Cant decide on what kind of boa or where to get it?Right now I have a possibly 28" BP

Right now I have a possibly 28" BP, unsexed. Im quite happy, but want a RTB for some odd reason. Ive done alot of research, so dont need help on husbandry, mainly because I dont plan on getting a Boa for 1-2 months. Ill worry about all that when I have money, and one picked out

I know I want a male boa under 7 feet. Im left thinking thats gonna be a BCI or Hogg. Not sure of which out of these BCIs. Colombian, Nicaraguan, Central American.

Now first I need to know if these have traits to them. Im looking for a decent eater, and something not so shy, probably something that wants to get out of the cage. I always hear about Boas not wanting to go back in, which is mainly why I want one. I also saw a pic of a baby eating, and WHILE he was eating, he wanted to get out, it looked so funny lol.

And then, I just want a NORMAL, but 95% of sites carry hets and morphs. And if they have normals, all it says is red tail, and not if its a BCI, or BCC, or what kind of BCI, ect. Am I supposed to know just by how they look?

Anyway, I am looking for a normal male BCI or Hogg at a decent price. I think you guys can inform me on whats fair. And then I need a website.

Thanks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whyteboi

Right now I have a possibly 28" BP, unsexed. Im quite happy, but want a RTB for some odd reason. Ive done alot of research, so dont need help on husbandry, mainly because I dont plan on getting a Boa for 1-2 months. Ill worry about all that when I have money, and one picked out

I know I want a male boa under 7 feet. Im left thinking thats gonna be a BCI or Hogg. Not sure of which out of these BCIs. Colombian, Nicaraguan, Central American.

Now first I need to know if these have traits to them. Im looking for a decent eater, and something not so shy, probably something that wants to get out of the cage. I always hear about Boas not wanting to go back in, which is mainly why I want one. I also saw a pic of a baby eating, and WHILE he was eating, he wanted to get out, it looked so funny lol.

And then, I just want a NORMAL, but 95% of sites carry hets and morphs. And if they have normals, all it says is red tail, and not if its a BCI, or BCC, or what kind of BCI, ect. Am I supposed to know just by how they look?

Anyway, I am looking for a normal male BCI or Hogg at a decent price. I think you guys can inform me on whats fair. And then I need a website.

Thanks

---

Great job researching and asking before you get the snake !

Male BCI's CAN get up to 7 ft and higher. It's not guaranteed that you will end up with a 6-7 foot male. If you are ready for a snake that could possibly get up to 8 ft, then I say go for it. But if you are even .0000000001 % hesitant, then wait until you are sure you can have a 4 ft enclosure for the snake.

Hogg Isle Boas sound like a great starting boa. They are generally docile, they are smaller than BCI's, and some people like their coloring better.

BCI's saddles look like [] [] [], whereas BCC's saddles look like {} {} {}. That's a good rule of thumb to use. Don't rely totally on that. Make sure you ask the breeder what locale it is before you buy it.

BCI normal males cost around 75-100 $, depending on the breeder. Any price within that is fair to me. Hogg Island Boas can cost up to twice as much with is pretty fair as well. Jimi020cricket, a member on this site is a good boa breeder. He's pretty knowledgable and I am guessing he is a good breeder.He does have a website. Also, if you go to a breeder's website, call or email them asking if they have normals. Alot of breeders don't put their normals on the website because they focus on morphs.

Hope this helps

Yeah, I was gonna get a colombian, but those 8 foot RTB's look like a 20 foot retic. I guess they lose that "cute" body after 5 feet.

Anyway, I am almost 90% sure its gonna be a Hogg. I found a website that sells them for 125, and they have that sand color like most Hoggs. I dunno if posting links is OK, but if it is, I would like some experts to look at them to see.

I also heard you can start Boas in their "lifetime" cage, as in, they dont need a small enclosure, so you should get whatever will fit them as an adult. Will I need a 30 or 40 gallon for a male hogg?

Thanks

(now I just gotta get the money)

Hi,


I don't know anything about the caging issues etc but as long as you use links rather than posting their pictures (or the picture hotlinked from their site) there should be no problems.


dr del

um... did you ever get your ball to eat? you were trying to get rid of it for not eating, what happens when a boa strikes at you? will you give that away too? it's my opinion that you should deal with getting what you have in tip top shop before buying anything else. take it as you will

I dont plan on getting a boa for 1-2 months, but hes eaten once, so my worries are gone for now

Anyway, hoggs are here under available http://www.adherp.com/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bpkid

Hogg Isle Boas sound like a great starting boa. They are generally docile, they are smaller than BCI's, and some people like their coloring better.

