Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello boid guys and gals,

The name's Ralph, I haven't posted in here yet as I didn't have an interest in boids up until lately...Currently I have the animal in my sig, the only boid is my Hatchling Jungle Carpet Python, but recently the "Boa bug" has bitten me big time and I am DYING to get my hands on a boa, ANY boa!!! LOL I just want something...I REALLY want an emerald tree boa, but I can't afford the time or money for one right now, so I was thinking of something simple to start off with such as a Red Tail, possibly a Columbian Red Tail...I was in my local herp store today checking them out...WAYY cool snakes, I really want to get one.. (I'm thinking of trading my two baby tangerine honduran milks for one of them, anyone here wanna trade?)

Any advice or tips you could give me for before/during/after purchase of this snake would be great...things such as handling a boa(The one i handled was a dream!) Do you feed boas in a seperate enclosure, like you do colubrids or??

Anything else is greatly appreciated!! I hope to hang around here alot!!

Thanks for your time,
Ralph

P.S. Here is a pic of my custom enclosure, I plan on building a bigger one for boids soon!

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0.0.1 Argentine Black and White Tegu
2.1 Bearded Dragon
0.0.5 Hatchling Bearded Dragons
1.1 Honduran Milksnake
1.0 Florida Brooksi Kingsnake
1.0 Blood Red Cornsnake
1.0 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Desert Kingsnake
1.0 Western Hognose Snake
1.0 Bull Mastiff

I got that same bug bite not too long ago. I am no expert, but I think that I can give good advice since I wasn't sure where to start either.

1.) RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH... boa-constrictor.com is a good place to start. Read up on the different locales and on their care. I started with a CBB BCI and while I LOVE IT TO DEATH... I almost wish that since I went with this caliber of snake in the first place, I should have gone for a true redtail or a cooler locale like a Hogg Island or so...

2.) HOUSING... They aren't particularly troublesome for space the first year if you get them young, but eventually they SHOULD have a good amount of room. Given your abilities and the 2yr time span you should have no prob.

There aren't many special tips that you won't find if you research a bunch of care guids.

GOOD LUCK.
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-Iman

1.1 Balls
0.1 Boa (BCI)
0.0 Experience
100.0 LOVE

Loving to Learn
Learning to Help
Helping to Love

I would suggest you wait and get the ETB when you can afford it. Boas are a lot of fun, but they are expensive and live a long time (hopefully!). If you really want an ETB, you'll still want one after you get a RTB. You may end up with two expensive snakes!

Research all of the snakes you like and save up for your "ideal" snake. I've been waiting for over a year for a Dummerl's Boa. I plan to get one next fall.

Good luck!

While I love my colubrids, the boid bug has hit hard here! ROFL I have 1.2 trans-pecos, 2.1texas bullsnakes, 1.1 pacific gophers and 1.1 emoryis BUT.......besides the fact I love the size of our boas, they are much more fun to just hang out with, where my colubrids are into simply slithering away, the boas will just hang out with us or can be turned loose in a room and you can watch them.

I think the colubrids are easier to maintain, such as temperatures and such since the ones I keep are native to the US, the boas have a bit more required as far as what they need in temps, lighting and humidity. We had said we would not get into boids, had a BCI given to us, THAT started the entire dang love affair! ROFL....we added a female for our BCI and for Christmas my husband got me a pair of dumerils and I got him 1.2 brazilian rainbow boas.

ADDICTIVE...that is what ALL snakes are!

Nina