BALL PYTHON vs. RED TAIL BOA

Hello everyone, I have a BP right now and really want a RTB. Room isnt a problem b/c ill sleep on the couch and turn my room into their's if i have too. I was just wondering, how different are the two? What is the difference in level of care. Is it more difficult to keep a RTB happy then a BP, why?
Thanks in advance!!!

Hi Alex! I am a new owner of my first Bci boa, a red-tail Columbian, and also own a lot of balls. There are a lot of personality differences! I really love the Columbians and their husbandry needs are fairly simple- like balls. :) Columbians have similar temp needs as balls (90-92F) and don't need the humidity quite as high as balls (about 50% tops).

My Columbian is a feisty and curious girl, especially when compared to a ball python! My balls will stay in their hides and be mellow; Zelda will lurk on the length of cork wood she has, or on the most top branch of her tree and dare me not to hold her!!

We only got her recently and she slammed a f/t rat fuzzy last night. Oh yes, they grow much larger than balls but much more slowly; taking them 4-6 years to really get l-a-r-g-e!!! So, we haven't really held her yet (acclimation and now digestion) but will do so this weekend where she will proceed to bite the heck out of us only because she was not handled by the breeder and so will need to be trained. I have been assured by other forum members that this experience should only last a few days before she is adjusted to being handled~ I'll let you know!

After she is tamed out, all of the literature states that Columbians are just a mellow snake with great 'lap dog' personalities. To learn more from others, I suggest Vin Russo's book and de Visjoli's book! I hope this helps you some...!

thanks, that does help, i know that there are several types of RTB's and i've heard that the columbian are the more "aggressive" ones. Not sure if that is just a stereotype or if there is some truth behind it. They are located all up and down South America and that is the reason there are several different types right, the region they are from?
My buddy has two that he bought from a local breeder ALLAMERICANREDTAILS.COM (HEARD OF THEM) and i have handeled them on occasion and love the way they squeeze and roam, unlike my ball, she'll fall off my arm if i dont watch her, i think she's slow, haha

I have a 2 year old Female BP that is average size... and a 6 foot Red Tail... I could never chooses favorites between my kids... But here is the reasons I love each one individually.:banana:

My BP is extremely chill and once she's around my neck she is happy and doesn't want to move. As far as the Lap Dog quality my BP steals that cake for sure. I can set her on my lap... and she will find some way to snuggle up and it literally looks like she falls asleep watching TV. She will stay on me for hours without trying to explore. Occasionally she comes into my ofice with me
becasue I just sit at a desk and she loves being out and about.
If she is not on my neck I make her a little cave under the phone platform on my desk and she curls up in there and pokes her little head out to keep an eye on things. When I am tired and stressed from a long day... Some quality time with my Lucy is always therapudic.

My Red Tail Ziggy is the man!!!... I'm not sure if he is any kind of Morph but his colors seem lighter than other Redtails I have seen. Red Tails are much more Aboreal than BP's meaning they like to move around and climb... and will have a noticable stronger grip than BP's. When I take out Ziggy he has that "Breathtaking" effect on people. Another reaction I get from my surfing buddies is "Bad @$$!!!". He is just so awesome looking and affectionate it's alomost impossible not to be drawn to him. My mom was uncomfortable looking at my snakes and when I took out my BP she passed on holding him... When I took out Ziggy she was so amazed by him she overcame her fear and asked to hold him to experience his grip. He is so explorative and Alert of everything around him. He does have the Lap dog quality but is to much of a handfull to just chill with like my BP, He's like a Rotweiller that loves it on your lap but eventually you have to kick off the couch. His personality is the best. Whenever he meets a new person the first thing he does is move into there face to sniff around and give you a quick kiss to get to know you. He is not head shy like most snakes i have met... and actually is super friendly and absolutley loves human contact... Never once has he showed signs of a striking a person.

As far as the people that come through and look at my animals... The Concensus is that Ziggy is Fav. He is just such a freindly sweetheart at his size... It makes you feel like a Bad Ass when you hold him. Being a bigger snake, he gives you a real understanding about how awesome these animals really are and how much respect they really deserve.

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Originally Posted by ALEX B.

thanks, that does help, i know that there are several types of RTB's and i've heard that the columbian are the more "aggressive" ones....

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Nope, I wasn't clear enough! :oops: Columbian's are not aggressive~ just my baby because she hasn't been handled yet. As soon as I get brave and handle her, she'll calm right down and be amazing!! :gj:

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Originally Posted by SoCaliSon

My Red Tail Ziggy is the man!!!... He is so explorative and Alert of everything around him. He does have the Lap dog quality but is to much of a handfull to just chill with like my BP, He's like a Rotweiller that loves it on your lap but eventually you have to kick off the couch.

