Should I go with the Boa or try for something smaller?

I have been looking into a RTB for a while and am personally fine with the length but I was wondering if you think I'd be able to handle one. I'm 4'9 right now and would be getting a male baby (I'm also 12 so I'll keep growing. :)) but I'm not sure if at my height, I would be able to control an 9 foot angry Boa. I do have two adults that reside in my house and would help me if needed but I wouldn't like to have to rely on them for every time I want to feed him or take him out of his cage.

Thanks.
:D

Look into...

Hog Island
Nicaraguan (or any central american)

Also I have heard that hypo boas are generally a little smaller?

Also keep in mind, you will grow with your Boa. When you first get it, it will be very small, small enough to just wrap around your hand. Over the next three to four years it will grow to adult size and your confidence will grow with it as will you at your age. Mine is a year old and only roughly 3 feet in length. It has doubled in diameter since Feb. and still sweet as can be. I think if you started out with an adult full size boa then yes, it would be too big for you right now. When an adult you probably will want someone around when you handle him if he is big and you will want to show him off anyway.:cool:

FWIW

Jeff

Male boas stay much smaller than females. I would definitely get at BCI, or dwarf boa to start with; although, dwarf boas are quite a bit more expensive. Most BCI's have great temperaments, but do have a really good feeding response, so make sure you are careful while feeding. Most also do not mind to be handled often.

Make sure you are prepared to properly care for a boa. If so then I suggest getting a salmon boa. You can get them for a great price, and they are really nice looking.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

Just having others around though isn't always the key. Are those adults (I assume they are your parents) comfortable about working with snakes? Will they be there to care for your snake if you are away at a school or social committment? Make sure and have those conversations before you commit to the years of care this boa would require. A male common boa though, conservatively fed isn't likely to cause you a lot of problems size wise.

My own son, Luke, got his male BCI when he was 14. His male boa was just a few months old and they've matured together over the past 3 years. Severus, the boa, isn't a big male and has never been powerfed so he's grown slowly. He was well socialized as a baby and we've continued that by encouraging our son and our entire family to handle Sev with gentle, firm and calm handling techniques. I'm thrilled to say this is a snake that has never nipped, heck he's never hissed at us LOL.

I would suggest you purchase your boa young but well started from a good boa breeder rather than a pet store. Pet stores ask a ridiculous amount for a common boa constrictor and do not really properly care for them or socialize them at all, let alone sex them correctly if at all. A good boa breeder I think would be your better bet. You and your parents could express any concerns and ask questions to that breeder before you make the final decision to buy a boa.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Just having others around though isn't always the key. Are those adults (I assume they are your parents) comfortable about working with snakes? Will they be there to care for your snake if you are away at a school or social committment? Make sure and have those conversations before you commit to the years of care this boa would require. A male common boa though, conservatively fed isn't likely to cause you a lot of problems size wise.

My own son, Luke, got his male BCI when he was 14. His male boa was just a few months old and they've matured together over the past 3 years. Severus, the boa, isn't a big male and has never been powerfed so he's grown slowly. He was well socialized as a baby and we've continued that by encouraging our son and our entire family to handle Sev with gentle, firm and calm handling techniques. I'm thrilled to say this is a snake that has never nipped, heck he's never hissed at us LOL.

I would suggest you purchase your boa young but well started from a good boa breeder rather than a pet store. Pet stores ask a ridiculous amount for a common boa constrictor and do not really properly care for them or socialize them at all, let alone sex them correctly if at all. A good boa breeder I think would be your better bet. You and your parents could express any concerns and ask questions to that breeder before you make the final decision to buy a boa.

---

My mom doesn't like the reptiles very much but if I ever needed someone for some reason like trying to get him out of his cage, she would help. My step-dad though would be all for it. He LOVES helping me feed my Ball Python and he takes care of it on the weekends as well as my hamster and CWD when I am at my biological father's house. He would totally help me with handling and other things I would need. He has a real soft side for all animals. :P

I love that name, Severus! :) He sounds like a real sweetheart. :D This kind of stuff is what makes me wish I had a boa.

At the petstores around here they don't even sell Boas. All they see are Colubrids, and BPs. Actually, though they are overpriced, they take pretty good care of their snakes. Can't say the same for their lizards thouh. :mad:
I would totally be buying either from Jimi (I looked at his site and my jaw dropped. His snakes are SO gorgeous and well-taken care of!!) or from our local reptile expo. I saw one or two people selling RTBs and they seemed to be in good health.

Thank you for your help!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

Male boas stay much smaller than females. I would definitely get at BCI, or dwarf boa to start with; although, dwarf boas are quite a bit more expensive. Most BCI's have great temperaments, but do have a really good feeding response, so make sure you are careful while feeding. Most also do not mind to be handled often.

Make sure you are prepared to properly care for a boa. If so then I suggest getting a salmon boa. You can get them for a great price, and they are really nice looking.

Hope this helps, and good luck.

---

Dwarf Boa? I must say, I've never heard of that before! I'll have to look that up, it sounds awesome!

