Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is anyone going to be in Daytona Beach in August for the expo? I am trying to decide between a Redtail Boa, Dumerils or Madagascar Ground boa. I love them all but have never had a boa. I currently have corn snakes and a ball python, but have always wanted a boa. The time has come, but now I am having a hard time deciding!!!

Also, any suggestions for adult enclosure size? I build my own cages and I know the babies like them snug and secure. So say I was to get a snake that grows to 13 feet, comfortable enclosure size, maybe 48x24x18? I want it to be more comfortable for them, not just sufficient.

Thanks for any suggestions!
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1.2 Ghost Corns, Beetlejuice, Casper and Spooky
1.1 Charcoal het pewter, Smokey and Flame
1.1 Hypo het lavender, Rosy and Rocko
1.0 Anery, Goku
0.1 Amel, Sunny
2.0 Tabby Cats, Daddycat and his son Brat
0.1 Australian Shepherd, Angel

Gypsy

I'll work my way backwards and give some of my opinions.
First of all its very unlikely you'll be dealing with any redtail Boa, including BCC, BCI and Colombian type Boas that will reach 13 feet. There are always possible exceptions but rarely are these monsters seen in captivity. Now 8 - 10 feet is a more likely size so a 6' - 8'(foot) enclosure would be best suited for such Boas. One could use a 48x24x18 and be alright .Once a Boa goes over 6' feet, a longer enclosure makes sense. I'll leave a link where you can shop for the Best enclosure in my opinion anywhere, the Boaphile Plastics enclosure is great.
As far as Boas go I find that Dumerils Boas seem to be some of the best pet type Boas you'll find. Normally clean blood lines stay quite small under 6 feet. Never to be housed with any other snake though under any circumstance. Colombian Boas are my personal favorites though. I also like a larger Boa so I like the Colombians.

. . . . . . . . Lar M

"Boaphile Plastics"

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Boas By Klevitz

Thanks so much for the reply! I haven't even really looked at the columbians! No you have given me even more to think about.

The size of the enclosure is not a problem, since I build my own, was just wanting to make sure I built it big enough for comfort. I tend to go overboard, the cages for my cornsnakes give them pleeeennntty of room, lol. But, I am also going to look at the link you left for me.

What kind of disposition do the Columbians have? I want one of the larger snakes like a boa, nothing giant like some of the pythons. Something with a good disposition that one person can handle. I was looking at the Dums since they are not so common, at least here in Florida and I do love their pattern, but then again redtails are so pretty ... AARRRGGGHHH!!! I guess I will just have to see which snake I fall in love with at the show.

Thanks again for your help.
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1.2 Ghost Corns, Beetlejuice, Casper and Spooky
1.1 Charcoal het pewter, Smokey and Flame
1.1 Hypo het lavender, Rosy and Rocko
1.0 Anery, Goku
0.1 Amel, Sunny
2.0 Tabby Cats, Daddycat and his son Brat
0.1 Australian Shepherd, Angel

Gypsy

It sounds like you've started your research far enough in advance to adequately prepare for whatever animal you choose. I applaud you for that!!!! Most people buy, then ask questions. lol

My recommendations would be to continue doing what you're doing. Research, research, research.

I don't have any experience with Dumerils, but I can tell you that of the few that I've seen, Mike at Basically Boas and Tim Frazier at Illiana Reps have the best. There are also probably plenty of others who produce really beautiful Dums, I just don't know who they are. As far as I know, neither of these vendors will be in Daytona. You'd need to contact them via email or phone. And actually, I don't even know if Tim Frazier is still into reptiles.

As for boa constrictors, the general rule regarding cage space is that they need one square foot of cage space for every foot long the boa is. Meaning, if you have a 6 foot boa, your cage would need to be 4' wide & 2' deep (or 3'x3'). You can probably use a 4'x2' cage for boas up to 7.5' (depending on their girth which will depend on their ssp [subspecies] and locality). However, you said that you like your animals to have plenty of room so you can stick with the formula.

