Which one?

I am currently looking into obtaining a Boa in the very near future. i would love to have a "true" Red Tail, but am not sure if I want a snake that is suppose to get to 10' or more. I am not sure, but isn't there a subspecies that does not get that long? I would love to have one that would get to 6 or 7' in total length but not much longer than that. Any suggestions on this topic would be greatly appreciated.

Hi wolfman, I'm pretty sure that Sonoran Desert Boa doesn't exceed 6 feet, or even 5'5". If you PM me we can talk further, and I can give you contact info for a few people who I know have these. Unfortunately though, these are not BCC's, they are BCI's... Here's a picture I found off of the "cutting edge herp" website: http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/nss-f...as/Boa%206.jpg

I'll think of more, but as far as I know, BCC's get BIG, and there's no way around it; but I could be wrong. :?

Good luck!
Jennifer

look into hog island boas. there are some ugly lookin ones out there but there are also some stunning ones. you should be able to find a good one.

The Sonorans stay 4-5 feet as adults...they are a dwarf subspecies. All of the Central American BCIs stay around that size as well.....Hogg Islands, Nicaraguans, etc......and yes, BCCs ALL get big and they are NOT a good first boa. They are much more temperamental than BCIs and much less hardy. The only drawback of the dwarf BCIs is that they tend to be very temperamental also. I have a pair of Sonorans and the female is very hissy and aggressive. I'm sure you could calm them down over time, as long as your willing to take a few nips, lol.

BCC is short for what.....?

BCI is short for what.....?

BCC= Boa constrictor constrictor (its latin name) aka the "true" red tail boa (ie, surinames, guyunan, etc)
BCI= Boa constrictor imperator (i.e columbian redtail, sonoran desert boa, etc)

;)
Jennifer

ahh :) ty

:)No Problem:)

yeah after reviewing the Black blood pics on the other board, man she is beautiful. I would love to have one of those, but i wouldn't even know where to start. Another snake that interests me is the Green Tree python, I heard they can get feisty with their full set of teeth but man are they beautiful. Maybe I will get one in the summer.

Heres a bad looking pic of a green tree python from king snakes green tree python page:

http://www.kingsnake.com/viridis/logo.jpg

I would be careful.....neither Bloods nor Chondros are a species to jump into. How much experience do you have with snakes? If it only with ball pythons, then perhaps a Boa of some sort would be better for you. Bloods get large and their husbandry can be very tricky. GTPs are expensive and fragile. I would learn as much as possible before you buy any snake, but these 2 species especially.

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I will go with a columbian red tail or a sonoran, since my only experience is with bps.

well, rosies don't get very big either Ive heard and are rarely temperamental.

Good idea! Rosy Boas are very good snakes...they do not get big and are very easy to care for. You're right, they are usually calm as well.

get a green andaconda. name it bertha.

Yeah, but make sure it's a female. They stay smaller, and are much more gentle than males.

NOT!

Anacondas? Thems fur wusses......go head and git yous a mamba! Real herpers keep mambas and handle em with they bare hands.

i am gonna go check them out tomorrow

nOT WHAT? FEMALES ARE BETTER OR WORSE THAN MALES....i AM CONFUSED

LOL....Will, Randy and I were just joking......Anacondas and Mambas make horrible pets......we were just pullin your chain.

Randy is right, NOT!!! I was hoping one of you were going to say "just joking" (so, thank you David and Randy, lol)....I don't want this forum responsible for a death... :| LOL...

For one thing freakoverdose, Mamba's are venomous, and Anaconda's can reach length's over 20 feet. So, those two are out. ;)

I would suggest a Rosy boa as well; although my fiance's brother has a CB rosy that is meaner than any rattlesnake I've come across, lol. (Good thing Rosy's aren't poisonous, lol). But that is your "exception" snake; many are docile from what I've heard. I would also suggest a "common" columbian red tail boa. Whatever you choose, make sure it is a well established CAPTIVE BRED animal, and do your HOMEWORK on it first!!

Good luck on your search. ;)
Jennifer

lol, sorry for the confusion bro... rosy boas are great snakes. though i've heard and as jennifer said, they can be tempermental. but i've come to believe that goes the same with ANY species of snake. i'd suggest another ball python, just because i love them. i should be the spokesperson for all normal bp's. (i want a boa too, though ;))

Seriously, a BCI would be great. Mine is about a year old, and is 54" long. She is growing pretty slow, and I have had lots of time to get used to her larger size. She is very gentle, although strong and deliberate. When she decides she wants to go somewhere, she will go there, or else wear me out trying to keep her from going there.
BCI's stay smaller than BCC's, and the Central American and island ssp's stay smaller yet. Corn Is, Hog Is, Sonoran, Nicaraguan, Caulker Cay, and Tarahumaras are all BCI's, but smaller than the Columbian version. You can check out www.riobravoreptiles.com for pics and info on the BCI ssp's.
Rosy's are a good choice, and a Sand Boa might be ok, too, although I don't know much about them.
Personally, I love my Columbian, Jazzy. There are pics of her in some other threads in this forum.

