Can I see your pure Hogs and other BCI/BCS that remain under 6ft?

Hey everyone. I have recently become interested in the smaller "red tail" type boas. A true red tail is too big for me. I have found myself really interested in Hogs, Pearl islands and similar size snakes... I would love to see picture of you all's boas and know their temperaments. If Ido purchase a boa it won't be until October, but I am still doing my research now! Thank you!

I was on here (and other forums) with a similar question a couple months back... i just got my first boa, a BCA male, wanting similar things to you.. manageable size and good temperament / looks. Here's a link to my thread on this forum. Also, here's a link to my other thread about this topic on a different boa-specific forum.
And, finally, here's the inevitable thread where I show off pics of my new male BCA. :)

From what I gathered, even hog islands can get to 6 feet (females) as can many of the other supposedly smaller localities except the tarahumara. Apparently, if you want to stay small, get a male and feed on a correct schedule and you should be OK. According to my breeder, my male BCA should stay around 5.5 feet long but could get up to 6 feet..However, he may be heavier than a male BCI of similar length. I can say that temperament wise, he's very easy going...Has not hissed or struck yet. Apparently some of the smaller island boas can be nippy, so if temperament is important to you, you may want to deal with a breeder personally and ask for a calmer animal.

Good luck in your search and I hope you find the perfect boa for you, as did I.

Keep in mind that some of these smaller locality boas can and do get big - as big as a standard sized male Colombian. They are, after all, still BCI.

If you want to pretty much guarantee a smaller boa, try to find a Tarahumara Mountain boa. These are still BCI, but males average only 3-4 feet and females rarely get past 5 feet!

Thanks to both of you! Under 7 ft is good for me... I plan on getting a male. I'm about to check out the Tarahumara Mountain Boa. & @artgecko for some reason the link to the pictures of your BCA isn't working...:(

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Originally Posted by Evenstar0

Keep in mind that some of these smaller locality boas can and do get big - as big as a standard sized male Colombian. They are, after all, still BCI.

If you want to pretty much guarantee a smaller boa, try to find a Tarahumara Mountain boa. These are still BCI, but males average only 3-4 feet and females rarely get past 5 feet!

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Indeed!!!

I own a male Tarahumara. He is 18 months old, and less than 2 feet long.

All the boa fun...in less than half the 'normal' boa size! :)

Contact Vin Russo. He will set you up right!

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Originally Posted by Kona's Daddy

Indeed!!!

I own a male Tarahumara. He is 18 months old, and less than 2 feet long.

All the boa fun...in less than half the 'normal' boa size! :)

Contact Vin Russo. He will set you up right!

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I agree - Vin Russo is the guy to see for any pure locality. And many of his lines will stay more true to the smaller size. :gj:

This is my girl, she's a 2013 and growing like a weed. Love her, though. These are photos from off my phone so please excuse the quality.

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...94737793_n.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...67223211_n.jpg

OK, I'll try this again... Here's the link. If it doesn't work this time, go to the "general boas" sub forum here, it's on page 2. Sorry about the link issue.

Nice looking hog, btw, blackfish!

Hey, don't over think the size part. A properly raised BCI male or female rarely breaks 8 feet. That is from the mouth of Vin Russo. I bought a male Colombian last year and was concerned about giant size. After having him for a year, I'm actually hoping he grows to more of the exception size and not the rule. What I mean by that is once you own a boa you will grow along with the snake and get used to it and the size. My snake is closing in on 2 years old and is 4 feet 7 inches long. I can still hold and control him in one hand. Remember body size/thickness is what makes snakes seem really big. An 8 foot female VS an 8 foot male would be noticeably different. You would be fine with any male BCI 90% of the time. Plus once you have the animal and see how fun and easy to handle they are you won't notice size. Just get a male. And all of the above advice is good. The island boas usually are smaller and certainly not as thick.

Breeder's pic of Tarahumara I'm getting next week if the weather is warm enough:
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../6/2/tara2.jpg

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Breeder's pic of Tarahumara I'm getting next week if the weather is warm enough:
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../6/2/tara2.jpg

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I'm getting a pair from him, too :).

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

I came very close to getting a pair, just couldn't swing adding the male to the transaction. Next year...

Exciting either way. Tarahumaras!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Evenstar

I agree - Vin Russo is the guy to see for any pure locality. And many of his lines will stay more true to the smaller size. :gj:

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I here a lo about this guy! I just looked at his website and he has experience with tons of snakes. He may be the person i purchase one from. ALL of the BCIs look stunning!! How will I ever pick!? lol:O

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Originally Posted by blackfish707

This is my girl, she's a 2013 and growing like a weed. Love her, though. These are photos from off my phone so please excuse the quality.

http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...94737793_n.jpg
http://i866.photobucket.com/albums/a...67223211_n.jpg

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BEAUTIFUL HOG! I just love the color on these snakes and that super red tail.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Breeder's pic of Tarahumara I'm getting next week if the weather is warm enough:
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../6/2/tara2.jpg

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This snake is stunning. Normally I like the brighter color, but this is surely one i am consideringg.

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Originally Posted by Gio

Hey, don't over think the size part. A properly raised BCI male or female rarely breaks 8 feet. That is from the mouth of Vin Russo. I bought a male Colombian last year and was concerned about giant size. After having him for a year, I'm actually hoping he grows to more of the exception size and not the rule. What I mean by that is once you own a boa you will grow along with the snake and get used to it and the size. My snake is closing in on 2 years old and is 4 feet 7 inches long. I can still hold and control him in one hand. Remember body size/thickness is what makes snakes seem really big. An 8 foot female VS an 8 foot male would be noticeably different. You would be fine with any male BCI 90% of the time. Plus once you have the animal and see how fun and easy to handle they are you won't notice size. Just get a male. And all of the above advice is good. The island boas usually are smaller and certainly not as thick.

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Excellent point. :gj:

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Originally Posted by MicheC

I here a lo about this guy! I just looked at his website and he has experience with tons of snakes. He may be the person i purchase one from. ALL of the BCIs look stunning!! How will I ever pick!? lol:O

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You should hear a lot about him. Vin Russo is probably the foremost authority on Boa constrictor care and captive breeding in the country, if not the world. He wrote the "boa bible" - The Complete Boa Constrictor. If you don't have it, I highly recommend getting it. It is still available through Vin's website and if you purchase one, he'll sign it for you. The book is expensive, but WELL worth it. Anyone who's going to keep boas, whether it's only one or a hundred, should have this book. :gj:

Do you have to contact vin russo directly to see what's available. I visited his site after reading this tread, but I can't seen to get past the description page. Did I miss something?

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

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Originally Posted by carbn8

Do you have to contact vin russo directly to see what's available. I visited his site after reading this tread, but I can't seen to get past the description page. Did I miss something?

Sent from my SCH-S720C using Tapatalk 2

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You have to email him. He doesn't keep an "available" page because he sells his babies very fast and can't keep it accurately updated. He is very nice to talk with though. And he's always happy to help you find exactly what you want. :gj:

If you're on FB you can find Vin under "Cutting Edge Herpetological Inc". He sometimes puts pictures of available snakes there.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

If you're on FB you can find Vin under "Cutting Edge Herpetological Inc". He sometimes puts pictures of available snakes there.

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This is good info.

With Gus Rentfro out of boas, least for now, Vin is the other true authority.

You can't go wrong there!