Could really use some advice

Hi. I just purchased a Guyana BCC this past weekend. The snake was advertised as captive bred, and ai was told over the phone by an employee that it was captive bred. I found the ad on Morphmarket and saw that it said the origin was “import” so I decided to email the store owner and ask about it. He said the snake was captive bred but it was imported from Guyana. Now this store has really good reviews from everywhere ive seen including morphmarket. So im having a hard time believing they would deceive me. Im looking for advice because as a first time Boa owner im not sure if she will be any harder to take care of then say a captive bred from here in the US. I currently own a Ball python so im not new to snakes in general. Im really not sure what I should do.

Do you have the snake yet?

If not, I would pass. Mixed messages and even if imported and captive bred, that's a heck of a ride and trauma for a snake.

Any animal you bring in must be quarantined, but you would have to be incredibly careful with this one and deworming (likely) and a vet visit anyway would probably be in order and cost more than the snake. That can be traumatic too.

If I was buying a BC, or any boa (again - I have 3 - 2 BI's and a BC), I want to know they were captive bred, handled, healthy, and know their lineage.

This sounds like red flags all over.

Ask for a good boa breeder on here, or do more research and go with someone who breeds them, not imports them. Just my opinion.

Also, if you plan on bringing another animal home, and do not know how to properly quarantine, just ask.

Finally, BC's are considered intermediate - advanced snakes due to requirements/husbandry to stay healthy, adult size, and feeding response. Make sure you know what you are getting into even versus a Boa Imperator (BI) which are much more forgiving. BI's tend to not to get regurgitation syndrome or be as picky with humidity, etc. Also, BC's tend to be a little grippier than BI's which can be intimidating for some people when they are full grown. They can still be incredibly docile, but like to grip more than most BI's.

If you do get a boa, of any kind, you will probably want to hook train as well. Any questions on that, just ask.

For what's worth, I have 3 boas (2 BI's and a BC) and adore them. They are great snakes and when properly hook trained, easy to get out, handle like a dream, and eat like pigs. They are my favorite snake species and I keep a ball python, a carpet python, 2 corns, and the 3 boas.

However, I have been keeping snakes the better part of my 40 years and handled big boas before I took the plunge.

Appreciate the advice. Yes I received the snake Tuesday. She seemed pretty calm and mellow for the couple minutes I held her before putting her in her enclosure for the first time. She roamed around the first night and has been in the cool hide ever since. I did a lot of research beforehand on BCCs and felt pretty comfortable being able to take care of a captive bred one. But Ive heard Wild-caught are a whole different ball-game and so im stressing out now. The seller has been very responsive and has answered my questions but I just dont see how they could know it was captive bred for sure if it was imported from Guyana.

Not sure if it helps but my temps are 90 hot side, 84 cool side and 65% humidity.

I'd bet it was a "farmed" import. So, captive-born (CB) from a wild-caught gravid female, and then imported.

I'd give it some time to settle in and have a fecal check done for parasites, but otherwise treat her as any other neonate BCC.

Also bear in mind that a snake like this is new blood/new genetics so people who breed may pay more for them.

we have two carpet pythons that were hatched out on a farm overseas that then imports them here.
kinda like captive bred vs. captive hatch, in my mind.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I'd bet it was a "farmed" import. So, captive-born (CB) from a wild-caught gravid female, and then imported.

I'd give it some time to settle in and have a fecal check done for parasites, but otherwise treat her as any other neonate BCC.

Also bear in mind that a snake like this is new blood/new genetics so people who breed may pay more for them.

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Ok will do. Thank you. That makes sense

I thought it must be captive famed as already said above.
Good start if your first handling session was positive, as they are often stressed when they first arrive
I've got a 3 Yr old Guyana and I love him always been chilled, but amazing food response like most boas
Good luck,
Look forward to seeing some pics
Plenty of great boa owners on here for advice, so don't be afraid to ask

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

I thought it must be captive famed as already said above.
Good start if your first handling session was positive, as they are often stressed when they first arrive
I've got a 3 Yr old Guyana and I love him always been chilled, but amazing food response like most boas
Good luck,
Look forward to seeing some pics
Plenty of great boa owners on here for advice, so don't be afraid to ask

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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Thank you! Do you recommend leaving her alone until after shes eaten? I offered food today and yesterday and she didnt seem interested. Hasnt left the cool side since tuesday unless shes been doing it in the middle of the night.

Yes. Leave the animal alone for a week after getting it before offering food so it can adjust to its new surroundings. No handling aside from moving it to clean if needed until it has taken three consecutive meals without issue. This is even more important for imported animals.


