What would be the next step for an owner after 2 ball pythons?

I am still a relativley new snake owner with just 2 balls currently. I would eventually like to work my way up to a retic or a burm, but I know I'm not currentley ready for a snake of that size. I was just wondering what the next step up in size would be? I would like a python or a boa and something that is still relativley docile, but bigger than my balls. What should I be looking for?

I would go with a blood python next. They have a little bit more of an attitude on them than a ball does, and with more size. Bloods get big, but not burm or retic big. They also have a heavy body so you can get used to dealing with a heafty snake.

I used to have a gorgeous little blood.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...Rubbermaid.jpg

Carpet pythons get about the same girth as a ball python but are a few feet longer. and also are much more active around the cage.

I started with Burms, then retics, then anacondas, then hot, finally worked my way up to the big bad ball python.

I recommend carpets and boas: carpets get long but usually stay a little less girthy than BCI boas; I have a pure coastal but there's many morphs that carpets come in and lots of different kinds to look into.
I love my boas: I have Colombians, a Hog Island, and Argentines and fully recommend a BCI boa to start with over a BCC or BCO. A Colombian female may be in a good size range you're looking for but if you want something between 5-6' a male may be the way to go. I recommend a 4' cage for males and a 6' cage for large males and females.
I love my bloods (two Sumatrans) but I still recommend a boa or carpet since they're (IMO) easier to care for over bloods and short-tails.

I'm a big fan of the columbian boas, bcc or bci, good luck and happy hunting!

Go with a dumerils Boa!!! I got mine about 6 months after I got my first ball and she's awesome. Almost the same care, but they get around 6-7 feet. They're AWESOME snakes.

Get you a Hog Island Boa, they are awesome and stay a decent size but still get bigger than a ball :)


Ball Pythons
0.3 Normals (Coilette, Athena and Mary Jane)
1.0 Pastel (De Sol)
1.0 Spider (Zeus)
1.0 Mojave (Prometheus)

Boas
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Stella)
0.1 Hog Island Boa (Kiyoko)
0.1 Dumerils Boa (Gloria)
0.1 Yellow Anaconda (Serenity)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

i vote a colombian (aka BCI or common) boa. females can get to a pretty decent size and i find them so much more fun to handle than balls. the way they grip on to you and move around is a different experience, and they're usually more docile than bloods.

I'd get a BCI or dwarf retic.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SWFLA

I started with Burms, then retics, then anacondas, then hot, finally worked my way up to the big bad ball python.

---

Me too! Started with a Burm as a kid, then red tails, and now finally BPs!