thinking about getting a RTB

ok i am off of burms now and would like to hear what some people think about an rtb. my aunt used to own one, she sold it. :( i don't know if anapsid is a trustable source for information i would like to know, if it wouldn't be too much, if some one could fill me in on pros and cons of getting one of these snakes.
1. how large can the grow on average per year if fed properly.
2. how large an adults cage would need to be and how large is too large.
3. a usual temperment and an unusual temperment
i googled already by the by. :D

there are hundreds of posts on this, and hundreds of google hits for this.

but which sources are accurate?

well i like to think of sources as parts of the info. research multiples and relate one to another. most sites wont steer you in the wrong direction.

there is even a sticky on this site man

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=30882

ok. like i said i just don't want bs info. i was ready for two weeks before i ordered my first bp and i want to be ready for it if i decide i want a boa. but the reason i ask is i heard somewhere anapsid said to feed an iguana pizza on occasion. pizza? i just don't want to be in a position to hurt the snake by inexperience.

Sent you a PM with some information...

I agree with the above poster, as well. Read a bunch of stuff and compare them. You will find some being complete crap, other's being a little better. If you're confused about specifics, just ask here... more than willing to help!

thanx for the info will compare to other things i read

Just as an FYI, I read somewhere that boas can carry something (a disease I guess? a bacteria?) that is harmful to ball pythons. Something about boas in particular not being able to be near ball pythons.

I don't know if it's accurate, but it's something to think about. Don't know if I mentioned it before in your burm thingy.

well, just speaking from personal experience, they are definately friendly. the two that i have are about the sweetest things you could ask for. they love being handled and I've only been bit once (totally my fault, during a feeding).
at the stage tehy're at (a little over a year) they're a good size and usually friends tat are scared of snakes or have never been around a live one before are up to holding them, even if just for a little while.
so yes, loveable an peaceful. just keep them happy.

Mindibun,
You are talking about a disease called IBD. It is a very rare condition that can occur in BOTH BPs and boas... in fact, in all boids, period. Boas get a lot of blame for passing it onto Balls because boas can be carriers of the disease without actually showing any symptoms, while BPs usually succomb to the disease and die very quickly.

It is a disease that can usually only be detected through testing in boas, and is characterized by RIs, stargazing, and neurological problems.

IBD is one of many reasons why strict quarantine procedures should be followed at all times with ALL snakes. It is NOT strictly a boa disease!!!

gotta love quarentine

ooo! tell me more! no seriously! is it easy to test for? i intend to keep them in seperate rooms any way but does that mean i have to like scrub my arms before switching?

You should really wash your hands and disinfect them between handling any two snakes, especially if they are in quarantine away from each other.

Testing isn't conclusive. The only way to test for it is by doing a liver biopsy, which is very expensive... and hasn't been proven. It's possible a snake can test positive for inclusion bodies and not actually have IBD.

I like to explain IBD like this: it is the AIDS for snakes, though much faster acting in BPs. It breaks down the immune system so that the snake actually dies from an RI or neurological disorder rather than from IBD. Nasty stuff...

Boas are carriers of the disease. It can take long periods of time for them to begin showing symptoms of it---stargazing, chronic RIs, mouth rot, eventually degrading into neurological problems such as striking at random and being unable to roll over when placed on their backs. BPs, however, will begin showing symptoms almost immediately... there have been cases where someone will bring a boa into their collection and it will show no signs of being sick. Once introduced directly into the collection, however, their other boids start getting sick and dying.

No one's really sure how it's passed. Possibly through the air, but definitely through touching, sharing cages, water bowls, etc.

Fact is, we really don't know that much about it. The only way to get rid of it, once it's in a collection, is to immediately dispose of the infected animals... and personally, I wouldn't ever trust a cage or anything that an infected animal has used. I would get rid of everything like that too.

So that's the break-down. The way it was introduced sounded as if boas were the culprit of the disease, which isn't true. All boids can have and/or spread IBD... it is NOT boa exclusive. They simply catch a lot of flak for being carriers.

wow . . . . . . now i'm afraid . . . would i need to change clothes between handling do all boas have this or . . . hmmmmm
i think i'll still get one

*sigh*

It's not a boa only disease. You can just as easily bring it into your collection via a BP, or any other boid... any python or boa can carry it.

Fortunately, the disease is incredibly rare. Just take precautions when bringing any new snake into your collection. Keep it away from your other snakes, wash your hands between handlings, get them vet checked if anything seems out of the ordinary, etc.

ladywhipple, I guess that's what I was talking about. It was only mentioned in passing in the article that I was reading at the time, and they definitely made it sound like a boa-only disease. Now that I know it isn't, I may have to re-evaluate getting one. I didn't want to put my BPs at risk so I immediately said I'd never get a boa. Now that I understand more about it and that it's rare and whatnot, I'm back to wanting a boa.

Thanks a bunch, that was a really knowledgeable post. If I knew how rep points work, I'd give you some.

Knowledge is power. -lol-
:gj::gj::gj:

See that little scale under my picture on the left...? Load 'er up! :P LOL, glad to have helped! It's always a pleasure bringing people into the world of boa :D

gotcha you didn't say it was rare gotcha. ok now i'm definitely gonna get a boa this spring or summer. now that that is settled i have one more question; should i start with a hatchling or is it ok to get a yearling?

