columbian/hog island boa

He was soooo cute I couldnt resist. I have been reading and looking into getting a Columbian for some time and when I went in to pick up my mojave I took a look at what columbians they had also. The actual columbian boas didnt look nearly as pretty as the cross. Anyone have any actual caresheets for the crossed snake or do i reference both?

Here are some pics of him (sexed male). Hes just 74g and was a late November early December hatch.

(currently not named)
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2015/...ac9fb7019d.jpg
it was cracking me up how long he was holding his tounge out tasting lol
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2208/...19a45c5535.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/...e1036dc70e.jpg
with the boas, does handling more often make them more hand tame or is that a myth, so far he seems awfully nice

Nice Boa! :gj:

Your really hooked now!

Lol, not hooked too bad. this is the only one were going to have. we are focusing on balls but i just love the look of a nice red tail (true red tail or not they are beautiful animals) hes sooo freakin cute. its killing me not to hold him lol.

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

with the boas, does handling more often make them more hand tame or is that a myth, so far he seems awfully nice

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In general, yes, regular short handling sessions will help boids become more accustomed to handling, i.e., "tame", although tame probably not the word you're looking for. =)

He's awfully cute!!

Thank you, i like how light he is.. the columbians were so dark (except the hypo which was stunning to say the least but MUCH larger animal, had to be well over a year old)

I used the word tame for lack of better term lol. I dont expect him to be as lovely as the balls though. Im looking forward to him getting some size on him. Should I leave him alone for a week like we do the balls?

Boas are great, but good luck not getting another one, i said i was only going to have a breeding pair and now i have sixteen of them and 3 litters on the way. but the care for the cross is should be pretty much the same as just a regular colombian, i keep my true hogg islands the same exact way i keep my colombians and they have no health issues whatsoever.

:) thank you for the responses

Yes, you need to give him the same amount of settling in time as the BPs.

He doesn't look like he has a whole, whole lot of Hoggie influence in him, beyond the peachy color in his cheeks and the freckling. But he's definitely adorable!

The care of Hoggies and Columbians doesn't differ too much... they are both BCI, just different localities. Personally, I would go ahead and stick with the parameters of a typical BCI care.


And how can you say he isn't as lovely as a BP?! :( Lol, those little boa faces slay me everytime! But, hey, I'm biased! P.S. Not all Columbians are dark... check out a grade A pastel sometime. HOTNESS! ;)

what does that mean he has a whole lot of hogg in him? (what traits stand out most?) will his head get more normal columbian looking (not so squished/short lol) i hadnt really paid much attention when checking out the hoggs during my columbian research lol

By lovely I mean, nice to handle, "Friendly", tame, all for lack of better terms.. will he be just as nice?

the price difference with a pastel columbian and a hogg/columbian is HUGE my husband would KILL me if i bought a morph anything except balls considering our intentions lol.

His face totally killed me, talk about love at first sight! One look and i had to have him!

judging by the google images of hogg island boa hes not going to have that nice elongated head that the columbians have

He will definitely be just as nice! If you handle him like you handle your BPs he will be an absolute sweetheart... albeight a curious sweetheart! I've found that boas tend to be pretty nosey... they will try to check out anything and everything they can get to.

When I say he doesn't seem to have a whole lot of hoggie in him, I mean that his coloring is tending more towards a normal Columbian, that he looks a lot like a normal Columbian baby in general. Hoggies typically have orange tails, Columbians have redder tails. But, like I said, he does have that nice orange tinge to him... and that's Hogg!

I'm not understanding where you see the big difference in him and a normal Columbian? He's going to end up looking a lot like your typical BCI...

Also, you can find some very nice pastel boas online for pretty cheap... right around that $100-150 mark. JnJ actually has a very nice looking girl up right now that I'm thinking about grabbing.

BTW... here's an excellent site for locality boas!

http://riobravoreptiles.com/

I thought you meant he had alot of hogg in him, not the other way lol. I thought his head looked smaller but it could just be that hes a baby. The hypo they had at the shop was 250+ but then again it was much larger too.


:) thanks for the input you should go snag that JnJ one :gj:

and im gonna run right over to that website and check it out!

OMG those photos of those boas on that website are STUNNING!!!!

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These boas are considered among the more docile of the Central American boas

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thats what i like to hear!


I think its amazing they birth live litters instead of clutches of eggs

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

OMG those photos of those boas on that website are STUNNING!!!!

