Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,

I was wondering when purchasing a Columbian Boa, how do you tell the difference between "true" Columbian Boa imperator and a crossbreed? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

More than likely........You'll be buying a BCI. We mutt makers (LOL!) haven't gone that crazy. The only true way to know what you are buying is by purchasing from an honest breeder who represents their animals for what they are. You'll be good to go then. If you get a pet store boa...you'll never know. But again, more than likely it's a BCI.
I guess it really depends on what you want your boa for. If it'll be a breeder and you want pure BCI blood....Then, get it from an honest breeder.
If you want a pet. Does it really matter if it's a "mutt" or a "pure". I use the same "logic" I have had with my dogs. I only buy dogs from the SPCA. I like mutts. Every mutt I have owned has been healhy as a horse and smarter than most pure breds my parents have owned. Just my personal opinion. All snakes need love. It's not their fault they are what they are. They need a loving house just like the rest of them.
So, it all comes down to what you like and what you need.
Good luck. Sorry for the rant.
John
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"To be the best..........You must lose your mind."

I have seen a few for sale, and I was wondering what "true" colombian means?? Boa constrictors that come from colombia are colombian boa constrictors right? Is there a region of columbia that has different boas, other than BCI's? Or are people trying to make money by saying there are Colombian BCC's??? I just assumed that the country of colombia had BCI's??? And even if there was BCC's, in Colombia, they would have to be geographically seperated from the BCI's or you would get mixing of the two. So you would end up with "mutts" anyway. There is such a huge variation in color and pattern in the colombians anyway, to me it would be hard to know for sure what you have.
But I am always learning new things everyday, so I might be wrong. PLEASE DON'T BOA BASH ME, I was just giving my opinion.:.)
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"Life is a Safari"

Columbian B.C.C. would typically be from the Eastern part of Columbia. There are so many variances within the species of B.C.C. that it is hard to know what anything is, unless you know for a fact how it was attained. My old buddy Terry Vanderventer had a pair of Columbian B.C.C. that are actually photographed in the breeding section of Hendersons and Marzecs ( Reproductive Husbandry of Pythons and Boas ) and if you posted them on here and called them Surinames, nobody would question it. After seeing wild animals in Guyana myself, the variances are huge and looks can be deceiving. I have also seen these so-called Columbian B.C.C. and in my opinion, it is unlikely that they are any different than the rest. Ask the seller to prove it to you and go down the chain of sales. If you cannot or they give you the run around, dont buy it........GOD BLESS.........Johnson Herp

Go to:

http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/com.html (English version available)

Go to B.c.c then to Colombia, and then have a quick look at my report / photos.

Regards and happy new year,

Ian

Well, really it doesn't matter what kind of Columbian Boa I get, whether it be a crossbreed or a "true". The only type I would never get are the Albinos, and that's only because I've never really liked their color patters. The reason I was wondering about all this is because before I buy my snake, I'm trying to learn every possible thing because I don't want to make a long term commitment without knowing what I'm doing. And this is just another piece of information I'm trying to learn. Anyway, thanks for your help. People at this message board have been very helpful and friendly to me as far as finding information about snakes. Especially for the fact that since I've never owned any snakes before, I'm most likely asking very stupid questions. Thanks again for the help.

only stupid answers. As a new herper, you will indeed try to attain as much info as possible in order to give your animal or animals the best care as possible. You will get good info and bad info and as time goes by, you will learn to have descernment between the two. You will find that; " Some aspects of keeping Reptiles is written in stone and others are not and you will find what works best for you and your Reptiles. " You will also meet and conversate with many " crazy characters " some people think I qualify as that, but you should always put principles before personalities and realize one thing; " You will learn something from everyone in this Hobby and it will be either what to do or what not to do. " Good luck and welcome to Reptiles...........GOD BLESS......Johnson Herp

Good point, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you.