That, my friend, is totally up to you. I usually point people in the direction of neonates---babies---because then you can grow with your snake; his attitudes, wants, dislikes, etc. But yearlings are usually still pretty small, as long as they haven't been powerfed (you can tell this by looking at the boa's head... it will seem too small compared to the body. It's not healthy for a snake to be power-fed, and can severly shorten their life spans).

Other than that, find one that steals your heart and go for it!

Hey Man,

Why are you so quick to get your mind of burms?

If you want a burm...keep one. If you know that YOU are ready then go for it.

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/BigSnake.html

Check those boa's out even though there are some obese ones, that can give you a good idea of how big they can potentially get. If you get a male Burm...honestly a big boa could be just as much work IMO. I'm talking males.

Whatever you choose to get...start of with a juvenile or hatchling.

This way you aren't overwhelmed....lets say if you got a 8-10 footer.

This way you can also grow with the snake.

Good luck!!


Mike

I agree partly with the above. However, many of those boas posted are BCC not BCI... BCC do grow quite a bit larger than BCI, or normal RTB. And BCC nearly always stay smaller than any burm.

But ultimately, it's your choice.

Me, I'm boa to the bone!

to 8b8ll i really don't have any way of getting pigs rabbits etc on a monthly much less weekly period. but my mother has promised to help me with a boa if i pay for the encloser and the snake i'll probably breed boas in a few years live birth seems a little easier to me because i couldn't do eggs i'd be staring at them and they'd be going *he scawes me!* i'm thinking yearling something a little hardier than neonates ladywhipple i can't add any more rep. but i want to :(

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

Me, I'm boa to the bone!

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aaaaahahahahahahahhahaa:rofl::rofl::rofl:

S'all good, serpents-prey. Just glad I could help! :gj:

you are a help :gj: i will you the points *zap* *computer dies*

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

ok i am off of burms now and would like to hear what some people think about an rtb. my aunt used to own one, she sold it. :( i don't know if anapsid is a trustable source for information i would like to know, if it wouldn't be too much, if some one could fill me in on pros and cons of getting one of these snakes.
1. how large can the grow on average per year if fed properly.
2. how large an adults cage would need to be and how large is too large.
3. a usual temperment and an unusual temperment
i googled already by the by. :D

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I own a RTB and im gonna tell you what I know, whether it is accurate or inaccurate. . .instead of being a DH and telling you to "Google it"

Ok they can grow (to my knowledge) an average of 2ft/year if fed properly.

An adults cage (mine is going to be anyway) is about 6ft long and 4ft tall and 3-5ft wide (Like I said, that just mine. . .maybe longer if she beats the 10ft mark.)

And she is quite docile. . .even tho i've heard they can be "Snappier" than a BP, ours has never bitten anyone or struck @ anyone.

We feed her 2 mice/week on average. . .she's a little over 1.5ft now and she's about 6-8months old going on what the pet store guy told us.

that helps. really! ^_^ arigotou

ok now that the decision has been made there's just a little bit of info i have yet to ask for on average how much would a juvenile or neonate rtb cost?

Depends, really... if you're looking for a normal RTB, you're probably going to spend in the range of 100-125 shipping included. Some will charge a little less, others a little more... it's the same thing you see in the BP market. Trusted breeders with excellent stock will keep their prices a little higher.

Now, if you're looking for a hoggie, you're probably going to be spending a bit more... say, in the 150-200 range.

Pastels---which are clean boas, sometimes with some pink, orange, or red coloring---are also going to run a little more, depending on the grade of the pastel... on average, around 150-200 with nicer pastels running up to 400 sometimes.

It really depends on what you decide to get. Do some looking around Kingsnake... you'll get a good idea of the pricing there, and will witness some of the fluctuations I'm talking about.

mine cost me 115. and she was just a week or so old. when i bought my second one, he was almost a year old; cost me 165, but that also included a tank and lamp and arock and hiding and...stuff. that and i was getting it from a close friend, so she let me have him for a small fee.
mi===

how bout a surinam?

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

And BCC nearly always stay smaller than any burm.

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Rawr and I'm the crazy lady who has both of the above, teehee!

Female Suri's can get up to 10' in length... males around 6-8' or so, just so you know.

Suris also range in price, depending on the grading. A really nice, clean, pink Suri can run you a $200-300. I'd say you're probably looking at around 200 or so...

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Originally Posted by cassandra

Rawr and I'm the crazy lady who has both of the above, teehee!

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:rofl:

Crazy! I'm not crazy...

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

how bout a surinam?

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The market, both supply and demand, change. If you'd really like to get an idea of average prices, I'd suggest looking on kingsnake, especially for larger breeder/pet store ads, or large reptile stores that list animals and prices online, such as http://lllreptile.com/.

Both myself and April have Suri's from LLL and we love them. =)

Once you get an idea of those kind of prices, you could probably expect to pay a bit more from big name breeders, such as Rio Bravo Reptiles.

got it i just checked kingsnake and now i know i need to be willing to pay about $200 plus shipping for a boa. . . doable definitely by fall at most ok thanx guys

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

Female Suri's can get up to 10' in length... males around 6-8' or so, just so you know.

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Does anyone have a male Suri that's over 8 feet?? I'd love to get one but I'd like to stay under 8 feet.

I'm sure it's happened and that there are a few specimens out there over 8' long... but it's rare.

Here's some info on Surinames: http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/boas_suriname.htm

Gus has collected most of his specimens in the wild... he is one of the foremost knowledgable people about boa constrictor subspecies.

Also, a meter equals around 3.25 ft.

thats kinda why i wanted to get one they get large but there not overly large