Got a new red tail today and questions

Picked up a 66 get albino jungle red tail boa. The breeder only had females left. He said they are dwarf and if slowed down to a 10 to 14 day feed schedule after it gets a little bigger there's a good chance it will stay around 6 feet. Does this sound plausible or should I find someone ready for an 8 ft snake and get another type of boa? I wanted to get something besides the normal ball pythons I have.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

They don't grow all that fast, by the time she is full grown I think you will be more comfortable with her than you expect.

I'm not familiar with dwarf boas so I can't say anything about how big she will get.

If you do decide she is too much for you might I suggest a Dumeril's Boa, or a Carpet Python.

Not sure about the dwarf boa however if you dont feed her for say rabbits she really wont get huge like most boas. I have some that are around 8 ft that have huge litters of boas but they eat rabbits. I also have some that only eat rabbits and they stay around 6 ft

Are the 6 foot ones females as well?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

They don't grow all that fast, by the time she is full grown I think you will be more comfortable with her than you expect.

I'm not familiar with dwarf boas so I can't say anything about how big she will get.

If you do decide she is too much for you might I suggest a Dumeril's Boa, or a Carpet Python.

---

I agree. I think you'll be surprised at how much you'll enjoy your boa and size won't matter that much one day. Aaron's right that they don't grow that fast. And even if she's not a "dwarf" species, most BCI females don't get much past 8-ish feet or so.

But I highly doubt she's a "dwarf" species. Usually the sub-species referred to as dwarf are the insular species such as Cay Caulkers, Sobage, or Hog Islands. And these are not generally inter-bred with BCIs to produce the albinos, jungles, etc. An albino jungle is almost certainly a Colombian or Central American BCI which is not a "dwarf" species. Males will average 6-7 feet and females 7-9 feet in length with 9' being considered rather unusual.

If you keep your baby on rats all her life and switch her to a 10-14 day feeding schedule at about 2 years of age and sticking with every 14 days after 3 years old, she should not exceed 7-8 feet and very well could stay closer to the 7' mark. If she has a nice disposition, she should be a very nice pet for you and you should keep her and enjoy her!

Hmm that all makes sense and is some really good info. I'm just wondering if I am better off finding someone who really wants a female and picking up a male since those sizes sound a little more manageable. Of course your prob right by the time it gets that big I will most likely like the fact that it is so large and enjoy it. I just feel like I don't want to take care of it for two years and find out it gets too large for me to feel comfortable handling it when I could trade someone now and have a better chance at having it for life. I guess I'll just see how it goes. Thanks everyone!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

If you are that concerned about size I would recommend a Dwarf from a reputable breeder. Even male Bci can attain a decent size.

I have an 05' male that has never had a meal bigger than a x- large rat on a 21 day feeding schedule that is over 7 ft. I have seen even bigger males. So a Dwarf would be a " safer" option if your concerned with size.

Good Luck, as others have stated they are amazing animals :)

Yea it was a good breader from what I heard at the reptile show. Of course it sounds like he was saying all his snakes were dwarfs but maybe he was just trying to sell some snakes. I would hope not coming from a breeder but who knows.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

There really is not that much difference between the dwarf species and a BCI. If yours was a BCC, I'd be a little more concerned. But since she's a BCI, I really don't think you'll have much difficulty with her as she grows.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Evenstar

There really is not that much difference between the dwarf species and a BCI. If yours was a BCC, I'd be a little more concerned. But since she's a BCI, I really don't think you'll have much difficulty with her as she grows.

---

x2