As for adult size, you had originally stated you wanted a boa that'll reach 13', and I think the previous poster replied that you'd never get that. That's true. A 13' boa is EXTREMELY rare. Also, you'd need a 9'x4' cage to accomodate the boa and it would also fall out of the range of being able to be handled by one person.

You could grow a boa up to 10', but it would more than likely be overfed and consequently live a very short life. 8' is attainable if the genetics allow for it. 8' is also the largest boa I'd recommend one person trying to handle unless they're experienced with boas and have the physical stature to handle it if something bad happened.

If you want an 8' boa, go for a PURE Colombian boa (BCI/BCC), a Peruvian (BCC), or even an Argentine (BCO). If you're ok with 7', you have a MUCH broader range of potential animals. Any of the animals I've already listed can stay under 7' if you so choose and ANY BCC (Suriname, Guyana, Brazil) can and will reach 7'. Other options are BCA's and BCL's. At 4-6', you have the broadest range of boas to choose from. Any of the animals I've already listed can fall into this range as well as every other ssp and locality can fall somewhere in this range.

There will be a large array of boa constrictor ssp at the show, but there are ssp you won't see there. So make sure the ssp you set your heart on are actually readily available in captivity.

www.riobravoreptiles.com - this site is 100% locality oriented. This is an excellent resource to read up on the differences in some of the ssp's and locality boas. Gus will be at the show so if you fall in love with a particular type of animal, contact him beforehand to see if he'll have it there. He's one of most reputable guys in the business and you'll be 100% happy with your purchase.

www.cuttingedgeherp.com - this site is locality and morph oriented. Also an excellent resource with lots of pics. Vin will also be at the show and has recently published the most comprehensive book on boas to date. His reputation is excellent as well and you will be 100% happy with your purchase from him as well.

Now, I noticed you have a few other snakes and they're ALL morphs. If you want a boa morph, Colombians and Argentines are the only ones that routinely get over 6'. Check out the boalist for ALLLLLLL of the possibilities. Actually, "most" of the possibilities, we haven't fully explored all of the possibilities. Some of them are priced at a beginners price point, many are not. There are several boa morphs in the 4-6' adult boa range that are genetically inherited and naturally occuring.

Good luck in your search. I hope this info was helpful.

I don't reply often on here to questions such as yours because I type so darn much!!!

jb
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Jonathan Brady
*You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.*

Edited on July 19, 2008 at 19:09:55 by PHGinger.

JB - I'm going to start calling you the professor. I don't know anyone that puts as much thought into their post. You saved him about 40 hours of research. Good job!

Kevin

A 4x2 enclosure would be 8 sq feet and a 3x3 enclosure would be 9 square feet. I think you added instead of multiplied.

I've also heard of the method that the length of the cage should be 75% the length of the snake. I think if you incorporate both the area and length methods you will be set on cage size, Johnathan gave you some great info on the species.

I meant that the length plus the width should be equal to the length of the snake. My bad!
jb
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Jonathan Brady
*You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.*

Wow, lots of very good information! I am not truly looking for 13 feet or so, must just be some misinformation I read somewhere about female redtails. Really just looking for a substantial (?) pleasant snake.

I know most of my cornsnakes are morphs, I haven't updated my signature lately regarding new or deceased pets. I do have a couple of the most strikingly beautiful normal wild caught corns, and their colors are really my favorite.

As far as the boa I am looking for, I am not really wanting to get a morph. I am breeding the corns and went for the ones that I thought I might recoup my investment. I don't plan on breeding the boas. That said, I do want a female, just in case I change my mind, lol. Female after all

Again, thanks for the ideas, I will definitely check on them.
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1.2 Ghost Corns, Beetlejuice, Casper and Spooky
1.1 Charcoal het pewter, Smokey and Flame
1.1 Hypo het lavender, Rosy and Rocko
1.0 Anery, Goku
0.1 Amel, Sunny
2.0 Tabby Cats, Daddycat and his son Brat
0.1 Australian Shepherd, Angel

Gypsy

If you have the money, go with a MGB. Dumerils are a dime a dozen, and we don't call Colombians common Boas just for the hell of it. MGBs are something different entirely, and will hold their value for a while.
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South Central Herpetological