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Reread your last post. Also don’t attempt to feed more than once a week. Repeatedly offering food to an animal that is uninterested causes stress and can lead to further refusals.


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Havent seen her so much as peek her head out of her hide since Tuesday. Shes in a 55 gallon aquarium but I do have quite a bit of “clutter” in there. Temps are 90 hot side 78 cool side. Humidity is 75%. Also, the tank is in mind of a “high-traffic” area as I dont have many options until we move In a few months.

I would give her a little longer to adjust to the enclosure and traffic. I wouldn’t bother her. Be patient. She probably will eventually ease out looking for food. I only own one boa and it’s a bci. Ate the same day right after the first handling. So I’m assuming yours came in quite stressed. I wouldn’t even begin to worry. Give her more time. If all else fails. You could always convert to a smaller pvc tub enclosure. They are easy to modify, cheap and hold humidity well. She should get comfy before long though. It’s hard to do, but don’t stress it yet. Give her more time. More than likely she will let you know when it’s time to try to feed.

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Originally Posted by Igotsmallballs

I would give her a little longer to adjust to the enclosure and traffic. I wouldn’t bother her. Be patient. She probably will eventually ease out looking for food. I only own one boa and it’s a bci. Ate the same day right after the first handling. So I’m assuming yours came in quite stressed. I wouldn’t even begin to worry. Give her more time. If all else fails. You could always convert to a smaller pvc tub enclosure. They are easy to modify, cheap and hold humidity well. She should get comfy before long though. It’s hard to do, but don’t stress it yet. Give her more time. More than likely she will let you know when it’s time to try to feed.

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Awesome. Thanks for the advice. Ive been over-stressing everything since she arrived. I went ahead and covered the sides with cardboard (the back already has a background).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by susieomaha

Havent seen her so much as peek her head out of her hide since Tuesday. Shes in a 55 gallon aquarium but I do have quite a bit of “clutter” in there. Temps are 90 hot side 78 cool side. Humidity is 75%. Also, the tank is in mind of a “high-traffic” area as I dont have many options until we move In a few months.

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I don't mean to be a wanker but I'm good at appearing so and I'm going to tell you like it is...

You have stacked the deck against yourself by:
1. purchasing an import true redtail with who really knows what background
2. putting that boa in a 55 gallon aquarium (this is really hurting your chances of success)
3. offering food on consecutive days (getting feeding wrong with a true redtail can kill it)


You can't correct number one so lets move on to fixing what you can. If you want to increase your chances of success this is what you should do:

That boa has probably (and hopefully) lived its entire short life in an opaque shoe box sized tub...and you should put it back in one. Go to the store and buy a food grade Tupperware type thing that is about the size of a shoe box or a little smaller. Poke some holes in it and put some aspen bedding in the tub with a small water dish. If you are heating that fish tank with undercage heat place about half of the new Tupperware over the in floor heat. Leave the boa alone for a week...don't even look at it. After a week place a fresh killed mouse of the appropriate size in the tub and walk away. Check on it a couple of hours later, if it ate, close the lid and change the water the next day and leave it alone for another week. After it eliminates that meal, repeat and leave it alone with only cleanings/water changes for at least 3 feeding cycles.

Once things start to go poorly with a true redtail baby your odds will get worse.

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Originally Posted by bns

I don't mean to be a wanker but I'm good at appearing so and I'm going to tell you like it is...

You have stacked the deck against yourself by:
1. purchasing an import true redtail with who really knows what background
2. putting that boa in a 55 gallon aquarium (this is really hurting your chances of success)
3. offering food on consecutive days (getting feeding wrong with a true redtail can kill it)


You can't correct number one so lets move on to fixing what you can. If you want to increase your chances of success this is what you should do:

That boa has probably (and hopefully) lived its entire short life in an opaque shoe box sized tub...and you should put it back in one. Go to the store and buy a food grade Tupperware type thing that is about the size of a shoe box or a little smaller. Poke some holes in it and put some aspen bedding in the tub with a small water dish. If you are heating that fish tank with undercage heat place about half of the new Tupperware over the in floor heat. Leave the boa alone for a week...don't even look at it. After a week place a fresh killed mouse of the appropriate size in the tub and walk away. Check on it a couple of hours later, if it ate, close the lid and change the water the next day and leave it alone for another week. After it eliminates that meal, repeat and leave it alone with only cleanings/water changes for at least 3 feeding cycles.

Once things start to go poorly with a true redtail baby your odds will get worse.

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Alright. Just finished getting all that done. We'll see how it goes