I caved in and got a BCI male

Well I got a male Colombian at the Taylor show in Mi. I can honestly say I felt like an outsider and didn't fit in, because I didn't know anyone, and everyone was talking, and crap, and I didn't talk to one person the whole two hours I was there. Very cool to see all these snakes and go though lol.

I saw a lot of good and not so good things. I saw a 8 year old get bit by a Dummeril boa (maybe 6-7 feet) who was wrapped around his neck for 20 minutes, then gave him a bite on the chin. The owner said it had never happened, but the kid took it like a champ, didn't even scream. he was just like..."ugh... guys look the snake bit me", lol. I saw a guy pick up what looked like a 8 inch coastal, and the thing bit him, but I dont think he knew cause it looked so small its mouth couldn't wrap around his finger, lol. I saw alot of people with not so much fear. These 5 year old kids wanted to hold these 8 foot albino boas after the guy said "they hiss, so its your choice", and they still did anyway. I also saw a "vendor seller" buy a pastel for 20$ because it had a stuck shed and he pretty much announced it to the whole store.

The not so good things....there were 2 booths, and each had 10-20 gal tank cages full of twenty snakes in a cage to save on money I guess. One had about 25-30 ball pythons that hadn't eaten in one cage marked as "no feeders" for 5$ each...

But I bought my BCI for 70$ from Selectcaptivebred(might have mixed it up). They sexed it in front of me as male. I told him I wanted a male because I kinda don't want something over 9 feet. He then said his females usually are 6.5 feet and males are 5 feet cause he doesn't over feed them. He gave me a free "boa manual". It was born 8/06.

Anyway, he REALLY does not like going into cages. Hes maybe 2 feet long, but hes the girth of a baby BP, and its hard putting him in his 10 gal. I spent every single dollar on snake and setup, which happened by miracle to be 143$. He is much cooler then my BP, and actually moves, and really fast. Now I know what people mean when they say "he wouldn't hold still".

Anyway I'm excited as a pig in :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: and cant wait for his first feeding in 3 days.

sounds like you had a fun time. i was at the same show, and picked up a lucy rat snake from Nate at select captive bred. they are wonderful guys and i am sure you got a quality snake.

its kind of sad that breeders are willing to throw 20 bp's in a tank and try and sell them in public. i would never buy one like that. some guy had a lucy for sale for $50, next to a tank full of bps. defanitly not supporting that breeder. i pick up my lucy for $20 more, for a quality breeder. and thats how it should always be.

I'm not gonna diss the 20+ bps in a tank - bc that's wehre I got my gorgeous reduced female at the SC show. Is there a better way to do it? I'm sure... but I saw several vendors with 06 normals in a tank this way at the show and I guess it's because it's cheaper/easier to do. Doesn't mean I have to agree w/ it... but oh well....

yea it was fun, but I wish I knew people... I seriously felt like a outsider.

but on the ride home, boa got to ride on my lap in his cup :)

you always do things in 3's, are you really ready for this? are you going to want to give this one away as soon as you have any problems with it too?

You bought a 2ft boa and have it in a 10 gallon tank? I know you said you spent every cent, but you really should get atleast a 30/40 gallon tank for him * in my opinion*

Yea I seen those $5 non feeders, they looked horrid. His philosphy on the whole thing was if you buy four and get two to eat, then you'll have two healthy one's and the others will just die off.... not so sure I liked that statement *needless to say I didnt buy anything from him* but I did buy from the people next to him with the bearded dragons :D I had a great time though, and talked to alot of breeders and people, wish it was more than once a month though.

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Originally Posted by chris B

You bought a 2ft boa and have it in a 10 gallon tank? I know you said you spent every cent, but you really should get atleast a 30/40 gallon tank for him * in my opinion*

Yea I seen those $5 non feeders, they looked horrid. His philosphy on the whole thing was if you buy four and get two to eat, then you'll have two healthy one's and the others will just die off.... not so sure I liked that statement *needless to say I didnt buy anything from him* but I did buy from the people next to him with the bearded dragons :D I had a great time though, and talked to alot of breeders and people, wish it was more than once a month though.

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I think hes fine, he honestly doesn't look too big for it... hes the same length as it... and I DO plan on getting a 30-50 gal container/tank when I have the $. And the $ wont be a issue, cause I can get like a 45 gallon for around 100$ (Ill have that and more in 2 weeks anyway). If he outgrows that in 2-3 years ill DEF have money for a 4*2 or 5*2


Just curious... did you see me... kid in green shirt, walking alone, kinda shaggy hair....? lol Prolly not....

