Questions about RTB and BCI/BCC

Hello all! My name is Sugar and I'v been interested in snakes for about 3 years and now deciding on my first(well in a month or 2)
I'v been looking at a RTB/BCI as a first(or a BP) But I think I'm missing something. At all the reptile stores in my area(I went to 3), they lable the Red Tail Boa as just that, a Red Tail Boa.
I'v read that BCI and BCC are subspecies of RTB to an extent....so my question is, just how do you tell if a RTB is a BCI or BCC or do those simply not apply and a RTB is its own species not really related to BCC and BCI. Sorry if that question was a bit confusing!
I'v read that RTB have wonderful temperments(for a snake) and as people who acually own an RTB, can you tell me the straight truth about owning one? how are they to handle and interact with on a daily basis? I'v read books and caresheets but nothing beats real life experence.
All help and advice is appricated and thank you for reading!

Hi and welcome to BP.net! :handshake: There is a "sticky" thread at the top of this forum called Boa FAQs....check that out and it should answer some of your questions. And we have many members who have and love boas who would be glad to expand on those answers with their personal experience. :) But that's a good place to start, anyhow.

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Originally Posted by Sugar Piper

Hello all! My name is Sugar and I'v been interested in snakes for about 3 years and now deciding on my first(well in a month or 2)
I'v been looking at a RTB/BCI as a first(or a BP) But I think I'm missing something. At all the reptile stores in my area(I went to 3), they lable the Red Tail Boa as just that, a Red Tail Boa.
I'v read that BCI and BCC are subspecies of RTB to an extent....so my question is, just how do you tell if a RTB is a BCI or BCC or do those simply not apply and a RTB is its own species not really related to BCC and BCI. Sorry if that question was a bit confusing!
I'v read that RTB have wonderful temperments(for a snake) and as people who acually own an RTB, can you tell me the straight truth about owning one? how are they to handle and interact with on a daily basis? I'v read books and caresheets but nothing beats real life experence.
All help and advice is appricated and thank you for reading!

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Welcome! Hopefully the FAQ helped you out but here is some info.

There are quite a few sub species of Boa Constrictor with the two most common being Boa Constrictor Imperator (BCI) and Boa Constrictor Constrictor (BCC). The BCI subspecies includes what is known as the common Red Tail Boa. These are the Boas you will see for sale at Petco and most local pet stores. While not in the category of giant constrictors like Burmese Pythons or Reticulated Pythons (to name a couple), common RTBs can still get quite large and this should be taken into consideration when thinking about buying one. Some females will reach 10ft and upwards of 30lbs while males will stay a bit smaller. They will require a large enclosure as adults and can live on rats their entire lives (no need for rabbits). They are inquisitive snakes and with proper handling as babies can tame well and make excellent "pet" snakes. I have two BCI including a Hog Island Boa (a smaller boa that maxes out at around 5-6ft) and a common Red Tail Boa that is around 8ft and 30lbs. Both have great temperament and are wonderful snakes. I would suggest that if you plan on buying one, to find a quality breeder for the best chances of getting a healthy baby. Hope this helps!

Sugar, I have a 6'+ BCI and she is a super sweetheart....kids can pet her. They make great pets, but just like Jamie said, they get big...everything about them is big. You need a big cage, big rats, and they make BIG poops. Babies grow very quickly, so be prepared if you decide to get a BCI. Other than size, there really are no major disadvantages of choosing one over a BP, for a first snake. Good luck!

Welcome to the forum Sugar. It's wonderful you are taking your time and gathering your information before deciding which type of snake would best suit you.

We have both ball pythons and BCI's (which I've seen referred to as columbian boa's or common boa's in the pet trade). They are both wonderful snakes but each have unique care requirements (we have caresheets available here for both). There are a number of boa species that don't grow overly large and are wonderful snakes to have. We have members here with male BCI's that are topping out at only around 4.5 to 5 feet and some like the male we are fostering that are over 6 feet and probably not quite done growing yet. Females like Jamie Glass have get considerably bigger. They are also very strong and pretty thick bodied but generally if handled properly when young, a very laid back snake temperment wise.

Have a good look through the threads here on both ball pythons and boa's and you should see a lot of pictures and a lot of real experience to draw from. Please consider using a breeder rather than a pet store for your purchase as you're likely to get a much better young snake that is an established eater, is healthy, is captive born and is of a quaranteed sex (especially important with BCI's as the females can get much larger).

Feel free to ask tons of questions. We are blessed to have not only wonderful owners of many different kinds of snakes here but also some top notch breeders of both ball pythons and boa's.

Hello all again!
Thank you all for the wonderful advice, I have seen all the care sheets and FAQs but I was very confused on what the definition of a RTB was, BCC or BCI, as I saw many websites that contained conflicting information on that fact.
My concern with a breeder was; in all honesty if they would feel comfirtable selling me a snake due to my age. I know its probebly not like this, but I'v experenced some difficulty attaning information due to "fear of irrisponsability" as of late and fear it might travel over to a breeder who has "good intentions", especialy for a snake of this size. But this will be a mute point as I will (hopefully) aquire the aid of a parent for negotiations soon!(My dad will be home soon so he can assiste in the set up as well. I am very very confused by how the flexwatt and the thermostate attach..and yes, I'v seen the examples, I'm just a bit slow sometimes:oops: )

I live in the Bay Area of CA, are there many breeders in that area? Or shall I search online? I'm not very good with the internet yet so I'd be much more comfortable with a local breeder.
I'm still not sure just who will be my first yet(I'm leaning towards BCI), but I'll definatly be refering back to this site! you are all such a helpful and welcoming bunch!:D

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I live in the Bay Area of CA, are there many breeders in that area? Or shall I search online?

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yes and yes...both will work. You will probably need the internet to find them though.

BCC is (Boa Constrictor Constrictor) and that is the redtail boa. BCI (Boa Constrictor Imperator) is the common boa constrictor [possibly having a reddish tail, but not a true "redtail"]

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Originally Posted by _BoidFinatic_

BCC is (Boa Constrictor Constrictor) and that is the redtail boa. BCI (Boa Constrictor Imperator) is the common boa constrictor [possibly having a reddish tail, but not a true "redtail"]

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While not a "true" Redtail, common Boas are OFTEN referred to as Redtail Boas.

There are many differnt kinds of "red tails" other than bcc and bci

Heres a thread on fauna I contributed(Jake The Snake is me) a while back regarding the different kinds of red tails
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=77073

There are "redtails" ranging from the smaller mexican Dwarfs rarely getting over 3' to the Larger ones such as previously mentioned Suri and Guyana boas. Hope this helps a bit

Yes, as Jamie said, that is completely true......in fact, almost all pet stores refer to them generally as "redtails".....If you want to be sure you're getting a BCI or a BCC, go to a reptile show....there will probably be many examples of each.

In Cali there is an excellent Boa Breeder, Basically Boas. Mike is one of the best people to deal with. 100% GoodGuy. I have dealt with him many times and every time was superb. Tell him Jimi from NY sent you.

Thank you all for the information!