BCI Male or Female

[L.West]

Is there any great difference in regards to pet quality. I mean, is one or the other more friendly or does one sex make a better pet?? Is one sex predisposed to aggressive behavior like biting??

Just curious.

[bcr229]

Not that I have noticed.

If I were interested strictly in a pet I would get a male as they usually stay smaller and are less expensive to purchase and keep (smaller caging needed, smaller feeders needed, etc).

[L.West]

I asked because in the past I had one male BCI that was a terror - I had to give him up because he was very aggressive. Then again - years ago I had a female who was a sweetie.

I am just getting back into the hobby with one pet - A male BCI young and am hoping for a good outcome as far as aggression is concerned.

[Reinz]

I see no difference between my male and female, they are both sweethearts.

While husbandry issues and breeding mode may contribute to "agression", the two main types are usually defensive and hunger/feeding mode.

For defensive (cage aggression), hook training can help quite a bit. For hunger, well that one may seem obvious, but can sometimes need finesse. Either additional rodents are given, or size up with the meal. If you are sure that the meal is proper, sometimes it takes some snakes longer than others to snap out of feed mode. When that is the case I try to stay away from their cage for a day or two after feeding, then they are fine.

For me pet-wise, I get the snake that I really like regardless of sex.


Punch, Common male BI


Elenore, common female BI

[bcr229]

When it comes to bites my females have hit me more often and harder than my males - but those were all food responses.

For overall attitude and ease of handling my male pastel hypo beats the rest. He's also bright pink which helps with the "pretty" factor when introducing him to non-snake people.

[Gio]

Good responses above.


There really isn't anything else to consider if you are NOT breeding. IF you ARE, a female may exhibit some nasty behavior when gravid or fresh after giving birth. Otherwise what the others have said holds true. Feeding mistakes, or scared/defensive behavior due to caging, husbandry or newly acquired/unsettled animals.

As far as a "pet" you would be fine with either. Males can attain the same size as females if you do not have any other female boas in the home giving of pheromonal cues which would signal breeding behavior and loss of appetite.

Husbandry and feeding frequency play the biggest roles in the growth rate of your BC.

This is my male.

I don't get tired of showing him off. He is a Gus Rentfro bred, Barranquilla, Colombian, pure locality boa.



He will hit 4 years old late June and he is 6 feet long on the dot.

After learning a great deal about boas over the years, I feel I probably overfed him to a certain extent when he was younger. Now I feed him once a month in the summer and not at all over the winter months.

If he lives 20 - 40 years I'm sure he will make 7 feet.

In general BCI are very hardy, more forgiving of husbandry and feeding mistakes than BCC and also are said to be more docile. These statements are "general" and a great deal of BCC are becoming equally easy to care for and handle because of captive breeding and better understanding of their requirements.

If you are getting back into boas, get what tickles your fancy the most. Giants are not the norm within either species and there are very successful keepers of both BCC and BCI.

[Sauzo]

I only have females but they are both puppies. My normal tends to be more independent and will cruise around when I take her out but my little sunglow girl seems to like to sit on me. If I put her down, she just sits there lol. But then if I put my hand down next to her, she climbs right up my arm onto my shoulder haha. I personally don't think there is a predetermined temperament for a sex. Each snake regardless of sex will have its own personality.

[dkatz4]

this is a really interesting thread. As i contemplate my 2nd boa, its sex has been one of my main concerns. Would a co-ed situation (i have a male now) create some sort of breeding responses in either animal as alluded to above (i have absolutely no interest in breeding)? Also i am looking for size; i adore my little Central American, but yearn for length and heft, and yet i have seen some females who seem to be disproportionately girthy in the middle (not gravid) and aesthetically that does not appeal to me. with regard to overall body shape, i was thinking about carpet pythons although the consensus seems to be that they are generally not as chill as boas and i have young kids, one of whom is still learning to be gentle; thus far my boa has had the patience of a saint. I think about BCC's as they have the rep for getting bigger, but again, the temperament issue comes up. I suppose the BCC vs BCI thing is for another thread, but in the battle of the sexes i am still undecided and am really enjoying the insights here.

[GoingPostal]

As a pet owner I prefer to buy males, in the hopes they will stay smaller. I don't breed, don't need a monster sized snake, just want a nice looking animal to enjoy. I have a male bcc I bought as an adult and a male dumerils I got as a baby and both are fantastic. Eat great, good tempered. I don't know that sex factors into any of that though and that's my extent of boa experience.

I do have a pair of borneo pythons both from the same breeder and the female is a dream while the male is a struggle so it can go either way. Health wise last year my hognose became eggbound and needed a couple vet trips, something that would not be a risk with a male. So currently when I look for a new addition I give preference to males but ultimately will go for the one I like best regardless.

[dkatz4]

Reinz, how do Punch and Elenore compare size and age-wise?
Gio, "The Baron" (i forget if you've mentioned his name but i thought, Barranquilla:Baron ;-P ) seems like a pretty big specimen, does this have to do with his genetics and locality or just luck of the draw? If i'm not mistaken, you abide by a winter fast feeding plan, right?