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Like a rottie!! :rofl:Too funny!! I also have a rottie and I think that will be the perfect analogy for Zelda when she calms down and gets accustomed to being handled!!

Just my two cents since I was debating between the two.

I know all animals have to eat, but since the RTB gets so much bigger than the ball, consider what you will have to feed it. I've never had one but the guy who was telling me about them said I would end up feeding it rabbits, which I really don't think I could do. Rats and mice fine, but rabbits? lol

Anyways, just thought I would say that. Good luck whatever you choose though. RTBs are gorgeous!

The odds of youhaving to feed your red tail are slim, also you could go witha couple of rats instead of a rabbit.

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Originally Posted by nathaniel

The odds of youhaving to feed your red tail are slim, also you could go witha couple of rats instead of a rabbit.

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Absolutely! I have asked several people about feeding RTB's when they're older and all have jumbo rats are fine! :D

I have both, and they are very different. My bp is always ready to lay on me and not move around much. My RTB is always exploring and moving about. You can think of them as bigger and stronger cornsnakes. There is not a ton of difference between husbandry for the most part. You can feed adults jumbo rats and not have to feed rabbits. You have to be more careful when it comes to prey size for boas....don't over estimate. They are known to be more likely to have a regurge if fed a much too large prey item than a bp would be. I love em both and it depends on my mood as to which one I bring out at any given time.

hmm... maybe my next one will be a RTB then :D

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Originally Posted by nathaniel

The odds of you having to feed your red tail are slim....

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:O:O

LOL I had to read that a couple of times before I realized he meant the odds of having to feed rabbits was slim.

hahaha yes i meant rabbits..... you will have to feed your snake, my bad guys.

thanks for all the input, I plan on getting one this spring after i build my double display case. I'll be sure to post picks.:gj:

My female, Sonja, is around 3.5-4 years old now, is 8ft long and 25+lbs. She's still growing at a good pace too.. For prey, she gets one 2-2.5lb rabbit every 4-5 weeks, which seems to suit her fine. Keeps her at a very healthy, lean weight and she's not grumpy in between.

I feed her rabbits because they are younger and leaner, whereas Jumbo rats(she only gets f/t regardless unless I can find an appropriately sized rabbit in town) are older and much more fatty. The rabbit also keeps her satisfied alot longer than 3-4 jumbo rats. These are meat rabbits that are human-quality too, not some lop-eared rabbit from the pet store, haha.

Alex I'm glad you're doing your research first and considering if you want another type of snake. That's always a benefit for both you and your snake.

Our Colombian boa is a male. We specifically wanted a male for our teenage son as they get a decent size but not usually as big as the females. Getting your boa from a reputable source that has sexed it properly is always a good idea.

If you have ball pythons and add in a boa, you'll want to do specific and careful quarantine and again, buy from a good source - not the local pet store. There are diseases boas can carry that may not show obvious effects but are deadly to ball pythons. It's not like this happens every day, but it is a consideration when you have a mixed collection.

I love the inquisitive nature of our boa. He's not easily stressed by handling and is generally just a big busy goof when he's out to visit. He does need watching closely as Severus will literally get into anything he can shove his snout into. LOL He's a well socialized snake that we've yet to hear even hiss. Sev is likely an unusually easy natured snake though so don't expect that from every boa.

Even Sev with his easy nature is a strong, aggressive snake on feeding night. Boa's have a lot of power in that strike, a long strike range and they are nothing to fuss with when they are hungry. This is a snake that preys on animals both on the ground and in the trees in the wild. They are not playing about when it's time to eat so keep that in mind and watch your fingers. :)

At maturity some people feed jumbo rats to large boa's, some do feed appropriately sized rabbits too. We had a large rescue female boa who ate jumbo rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. She'd always been fed a varied diet having grown up in a pet store and basically could have cared less as long as it was warm and fuzzy - it was dinner. As long as you are offering top quality prey and enough of it to satisfy the size of the boa you are feeding, it'll be fine.

~EDIT~ if you are feeding rabbits, it's important to note that some rabbits are meat rabbits and bred specifically for that purpose, they are certain breeds that are better fleshed for that purpose (examples would be the New Zeland, the Californian or the Florida White just to name a few)

I agree with the above on feeding. Our RTB is 8 ft and a male. The main thing is the space requirements. They need more space typically than a ball.. And of course larger food. Our male ate colossal rats when we could get them.. Otherwise it was 2 jumbos.. at minimum. He was fine to handle. not a bad temperment, pretty easygoing.. until he had to go back in his home. He liked to be out. Also he likes to escape as well. so a secure enclosure is a good idea too;)
As for a Columbian being a BCI, unless its a BCC has been crossed with a BCI its not the same thing.. You would probably want to be careful here.. Some of the BCI's are known for their not so friendly tempers...
This is Damien a Nicaraguan boa(BCI)
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...s/PICT0828.jpg
He was also a farm raised so thats why you need to be careful.. Our Captive bred female is much nicer.. And stays smaller as well.
If you still want a columbian red tail, you also need to consider when it is 7+ feet long and you may decide you are tired of the snake that is going to live for many more years, what you are going to do with it. Large snakes are hard to place if you decide you dont want them. You may also want to make sure of the rules where you live. Like around here you arent supposed to have constrictors over 6 ft long.. It took us about a year to find someone to place our columbian with.. He now lives at a friend of ours house who breeds boas. And we visit regularly. But the laws are a very important thing to look into.

