Getting a Male Boa this year

With the possibility of the Virginia ban and the fact that I was going to need one anyway, I convinced my husband to let me get a baby male boa this year. My girl is about 4.5lbs. No where near ready for breeding, but I figure by the time I have the male big enough for breeding, she should be big enough too. My female looks like this....

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...127_140529.jpg

...Its an old picture but it is the closest I've ever gotten to getting her colors right in a picture.

What would be a good male for her? And yes, I know the whole "you should get what you like" but I'm torn between many morphs and because I'm not as knowledgable about the boa world, I have no idea how much these morphs go for. I like the motley, aberesque(spelling) and albinos. And could anyone point me in the direction of a good breeder? I might end up getting one from a show, but I'd rather see if I can find one from a breeder first.

Vin Russo at cuttingedge herps has evry type of boa you could want specializing in locality boas. His website is very informational as well. Good luck. Oh or try Riobravo Reptiles, both are top notch.

Great looking girl!

I'd get something co-dom for sure, if not a combo like a hypo jungle.

She is gorgeous. I don't know a thing about breeding snakes. I see you are from VA. Are you going to the Manassass expo the 18th? You might find something there.

What morphs do you like? and what is your price range?
A good pastel, circle back latter tail , arabesque, hypo or combination of are all good choices imo

My price range is around $300. I love motleys, aberesque, and albinos. I will be at the 18th show but I am not planning on buying anything right now. I will probably be getting a snake in May but I want to start looking now.

Another person from VA awesome!! Good luck and keep us updated on what u get. Personally I'm a big albino fan but that's just me.


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=36.863174,-76.206272
1.0 normal bp- Blitz
1.0 Nicaraguan boa- Gavin
0.1 Red Tail Boa- Tara

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Originally Posted by Jason Bowden

Great looking girl!

I'd get something co-dom for sure, if not a combo like a hypo jungle.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

My price range is around $300. I love motleys, aberesque, and albinos. I will be at the 18th show but I am not planning on buying anything right now. I will probably be getting a snake in May but I want to start looking now.

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You could probably find a nice motley or arabesque for about that price. I agree with Jason though and recommend you stick with a co-dom morph which either of those are. Albinos, though, are recessive and unless your girl is het for albino, all you'd produce would be hets.

What exactly is your girl? Knowing her genetics might help us make some suggestions on which morphs might work best with what you have. :gj:

I bought her as a common Columbian boa in a pet store in 2008. So I suppose that means she's just a normal Colombian. I think a motley is what I'm going to go for. Next year I might get an albino female to add to my collection, but for now a male motley seems like the best option with my price range.

Perhaps you can find a motley that's het for albino so when you choose an albino female, you already have a male for her.

Another option, if you like them, is to go with a nice hypo het albino male. You can make some nice hypos with your current female and sunglows with an albino female. Just a thought! ;)

Idk if anyone has told you this but she is not your "normal" normal if you get what I am saying. She is a circleback laddertail.

Now whether or not it is genetic is a whole other story, but she is quite a beauty!

That being said I most defiantly would not waste her beauty on a motley or an arabesque. Evanstar's suggestion is not a bad one at all. If you went with a really nice hypo het albino, or even better a pastel hypo het albino in the future you could get an albino, or even an albino arabesque (there have been some ridiculous prices recently for some) and produce some really cool animals!

That's a good idea. Would a hypo het albino or a motley het albino be much more than $300-400? I'm going to a reptile show this weekend, so I'm hoping to get an idea of prices, then in May actually buy something.

You should be able to find a hypo het albino in that price range. I agree with BigJ and suggest you look for a pastel hypo. The pastel will clean up the color and petterns of the babies nicely.

Something to keep in mind: There are a LOT of baby boas produced every year. Without a reputation and known name behind you, do you really want to try and sell normals - even nice normals? Boas can have around 30 babies in one litter! You probably can find a nice male for $300-400, but definitely try to get the biggest bang for your buck. Remember, its an investment.....

If you could even have a chance at affording this, here is the one for you!

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...d.php?t=302173

I actually just spoke to the owner (in hopes it was a female and not a male...then it would be MINE!) and it seems to be a spectacular deal!

But you should EASILY be able to find a QUALITY hypo pastel het albino for around $350 or less. I paid less than that for all three of my wicked/sugar pastel hypos 50% het moonglow (anery and albino), and to be honest they are UN-real quality!

When the time comes I would suggest getting a hold of Brandon Worley and seeing what he has/will have available. He is one of the best guys I have ever dealt with, and make sure to tell him that Lucky sent you!!

OMG... I just checked out that male in the Fauna ad BigJ posted. GET THAT SNAKE!! He'll be perfect for your girl! And he might, just might, pass on that amazing tail as a bonus. He'll make some nice stuff with your current girl and if you find a nice albino female, that'll make some spectacular sunglows! Great price for him too...

If that guy doesn't work out for you though, Tim Koppenhoffer from Special K Reptiles is another great guy to talk to. He's great and really knowledgable with super animals. All 3 of my boas came from him. Just tell him "the Kali who bought the gorgeous Argentine male" sent you... LoL! :D

Well I can't get a male until late in the Spring, so I'll have to pass up that gorgeous boy! I think I'm officially going to get a hypo now, and try to find one that is het albino. Then next year, I'll get an albino female. Thanks everyone. :D