2 year old male; How much growth to expect?

So I have a two year old male pet-only boa that I adopted as an adult from another keeper. He's very slender like a bullsnake (as opposed to my fatty fat ball pythons) and four....maybe four and a half feet long. I'm making the blueprints for caging and I'm trying to guess his "final" cage size. Right now he's in a 3x2x1 Boaphile Plastics cage for quarantine.

So here are my issues: 1) I have no idea how much more I should expect him to grow. 4-4.5 and 1.5 pounds at two. I figure he'll have two years to put on a lot of growth, but having never owned a boa I don't know if I should expect him to put on a lot more length. Ideas?

2) I keep hearing conflicting info regarding how to judge cage size. I'm striking a balance between the needs of my animals and my space needs, so while I have no interested in a minimum I also can't afford to give them excessively large cages. When it comes to a BCI I've been told: square footage should equal the length of the snake. I've also been told I should build an 18" or even a 24" high cage. Mine spends almost all his time in his hides and is most outgoing out of this cage, but I don't know if that's his personality or if he really would use a taller cage.

Help? I don't want to cramp anyone, but I also don't want to build space they don't use.

Most adult males can live their life in a 4x2 cage. But if you have space a 6x2 would be better. As far as height, I would go 18-24 inches over 12. They will use the space if you get one of the cages that has a basking shelf, like what AP offers. Also, taller cages make cleaning much easier!

If he is a typical BCI, most adult males I see are about the 5-6 foot range.

Do you have any photos of him?

Looks like I miss-measured. I measured my gopher snake, 10 year old female ball python, and Noel twice to double check. He's actually 42ish inches, so right around 3.5 feet. Makes a big difference. I can get my husband to take a photo of the two of us when he gets home; Noel's photos are hard to scale unless he's with a person.

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../9/1/image.jpg

2 years is not an adult by any stretch of the imagination, although you should notice the most extreme growth spurts during their second year (the year between the time they turn 1 and the year they turn 2). 4' seems good for a 2 year old! As far as I know, boa constrictors reach max size around 5-6 years, unless overfed or power fed, or conversely, when underfed. Power feeding doesn't give you larger animals, just bigger animals sooner, while shortening their lifespan considerably. They can deal with being underfed easier than being overfed. My male is nearly 4 years old and is growing a noticeable amount when you put a tape to him, but is growing considerably slower than before. He only put on 3" in length over an 8 month period of time, where during his second year he was growing 2-3 inches a little less than every month. You should continue to notice "extreme"/very noticeable growth without actually measuring him for another year or so before his growth spurt slows down considerably.

OK! So they're more like big dogs or even my ball python female that way. I thought my ball python was "grown" at two, but at ten years old she's MUCH bigger than back then.

In that case I'm going to give Noel 12 square feet or so of cage space in my plans; I'm making two towers that will bolt together with a corner piece so I can divide off some units or double the size of others. I'll keep Noel in the 6 square foot unit for now, but when he grows I can open the other side unit for him.

Is it weird that I'm actually relieved my boa is nowhere close to adulthood? He has my absolute favorite personality of all my snakes and I'm glad he'll put on some more size. There's just something about holding a big heavy bodied snake in your lap while watching TV that I love. He's on the schedule his previous owner suggested for me of one rat just big enough to leave a lump every two weeks. Is this about right?

I think that sounds right.. When he hits 3 years, most recommend slowing down to every 3 weeks for food. Some people use a sporadic (famine and fast) feeding schedule, but as a general rule, less is better with boas. As long as he maintains a nice "loaf of bread" body shape, you're doing good.

Absolutely no need for a 6 foot cage. 4x2x2 is plenty big for 99% of boas. Only a small fraction of giant females will need something bigger than that. 4x2 is easier to clean and maintain proper temps and humidity. People go nuts providing giant enclosures unnecessarily. 6 foot cages are for giant pythons like burms and retics. Save your money.

Money isn't an issue; if the snake won't use the space then I'll keep it smaller. But if a boa WILL use the space then I'll give it. I like watching them display their natural behaviors. For ball pythons that means being a rock, but some of my other animals like to roam. May take some experimenting further down the line. Even if Noel never uses both sides of the bolted unit, I can wall off his half and use the other half for another creature. The reasons the two multi-unit tower cages will bolt together is that some snakes I'm planning on keeping WILL need that kind of space, like Vietnamese Blue Beauties.

Bigger usually isn't ever better for large snakes. Just cause they move around in the space doesn't mean its correct for them. Snakes enjoy a sense of security that isn't found with larger enclosures.

Okay, Quick question. So most people say that RTBs get like 7-9ft easy and require an enclosure 5-6ft at least, that I have read and been told at Repticon before. Or is that if they are over fed or power fed? Because I feed the same as Samong, one small rat every 9-14 days. Just recently, while trying to find an enclosure to save and buy, I have been reading that they most cases they are smaller than that and don't require that big of enclosure. I understand the sense of security, but wouldn't a 6-7ft snake be more comfortable in a bigger enclosure, more room to stretch? I keep reading that bigger is better for boas. The rule of thumb I thought was length of snake = length + width of enclosure? Meaning a 4x2 would comfortably hold a 6ft right? Sorry to intrude, but I have been reading so many contradicting things past few days so I'm trying to figure out what will be best for my two Red Tails.

