Best boa for me

I need some advise from boa keepers on here. I know a few of you helped me with my Columbian BCI since this forum is more active then the Redtail boa forum. I'm debating between a Caulker Cay boa and a Peruvian Long tail boa (BCL). I've researched a ton on both and cannot decide. I want a boa around 4-6 feet, dark in color, and have a good personality like the Columbian BCI's I've worked with. If anyone has any opinions on ethier let me know! I'm going with a male so I know the BCL will stay around 5 feet according to Vin Russo. I have read the island boas tend to be nippy and that the Peruvian Long tails have unexpected mood swings. I really like the adult BCL coloring with the jet black pattern over gray. Help me decide!


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Originally Posted by DSpythons

I need some advise from boa keepers on here. I know a few of you helped me with my Columbian BCI since this forum is more active then the Redtail boa forum. I'm debating between a Caulker Cay boa and a Peruvian Long tail boa (BCL). I've researched a ton on both and cannot decide. I want a boa around 4-6 feet, dark in color, and have a good personality like the Columbian BCI's I've worked with. If anyone has any opinions on ethier let me know! I'm going with a male so I know the BCL will stay around 5 feet according to Vin Russo. I have read the island boas tend to be nippy and that the Peruvian Long tails have unexpected mood swings. I really like the adult BCL coloring with the jet black pattern over gray. Help me decide!


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A Caulker Cay will generally be within the 4-6 feet range that you are looking for. The Longicaudas, depending on gender, will generally fall in the 6-9 feet range. Personally, I like the coloring of the Loncaudas over the Caulkers. I have worked with both in the past, and didn't have any notable, consistent, issues with temperment. Good luck making your decision.

Thanks for your input. I read that male BCL's get about 5 feet while females get 7 and according to Vin Russo at Cutting Edge. I heard male Caulker Cay's get about 3-4 feet which I feel is a little too small but I could be wrong. I want something about 5 feet max and no smaller then 4 feet. If Evanstar (I think that's their user name) could give me their opinion that would be great because I learned so much about boas from their posts on here. Or anyone else, because information varies so much online.


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I haven't seen Evanstar on the boards a lot lately.. she must have other stuff going on right now. I have looked at both species and personally, I'm leaning towards a BCL or a Nicaraguan.. Although from what I've read, the BCLs generally have a better temperament and also tend to stay lighter / thinner.

Another user here, daybreaker, has a BCL that is simply stunning, although it's not an adult. Check out her collection thread and you can see pics.

The information you got about adult lengths from vin russo.. was that off his website or directly from him? I know when I was looking for a first boa, I cited some length information from "the complete boa constrictor" book and many people told me that the "adult" lengths given in the book, althouhg accurate, are simply the adult breeding lengths and that many times the boas can / will exceed those lengths. But again, I'm new to boas also, so can't really say. A good person to contact might be the Diaz brothers from legacy reptiles. I think they maintain breeding groups of both and should be able to give you a definitive answer. They seem to be quite active on facebook, so you might be able to get a fast response if you message them.

Yea Vin told me males max out at 5 feet. I'm leaning towards a Caulker I think. Maybe Daybreaker will see this! I forgot about their boa collection.


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Originally Posted by DSpythons

Yea Vin told me males max out at 5 feet. I'm leaning towards a Caulker I think. Maybe Daybreaker will see this! I forgot about their boa collection.


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I'm biased because I have my longicauda and no Caulkers but I would go with a nice BCL: will have the size and coloration you want (IMO the contrasted BCL adults are more aesthetic than the Caulkers, only personal preference) and my girl is such a sweetie. If temperament is a concern just remember with some work even nippy snakes will usually calm over time (pending the individual but in my experience they do). I have purchased from Vin before (a Pokigron Suri) and he's top notch and recommended for stunning animals and A+ customer service.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psc277cde9.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ps586c48e5.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psc11e7781.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psd68678c2.jpg

Edit: another option may be a male Hog Island Boa (peach colored, smaller staying locality, great overall temperaments)

I only have a BCL myself so cannot offer comparative points.
But, I can say that the reputation some attribute to BCL "teens" getting nippy after being quite docile and then calming back down as they mature seems to be overstated if my female BCL is anything to go by. I will say that she did develop a very strong food response as she reached her "teen stage" but, has shown zero cage aggression, defensiveness or timidity. (A big thank you to Daybreaker and Evenstar for the advice to not give in and over feed the garbage disposal)

With my limited experience I have to say that I think few would be disappointed with a BCL although, Hog Island and Dumeril's owners seem to be equally enamoured with their snakes.

