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  • 07-30-2011, 06:19 PM
    AliCat37
    A good friend of mine keeps his adult females in 4 x2 cages and they do just fine. I like to over size my cages for the fun of it, but I also have a small collection. Boas truly are not very active. Mine is a yearling and in a 4 x 2 cage, he literally sits in one corner all day, at night he MIGHT come out to look at his water dish. I just like to make sure that the dish is big enough for him to soak in, he likes to soak. I guess just get to know your snake and make the decision from there :)
  • 07-30-2011, 06:19 PM
    AndrewGeibel
    Re: Quick questino in regards to size/caging of for a BCI
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by llovelace View Post
    Here is Akita in her 4x2x1 she's just a tad over 8ft

    Ever have trouble getting her back in with the one big door?
  • 07-30-2011, 07:00 PM
    jason221
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by llovelace View Post
    Here is Akita in her 4x2x1 she's just a tad over 8ft
    http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u...a/DSCF2442.jpg

    How do you deal with feeding a snake that large? Mine is only 3 or 4 feet long right now, but she waits by the door when she starts getting hungry. She's even struck at the glass once or twice.
  • 07-31-2011, 12:51 AM
    Evenstar
    As you mentioned yourself, you could stack them. That would help to save space. I would definitely make the boa's cage 2' tall though. 1 foot high just isn't enough space for them, imo. 18 inches would be the minimum I would recommend and 2 feet is better. In addition to giving the snake a bit more space, it allows for easier manuvering getting a large snake in and out.

    4x2x2 for a male, and 6x2x2 for a female is what I recommend. It isn't about what's the smallest size you can get away with. It's about what's best for the animal.

    Again, consider a baby. You can place a 20 or 40 gal long tank very easily on top of your BP's cage and space won't be an issue at all until you're in a better living situation entirely.

    A female baby boa should be ready to breed by 3-4 years old (maybe sooner, but they are slower to mature than BP's and have to grow more). And boas give birth to live young and have litters. They do not have 'clutches' of eggs like pythons do. They can also have up to 30-40 babies in one litter so be prepared! ;)
  • 07-31-2011, 02:08 AM
    Fataltix
    Re: Quick questino in regards to size/caging of for a BCI
    I was definately planning to get a baby, thats why I was asking when they lay litters so I would know what time of year to start looking :). I sadly don't intend to breed, maybe when I'm older and have more money and a wife to help haha. How long would a well fed female last in a 25 gallon tub? I'd love to get her in a 6x2x2, buut if I'm still not in a better living situation I'm going to deal with a 4x2x2. I handle my snakes so frequently that I'm not worried about her getting enough stretch time and movement. I literally handle my BP for over an hour at least every two days XD.

    Cheers,
    Fatal
  • 07-31-2011, 02:15 PM
    Evenstar
    Ok, couple of things...

    First, a baby will last a looong time in a 25 gal tub. At least a year - maybe longer. My baby is about 4 months old and I won't upgrader her 20 gal long tank until next summer at the earliest. Baby's are more active than adults and they do like to climb, so make sure you have a nice branch in there for her to hang out on. Mine spends 80% of her time on her branch. She thinks she a macho ETB..... :D

    Second, if you are going to be keeping her as just a pet, you probably won't have to worry about her reaching monstrous size. Keep her on rats all her life. If you move her to rabbits, it seems to trigger a lot of growth and she'll reach those monstrous lengths. She'll do fine on rats, even you feed 2-3 per feeding. Baby's will eat 1 rat pup per week (no more!) and then gradually increase as baby grows. My Peaches is still only eating 1/week. As adults, they usually only eat every 2-3 weeks. Don't power feed - they will reach the size mother nature intended them to be in the time they need to reach it. Rushing will only cause problems. Rats are good and will provider her with plenty of nutrition - if the rats are big enough and/or you feed 2-3 at a time, you will not be underfeeding. But the nice thing is that they don't seem to spark the same growth spurts as rabbits. You can NOT control how big your boa gets or how small she stays by what you feed - that could cause serious problems if you tried! BUT rabbits do seem to elicit an extra spurt of size that keeping them on rats seems to avoid.

