My first boa!

I was at my local reptile shop getting feeders and I was looking at the snakes available. I wandered to the boa section and since I have never really held a boa I found out how much personality these guys have. So I ended up leaving with the this motley male! I forgot to ask if he was a BCI or BCC but I am pretty positive he is a BCI. He is pretty gray for a motley and the guy said he looks anery but his tail is red. I have him set up in a 20 gallon long since he is very tiny and I will move him to a 4x2 when he's about a year. I know they like it a little cooler then my ball pythons so sharing a rack with them is out I guess. Any input on his morph and locality would be great!

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http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/11/23/senenety.jpg
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Congrats on your new BCI.

Yes he is a BCI and completely and utterly adorable. Congrats! He's very nice looking.

Love that little face! I agree: looks like a non anery Colombian BCI motley.

Thanks everyone! I know a lot of you keep many boas and with research a lot of care sheets say different things but what is the proper temps for Columbian BCI's? I have mine 80 cool spot, 90 hot spot right now is that sufficient? Or bump it up or down slightly?

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Can't help out with temps or anything but he's Gorgeous!! Did they say he was a male for sure?

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Originally Posted by Flikky

Can't help out with temps or anything but he's Gorgeous!! Did they say he was a male for sure?

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Yes he is a male. They popped him.

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Originally Posted by DSpythons

Thanks everyone! I know a lot of you keep many boas and with research a lot of care sheets say different things but what is the proper temps for Columbian BCI's? I have mine 80 cool spot, 90 hot spot right now is that sufficient? Or bump it up or down slightly?

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Congrats on your baby! He is a very nice normal motley BCI.

Take a look at the caresheet here. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tor-imperator)

This is a good one to follow. The only change I would make to it is the feeding recommendations. Boas are proven to do better starting out on mice and on a 7-10 day schedule. Mice have more bone and less fat than rats at this stage and are shown to be better for what baby boas need. Yours looks like he could handle small mice with no problems. And stick to one a week or one every 10 days. Just remember that boas are not balls and less is more with them.

The temps you have right now are ok. Personally, I've found my boas tend to prefer very slightly cooler temps, so I'd lower your ambient to 78. But otherwise, you're good. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Congrats on your baby! He is a very nice normal motley BCI.

Take a look at the caresheet here. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tor-imperator)

This is a good one to follow. The only change I would make to it is the feeding recommendations. Boas are proven to do better starting out on mice and on a 7-10 day schedule. Mice have more bone and less fat than rats at this stage and are shown to be better for what baby boas need. Yours looks like he could handle small mice with no problems. And stick to one a week or one every 10 days. Just remember that boas are not balls and less is more with them.

The temps you have right now are ok. Personally, I've found my boas tend to prefer very slightly cooler temps, so I'd lower your ambient to 78. But otherwise, you're good. :gj:

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Thank you! I was waiting to see your response because I know that you know boas very well from past posts. I am probably going to keep him in a tank with a UTH and heat lamp on a thermostat until hes big enough for a 4x2. I read before that boas are not as shy as ball pythons and do not mind tanks as much. And the slight heating difference tells me not to put him in my python rack. Thanks for the info!

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Originally Posted by DSpythons

Thank you! I was waiting to see your response because I know that you know boas very well from past posts. I am probably going to keep him in a tank with a UTH and heat lamp on a thermostat until hes big enough for a 4x2. I read before that boas are not as shy as ball pythons and do not mind tanks as much. And the slight heating difference tells me not to put him in my python rack. Thanks for the info!

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Well, you shouldn't have him anywhere near your python rack for at least 90 days. I hope you've got him in strict quarantine... ??

I would advise you to use a tub though instead of a tank. Humidity will be very hard to maintain in a tank. Especially if you're using a heat lamp. That lamp will suck any humidity you might have had right on out of there...

If you use a tub though, a UTH will likely be all you'd need unless you keep your house temp under 70 (no matter what, use a t-stat with any heat source). But you are correct that boas are not as shy and don't mind larger enclosures. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

Well, you shouldn't have him anywhere near your python rack for at least 90 days. I hope you've got him in strict quarantine... ??

I would advise you to use a tub though instead of a tank. Humidity will be very hard to maintain in a tank. Especially if you're using a heat lamp. That lamp will suck any humidity you might have had right on out of there...

If you use a tub though, a UTH will likely be all you'd need unless you keep your house temp under 70 (no matter what, use a t-stat with any heat source). But you are correct that boas are not as shy and don't mind larger enclosures. :gj:

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Hes in my quarantine room far away from my collection for like you said, 90 days. I dont have a quarantine rack because that room is not heated so I use spare tanks. If my room is around 70 I can use a tub? I thought the air temp had to be in the mid to high 70s to use tubs and racks. My ball python room is heated to 78 degrees but like I said I cant put him in there for 90 days.

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You can easily make do with a tank for the q/t period. I was referring to his permanent home for using a tub. Once he's clear of q/t and can move into your python room, you can set him up in a tub and it'll be much easier to maintain.

Personally, if you have a spare slot in your adult BP rack, I'd just put him there. I've found many BPs do alright in heated rooms if the t-stat on the flexwatt is set to only 88 instead of 90. When I have my flexwatt set at 90, all my guys are at the front of their tubs. When I turn it back to 88, they use the whole tub. Just a thought.

While he's in the tank in q/t, you just might have to mist him pretty frequently to help keep the humidity up. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

You can easily make do with a tank for the q/t period. I was referring to his permanent home for using a tub. Once he's clear of q/t and can move into your python room, you can set him up in a tub and it'll be much easier to maintain.

Personally, if you have a spare slot in your adult BP rack, I'd just put him there. I've found many BPs do alright in heated rooms if the t-stat on the flexwatt is set to only 88 instead of 90. When I have my flexwatt set at 90, all my guys are at the front of their tubs. When I turn it back to 88, they use the whole tub. Just a thought.

While he's in the tank in q/t, you just might have to mist him pretty frequently to help keep the humidity up. :gj:

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Ok thank you for all the great pointers. I have a feeling boas are my new favorite. He hates going back in his tank (had to fix something didnt want to bother him) and he's not scared of me waking by the tank or fast movements like my BP's. He never hides just chills on the ground. Very cool personalities!

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They really are awesome!! Welcome to the Boaddiction! Be warned: boas are like potato chips. Bet you can't have just one!! :D