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I'm biased because I have my longicauda and no Caulkers but I would go with a nice BCL: will have the size and coloration you want (IMO the contrasted BCL adults are more aesthetic than the Caulkers, only personal preference) and my girl is such a sweetie. If temperament is a concern just remember with some work even nippy snakes will usually calm over time (pending the individual but in my experience they do). I have purchased from Vin before (a Pokigron Suri) and he's top notch and recommended for stunning animals and A+ customer service.

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psc277cde9.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...ps586c48e5.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psc11e7781.jpg

http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i3...psd68678c2.jpg

Edit: another option may be a male Hog Island Boa (peach colored, smaller staying locality, great overall temperaments)

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Wow, what a stunning snake! I think you just helped make my decision! Thank you to all who responded.


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I think she's the nicest looking BCL I've ever seen.. Maybe one day I'll own one like her. I agree that I prefer the higher contrast in the BCLs... It seems like all the island localities have more muddy / muted colors and patterns.

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

I'm biased because I have my longicauda and no Caulkers but I would go with a nice BCL: will have the size and coloration you want

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I ended up getting a BCL. If you do not mind Daybreaker, could I ask you some quick questions since online info on these guys is so different?

-How big do you expect my male to get? Vin Russo said about 5 feet and I've read the BCL stay smaller then the BCC/BCI'S.

-How often did you feed your BCL when he was younger and now?

-I've read the Peruvian boas like it cooler then the Colombian BCI'S. Do you keep your BCL slightly cooler?

Thank you!



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Originally Posted by artgecko

I think she's the nicest looking BCL I've ever seen.. Maybe one day I'll own one like her. I agree that I prefer the higher contrast in the BCLs... It seems like all the island localities have more muddy / muted colors and patterns.

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Thank you for the kind words on Olive, she is a stunner. Great thing about longis is that most of them will get highly contrasted: it will be neat to see if she continues to get more cream and black or may turn a darker brown and black or may surprise me and turn into something unexpected.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DSpythons

I ended up getting a BCL. If you do not mind Daybreaker, could I ask you some quick questions since online info on these guys is so different?

-How big do you expect my male to get? Vin Russo said about 5 feet and I've read the BCL stay smaller then the BCC/BCI'S.

-How often did you feed your BCL when he was younger and now?

-I've read the Peruvian boas like it cooler then the Colombian BCI'S. Do you keep your BCL slightly cooler?

Thank you!

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Longis in general take a long time to grow to their full adult sizes: females can average from my research ~6-7' so I would expect your male in the 4-5' average range. I would consider them smaller than BCC localities and Colombian BCIs but they are a bit more slender bodied as well.

She was started on a 7-10 day schedule on mice: she was very shy and actually took over a month to get started. This can happen with any snake though due to stress factors but I have not seen slow-starting as a common occurrence with BCLs. She is still small currently (being grown slow and she's just a slow grower anyway) but she's still on the same feeding frequency but now on rats. I like feeding my boas mice until their 1st birthday. When she's full grown she'll be on a 2-3 week schedule like my other boas.

All my boas are kept and prefer being cooler than my pythons so I can't determine if she like it cooler than my Argies, Colombians, CAs, Hog, or Surinam as all the boas are at cooler temps. If yours will be in a rack or shelving type set up you can house him on the lower levels.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daybreaker

Thank you for the kind words on Olive, she is a stunner. Great thing about longis is that most of them will get highly contrasted: it will be neat to see if she continues to get more cream and black or may turn a darker brown and black or may surprise me and turn into something unexpected.



Longis in general take a long time to grow to their full adult sizes: females can average from my research ~6-7' so I would expect your male in the 4-5' average range. I would consider them smaller than BCC localities and Colombian BCIs but they are a bit more slender bodied as well.

She was started on a 7-10 day schedule on mice: she was very shy and actually took over a month to get started. This can happen with any snake though due to stress factors but I have not seen slow-starting as a common occurrence with BCLs. She is still small currently (being grown slow and she's just a slow grower anyway) but she's still on the same feeding frequency but now on rats. I like feeding my boas mice until their 1st birthday. When she's full grown she'll be on a 2-3 week schedule like my other boas.

All my boas are kept and prefer being cooler than my pythons so I can't determine if she like it cooler than my Argies, Colombians, CAs, Hog, or Surinam as all the boas are at cooler temps. If yours will be in a rack or shelving type set up you can house him on the lower levels.

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Thank you for the information I really appreciate it. There is a lot of info online but sometimes I like to hear from people who actually own the animal. I seriously think this is the best looking boa I've ever seen. I like all the different contrasts of black, white, and yellow as adults. My little one is coming from Vin Russo tomorrow so I'll be sure to post pictures for the Boa people on here.


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Ended up getting a Cay Caulker because there was no males left and I did not want a 7 foot snake. I will get a b.c longicauda next year


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