    If you are just wanting her as a pet, and keep her on rats, a 4x2x2 will do fine for her once she reaches adulthood. Genetics will play some role in the size she gets, so just observe her throughout her life. If she seems cramped, get her a bigger cage at that time. :gj:

    And generally springtime is the time boas have their litters. I got Peaches in May at our local Rept Expo and they had TONS of baby boas there. I think generally May-June is the best time for a young baby. There may be some 2011's still available with breeders and you might also find some nice 2010's too. Litters can be born throughout the spring and summer though so if you're wanting a baby now, just call up some breeders and see what they still have. I got Peaches from Tim Koppenhofer at Special K Reptiles. He does still have both 2010's and 2011's available now. He was fantastic to work with! :gj:
  • 07-31-2011, 08:46 PM
    jben
    Mr. Boaphile himself keeps most of his boas in 421D cages, IF your boa reaches over 8' then you can get a bigger cage but if space and money are an issue the 421D will work perfectly. Good luck.
  • 08-01-2011, 07:08 AM
    Fataltix
    Re: Quick questino in regards to size/caging of for a BCI
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Evenstar View Post
    Ok, couple of things...

    First, a baby will last a looong time in a 25 gal tub. At least a year - maybe longer. My baby is about 4 months old and I won't upgrader her 20 gal long tank until next summer at the earliest. Baby's are more active than adults and they do like to climb, so make sure you have a nice branch in there for her to hang out on. Mine spends 80% of her time on her branch. She thinks she a macho ETB..... :D

    Second, if you are going to be keeping her as just a pet, you probably won't have to worry about her reaching monstrous size. Keep her on rats all her life. If you move her to rabbits, it seems to trigger a lot of growth and she'll reach those monstrous lengths. She'll do fine on rats, even you feed 2-3 per feeding. Baby's will eat 1 rat pup per week (no more!) and then gradually increase as baby grows. My Peaches is still only eating 1/week. As adults, they usually only eat every 2-3 weeks. Don't power feed - they will reach the size mother nature intended them to be in the time they need to reach it. Rushing will only cause problems. Rats are good and will provider her with plenty of nutrition - if the rats are big enough and/or you feed 2-3 at a time, you will not be underfeeding. But the nice thing is that they don't seem to spark the same growth spurts as rabbits. You can NOT control how big your boa gets or how small she stays by what you feed - that could cause serious problems if you tried! BUT rabbits do seem to elicit an extra spurt of size that keeping them on rats seems to avoid.

    If you are just wanting her as a pet, and keep her on rats, a 4x2x2 will do fine for her once she reaches adulthood. Genetics will play some role in the size she gets, so just observe her throughout her life. If she seems cramped, get her a bigger cage at that time. :gj:

    And generally springtime is the time boas have their litters. I got Peaches in May at our local Rept Expo and they had TONS of baby boas there. I think generally May-June is the best time for a young baby. There may be some 2011's still available with breeders and you might also find some nice 2010's too. Litters can be born throughout the spring and summer though so if you're wanting a baby now, just call up some breeders and see what they still have. I got Peaches from Tim Koppenhofer at Special K Reptiles. He does still have both 2010's and 2011's available now. He was fantastic to work with! :gj:

    Thanks evenstar! You've been so helpfull :). I was really hoping to wait at least a couple of months to get one... but it looks like I'd have to wait almost a year for a fresh clutch unless I bought a baby now! I'm looking at this little girl right now, she's about 2 months old, only 64grams awww :). She's het albino do you know if they show any specific traits in appeareance as het for albino? She looks very bright... Here is a link to her pics:

    http://www.royalconstrictordesigns.c.../albino11-044f

    Super bright tail, love it. I'd rather pay less though for a none het snake, or perhaps a hypo. Kind of looking for something in the 30-70 range, what would you recommend?

    Thanks soooo much evenstar, you're amazing :)
    fatal
  • 08-01-2011, 01:02 PM
    Jason Bowden
    I don't think it would hurt if you waited a couple of months. You could also get a breeder to hold on to a particular animal for a while before shipping. I'm in Louisiana and it's just too damn hot to get anything live shipped right now.
    The boa you have picked out looks like a nice one to me. Awesome tail!
    Get your tub or enclosure set up right before getting your new snake.
    You'll love having a boa as a pet.
  • 08-01-2011, 02:52 PM
    Fataltix
    Re: Quick questino in regards to size/caging of for a BCI
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Jason Bowden View Post
    I don't think it would hurt if you waited a couple of months. You could also get a breeder to hold on to a particular animal for a while before shipping. I'm in Louisiana and it's just too damn hot to get anything live shipped right now.
    The boa you have picked out looks like a nice one to me. Awesome tail!
    Get your tub or enclosure set up right before getting your new snake.
    You'll love having a boa as a pet.

    I know it wouldn't hurt... but I want to get a baby, or as close to it as possible. So the longer i wait, the older the 2011's get... Unless anyone else is having litters now?

    Thanks for the responses, any more recommendations on breeders who would still have normals available right now? (2011 litters).

    Thanks,
    Fatal
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