So I've been thinking on getting a boa

[_Venom_]

First I wanted a BCI, but it is kind of "big"
Males are usually smaller right? What would be their sizes?

So I looked around more and saw that a "Rainbow boa" is the shortest of the big guys, right?

What would be minimal enclosure?
How is their girth compared to the others?
I can't tell by pics. I just don't want it to be a cornsnake girth type.

Basically I'm looking for 5-6 (taking a few is fine)feet.
So a male of which?

[edie]

Some BCIs can get very large! I had a 8' 60 or so pound female for a couple of weeks (found her a new home 2 weeks ago) and I couldn't handle her by myself so she went to a great new home. So do be aware that they can get large! Not all will be that big though!

I have a 15lb 5'8" adult female central American boa (pretty sure this is what she is, not 100% on this though, and I believe the centrals are smaller snakes, my female is about 6 years old and smaller than a lot of adult red tails I've seen), shes a really great snake with a good size, she eats big jumbo rats and they are about the same size of her girth. Shes my favorite snake by far, she came from a rescue situation and has never shown aggression. Shes very different looking from my other 2 female red tails as well, I think shes beautiful!



Males are smaller, so they might be a good idea, but I've never owned one so I don't know much about them as adults, I've seen a lot of adult males and they're pretty close in size to my central female (around 6').

Hog Island boas are also a good choice, the females top off at around 7' I believe (so a male would fit in your 5-6' range, as they will be smaller), I have one female who isn't fully grown and shes my most beautiful snake! They can be a little nippy though from what I've heard with other people (mine is a calm girl, but has struck at me once), this is the same for a lot of snakes though.



As for enclosures, I keep all my larger boas (3 females ranging from 4-6') in the 4x2 feet cages from RBI and they have plenty of room to move around in there. A 4x2 foot cage would be fine for a snake 5-6' long, but you can go with a 6' cage if you can spare the extra room and money, I'm sure an adult snake would enjoy the extra space!

And I know nothing about Rainbow boas so I can't help you there, I think they have some strict humidity requirements though.

[_Venom_]

Some BCIs can get very large! I had a 8' 60 or so pound female for a couple of weeks (found her a new home 2 weeks ago) and I couldn't handle her by myself so she went to a great new home. So do be aware that they can get large! Not all will be that big though!

I have a 15lb 5'8" adult female central American boa (pretty sure this is what she is, not 100% on this though, and I believe the centrals are smaller snakes, my female is about 6 years old and smaller than a lot of adult red tails I've seen), shes a really great snake with a good size, she eats big jumbo rats and they are about the same size of her girth. Shes my favorite snake by far, she came from a rescue situation and has never shown aggression. Shes very different looking from my other 2 female red tails as well, I think shes beautiful!



Males are smaller, so they might be a good idea, but I've never owned one so I don't know much about them as adults, I've seen a lot of adult males and they're pretty close in size to my central female (around 6').

Hog Island boas are also a good choice, the females top off at around 7' I believe (so a male would fit in your 5-6' range, as they will be smaller), I have one female who isn't fully grown and shes my most beautiful snake! They can be a little nippy though from what I've heard with other people (mine is a calm girl, but has struck at me once), this is the same for a lot of snakes though.



As for enclosures, I keep all my larger boas (3 females ranging from 4-6') in the 4x2 feet cages from RBI and they have plenty of room to move around in there. A 4x2 foot cage would be fine for a snake 5-6' long, but you can go with a 6' cage if you can spare the extra room and money, I'm sure an adult snake would enjoy the extra space!

And I know nothing about Rainbow boas so I can't help you there, I think they have some strict humidity requirements though.

Hog Island boas.

they sonud like the best option so far.
Thanks man. I'll see. Not like I'm planning on getting it too soon. I can wait a while.

[fishmommy]

Rainbow boas require high humidity, so they aren't as easy to keep as red tails.

Hog island is a good choice for a smaller boa
many of the Island boas are as well...check specific species info to be sure of each.
Nicaraguans tend to stay small
and Amarali stay small also.

A good source of locality information is Rio Bravo Reptiles - he's got a very informative web page on the types. Also I would recommend the book 'The Complete Boa Constrictor' for species and locality specific information

there are a lot of choices out there! BCI's and BCC's you have to assume will become too large to safely handle alone.


oh...and there's Dumerils also!

[edie]

Hog Island boas.

they sonud like the best option so far.
Thanks man. I'll see. Not like I'm planning on getting it too soon. I can wait a while.

I'm really happy with mine, she was my first boa. Just do some research, like fishmommy said, check out some of the other island boas.. There is one other one I really like but I can't think of the name of it right now, I think they get about the same size or smaller than the hog island boas.

Theres lots of options! Ask lots of questions if you have any!

[_Venom_]

Okay, where do you guys get enclosures?
Where are they available?

[fishmommy]

I get mine from Boaphile Plastics, but there are a number of good vendors out there. There have been a couple of comparison threads on this site in the past few months IIRC

[edie]

Boaphiles are nice, they have BEAUTIFUL cages, I've never had any luck contacting them though and I'm pretty sure theres a long wait time to actually receive your cage.

Animal Plastics is another vendor that I know people use and like, I've never bought from them though. (They do have the option of white or black cages which is nice)

I get all my cages from RBI (Reptile Basics Inc.) and they work out nice, their largest cage size is the 4x2, which I use for all my boas and pythons, and they cost $239 (longest I've waited for a cage after ordering was about 3 weeks, and I've ordered 5 cages, 1 rack, supplies, and a cage pedestal from there)
http://reptilebasics.com/2x4-Cage-12-High-p-16237.html

You can ask more questions on the caging forum/check out some posts that are already there or check out dealer (cage dealer that is) reviews on the feedback section on this forum or on the BOI here
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...splay.php?f=13

[AF4]

I just recently bought a Brazilian Rainbow Boa a little over two weeks ago. I also have 1 regular Ball Python. With that being said, the Rainbow Boa is by far my favorite. The average about 5 to 6 feet but don't get as thick. The breeder I bought mine from, his breeders full grown were no more than 5 to 6 feet and about 8 lbs.

That's part of the reason I got one. Also they are beautiful snakes. A little about mine, he's a male, almost a year old. I had him for two days and he ate f/t first try. He's easy to feed, as for his enclosure right now I have him in a 35QT tub in a rack, since he's still a baby. There semi-arboreal, mine most of the time is hiding away sleeping, unless it's feeding time or cage maintenance. But when he's awake, he's like a Boa, all about, curious about everything.

As for humidity, if you get something like Cypress Mulch that holds humidity well, it's not hard to keep. Ideal is about 70%, if you get it in between 80%-90% your ahead of the game. Temps are 85 F for basking, 75 F at night they are fine in.

If you looking at getting a smaller one, the BRB is way the go. Robert Harper as you'll read about in the feedback on sellers forum is where I got mine. He's quite amazing and he's a lot easier to take care of in terms of feeding and temps compared to the ball python I have.

Best of luck!

[_Venom_]

Thanks a lot guys.