I am completely ready. Right now I'm just working to save up the money, have a 20 gallon set up for when he's little and I'm not going to buy the snake until I have enough money for a new enclosure, and some money for emergency vet situtations. I'm going to take this one slow. I got a little rushed into my Ball Python (the person was giving it away, they were going into the war) and I made some poor descions while trying to scramble it all together. Luckily he's doing good now. Finally got the humidity boosted up in his cage and I'm hoping wwe won't have another stuck shed. :mad:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

Dwarf Boa? I must say, I've never heard of that before! I'll have to look that up, it sounds awesome!

I am completely ready. Right now I'm just working to save up the money, have a 20 gallon set up for when he's little and I'm not going to buy the snake until I have enough money for a new enclosure, and some money for emergency vet situtations. I'm going to take this one slow. I got a little rushed into my Ball Python (the person was giving it away, they were going into the war) and I made some poor descions while trying to scramble it all together. Luckily he's doing good now. Finally got the humidity boosted up in his cage and I'm hoping wwe won't have another stuck shed. :mad:

---

Sounds like you are going about this in the right way. :)

Hog Island and Corn Island are two of the smaller or "dwarf" boas. They are a little more expensive but very nice looking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

I am completely ready. Right now I'm just working to save up the money, have a 20 gallon set up for when he's little and I'm not going to buy the snake until I have enough money for a new enclosure, and some money for emergency vet situtations. I'm going to take this one slow. I got a little rushed into my Ball Python (the person was giving it away, they were going into the war) and I made some poor descions while trying to scramble it all together. Luckily he's doing good now. Finally got the humidity boosted up in his cage and I'm hoping wwe won't have another stuck shed. :mad:

---

Wheres the clappy smiley when i need it?
You deff have the right idea....

Now, just to give you a thought...
here i am with my 8 foot female (unkown age - rescue)
shes 25lbs, but as sweet as can be... (i also am holding my 5 foot girl, but she doesnt really make a diff when it comes to the pic)
http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...G_1889copy.jpg

^ im all icky from cleaning out the cage they came in, so ignore my nastayness lol

** but, im not trying to deter you from getting one, cause they are frickin awesome, just showing you a size thing... im 5'7 but really, you cant tell lol... :D shes a good size ;) my 5 footer is my moms fave...

how much do you know and how much exp do you have with different additudes from POed to chillin and how much exp do you have with rtbs?

You're reccomending Corn Islands to someone new to boas? Interesting. Personally if I were you I'd go with something cheaper as a first animal, personally I love my Nicaraguans, some are snappy and some are fine to deal with. But I think they're great. I don't do Colombian boas at all, I'm only interested in the Central American and Insular forms. All these are small, getting maybe 5 feet max.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/DSC01368.jpg
sorry for the link, my pic refuses to size down no matter what I do.

Personally I think if you work with Jimi or another boa breeder of that knowledge and standard, you won't go wrong. I'm glad you aren't looking at a pet store purchase. I was in our local chain store pet store the other day and about fell over at the $169.99 price tag for the poor little BCI that got stuck being sold by them. Some new keeper is going to put out that cash and gawd help them and that underfed looking, stressed out little boa. :(

It sounds like you are taking your time and really making long term decisions about owning a boa. I'd definitely suggest a male as they have a tendency to stay smaller. There's a huge difference in our 3 year old male BCI (Severus) and our 16 year old female BCI (Tequila). While Luke can easily manage Sev on his own, Tequila isn't a snake I want my teenagers handling alone ever. For that matter, I don't handle her myself alone since I'm barely over 5 feet and she's between 8 and 9 feet long.

I will say BCI's I think are a great choice. They normally are even tempered if handled correctly. Aren't terribly picky about what they eat. Aren't easily stressed as compared to ball pythons. A very nice snake for a pet for the right owner. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Aaron Ward

how much do you know and how much exp do you have with different additudes from POed to chillin and how much exp do you have with rtbs?

---

I have been studying snakes in general (mostly BPs though) for about 2 1/2 to 3 years but I've only had about six months of studying with BCCs and BCIs. I have only owned 2 snakes, a Northern Brown Snake WC for a while and then my Ball Python. I've gone to our petstore before and held some of their animals, claiming to be super interested in that breed. XD I wanted to check out how healthy their animals were. But really, other than that, I don't have much hands-on experience. I can study my butt off but I don't really know how to get that needed experience since I don't know anyone with snakes...
Anyone in Grand Rapids want to lend their pissy snake out to me for a few days? LOL! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Personally I think if you work with Jimi or another boa breeder of that knowledge and standard, you won't go wrong. I'm glad you aren't looking at a pet store purchase. I was in our local chain store pet store the other day and about fell over at the $169.99 price tag for the poor little BCI that got stuck being sold by them. Some new keeper is going to put out that cash and gawd help them and that underfed looking, stressed out little boa. :(

It sounds like you are taking your time and really making long term decisions about owning a boa. I'd definitely suggest a male as they have a tendency to stay smaller. There's a huge difference in our 3 year old male BCI (Severus) and our 16 year old female BCI (Tequila). While Luke can easily manage Sev on his own, Tequila isn't a snake I want my teenagers handling alone ever. For that matter, I don't handle her myself alone since I'm barely over 5 feet and she's between 8 and 9 feet long.

