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How do I know what kind of Boa in the classifieds?

skyfire_1 Dec 28, 2005 11:37 AM

This is probably a rookie question that most already know. But I am looking for a smaller size BCI such as a Hog Island, and not one of the larger BCI's such as the Columbian. I also like the morph breeds. But on most of the classified ads they only give the morphs as a description. How would I know what type of Boa it actually is, or if they don't list the type of boa, should I just assume that it is a Columbian and will get about 8 feet?
For Example some listed on the classifieds say; "Female Snow Boa"..."Male Albino Boa"... "05 Super Ghost Boa"... "Sharp SunGlow Boa". How would I know from this what type of Boa it is, and what size I should expect it to be if I can't really tell by a picture of a two month old snake? (did I explain this OK?)

Replies (6)

DavidKendrick Dec 28, 2005 12:28 PM

Almost all of the BCI morphs will be crossed with Columbian somewhere down the line, and will not stay as "small" as you would like. In my opinion there isn't much difference "Size" wise give or take a few feet, I consider large some of the BCC's which can get much larger and longer than a Hog Island. If your wanting a dwarf boa, I would suggest any of the Island Locals, or Sonoran Desert Boas, or Tarahumara Mountain Boas, Also many of the Central American Locals stay generally smaller. But if your looking at the snows, sunglows, albinos, ghosts..Ect...Ect...they all generally will not stay as small as the others mentioned. I have seen some Hog Islands get up to 5-6 feet, and I also have seen some Columbian reach 6-7 feet, which is only a foot longer, and not much larger in girth. Thats just my opinion and is not Facts, just my experience, I am sure others will respond with there own comments...Good luck picking one out...there are lots...LOL
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BelgianBeer Dec 28, 2005 02:21 PM

Unless it is specicifically stated otherwise it is always by default a COLOMBIAN as most morphs are and not a ColUmbian or a different locality or subspecies.

DavidKendrick Dec 28, 2005 02:35 PM

I live on the Columbia River, in the Pacific Northwest...and as Kingsnake.com, has no way to go back and edit posts, Sorry for the Typo...It should Be Colombian....NOT Columbia...I guess I should preview my posts next time.....LOL
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BelgianBeer Dec 28, 2005 02:52 PM

Actually I what I said was meant mainly for the New-b, but it would not be the same if I could not give people some crap once in a while,LOL.

damian5000 Dec 28, 2005 03:37 PM

You can substantially control the size of your boa based on how you feed it. IMO, you can easily and healthily keep a BCI at 6 FT.

ChrisGilbert Dec 28, 2005 07:32 PM

If the boa you see is a morph, and the locale is not labeled, it is usually a Colombian.

The Nicaraguan counterparts to Colombian morphs are usually labeled with their locale, but not always. Type II Anerythristics for instance are not always labeled as Nicaraguan, but that is because they don't exist in Colombian strains.

Blood boas originated out of El Salvador, and usually don't include a locale label. Most of the Bloods available have Colombian or "Salmon" blood. (The Salmon is an intergrade from the start so to keep things basic those are usually called Salmon X's)

Leopards are Sonoran (or at least believed to be). The DH Leopard Albinos are Sonoran X Colombian. (No T-negative Albinos have been produced in the U.S. except for Colombians)

If you are looking for Dwarf boas, any of the Mexican locales, Insular BCI, and some C.A. BCI locales are great.
Cay Caulker, Crawl Cay, Sonoran, Tarahumara Mt., Corn Island, Panamanian, and Nicaraguan are a few that can be purchased (some are extremely rare, such as Crawl Cays, Tarahumara Mt, and Panamanians (only about 60 from Panama).)

In general a well fed male of any BCI locale will be easily manageable. Each locale has its own look, and appeal. Just do some research and see what you like.

Here is a picture of one of my Panamanians:

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