Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, I need your opinions.

I currently house a 2002 columbian red tail boa. I have always desired to own an albino burm and have recently been offered a trade straight across the table: my RTB for his 2004 burm. I really would like to do it, but would like opinions first. I'd hate to jump into something without being positive, but like I said...I really want to make this trade. What do you guys think? Should I stick with the boa or should I trade her off for the snake I've always wanted?

thanks so much,
Sami

First thing you have to ask yourself is...how big is my redtail after 2 years...and then how big will my burm be after two years?
Do you want your already "grown up" snake, or do you want one that has the potential to be twice the size of your boa?
That would be my concern if I were making the trade.
Honestly...I would keep both! Albino burms are rather inexpensive compared to some other snakes, and why have one when you can own two?? Make the other guy a cash offer, taje the Burm, and he can go buy a redtail!
Honestly...I own burms, and one redtail. I like 'em both.
Both are pretty reliable as far as handling.But...
It's a whole lot easier picking up a 40lb snake than a 100 lb snake.
That's the main concern, is size difference.
Double the size, double the feed bill, double the poop.
ok...more than double the poop.

gotta agree with ya on the food thing. I own two burms an alb and a regular and the feeding is intense. I ordered a hefty amount of medium rats for these guys a few months back, when they would take maybe one or two at a sitting...now they are downing four ( and still hungry...but dont wanna overfeed hehe)... the animal may not be too expensive but the food sure is. I love boas too....soon as the new cage is built and i got my own apartment my bro is handing me over his RTB...which is already about 6 feet...i watched that lil baby grow up and its beautiful...but heres the catch...that took my bro a few years to do....my burms are catching up and they are under a year old lol...so just ask urself what u want...i would say go with both if u can.

Thanks guys! I'd love to keep them both, but like you said...the food issue. That'd be at least 4 rats per sitting for the two of them! Ariadnae (RTB) is all ready up to 2 medium rats per sitting...and she'd take more if you handed them over. (I swear to you the little lady is a glut!) To boot, I could fit 2 large snakes in my room...BUT WHERE WOULD I FIT AFTER THAT?! HAHA! I guess I will see how the guy with the Albino handles himself...if he makes me feel comfortable about this trade, I'll do it. If not, I'll stick with Ariadnae and add a burm in later. As far as size and food is concerned, I am excited about a larger snake. I fed Ariadnae today and checked with my food supplier about rabbits (bunnies, etc) and he said he could get me anything I wanted as long as he had previous warning (sounds like we're dealing drugs here, lol). Anyway, we will see what happens. I'm not going to rush into anything.

Thanks so much for your advice,
Sami