I have heard that the anaconda gets really big and can sometimes have a bad disposition. I am looking for a boa that would only get to be around 6' - 9'. I have looked into the Rosy Boas, but don't like there looks as much as I do the red tail boa. I am currently looking at 2 boa species the Rainbow Boa or a BCI, and am leaning towards a BCI.

Get a male columbian boa. they only go up to about 8 feet.

Thats a good idea, I love the look and beauty of the columbian red tails. They are gorgeous I just didn't want something growing ten feet+. but if males only get about 8 feets, thats perfect for me. Thanks everyone for the help

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Originally Posted by Mike

Get a male columbian boa. they only go up to about 8 feet.

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Uhh, Mike....even female Columbians don't get 8 feet usually. Males stay around 5-6.

So, what is the best way to tell a BCI apart from a BCC while they are neonates? Or can you?

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Originally Posted by wolfman38

So, what is the best way to tell a BCI apart from a BCC while they are neonates? Or can you?

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Its fairly easy....number 1-the price will be VERY different. BCCs are much more expensive than BCIs. BCCs are much more vibrantly-colored and their tails are really red and they will stay that way, which is why they are the "true red-tails." Once you see a few, the differences will be unmistakable

So david what you are saying is.. the gorgeous red tails I have seen pictures of with the vibrant red tail have been bcc's? I am still a little confused on bcc and bci but i am gonna read this topic over to catch up. But.... we'll see, i definetly don't want something over 8 feet quite yet. That will come later down the road I think....BUt i am definetly gonna research all the great Ideas you guys have been giving me. Like I said I probably won't purchase a new critter until the summer anyways, so I have lost of time to research.

didn't you just get your bp?

Yes, you can. Here's how: BCI's have 253 ventral scales or less, 55-79 in the midbody and 21 or more dorsal blotches. BCC's have 234-250 ventral scales, 89-95 midbody scale rows and less than 20 dorsal blotches. The easiest way is count the dorsal blotches, this is the area between the neck and the area above the vent. Also, BCC's have a more bold, "red", crisp pattern on the tails. However, now in days it might be hard to distinguish the two since people are breeding BCI's with BCC's. If you want to be sure on what your getting, your best bet is to buy from a reputable breeder. May I also suggest getting a Santa Isabela Boa, they don't get big at all, are even tempered and in my opinion are beautiful. Jerry Conway is the man when it comes to this particular species, here's his site http://www.kingsnake.com/candoia/ hope this helps.

My post is a response to the following question "So, what is the best way to tell a BCI apart from a BCC while they are neonates? Or can you?", just to set it straight.

Yeah, thats basically it. BCCs can get over 10 feet and are much more temperamental than BCIS...not a good combo if you ask me, lol. They are gorgeous snakes, but their husbandry is quite a bit harder than BCIS as well.

cool, thanks for that explaination Danny.

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Originally Posted by Wizill

cool, thanks for that explaination Danny.

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NP, I'm always glad to help but sometimes my help isn't wanted for the fact that not everybody agrees with my comments. No biggie tough but yeah I'm alaways glad to help anybody.

everybody does things their own way. there are 100's of things i do that nobody at all agrees with. don't ever feel like you can't post your opinion.

Candoia are not very good for a first boa....they may stay small, but can be very problematic feeders. Candoia aspera (Viper Boas) are generally the best eaters, but they are also very aggressive. 99% of the Candoia in the hobby are WC and full of parasites. Not a good venture for a first boa if you ask me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DavidBeard

Candoia are not very good for a first boa....they may stay small, but can be very problematic feeders. Candoia aspera (Viper Boas) are generally the best eaters, but they are also very aggressive. 99% of the Candoia in the hobby are WC and full of parasites. Not a good venture for a first boa if you ask me.

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That's why I mentioned Jerry, he has babies that are established eaters and are bred by him not WC. I didn't mention Viper Boas for the fact that you mentioned but thanks for the input.

Yeah, Jerry's snakes are the exception not the rule. He has some good stuff.

ok thanks guys. just to let you know..hydras first feed went great... she took the mouse in less than 10 seconds after i dropped. Man she must have been hungry. Makes me wonder if the pet shop was feeding her regularly

That's great to hear! Was it live or prekilled or frozen/thawed? That's good that she was so good abou tfeeding for you. I would try switching to rats asap. If she takes them now, you will be far better off down the road.

Jennifer

I agree with Jennifer. Switch to rats ASAP. Mine is currently about 20 - 22" long and he is already eating medium sized feeder rats. So, I would feed her a small rat for her next feeding and wouldn't go back to mice.

cool I think i will do that....are rats more defensive than mice while be preyed on?

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Originally Posted by freakoverdose1

cool I think i will do that....are rats more defensive than mice while be preyed on?

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In my experience, yes. Rats can do alot more damage than mice can too.