Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first year breeding boas(or attempting to anyway). I have breed diffirent colubrids and have always noticed at least some blood during copulation. I've kept my pair of BCI's together for about 2 months now with lots of tail twisting and alignment observed. I havn't actually verified that copulation has happened but when I took them out of their cage today to clean it I noticed some smeared blood along the floor of the cage and also in the "holding pen" they where placed in while I cleaned the cage. Should I take this for a good sign that copulation is happening because this is the case w/ my corn snakes.

I don't think that is normal. I hope other breeders can chime in, but in my experience tail-wrapping courtship and spurring is normal and none of that leads to blood loss. Female snakes don't cycle like humans do either, so she wouldn't be bleeding naturally. I would fear that there was a feeding or defensive response and someone was nipped. If that is in fact the case, you are lucky you still have both of them, since sometimes accidents lead to cannibalism. I would keep an eye on them if this has happened before, next time you reintroduce them.
Then again, as far as different species, perhaps in some matings there is combat or 'grabbing' while breeding. I've never had it happen myself. I hope you can get a better response from one of the bigger breeders!
Good luck!
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Steph S.
Boas...
1.1 Albino boas (Loki & Hope)
1.4 07 Het. albino boas (Petty & Lady,Sierra,Madeline,Lola)
0.1 Reverse stripe poss. het albino (Cookie)
0.1 Salmon/hypo (Scarlet)
0.1 Anery poss. het snow (Missy)
1.0 Anery (Reno)
0.1 DH Sunglow (Bonnie)
1.0 Het. Anery (Guy)
0.3 Normals (Ophelia, Sasha, & Lulu)
1.1 Surinames (Solomon & Surreal)
1.2 Hogg Isles (Mr.Orange & Peaches, Apricot)
0.0.1 Central American (Sassy)
0.1 Emerald Tree boa (Jade)
1.0 ATB (Satan... seriously!)
Pythons...
2.1 GTPs (B., Monty & Jewel)
0.0.3 BPs (MJ, Precious, Houdini)
1.1 Carpet Pythons (Jackson & Charlotte)
0.1 Blood python (Akaia)
Misc.
1.1 Mandarin Ratsnakes (Jack & Jill)
1.0 Boxer/Pitt Mutt (Tyson)

Canabalism in full grown boas? Wow!! The reason I ask is that it does happen in other species especially colubrids and corn snakes specifically (I see it every year). I was just wondereing if anyone knew if it happened w/ boas as well.

It HAS happened, but is NOT very common. I keep up with these posts while on breaks from a 12hr work day so I see and learn a lot from the breeders on here.
I have seen a post, that has even been reposted a few times in response to keeping snakes together, of two babies... where after each eating a mouse and being put back into their enclosure, one ate the other. So one baby ingested another baby and in total, two mice! I saw the pictures, it was horrible to see. I couldn't dig up the post... but I found someone who referenced it in this forum recently... here is a link to copy and paste for that pic... that snake ended up regurgitating its sibling and dying from the damage, probably from the digestive acids IMO.
http://forums.kingsnake.com/view.php?id=1432644,1432884
I also read a post recently about a guyana eating her breeder male while the owner was away on weekend. I haven't seen anything on it again since, but the person couldn't find the male and the female was hugely bloated. There were no pictures and I can't find the post so maybe she found the male escaped?
I don't know if you've seen the article about the boa eating it's ball python cagemate, it was also a post on this forum. I did look at that one, and saw pictures of the pythons regurged body afterwords, it was pretty morbid and depressing. I don't have that link, but maybe someone will repost it for you?
Like I said, it is a rare thing for boas to cannibalize IMO, but I've seen more on younger boas doing it than older ones. I'd be more worried about having a female boa squish her smaller breeder male by accident LOL! That has happened too. When a boa eats another boa, it is generally a mistaken feeding response. A wrong movement, the smell of prey on one snake... could be many factors to trigger that.
Enough rambling from me, sorry I don't have more incidents, but it makes me feel better that it isn't all that common. Even though I only put my snakes together to breed.... there is always a fear for me!
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Steph S.
Boas...
1.1 Albino boas (Loki & Hope)
1.4 07 Het. albino boas (Petty & Lady,Sierra,Madeline,Lola)
0.1 Reverse stripe poss. het albino (Cookie)
0.1 Salmon/hypo (Scarlet)
0.1 Anery poss. het snow (Missy)
1.0 Anery (Reno)
0.1 DH Sunglow (Bonnie)
1.0 Het. Anery (Guy)
0.3 Normals (Ophelia, Sasha, & Lulu)
1.1 Surinames (Solomon & Surreal)
1.2 Hogg Isles (Mr.Orange & Peaches, Apricot)
0.0.1 Central American (Sassy)
0.1 Emerald Tree boa (Jade)
1.0 ATB (Satan... seriously!)
Pythons...
2.1 GTPs (B., Monty & Jewel)
0.0.3 BPs (MJ, Precious, Houdini)
1.1 Carpet Pythons (Jackson & Charlotte)
0.1 Blood python (Akaia)
Misc.
1.1 Mandarin Ratsnakes (Jack & Jill)
1.0 Boxer/Pitt Mutt (Tyson)