May Be A Rookie Question, But What Does Bci, Bcc Mean?
-thanks

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Originally Posted by ALEX B.

May Be A Rookie Question, But What Does Bci, Bcc Mean?
-thanks

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Bci means affordable and Bcc means expensive :rofl:
No really, Bci is Boa constrictor imperitor and Bcc is Boa constrictor constrictor; it's the taxonomy classification. Someone can correct me on this since I alway get it worng, but Bcc's are east of the Andes and Bci's are west???? Bcc's are also much more expensive than Bci's!

I think that is right and I also think that the BCC is the true "red tail" correct me if I am wrong.

I have been thinking about getting my first snake for a long time. I could not decide if I wanted a ball or RTB, and after about a year of reading researching etc... I decided to get a ball first (3 days ago):) to make sure I get some experience under my belt before committing to a bigger species of snake. Now that I have this ball I'm going to see how it goes for a while then probably start with one more ball for a sexy girlfriend for him :), then after some more time I will probably get a nice RTB hopefully. I think the difference in personality would be really cool to see. The only thing now is I am in college for 2 more years or so and space is hard to come by in an apt. What is your favorite locality RTB? I really really like the bold red colors and light grays of the Suriname RTB I think BCC??? or are they BCI??? Anywho thanks for the great question and good info from those of you who have both species experience.

dont rule out a carpet python for your next snake, great pets, some are nippy as babies but most turn into big sucks when they get older, awesome color and patterns! great feeders and easy husbandry requirements, they are really forgiving of errors and really hardy

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Originally Posted by jeffjr464

dont rule out a carpet python for your next snake, great pets, some are nippy as babies but most turn into big sucks when they get older, awesome color and patterns! great feeders and easy husbandry requirements, they are really forgiving of errors and really hardy

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Very true I have also been thinking about a carpet as well. I dont know nearly as much about them though. Thanks for the tip

I also considered a RTB before purchasing my BP, but the size scared me away. For my first snake I thought it may be a little crazy to have a 8-9 footer.

BCC is a true red tail and a few others as well. I can put a list up if you want BCC for the most part are more expensive. The main thing is size.. Most BCC are over 6 ft.. BCI stay under typically.. The pic of my bci is a Nicaraguan Boa.. Some call it a central american.

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Originally Posted by shadi11

BCC is a true red tail and a few others as well. I can put a list up if you want BCC for the most part are more expensive. The main thing is size.. Most BCC are over 6 ft.. BCI stay under typically.. The pic of my bci is a Nicaraguan Boa.. Some call it a central american.

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Some female Bci's are over 6' ! :D I'm thinking of the Columbian red-tail! :gj:

Heres a quick list I gathered together..
Boa constrictor, constrictor (B.C.C.):
Peruvian R.T.B (2 distinct locals Iquitos and Pacallpa)
Suriname R.T.B (Also a separate type of Suriname Boa from Pokigron Local very rare)
Guyanan R.T.B
Brazilian R.T.B (Not to be confused with B.c.amarili Brazilian Short tail boa)
Venezuelan R.T.B
Trinidad R.T.B
Colombian R.T.B (Not to be confused with the B.C.I Type)

Boa Constrictor Imperator (B.C.I):
Columbian BCI (Might be possible to divide out by providence)(Largest and most common of the BCIs)
Mexican BCI (Most northern subspecies)
Cancun BCI
Crawl Cay BCI (Also know as Belize Boa)
Sonoran Desert BCI
Honduran BCI
Ecuadorian BCI
El Salvador BCI
Costa Rican BCI
Hog Island BCI
Nicaraguan BCI
Corn Island BCI
Isla de Maize BCI
Caulker Cay BCI

There are 2 types of Columbians.. a bcc and bci.. True red tail boa would be the bcc.. That’s what I was trying to explain. And then a BCI is not a true red tail boa.. The bcc is larger and although I just read that a BCI columbian female typically gets to 7 ft that is unusual for the majority.. I have a 3 year old Nicaraguan pictured above who is about 3ft.. and a female that was a year older and a foot longer. Same with the other locales.
The Columbian I had was a true red tail and he was just over 8 ft and only 6 years old

Thanks everyone, really appreciate it.