my next snake.... a boa?

[seercirra]

so, ive had my baby ball for a couple of months, and everythings going swimmingly.
ive decided that i will get another snake at some point in the future, but im having a really hard time deciding what..


the basic candidates are:

common boa
blood python
carpet python (sumatran)
rainbow boa
spotted python

(and anything similar you can think of)


i want something which is similar to a ball python in that it can be very docile and friendly and easy to handle. (with proper care), but is a little bigger and a little more inquisitive.
ideally i would like the snake to grow to around 7ft.

im being pulled towards a common boa. but i would need some assurances on their character and size. if i were to get a male then what are the chances of him growing more than 7ft?

im also very interested in teh carpet pythons/spotted pythons.
i can get a high yellow jungle carpet, an irian jaya, and an irian jaya x jaguar too.

the problem is, from all ive read, its very hard to seperate a common boa from a carpet (as far as character description and growing capabilities goes.) all the care sheets just say "can be very docile and tame with good husbandry", for both the boa's and pythons. so i need to know from people with more experience to lay out the finer details for me.

so can anyone help me decide?

if anyone thinks a blood python or any other constrictor would suit me then please let me know what and why!.

thanks alot guys

[Hulihzack]

Care-wise, many of those snakes are very similar, so in this case it would be really be what you think looks coolest. As far as a male BCI getting over 7ft., that's quite possible but not really likely unless you power feed it, which there's no reason to.

If I were to pick one, I'd say Brazilian Rainbow Boa. They get around 5 feet and are very docile once they grow a bit (nippy little babies). Not to mention their absolutely gorgeous!

[DrLew]

Rainbow's are the bomb!

[seercirra]

hmm ok so thats 1 vote for the rainbow
obviously i agree that theyre beautiful.
the only reason they arent first choice is:
i dont know if they can be as friendly as common boa's.
the price
the humidity - they need 70-80% humidity which would require daily spraying which wouldnt be ideal.

theyre still definately in the running though

next!

[lillyorchid]

Rainbow boa's always catch my eye!
But gonna have to say get a blood! They are AWESOME snakes!

[Neal]

I would say either a common boa, or a blood python.

[ThunderHeadsGirl]

I can definitly understand why its hard to make a decision! They are all great animals. Personaly, I have a TON of ball pythons, but only found 1 boa that my heart went out to. We have a dumeral boa. He is large, but is EXTREMELY docile. He will honestly let you hold him as long as you want to! They have beautiful markings, and eat great. I would reccomend a dumeral to anyone (as long as they are comfortable with the size)

Let us know what you decide!

[seercirra]

Rainbow boa's always catch my eye!
But gonna have to say get a blood! They are AWESOME snakes!

thanks. why so?
what do you like about them in particular?

[seercirra]

I would say either a common boa, or a blood python.

have you worked with a common boa before?
i must admit, personally im most drawn to them. the seem to have great character, gentle but strong and active. only problem is i dont want a monster. i think 7 foot would be okay. but ive no experience with large snakes.. im not worried about safety i know theres no danger, just space.. and the cost of food, etc.

[2kdime]

I'm partial to Bloods as well!

They're all I keep!! Big snake appearance without the big snake length. Poop 3 or 4 times a year. Great personalities as well. Eat every single week too, unlike those picky ball pythons! haha

All around a very rewarding specimen!!

I've also got one for sale in the classifieds....if I can post it.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=95008