How Big do Female Red Tails Usually Get?

Friday I'm going to pick up a female red tail that the owner says is 7 and a half feet. I have seen videos on youtube and pictures of absoutley MONSTER red tails. One was almost 11ft and REALLY thick. Obviously this big of a snake will not be content feeding on jumbo rats. Do females get this big all the time? Whats the average size for a female? Is the one I'm getting maybe at its maxiumum size? I want to know because if it gets really big, I'll have to feed it rabbits, and they are pretty costly.

This is going to be my first boa. I know general care and maintenence, any advice would be greatly apreciated.

Right now the owner says she is feedeing the snake large rats.

Average is 8-10 feet, however they can get larger....

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Average is 8-10 feet, however they can get larger....

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Well she is almost 8ft...so hopefully she'll stay that way! But if she doesn't I can handle it.

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Originally Posted by Bellabob

Well she is almost 8ft...so hopefully she'll stay that way! But if she doesn't I can handle it.

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I hope so, because you're going to get her lol. That's why I got a male, I knew I couldn't handle a large female.

Congrats, boas are awesome!

As was said, your average Columbian red tail female will get between 8 - 10 feet long, but they can get bigger. There have been some (and I mean like a number you can count on your hand lol) that reach more than 12 feet, but that's like seeing a 7 foot human. It isn't common, but it is certainly possible.

Also, most boas can still be satisfied with rats alone, you don't necessarily have to do rabbits, just feed multiple rats when she outgrows the largest size :)

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Originally Posted by Alexandra V

Congrats, boas are awesome!

As was said, your average Columbian red tail female will get between 8 - 10 feet long, but they can get bigger. There have been some (and I mean like a number you can count on your hand lol) that reach more than 12 feet, but that's like seeing a 7 foot human. It isn't common, but it is certainly possible.

Also, most boas can still be satisfied with rats alone, you don't necessarily have to do rabbits, just feed multiple rats when she outgrows the largest size :)

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Oh, thank god. I was thinking if she got to be a good size that I would have to feed her rabbits! Rabbits are expensive little suckers! You would think that there are so many of them that they would be a bit cheaper.

So I can just feed her rats? Right now I have some rats that I bred that I plan on growing into jumbos for this snake. How many would I have to give her a week to satisfy her if she got to a pretty good size?

Thanks for the info, really helps!

Some boa keepers never feed larger than a large rat. Some switch to rabbits.

7.5' to 8 feet, I would probably feed her 2 large rats(she can easily eat 3 or 4) every 21 days. If you feed her more she'll eat it and grow, but this is not recommended.

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Originally Posted by Bellabob

Oh, thank god. I was thinking if she got to be a good size that I would have to feed her rabbits! Rabbits are expensive little suckers! You would think that there are so many of them that they would be a bit cheaper.

So I can just feed her rats? Right now I have some rats that I bred that I plan on growing into jumbos for this snake. How many would I have to give her a week to satisfy her if she got to a pretty good size?

Thanks for the info, really helps!

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Anytime, and when feeding multiple smaller prey items (i.e. when I'm finishing off a bag of f/t feeders before moving up a size or something) then I tend to go for the 10% - 15% of the snake's weight. So pick two (or however many) rats whose weights add up to about 10 or 15% of the snake's body weight and it should be fine and give them maybe every 10 or so days (but you could wait longer if you fed a little bit over the 10-15% in that feeding)

Yeah, you have to be careful not to overfeed, boas are also quicker to regurge than ball pythons. I feed my young boa either a large mouse or 2 rat pups every 7 days.

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Originally Posted by Alexandra V

Anytime, and when feeding multiple smaller prey items (i.e. when I'm finishing off a bag of f/t feeders before moving up a size or something) then I tend to go for the 10% - 15% of the snake's weight. So pick two (or however many) rats whose weights add up to about 10 or 15% of the snake's body weight and it should be fine and give them maybe every 10 or so days (but you could wait longer if you fed a little bit over the 10-15% in that feeding)

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So I should weigh the snake, and feed her the right sized and right amount of prey items based on her weight? Sounds easy enough.

lol if you dont want a big boa, never put it on rabbits.

I have seen small 6 - 7ft females, couple years old like 4 - 5 years.. then once they are started on rabbits within like a year or two they are pushing 8 - 10 foot.

And, I cant wait for Powder to become a giant.. she is already insanely big for her age (3ft 4 inches, about 500 - 550 grams age... 9 months LOL)

Just my 2 cents. I plan on feeding Powder rabbits as soon as she can take them! They are better prey items then rats.. I dont know why but they seem to have more.. nutrition?