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Indeedy...if you want drool worthy email, sign up for Gus' email list so you'll get notified when he has new boas up for sale.

He's really good guy too; I'd love to buy a boa from him eventually...boyfriend for Carmen? :D hafta convince the hubby first...

his name is Jaxson. It just kinda came to me :)

Ill have to sign up for his mailing list, I cant wait till Jaxson gets some size on him so i can get some decent photos, although i fear mine wouldnt be as nice as those! lol..

Very pretty boy! Congrats.

:) thanks

Beautiful snake!:gj:

:D thanks james.. that avatar of yours is adorable! Ive never had the guts to cut our boys hair like that.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2378/...76282bc014.jpg

woowee jaxson is a fiesty little fellow!

Hes hissing and lunging at us. we threw in a mouse crawler (eyes closed) because the mother mouse is eating her litter we figured we might as well get something out of it and we knew he was due to eat.. hes MAD! he ate the first one and when we stuck the second one in there he was pretty much lunging out of the cage! my husband is not very happy about it at all. someone tell me its just him being stressed due to new environment exc.. im pretty certain thats what it is on top of scarey creepy arms reaching in at him with moving into a new home, exc.

Actually, I would call that a feeding response. Some boas have a very intense feeding response (I know my little Morgaine does, according to Jo... she waits on the side of the tub she knows the rats going to be dropped into and is lunging up at it even before the enclosure is fully open. This is only on feeding day.. every other day, she's a sweetie pie).

It's possibly he's just really hungry, and you've triggered his feeding response by dropping those mice in there.

Stress could be another factor... I know my little boy Gwydion was hissy when I first put him in his new enclosure. But since hook training him, I haven't had a bit of trouble.

Give him some time to adjust... he'll wind down.

thank you!! that makes me feel alot better. i did peek in and hes still in strike position so i dropped another mouse baby in there (They are tiny) im sure hes hungry, he looks like a little noodle and the shop said they were feeding him every other week and this was his week to eat so hungry im sure!


Edit: hes 2mos old and only 71g is that typical?

Oh definitely! He's a growing baby boa! Lol... he knows when it's time to eat.

It's not detrimental to feed baby boas every couple of weeks. They grow a little slower, obviously, but there are plenty of little neonates out there with good muscle growth that only get fed every two weeks. Personally, I like to feed them every week until their at least a year, and then knock it back to every two weeks (I feed my girl a jumbo every three weeks).

If you get him into a routine, you'll probably have to watch him on feeding day. He'll know when it is, believe it!

ok, working on hopper four. when i opened the bin he was less strikey, just waiting so thats good. when hes done eating were going to put the black construction paper over his bin and leave him alone for a week or so. bet your right little guy must have been STARVING! ((disclaimer)) the mouse crawlers are small yet, eyes closed just creeping around so were not feeding large meals.

He's a little thing... 71 grams seems a little small, but, then again, he is partial hoggie, and they're a little smaller. And remember, that's his weight completely empty since he has been fed in a couple weeks. With that feeding response, he'll fatten up in no time.

A word here: he's always going to look thinner than your BPs. It's the physical make-up of a boa... they look more "boxy". Don't keep feeding him thinking he needs to be more "round" looking. That's a good way to make a boa obese... they won't stop eating when they're full. Just go with the one appropriately sized meal a week (as big around as he is), and that'll keep him (you'll notice he'll start having a nice thick tail).

:) good to know!

I had read somewhere online to keep away from over feeding them. He is like a little noodle i swear lol.. hes at least as long as my six month ball who weighs a good 400g but i know they are lengthly snakes too. thanks for all the help! i really appreciate it

As will all boas, I say go ahead and offer him a small meal. Reasoning, we find that if the snake eats, its comfortable in its new home and it will find a nice warm place to curl up. Never had a problem with this yet and 9/10 times, they eat an hour or 2 out of the shipping box, Zero regurges. As with any new ones, do give him a week or so of no handling. He needs to get used to his new home, theres plenty of time to hold him and fall in love later. You will find that they are nothing like balls, when you let them out to explore, they are EVERYWHERE!!!! Just make sure anything that can be dragged or knocked off is out of their reach!

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

He's a little thing... 71 grams seems a little small, but, then again, he is partial hoggie, and they're a little smaller.

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You haven't seen small until you see farmed fresh born Nicaraguan babies!!!