What time were you there? I was there around 11ish I also had a green shirt on. I was there with a few peeps though, to be honest though unless you where a reptile or a hot single female I prolly didnt see you lol.

I was there from 1-3 basically. I got there when she announced about a greens Oldsmobile.

Since it is a RTB, do I really need to wait a few days, or can I start feeding/handling it tomorrow?

Man I am luck, he is a great feeder :). Took a fuzzy F/T in about 20 seconds from hanging it in cage.

I am worried about aggression or nervousness. I went to pick him and move him from his kind of tree leaves, and he kinda made a S shaped neck for strike position. It could be to investigate or to warn me, but when I put the mouse in, he didn't move for 10 seconds, so he is smart enough to realize I was trying to grab him.

Very interesting snake :D

You say that he is the length of a 10g tank. That means he is 20'' and so he will be fine in there for a few months longer before bumping him up to a 20g long tank ;) .

I might do 30 or 25, then his 4*2 or whatever.

I think Mr. Ball python needs a upgrade right now. He outgrew his hide in the last few days, and he kinda sticks out, raising the bowl, lol

A fuzzy mouse? Is this specifically what the breeder said to feed this snake? A 2 foot boa...for me a fuzzy mouse seems way, way too small meal for this size snake. What's his girth? weight?

don't really know either, but I guess the breeder Nate Oswald (select captive bred) has a reputation, and he said fuzzy mice... this thing is a really skinny long snake. Ill try to get pics for tomorrow. I think I will feed him 2x fuzzy, cause I think a hopper is WAY too big.

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Originally Posted by whyteboi

don't really know either, but I guess the breeder Nate Oswald (select captive bred) has a reputation, and he said fuzzy mice... this thing is a really skinny long snake. Ill try to get pics for tomorrow. I think I will feed him 2x fuzzy, cause I think a hopper is WAY too big.

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Absolutely not true. A just born 16'' boa can take down a sub-adult or adult mouse, just as a hatchling ball python can. All of the week old boas in my store eat adult mice from the start ;) . They look slender...but they can do it. If you think about it, as ambush hunters, the only thing that would pass by a baby boa or ball is an adult mouse. This makes sense why they can take them from birth/hatching, whereas corns and kings, being active hunters, go and find a nest full of pinkie mice.

I heard for Boas, anything exceeding their girth is a big nono. I saw a picture of a boa who ate a large rat or so, maybe 1.5-2x its girth and died. And this thing left a little lump in the guy.... Id feel safer doing 2x fuzzy, but if I have more people tell me I should go with hoppers, then hoppers it is I guess

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Originally Posted by whyteboi

I heard for Boas, anything exceeding their girth is a big nono. I saw a picture of a boa who ate a large rat or so, maybe 1.5-2x its girth and died. And this thing left a little lump in the guy.... Id feel safer doing 2x fuzzy, but if I have more people tell me I should go with hoppers, then hoppers it is I guess

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Hey man. That was one man, one boa. Unless we see several cases of it, we can't say that can happen to anyone. I have personally seen boas eat more than half of their body weight in a single meal, not to mention that the meal was at least 5x as thick as the snake.

Your snake is stunted. Healthy boas reach 2' in ONE MONTH, certainly not one year. You mentioned it was as long as your 10g tank. A 20'', 1 year old boa is SEVERELY stunted. Most reach 3.5-5' by their first year of age. I don't know if your boa is a year old or a week old. They aren't born much shorter than he is now, to tell you the truth. :eek:

Honestly I think he wrote it down wrong, I think he meant june 8th, not august of 06. He certainly fits the size of a one month old.

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Originally Posted by whyteboi

Honestly I think he wrote it down wrong, I think he meant june 8th, not august of 06. He certainly fits the size of a one month old.

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Now that makes sense. To keep him healthy..go with large hoppers/adult mice every 7-10 days ;) .

I realize the problem. I went on rodent pro, and my pet shops hoppers look like medium sized mice on their website. I think you can understand where I might be coming from now. Anyway, Ill try the other pet shop, cause the one I got to for food now basicly has fuzzy mice, then medium mice, with nothing FT in between. I don't think they have rats at all either >_>

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Originally Posted by whyteboi

I realize the problem. I went on rodent pro, and my pet shops hoppers look like medium sized mice on their website. I think you can understand where I might be coming from now. Anyway, Ill try the other pet shop, cause the one I got to for food now basicly has fuzzy mice, then medium mice, with nothing FT in between. I don't think they have rats at all either >_>

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What might be even more nutritious than an adult mouse is a fuzzy rat. See what is available to you frozen.