I go by 1 square foot of floor space in the enclosure per foot of snake. Also if the enclosure is a bit taller that can let the snake stretch out, since boas do climb and perch if given the opportunity.

Yeah, like I said in other thread, I just don't give mine the opportunity really. But, I'm thinking I might put a perch in and see what happens.

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Originally Posted by AtomicJok3r

Okay, Quick question. So most people say that RTBs get like 7-9ft easy and require an enclosure 5-6ft at least, that I have read and been told at Repticon before. Or is that if they are over fed or power fed? Because I feed the same as Samong, one small rat every 9-14 days. Just recently, while trying to find an enclosure to save and buy, I have been reading that they most cases they are smaller than that and don't require that big of enclosure. I understand the sense of security, but wouldn't a 6-7ft snake be more comfortable in a bigger enclosure, more room to stretch? I keep reading that bigger is better for boas. The rule of thumb I thought was length of snake = length + width of enclosure? Meaning a 4x2 would comfortably hold a 6ft right? Sorry to intrude, but I have been reading so many contradicting things past few days so I'm trying to figure out what will be best for my two Red Tails.

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This all depends on who you are talking with about caging. Very experienced breeders will know these animals well, but that doesn't at all mean they set their BC's up like a one or two BC enthusiast. Can boas be kept in smaller, minimalist setups? Sure they can. It's proven and efficient setups prove to be the best for breeders and keepers of multiple animals.

Now with all of that said, if you are into observing the full spectrum of behaviors boa constrictors exhibit, by all means get a good sized cage, and also get one that is a minimum of 18" tall. I keep my almost 6 foot, 3 year old male in a 48" x 30" x 20" cage. That seems to be perfect and I observe him climbing, perching, using different thermal zones, and stretching out. Also note, at least in the case of my boa, he will retreat to the opposite side of where eliminates his waste.

Boa constrictors are semi arboreal, and will often be seen hunting in the canopy in the wild, or ambushing ground prey from the lower portions of the forest canopy.

They are comfortable around water, in the trees, and on the ground, and will look for prey wherever there is an opportunity.

Often size is guessed rather than correctly measured. ALL snakes appear much larger in pictures posted on the web. A female or in some cases a male BC that is 7-8 feet long is a rather large snake. BC density is incredible compared to many snakes of the same length.

Caging is up to the keeper, and you need to gauge the caging toward your lifestyle. Obviously the snake's minimum requirements must be met, but once you have that you can look into a large display if you have the room, or a medium sized display, or an efficiency setup or something in between.

The snake really doesn't care as it can adapt, and will stay where there is a constant food and water source along with proper husbandry settings.

As a keeper, I can't think you wouldn't enjoy watching the many behaviors boa constrictors preform in a setup that allows for them.

Hunting from perches in a 20" tall cage.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC01571.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

This all depends on who you are talking with about caging. Very experienced breeders will know these animals well, but that doesn't at all mean they set their BC's up like a one or two BC enthusiast. Can boas be kept in smaller, minimalist setups? Sure they can. It's proven and efficient setups prove to be the best for breeders and keepers of multiple animals.

Now with all of that said, if you are into observing the full spectrum of behaviors boa constrictors exhibit, by all means get a good sized cage, and also get one that is a minimum of 18" tall. I keep my almost 6 foot, 3 year old male in a 48" x 30" x 20" cage. That seems to be perfect and I observe him climbing, perching, using different thermal zones, and stretching out. Also note, at least in the case of my boa, he will retreat to the opposite side of where eliminates his waste.

Boa constrictors are semi arboreal, and will often be seen hunting in the canopy in the wild, or ambushing ground prey from the lower portions of the forest canopy.

They are comfortable around water, in the trees, and on the ground, and will look for prey wherever there is an opportunity.

Often size is guessed rather than correctly measured. ALL snakes appear much larger in pictures posted on the web. A female or in some cases a male BC that is 7-8 feet long is a rather large snake. BC density is incredible compared to many snakes of the same length.

Caging is up to the keeper, and you need to gauge the caging toward your lifestyle. Obviously the snake's minimum requirements must be met, but once you have that you can look into a large display if you have the room, or a medium sized display, or an efficiency setup or something in between.

The snake really doesn't care as it can adapt, and will stay where there is a constant food and water source along with proper husbandry settings.

As a keeper, I can't think you wouldn't enjoy watching the many behaviors boa constrictors preform in a setup that allows for them.

Hunting from perches in a 20" tall cage.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC01571.jpg

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+1 To all this. While there are standards in the reptile community, you must take every bit of advice with a grain of salt, including mine. Everyone has their own idea of what good husbandry means. As long as you are within the specs of the individual animal you can absolutely get creative. Just depends on how expensive you want to go. I personally go for the minimalist approach, as it increase ease of cleaning, maintenance and has a much lower price tag. Do you need a 6 foot or longer cage for a BC? Absolutely not IMO. If you are thinking that the extra space is needed for them to "stretch out," that just isn't the case. A 4x2x1 cage is plenty and will house them in a healthy state for their entire adult lives. However, if you want to go for a 6x4x4 enclosure so you can add in branches and other décor that's entirely up to you.