ever been around. Not very shy when it came to being held and never once bit me (or even shown signs of a "false bite". I credit her wonderful eating schedule partly to the near perfect living environment (humidity, hides, cage size, etc).

She's back with my brother now and I have always been a fan of the red tailed boa's. No morphs. I'm totally impressed with the original patterns.

My questions concerns the size, temperment, hadling, eating behavior, and any other important information that you wise people may offer. Truely my main concern is how big will he/she get and how aggressive? I'm looking for the smallest species of boa (columbian and male. is that correct??), but I'll take docile over anything. If you would vote that I'm ready for a boa than please give me some good breeders to purchase from.

Thanks for all the help in advance and sorry for the long message. Just trying to be thorough.

>>My questions concerns the size, temperment, hadling, eating behavior, and any other important information that you wise people may offer. Truely my main concern is how big will he/she get and how aggressive? I'm looking for the smallest species of boa (columbian and male. is that correct??), but I'll take docile over anything. If you would vote that I'm ready for a boa than please give me some good breeders to purchase from.
>>
>>Thanks for all the help in advance and sorry for the long message. Just trying to be thorough.

To me this is like comparing apples and oranges. Ball Pythons tend to be extremely docile, to the point of comatose. They internalize fear and stress and do not strike or anything that many snakes do by reflex. (no, not all BPs but MANY)
Boas, while being quite calm, are not always gonna back down when afraid, will come at you when hungry and will eat with a great deal more enthusiasm. They have more growing to do for one thing.
A BP will live out it's life in a reasonable sized enclosure. A Boa is gonna at some point need a LARGE(several hundred dollar) tank or a custom made enclosure.
Take your BP, double it's length and quadruple (at least) it's weight and strength.
Temperament.....to me a BP is, like I said, comatose compared to most other snakes. Boa's.....be sure you hand pick a total sweety for your boa. I have seen boa that were sweet and others that were just a little bit psycho. So you won't be able to just pick an average boa and think it will be totally calm.

I have had snakes all my life and it was only in the last year that I decided to get into boa. One, to me they are a bigger commitment. Two, I didn't meet that many I liked.
I work in a pet store and we get more boa that come back into the market that are starved, sick or generally just neglected. Some are sold to us because of fear of an animal that got bigger than was originally imagined. Some get tired of feeding them, some have new human relationships that limit their pets. ( a new human that is fearful) . Some get brought in and dumped. "I found it in my yard....." from people who may be sincere or more likely (I am a cynic) are lying to get out of the responsibility.
My point....it is harder to rehome a giant snake. Be very sure you aren't gonna get bored with it and think you will just rehome it. Be sure your life will allow for a big baby for the next 20yrs. Or you have the patience to take time finding it another home.
Okay, I am done rambling.
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Sonya

I'm not mean. You're just a sissy.
Happy Bunny

In my opinion, if you liked having a ball python, getting a boa is an easy jump.

I went the same path. My first snake was a ball python. Great snake, he has lots of personality and isn't shy. Very inquisitive and exploratory, unlike what I hear a lot of ball pythons are like.

In any case, I decided I wanted a boa. But I was also concerned about size, so I got a Hog Island boa, which is a dwarf subspecies. They tend to be smaller than normal Columbians (about 5 foot as adults, and not as thick). Be careful though, some of the Nicaraguan boas, which also stay very small, have a reputation for being "nippy". My hog island is very easy going, though sometimes he gets a little hissy if I feed him, and then walk back near his cage while he's trying to eat it. He's never tried to bite me, even when I had to give him oral antibiotics daily for two weeks straight.

Males tend to stay smaller for ALL types of boa constrictors, so keep that in mind. If size is a concern, try to get a male. Many breeders will sex the babies so you'll know what you're getting. If you get a boa from a pet store, you probably won't know if it's a male or female, depends on the store.

Boas tend to be easier to feed than ball pythons, though it depends on the individual snake. A few boa females that I have are garbage disposals, and will eat whenever I offer. My male hog island has refused food during winter months every now and then, just depends on the individual.

So, sizewise, here's a breakdown...

Island and other Subspecies tend to be the smallest (these include Hog Island, Corn Island, Tarahumara, Nicaraguan, and some others). These are Boa Constrictor Imperator, but are small, dwarf populations.

Bolivian Boas (Boa Constrictor Constrictor), get a bit bigger than dwarf constrictors, but from what I've seen, are slightly smaller than common boas when they are fully grown.

Columbian Boas (Boa Constrictor Imperator, "common" boa) tend to be 6 - 8 feet as adults.

True Redtail boas (Boa Constrictor Constrictor) including Suriname, Guyana, Peruvian, tend to be the largest. They grow more slowly and can be more prone to feeding problems (regurgitating when overfed), but over time will get larger than the average common boa. They sometimes have a reputation of having wilder attitudes, but at the same time, many are wild-caught, so that might be why.

There are a bunch of other boas I'm sure I've forgotten to mention, or just don't know that much about adult sizes, but they are great snakes. Most tend to be very docile. But no matter which you choose, if you get it when it's a baby and handle it fairly frequently, they all tend to tame down.

I hope this helps! I now have mostly boas. Though my original ball python boy is still one of my favorite snakes.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com | CageMakers
1.0 Ball Python, 1.0 Hog Island Boa, 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC

If you want to be absolutely sure your boa will stay small and tame, get an adult boa that is small and tame. There's plenty in rescues, and plenty for sale on kingsnake. You can get a dwarf, but that's no guarantee if you get a baby, because size is partly dependent on the feeding schedule too. If you get an adult you can make sure it is a docile individual too. If I were you, I'd look for a former pet who was handled a lot and is the right size. If you try to go with a reputable breeder you might have a hard time finding a snake that was handled a lot, because breeders usually have a LOT of snakes. Look for a family pet. Most boas are great eaters, and will stay tame as long as you handle them a at least twice a week or more. You're ready, good luck.
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com
http://slitheringserpents.com

yup yup yup-
my first was a corn, second was a BP 3rd was an RTB- still have him- and he's pretty small still- little columbian.

I've had nearly 80 red tails come through this rescue in the last few years- only had 2 that struck- and when they got a bunny- they tamed down= (starving to death).

I get small ones, big ones, HUGE ones- i have gotten females around 10 foot and people that signed up for a 5-6 ft snake can't do 10 ft when they get there- If you want a guarantee of size i would get one thats a bit older- I'm not saying 18 years and it'll be gone in a few- you can get 4 or 5 year olds that will give you a good idea of size later down the road.

Do check the rescues- I don't have much of anything that we can't get tamed down and adopted out. and they're all healthy and eating good- which is not always a guarantee from breeders- there are some shady breeders out there and its hard to tell who's who- I learned that the hard way when I decieded to splurge on a snake i'd always wanted- she died 3 days later- SOOOOO-
either way you go- check out the person selling the snake and DO NOT fall in love or take it out of pity- if its in bad shape. look the snake over and make sure he's healthy!!!

good luck- I love the regulars as well- I've got a big honkin' peruvian here next to me- right at 9 ft. beautiful.

Beth
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The rescue site: www.freewebs.com/okreptilerescue