Want to ask the experts.

I am looking for a RTB, this is one type that I have never had before. As with all new animals I have been reading up on care and handling. Before I buy one I just wanted to see if there are any tips or guidance from those who have care for these beautiful snakes. Thank you in advance for you imput.

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

I am looking for a RTB, this is one type that I have never had before. As with all new animals I have been reading up on care and handling. Before I buy one I just wanted to see if there are any tips or guidance from those who have care for these beautiful snakes. Thank you in advance for you imput.

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Make sure you have some room for an enclosure. Some can get big enough over time to need a 6x2 enclosure

I do have the room and means for a large snake, I know that some can get around 10 feet and that is my goal.

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

I am looking for a RTB, this is one type that I have never had before. As with all new animals I have been reading up on care and handling. Before I buy one I just wanted to see if there are any tips or guidance from those who have care for these beautiful snakes. Thank you in advance for you imput.

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Welcome! Some Boas can get fairly big so make sure you have the means to house and care for a snake that can reach 10+ feet (although most will stay smaller). The Colombian Boa (BCI Imperator - which most called an RTB) will stay smaller than the "true" redtails such.

Gus at Rio Bravo Reptiles (http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/) has some awesome info and is a good guy.

Best of luck!

I knew that there was a differece between BCI and "true" RTB regarding size. Is there any good way of telling the two appart?

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

I knew that there was a differece between BCI and "true" RTB regarding size. Is there any good way of telling the two appart?

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you have to go to a trusted breeder. There are different species of BCC, some will stay as big if not smaller than most common red tail boas that you see. others on the other hand, will get larger

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

I knew that there was a differece between BCI and "true" RTB regarding size. Is there any good way of telling the two appart?

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I would check out some of the photos on the Rio Bravo site. Pictures should help you identify the locale. I would venture to say that most RTBs sold in pet stores are Colombians.

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

I knew that there was a differece between BCI and "true" RTB regarding size. Is there any good way of telling the two appart?

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There are many species of Boa Constrictor... go to the site recommended to view and read about each of them. Many have different appearances, top-out lengths, and dispositions. :)

Just out of curiosity, where are you located?

Any diffrence in the temperment of these types? Is one better then the others in terms of handling?

I believe that BCI's and BCC's can be told apart by the number of saddles that they have. BCC's not having as many as BCI's do. Sorry I'm not much help but I'm new to boas as well.

There are a few other B.c.ssp. out there.

B.c.i. being the most common could be from central america(Niceragua Honduras) for example or further south like Colombia. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that most pet store "Colombian" boas aren't pure if at all Colombian. There are more and more Central American boas being farmed and imported that any other locality that I know of.

B.c.c. are believed to be the largest B.c.ssp. The record for the largest rtb is a b.c.c. at 14'. Now a 14' boa is rare and not very likely to be seen again in our life time. Argentine boas(B.c.o.) are another large boa. Males often hit the 7-8' mark while females can hit 10' and 60 lbs!! They have a reputation for being nippy but they calm down nicely I have heard.



Just make sure you can care for a snake that may hit 10' and 60 lbs and will eat rats and more than likely(for a b.c.c.) will need bunnies as an adult.

Hope this helps

Feel free to ask us any questions here!!

I can never remember but it's sometimes saddle count and type of saddles correct ) ( verus {} type thing right? Can help you have an idea of what the snake is (better to get it from a breeder and know for sure though I figure).

My only experience is with a fully mature male BCI who is 6 feet+ and strong as a bull and a yearling male BCI who is of course much smaller. Both are gorgeous snakes, reasonably gentle natured, easy keepers as far as snakes go but in need of space appropriate to their greater size of course, not terribly picky about what they will and won't eat and not as easily stressed as some snakes about being handled. They may not be a giant but never under estimate their power or forget to respect that they are pure muscle and like any snake need more than one handler over a certain length.

Though I don't have any other boa experience I'd recommend a nice male BCI from a reputable breeder any day of the week for a keeper that's ready for a larger snake and willing to commit the time and effort to give it a lifelong home. As with any snake research first and buy the best from the best. There are some concerns about issues with mixed collections with boas and pythons so making sure you get a healthy, well tended young boa is always better than a basically unknown quality/genetics pet store snake.

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

Any diffrence in the temperment of these types? Is one better then the others in terms of handling?

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Colombian Boas are supposed to be the most docile, but most of the time they all have their own temperament! :D

Boa constrictors are fabulous snakes to keep. There are 10 known subspecies and different localities among most of the subspecies as well.

For example.. among BCI (boa constrictor imperator) there are colombian boas, central american boas, hog island boas, mexican boas etc etc.

Among BCC there are surinam, guyanan, peruvian, trinidad, brazilian etc etc.

