Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this is commonly asked, but apparenlty i have missed the answers. How long/heavy will a columbian boa constrictor get when fully grown if fed appropiatley sized prey items frequently. ( keep in mind i am not powerfeeding. I know the effects of this and i plan to stay away from this type of feeding.) Btw, she is a female. thanks for any input.

-Ben-

On average about 8-10', however females tend to get a little larger. It could potentially get up to around 12', but I'd still bet on around 9-10'. I'd build a cage suitable for up to 12' just in case though.

Where do people get this stuff? I've never in my life seen a 12' Colombian boa, or anything even close to that. A 10' one is a monster, even for a female, and can easily be avoided by not overfeeding.

If you're not overfeeding, count on 6 or 7 feet for a male, maybe 8 for a female. And it will take years and years for that.

i agree about 6 or seven feet and tops 20 pounds and thats pushing it
Eric

Man, give the guy a break! When i first started looking into getting a boa I read that the boa can reach lengths of 10-12 feet as well, there are sooo may people out there creating home made web sites with just absurd info. I read once the way to help hatchlings grow faster is to chop off the heads off rats and feed them to the snakes, it provides more nutrients to the snakes, and at the same time makes you fell like hanibal Lector. I think that sites like kingsnake are great because all the people who post questions and all the people who provide answers are like a big bank of info, if I have a question, there is least 1 person on here who can help . just my 2 cents
Here is me and my 17 ft suri! j/k
thanks

I agree with the answer that a typical female boa sould be 8 feet (ish). I do disagree with the statement about as long as you don't powerfeed, it will stay small. I have a 11' female I didn't powerfeed, never been bred. Not even real thick, just loooong. I got her from EBV in 1989 as a baby. That makes her about 16.5 years old, which (from what I hear) would be unusual for a "power-fed" snake.
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Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
4.12 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Where do we get this stuff? Cuz I just saw a 10.5' columbian who was expected to keep growing. Regardless, don't talk down like I am a (bleep)ing idiot. 12' columbians exist, and though uncommon are not that rare. On average, like I said, he should expect 9-10' "FOR A FEMALE". Read someone's (bleep)ing post before replying. If you think this message is insulting, then re-read your post. You posted like I was a complete idiot. Sorry for the swearing, but jesus christ... Is it in your nature to just treat people like complete idiots when you don't even know what you are even talking about???

Christ, I almost just lost my snake while replying to this. LOL!

Thanks to everyone who replied. From what i understand, i can expect my girl get around 8 feet (give or take). This is a reasonable size, but i would like for her to reach her potentially largest size without being powerfed. In other words i don't want to confine her possible size due to my care and husbandry. Is there any way to "motivate" any extra size in her without powerfeeding or beheading rats?-haha.

-Ben-

is how much genetics plays a role in how large or small your boa will stay. Just like with many animals, the adult size of your snake is determined somewhat by its parents and no matter what you try to do (feed, don't feed) it will attain a certain length. We have a girl that is 5 years old, 8 ft and 25 lbs, she has not been overfed at all, she just comes from big stock. We have others, that are the same age, that are only 6.5 ft and 12 lbs. Just like with people, some grow fast, others grow more slowly and some just eat whatever they want and never gain a darn pound...oops, sorry touchy subject, lol, you get my point.

Have a great day!

Kathy