Anyways.. as I said, just my 2 cents :)

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Oops, to answer the question simpler... females average 6 - 10 foot. Genetics, precise heating, feeding and other things like that will decide how big your boa is

Haha ok then I will not be planning on feedeing this snake rabbits!

Just saw one that was 13ft 6 inches...and guess what she fed on? RABBITS.

I know a guy who has a few females who stayed at the 6.5-7ft range. How old is the girl? Most growth is of course during the first year of life, and they slow down a little after that..monster size is not all that common!

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Originally Posted by Bellabob

Haha ok then I will not be planning on feedeing this snake rabbits!

Just saw one that was 13ft 6 inches...and guess what she fed on? RABBITS.

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lol im telling you, rabbits seem to start a growth spurt. its strange ! :O

My dream: To own a giant boa :) I think that dream is gonna be realized with the rate Powder is going LOL

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Originally Posted by purplemuffin

I know a guy who has a few females who stayed at the 6.5-7ft range. How old is the girl? Most growth is of course during the first year of life, and they slow down a little after that..monster size is not all that common!

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Glad someone else mentioned it first because I didn't want to speak out of school, but I have also been told that the first 3 years a re the growth years. I've heard that you can (for lack of a better term) power feed during this time and get them up big, or just keep them on a normal regular feeding schedule and get them to their standard 6-7 feet and then switch to maintenance feeding to keep them at their size.

I've also been told that getting boas on guinea pigs or rabbits isn't recommended. I guess rats are and should be good enough for the duration. I don't know if it has to do with the digestive tract being able to handle such large prey items or what. I also know several people who do feed their boas large prey items with no adverse affects. I keep mine on a regular feeding schedule (once every seven days)

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Originally Posted by jamesa2580

Glad someone else mentioned it first because I didn't want to speak out of school, but I have also been told that the first 3 years a re the growth years. I've heard that you can (for lack of a better term) power feed during this time and get them up big, or just keep them on a normal regular feeding schedule and get them to their standard 6-7 feet and then switch to maintenance feeding to keep them at their size.

I've also been told that getting boas on guinea pigs or rabbits isn't recommended. I guess rats are and should be good enough for the duration. I don't know if it has to do with the digestive tract being able to handle such large prey items or what. I also know several people who do feed their boas large prey items with no adverse affects. I keep mine on a regular feeding schedule (once every seven days)

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It is not recommended to power-feed boas. They will die if power-fed, usually at around five-years-old.

I feed my adult females XXXL rats every three weeks. I do not plan to feed them anything larger than that. My largest girl is 7.5 - 8 feet.

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

It is not recommended to power-feed boas. They will die if power-fed, usually at around five-years-old.

I feed my adult females XXXL rats every three weeks. I do not plan to feed them anything larger than that. My largest girl is 7.5 - 8 feet.

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What do they die from?

I have a question (don't mean to hijack this thread, but it has to do with this subject). If you are wanting to breed your female, should you put her on rabbits eventually? I mean, should they be bigger in order to breed? Or is it ok to feed rats and just let her get as big as she'll get and she'll still be ok for breeding? Hope that makes sense....

I have a baby that I'd like to breed one day. But I'd also, ideally, like her to stay around 7-ish feet. I certainly won't do ANYthing to slow/stunt her growth - and if she gets huge, no problem. If she should be on rabbit eventually and be bigger for breeding purposes, so be it. I can handle that and she's sweet as sugar so no worries there. I just wondered if rats would be ok for her for the duration of her life if she were going to be bred. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

I have a question (don't mean to hijack this thread, but it has to do with this subject). If you are wanting to breed your female, should you put her on rabbits eventually? I mean, should they be bigger in order to breed? Or is it ok to feed rats and just let her get as big as she'll get and she'll still be ok for breeding? Hope that makes sense....

I have a baby that I'd like to breed one day. But I'd also, ideally, like her to stay around 7-ish feet. I certainly won't do ANYthing to slow/stunt her growth - and if she gets huge, no problem. If she should be on rabbit eventually and be bigger for breeding purposes, so be it. I can handle that and she's sweet as sugar so no worries there. I just wondered if rats would be ok for her for the duration of her life if she were going to be bred. Thanks!

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It is perfectly fine to breed boa's that are just on rats. That is what most of the boa breeders that I have talked to do.

BCI females average 5-8ft
BCC Females will average 8-12ft

Most BCIs dont get big at all and if they do my money is its not a pure BCI ad its a BCCxBCI cross.

My female i had was 8ft 33lbs at 9 years old eating either 2 large rats a week or 1lbs rabbits a week. This female was BCI locality and not a cross.