Go for the Central American or hold out for an Argentine?

[Alexandra V]

I've been looking into boas as a next pet, and I absolutely love argentine boas and central americans. The issue is that I met a Central American baby that could be worthwhile if worked with, but I also plan on going to a few expos in the near future, and since I love argentine boas I was thinking that maybe I should hold out and try to find an Argentine instead.

Which would you do in my place?

[Vypyrz]

If I had to choose one for you, I would pick the Argentine since it seems that you are favoring that one since you are willing to hold out for one. And unless you just have a soft spot for that particular Central American, I would suggest doing some more research on them. As far as size goes, the Argentine females average about 7ft when full grown, and some can reach 8ft. The Argentine males normally grow to about the 6ft range. The Central American boas are considered dwarf boas with the females aveaging around 6ft and the males averaging about 5ft. There are actually 4 different Central American boas, and they are identified by the areas they come from, Costa Rica, Nicaraqua, Panama, and Bolivia. Nicaraguans are the most readily available on the market and will probably be the least expensive of the four, but you might like the coloring or pattern of one of the others more, which is why I suggest researching each of them separately. Good luck on whichever one you decide on...

[Alexandra V]

That's the thing: I'm not sure if I should hold out for an Argentine or not... I was out on a boa hunt when I found the baby CA, but I have yet to find an Argentine in the flesh, so I'm not sure if holding out for one would be a good idea or if I should just go for the CA that I met...

[Wh00h0069]

It really depends on what you like. Argentine boas will get much larger than CA boas. I do not have any Argentine boas, but do have quite a few CA boas, and like them pretty well. Most are not aggressive.

[Crazy4Herps]

Personally, I would hold out for a Bco. If you are comfortable with their potential size and are capable of caring for a very large snake (enclosures & food), then I'd say definitely wait until you've seen both and take your time to think about it. I'm a huge Bci fan also, CA's are great boas, I'm just a big believer in not rushing big decisions. If you see a few Bco's and decide you prefer CA's, then you can go back and buy the CA you had your eye on. But really, you can't go wrong with any of the boa constrictors.

[redstormlax12]

Just like everyone else has said, BCO's will get much larger. I had an argie but ended up selling him. I was stupid and bought him at an expo when the seller told me that males stay in the 4-5 foot range. I took his word and bought the argie. When i got home and realized that an adult argie will not stay 4 feet. more like 6 or 7, i decided to sell him. I was not ready for the size that an BCO attains nor was I comfortable with a 7 foot argie that didn't like to ever be bothered.

I worked with the argie for awhile until I finally sold him. He didn't really settle down at all and that just made me even more sure I wanted to sell him. Granted he was a BEAUTIFUL snake, one of the more aesthetically pleasing IMO, I just wasn't ready to deal with the size and temperment.

IMO comparing a CA boa and an argie isn't really fair. Its kind of like comparing apples to oranges. Hope this helps, and goodluck with whatever you choose.