Another dumeril boa vs Columbian boa question

Hey guys. I've recently become a home owner :) I finally have the snake room I've always wanted. Thus I'm looking to expand my collection and finally get myself the big snake I've always wanted.

What I really am after is a gentle giant. I realize that all snake are individuals, I already have a female coastal carpet that getting a decent size but still hissy nippy at the worst , head butt at her best and flighty as hell. Granted she has calm down quite a bit since I've had her but I realize she won't ever be a "gentle" and I'm ok with that.

With th the calm reputation that boa has I think they are good choice to add to my collection. I dont intent to breed them ever. Would like to focus on my ball breeding project. But I would prefer a female for whatever specie I end up getting because of the general faster growing nature of a female.

Im stuck between a plain old Columbian boa and the beautiful dumeril boa.

From my my research both can be calm placid animals. Columbian boa will get bigger than dumeril boa but their care seems to be the same.

However from rom what I have read dumeril seem to need substrate to burrow in and urate a lot more? I do like to see her as I will eventually have her in a clear front pvc cage. I have hope that this new addition with be the showcase animal in my snake room along with my coastal. I'm concern the beautiful dumeril boa will end up being a pet head (from what I read they either hide or burrow so only their head is shown. Also the concern with feeding problem. I already have a bunch ball pythons that like to randomly waste food, don't really want another problem feeder. Adding to that they seem to prefer colder temperature, because she will be kept in the same room as my balls I'm worry it might get too hot for dumeril and thus cause feeding problem.

With the Columbian. I like their impressive size but seem like the they ain't generally as chill as the dumeril but a better shoulder pet. But from pictures and video online they see to not hide as much and adults are often seen kept on newspaper, my prefer substrate. However I don't care much for the much of the boa morphs, I'm ok with the darker individuals of normal phrase but they ain't that flashy tbh. Most boa morphs are lighter color, I much prefer a darker snake or a snake with more pronounce pattern (albino is my least favourite morph of any snake). Although the Scoria boa look amazing but way out of my price range.

Would much appreciate input from you guys and maybe even owners of both species. Picture of adults would really really help.

also I don't have a source for rabbit and I'm planning to breed my own rats again so whatever I get much stay a rat eater. I'm sure it would be a problem with the dumeril? Not sure about the Colombians. Some feed them jumbo rats some go for rabbits

Not quite what you are after but fairly close, I have a dumerils and a red tail, both are absolutely great eaters who never miss a meal. Both are in pvc cages, the dumerils does usually come out and move around daily but spends most of his time buried in the substrate, stretched out trying to be sneaky. There's not enough substrate for him to be buried completely but it's a good effort lol. He's just a baby though so maybe as he gets some size he will be bolder. He does usually come out at night and any time I rearrange his cage. Very docile. Fast moving.

The boa constrictor I have to be more careful taking out of cage due to his feeding response but calm once out and very handle able. He varies between hanging out on the hides or in them but doesn't really move around in it during the day that I see.

You should check out Argentine Boas (boa constrictor occidentalis). They are the second largest bc subspecies and many are very dark, almost,black.

I haven't had a Dumerils but I do got 2 BCI girls and they are like giant puppies. My big girl is 6' and the only way to get her excited is to wave a rat in front of her. They both get lots of outside the cage time and they love to ride on me or sit on the bed. My big girl has her spot above the bed on a shelf or she likes to climb the dresser and push everything off while getting up there lol. My little sunglow girl loves to just ride on me, plain and simple. Not a big fan of adventuring on her own like my Colombian girl.

As for housing, I have my Colombian girl in a Proline cage and she never hides. The only time she bothers to curl up in her hide is when she is shedding and during that time, she wants alone time. My sunglow is like a pet head during the day but you will always see her as she loves to park her head right in the front of the cage. At night she comes out and sits in the open.

You cant go wrong with a BCI. I've had both of mine since babies. They eat like horses and in over 3 years my Colombian girl has refused a meal once. They are the garbage disposals for my BP who is on a hunger strike now lol.

As for color being darker, look at IMG or anery. Anery isn't really dark per say but its a reduced red color so it makes them look darker. There are also Eclipse boas but they aren't cheap.

I prefer the red tailed boas tbh. My male is very chill, and darker than my slightly temperamental female. And I see them often, and feed them jumbo rats. Substantial heft, but I haven't been in a situation with them where I needed "help" handling them. I do have to hook the female, but the male can be just lifted out.

It it should be mentioned that my boa hook is basically a golf club with the club removed and a bend in it. My regular hook - well it would never have gotten around my boas lol.

With your options, I would chose the Columbian. Every species has individual personalities. So unless you buy an adult you are never guaranteed to get the docile pet you have in mind. So go with the one you like best. Columbian has more of the behaviors you are looking for, so think on it :)

The Argentin Boa looks interesting but I have heard of questionable temperament from many of them (questionable meaning not as chill as regular Colombians)? Any owners of argentine boa can chime in? How is their behaviour inside their enclosure? Hides and burrows too?


About the IMG boas. They are absolutely gorgeous but they are unfornately too expensive for a snake that I don't ever plan to breed. I am planning to spent no more than $300. So boa get darker as they age like most ball pythons?

please share are picture of all the adults you guys have :) would be nice to help decide

I got my argentine as a rescue because the owners said she was bitey and were afraid to feed her. Once in my care she never bit but could get pretty huffy if she was in a bad mood, but was already a poorly socialized adult when I got her. 95 percent of the time however she was a total sweetheart and completely trustworthy once out of her cage. If you got a baby and spent some time with it I think you will wind up with a very friendly snake. Mine passed away a few years ago unfortunately.

I used to own a argentine boa long ago and yes their mean but they can be tamed. After enough effort he turned out to be pretty handable i regret selling him. Now considering you wanted something calmer with all do respect to everyone else i don't think a argentine is the way to go.lol Though if you want an interesting sub species and can put up with it then go for it but i'll just recommend a boa. You got more variety with boa's with a dumeril you're probably gonna end up with just a dumeril. Also don't get me wrong dumerils are great just i think boa's are better overall.

Also i noticed you're asking so here's a bad quality pic of my big ol Columbian red tail. He's a big puppy dog btw.http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file..._58_19_pro.jpg

How big is your boy here? Do you have any size comparison? Maybe if you holding him? how much does he weight.

My friend has a female that looks little shorter and a little less girthier than your male? I'm still a little concern with ending up with a 40-50 pound beast of a female in 8 years but from my research it seems like a rare occasion and most female can eat rats for their entire live.

i would go for a male if they grow faster lol, from my experience the male just tend to not grow as fast. What age is yours at this point in the photo?