Getting this guy in trade, what do you think?

I am getting this guy in trade tomorrow. I'm told that it is a male, around 2 yrs old and 3-4 feet long. The guy said they feed it every 2 weeks to minimize growth. So I have been doing research on red tails and am getting conflicting information about size. How big do males get? And what type of red tail is he? This will be my first experience with a red tail. I have always thought they are beautiful, but was nervous of them due to their size, but I had heard that as long as you don't over feed that they stay pretty managable in size. Any information on them would be greatly apprecaited. Thanks :)

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n...Red_Tail_2.jpg

That snake is gonna grow to a healthy 8-10 feet no matter how often you feed it. You can't influence the adult size if an animal. You can however influence how long it takes to grow to that size. In my opinion there is no reason under feed your animal. Once they reach adulthood you can maintain the snake not getting too fat by managing the feeding schedule.

I disagree with TheSnakeGuy. That snake is not "guranteed to reach 8-10ft".

Thanks for the info:) What is the best feeding schedule for these guys? I am happy if he stays smaller, lol. But I don't intend to starve him.

I've read by some experienced boa keepers that 7-10 days is ideal. Not more often than that if you can help it. :)

Every 2 weeks is fine for that snake.

If it's a normal BCI male (which he looks like he is to me) then you're looking at him being around 5-6ft and around 20lbs as an adult. There ARE cases of BCI's growing larger than the average, but they're definitely not the norm. An appropriate-sized rat every 2 weeks will be just fine for him. :) He'll end up however big he'll be no matter what, it's just how long he takes to get there is what the feeding schedule/diet does.

The 7-10 day schedule is for babies. Every two weeks would be good for him. *Typically* males stay smaller 6-8 feet probably, but there is no guarantee. Congrats! Boa's are so much fun, I love mine. :)

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

If it's a normal BCI male (which he looks like he is to me) then you're looking at him being around 5-6ft and around 20lbs as an adult. There ARE cases of BCI's growing larger than the average, but they're definitely not the norm. An appropriate-sized rat every 2 weeks will be just fine for him. :) He'll end up however big he'll be no matter what, it's just how long he takes to get there is what the feeding schedule/diet does.

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This is absolutely correct - all of it.

Your boa is a normal BCI (not a "true red-tail" which is a BCC). Male BCIs will generally not get more than 7ft and 6 is the norm. Feed him every 2 weeks. You will love having a boa - they are so much fun! :gj:

Thanks everyone. If this trade follows through I will post pics of him when I get him. The day got moved to Sunday to trade, so we will see. I think having a red tail Boa, even if its not a true red tail, will be neat.