Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I wanna get a boa or a python but i dont want it to get big. What is the smallest boa/python there is?

How small is small? Do you want a 12 inch snake?
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

Not a certtain size, i just wanted to know what is the smallest PYTHON or BOA....Arent they all big? How small can they get?

Well... Are you looking for docility or size? Ball Pythons get about 3 feet and make good pets... The Sand Boas stay pretty small (about 2 1/2-3feet).

Im not really sure what the smallest snake is, from my experience the Ringneck and Worm snake are only about 8 inches.

Unless you count a couple pretty obscure species that some taxonimists don't even classify as boas (Tropidophis, ect.), sand boas pretty much win out in the tiny category. A male russian might only reach a foot or a foot and a half, they're born at 4-6 grams. I just got some, they look like worms! So there are definately boas you can buy that will fit in a pocket as an adult. The smallest pythons still get about 3 feet long, which is still pretty small. Candoia boas are down there too.

Eryx- all the fun of a boa, in a convenient pocket size!
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Peter: It's OK, I'll handle it. I read a book about something like this.
Brian: Are you sure it was a book? Are you sure it wasn't NOTHING?

The smallest boas are probably either the Arabian Sandboa (Eryx jayakari) or the Elegant Sandboa (E. elegans). Adults of both species apparently stay under 20 inches.

If you consider the Tropidophines boas, then there are smaller contenders. I am not sure how large Exiliboa placata gets, but it can't be much larger than a 18 inches or so. The Leopard Dwarf Boa (Tropidophis pardalis) of Cuba doesn't exceed 350mm (13.5 inches)!

As for Pythons, the Dwarf Anthill Python (Antaresia perthensis) stays under a maximum of two feet, but average closer to 16 inches.

Just for reference, most boa and python species are not giants. Of the 90 or so species in the family boidae, around 30 of them exceed 7 feet. So 2/3 of the boids are smaller than that.

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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham

I guess I should point out that almost none of the species I listed are available as captives. Here are a few of the readily available small boids -

Sandboas (Kenyan, Rough-scaled, Indian, etc) - under 3 feet
Rosyboas - mostly under 3 feet (a few reach 4 feet)
Rubberboas - under 30 inches
Calabaria - under 4 feet

Ball Python - under 5 feet, although quite stocky
Childrens/Spotted Python - 4-5 feet, but slender
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Chris Harrison

...he was beginning to realize he was the creature of a god that appreciated the discomfort of his worshippers - W. Somerset Maugham