---

Just for clarification, a Hogg Island boa IS a BCI.



Definitely look into a snake/reptile specific setup. A cage from boaphile, AP, etc. will be considerably easier to regulate temps/humidity than an aquarium. You can get a very nice cage in the $200-$250 range. A colombian male can get over 7' with good genetics and a heavy feeding schedule, but otherwise it's not likely although you should be prepared to take care of an 8'-9' animal just in case. I get the impression that finances are a bit tight right now so if that is the case please make sure you can afford to properly take care of this animal. If something happens where the snake needs to be taken to a vet for blood work, surgery, etc. are you willing/able to do what needs to be done?

I still have very limited experience with boas at this point, but so far they are a dream to work with. Both of mine are absolute eating machines, seem to enjoy being handled, and neither one has ever struck or hissed at me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AK4900PA

Just for clarification, a Hogg Island boa IS a BCI..

---

Oops, sorry, I meant Colombian Boa.

Thanks for correcting me

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by whyteboi

I dont plan on getting a boa for 1-2 months, but hes eaten once, so my worries are gone for now

---

one feeding and things are great? I'm sorry but I'm having real problems with this whole situation.

Well I dont plan on getting this until the BP is settled in AND I have the money, so it might be a while

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by qiksilver

one feeding and things are great? I'm sorry but I'm having real problems with this whole situation.

---

Yes, before you consider another snake, make sure your snake you have now has shed successfully too. You need to make sure its going to eat constantly with little or no fasting. Once you get that squared away go for whatever snake you want.

Just because it is a het means nothing. I got my boa from www.fantasyboas.com and it was 66% het for stripe and I only paid like $105 shipped.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

Just because it is a het means nothing. I got my boa from www.fantasyboas.com and it was 66% het for stripe and I only paid like $105 shipped.

---

You paid that price because there is a 1 in 3 chance that your boa is not heterozygous for anything. I don't get the impression that he has any intention of breeding the boa so why would he even pay $105 for a red tail that may or may not be het for something when he can go to any local reptile show and pick up a very nice normal for $40-$50?

I personally will never buy an animal that is not either a visual morph or 100% het. since I do plan on breeding my boas and I would hate to spend 3-4 years raising them up just to find out that I bought a normal. In the long run I think your better off spending the extra money from the start. I won't breed anything that will produce possible hets either since I feel they would be more difficult to sell since there are alot of people such as myself that are not willing to take that gamble.

Do you have a known het for stripe or visual stripe boa to prove out your possible het?

How much do Boas cost on Rio Bravo?

I emailed him on prices for

Isla de Maize boas (corn island)
Colombian Boas
Hog Island Boas

I think Im goin with any of those 3 or a carpet python.

Just waiting from him to reply

I was not suggesting he get possible hets or anything for him to try and prove them out. It seemed like he did not want to buy some just because they were hets. Sure, he can buy one at a show from $50 but essentially I only paid about that for mine considering $45 of it was for shipping.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

I was not suggesting he get possible hets or anything for him to try and prove them out. It seemed like he did not want to buy some just because they were hets. Sure, he can buy one at a show from $50 but essentially I only paid about that for mine considering $45 of it was for shipping.

---

I realize what your saying and if he can find as good of a deal on a het as you did then by all means go for it, but 99% of the time your going to pay a significant premium for an animal carrying some sort of morph gene and if you have no intention of breeding it's just a waste of money. I'm not quite sure how big of a concern money really is to him though since some of the animals he's considering cost as much or more than most hets.

Do you plan on proving out your het stripe boa or was that just an added bonus?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by AK4900PA

I realize what your saying and if he can find as good of a deal on a het as you did then by all means go for it, but 99% of the time your going to pay a significant premium for an animal carrying some sort of morph gene and if you have no intention of breeding it's just a waste of money. I'm not quite sure how big of a concern money really is to him though since some of the animals he's considering cost as much or more than most hets.

Do you plan on proving out your het stripe boa or was that just an added bonus?

---

I just liked it.

i must agree with qiksilver you should wait atleast 4 or 5 more months i have had my female for just over a year. and i rushed and bought a male only 4 months after i got my female and that was just stupid hes a great snake they both are but make sure you can handle your one snake before you take on one that will be over 3 ft before this time next year. im not saying not to get one i am actually going to get one (rtb that is)at the san diego expo on the 30th this guy has some very nice and cheap cages. http://cgi.ebay.com/CUSTOM-WOOD-REPT...QQcmdZViewItem