There isn't a hard and fast rule to tell these two most common subspecies apart, however generally BCC are larger, have brighter red that they are more likely to keep into adulthood, and many BCC exhibit 'widow's peaks' in their pattern. The saddles are shaped more like this: { } { } rather than the BCI which tend to look more like this: ( ) ( ). However there are exceptions.. many peruvian BCC have bowtie shaped saddles ) (

Both subspecies can have docile and not so nice specimens. I have three BCC and 2 of them are quite docile, the third I have to watch out for. I also have two hog island boas (BCI) hoggies are known for being a bit more high strung, but my two are pretty decently behaved.

This is a good website to get a handle on the different subspecies:

http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/com.html

On average how long will a BCC be after 1,2,and 3 years, and how long will a BCI be?

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Originally Posted by Seth 50

On average how long will a BCC be after 1,2,and 3 years, and how long will a BCI be?

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There are many factors that go into that which include but are not limited to husbandry, diet, and genetics. How about, ideal conditions assumed, we say- BIG for both of them.

I've always liked redtails, but their max size always steered me away from them. I then got the chance to work with a trio of full blooded Mexican boas that actually bred. The parents were small, as the mexican boas are considered to be a dwarf species (the largest in the trio was just over 6ft.) I kept one of the offspring, and 2 years later she is about 5 ft, 3000+ grams, and an absolutely awesome pet.

My point in mentioning the mexican boas is that they are a great alternative boa to consider if the size of some BCCs or BCI turns you off to them.

The large size in no way turns me off to them. In fact there larger size is what really got my attention, and the fact that most of what I read said they were relitively easy, size set aside, to take care of. I was asking the question to see what might be the best size enclosure to start out with. One that could last a year or two.

It's really hard to tell you sizes since.. as was mentioned.. feeding schedule, husbandry, and gender all have an effect on the size of the animal.

Just know that either subspecies can top 9'.. especially the females.

Baby snakes need small cages.. you don't want to put it in a cage that will be fine for it in a year.. it will be too big, which can cause stress since the snake feels exposed. Better to start babies in shoebox or sweaterbox sized tubs, or a small tank if you must house in a tank.

I guess I will show you a few pics of my boa constrictors.. you can get a bit of an idea on size etc.

7' 20lb BCC surinam.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/DSCN1356.JPG

Same snake outside.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...liajuly06d.jpg

Adult female hog island BCI.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/divahold.jpg

Same snake.
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../divafeb06.JPG

I have more pics, but I don't want to completely bog down your thread. :)

Really like the pic's and advice. How old is your 7' BCC surinam in the first pic, and how long/old is the Hog Island?

I really don't know the age of either of them as I bought them as adults.. I will venture a guess that the BCC is in the 4-5 year range and the hog island probably.. 3-4.

The hog island is around 6' long.

April covered this topic very well, and I would like to add that the bcc are without a doubt the lookers of the boa world. and when I get a chance I'll post some of my colombian BCC here. they also are not beginners snakes.


I disagree with the statement that argentines are nippy, they are quite tame when handled and interacted with. they are hissy and vocale and they will bluff you, which can put off people that are not familiar with this type of behavior. and this is one of the things that attracted me to the argentines. that and the fact you can keep them cooler than other boas.

Do your reseach, theres a perfect boa out there for you. :)

Yeah.. I don't have experience with argys (regretably) but I know my BCCs will hiss up a storm without having any intention to bite (well except for the big one.. she is a stinker.

Here is my young male BCC surinam.. around 5-6'

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...july06hsml.jpg

My young BCC surinam

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...inarmay06b.JPG

And my young hog island
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...8/DSCF1388.JPG

Do your BCC's hiss up a strom even after a lot of handling, or was this when they were younger or not handled much before?

My young (about a year and a half old now) BCC will still hiss when you pick her up, but once she's out of the cage she quiets down.

My two adult BCC don't really hiss much. Occasionally, but not a lot and they quiet down when they're out.

April, Love that young male hogg. looking for a male hogg myself, but am very picky with what I keep anymore.

Oh me too Ed. I looked over a year before I found that male. He's a keeper. You should see his belly.. it's bright sunset orange.

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Originally Posted by ECLARK

April covered this topic very well, and I would like to add that the bcc are without a doubt the lookers of the boa world. and when I get a chance I'll post some of my colombian BCC here. they also are not beginners snakes.


I disagree with the statement that argentines are nippy, they are quite tame when handled and interacted with. they are hissy and vocale and they will bluff you, which can put off people that are not familiar with this type of behavior. and this is one of the things that attracted me to the argentines. that and the fact you can keep them cooler than other boas.

Do your reseach, theres a perfect boa out there for you. :)

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I never said they are all nippy. They are just known for being somewhat aggressive. I've only handled a couple and they did the hissing but no strikes. Again, it depends from Boa to Boa

Yearling pair of colombian bcc boas. :) https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...air640x480.jpg

Colombian BCC :) https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...der640x480.jpg