I will say BCI's I think are a great choice. They normally are even tempered if handled correctly. Aren't terribly picky about what they eat. Aren't easily stressed as compared to ball pythons. A very nice snake for a pet for the right owner. :)

---

Yeah, I'm really getting tempted on just buying from Jimi. I've seen some pretty nice Boas at our Expo a while ago but I really want to not have to deal with mites or any of that and I know I have the best chance of a healthy snake with Jimi. =) I'd rather sacrifice that extra money from buying from him then having to spend that money on vet bills. :rage:

I don't remember if you posted it before, but how long is Severus and do you think he'll grow any longer? (I have no idea about what age BCIs stop growing...)

Yeah, I got lucky with my Ball Python. As soon as he came into our house, he hasn't had ONE feeding problem EVER. :O I say that was more than good luck. ehh?

I have two more questions though, one, I have a 3 1/2 year old in my house (but he's a BIG one at that!) and my mom's all freaked out that if the snake gets 8 feet big or something that he could mistake my little brother as food. I HIGHLY think thats unlikely... I mean, he'd just be eating jumbo rats or small rabbits at that length but I just wanted to get a Boa owner's opinion on that to show her thats pretty much impossible. ;) Also, secondly, do you think I'd ever have to feed him rabbits? I don't care about actually having to do it, but I don't have a sorce for rabbits that I can think of... Can I just go about giving him a couple rats instead?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

You're reccomending Corn Islands to someone new to boas? Interesting. Personally if I were you I'd go with something cheaper as a first animal, personally I love my Nicaraguans, some are snappy and some are fine to deal with. But I think they're great. I don't do Colombian boas at all, I'm only interested in the Central American and Insular forms. All these are small, getting maybe 5 feet max.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/DSC01368.jpg
sorry for the link, my pic refuses to size down no matter what I do.

---

Are Corn Islands hard to keep? Must say, I've never heard of them... D: I hate not knowing all this Boa stuff. Makes me feel stupid when I'm the one saying I want one...

OH WOW! Is that a Nicaraguan? :O I've never been attracted to them before (along with the Hog Islands) but that is one jaw dropping snake! Is that some sort of morph or something? For some reason that snake just blew my mind. :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

Dwarf Boa? I must say, I've never heard of that before! I'll have to look that up, it sounds awesome!

I am completely ready. Right now I'm just working to save up the money, have a 20 gallon set up for when he's little and I'm not going to buy the snake until I have enough money for a new enclosure, and some money for emergency vet situtations. I'm going to take this one slow. I got a little rushed into my Ball Python (the person was giving it away, they were going into the war) and I made some poor descions while trying to scramble it all together. Luckily he's doing good now. Finally got the humidity boosted up in his cage and I'm hoping wwe won't have another stuck shed. :mad:

---

Glad to hear it. Good luck when you do finally decide to get one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

I have two more questions though, one, I have a 3 1/2 year old in my house (but he's a BIG one at that!) and my mom's all freaked out that if the snake gets 8 feet big or something that he could mistake my little brother as food. I HIGHLY think thats unlikely... I mean, he'd just be eating jumbo rats or small rabbits at that length but I just wanted to get a Boa owner's opinion on that to show her thats pretty much impossible. ;) Also, secondly, do you think I'd ever have to feed him rabbits? I don't care about actually having to do it, but I don't have a sorce for rabbits that I can think of... Can I just go about giving him a couple rats instead?

---

I highly doubt that your male BCI would get 8 feet. Your probably looking at around 5-6 feet. You should also not have to ever feed him rabbits. I suggest feeding him large rats as an adult. Remember males stay much smaller than females in length and girth. And they also will be eating every two weeks as opposed to ever week like ball pythons.

Hope this helps.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

I have two more questions though, one, I have a 3 1/2 year old in my house (but he's a BIG one at that!) and my mom's all freaked out that if the snake gets 8 feet big or something that he could mistake my little brother as food. I HIGHLY think thats unlikely... I mean, he'd just be eating jumbo rats or small rabbits at that length but I just wanted to get a Boa owner's opinion on that to show her thats pretty much impossible. ;)

---

By the time the snake is 8 feet long your little brother will be your age ;)

And an 8 foot boa wouldnt be able to eat anything as large as a 3 year old, but it could theoretically kill even a full grown man at that size.

Having a little toddler in the house is similar to having a small dog, cats, birds, even you!! ;) A good keeper does not permit a snake to roam the house unattended. A good keeper of snakes make certain that their snake-caging needs are taken care of completely.

With a Bci, a reptile cage is a really good plan given that they are so very strong. I have my three Bci females in 2x3x1 cages from RBI heated by RHP's. These cages are terrific and fit the bill quite nicely. Two of my girls are yearlings and I am just now starting to see new cages in their futures. As I have been planning for this eventuality for some time, and I will purchase them each their own AP T20 (6x2x2), with RHP's and glass doors.

My point is, if you purchase or build appropriate caging for the snake you choose, the only way for a snake to escape is through human error. That said, I am pretty certain that there has not ever been a human death related to a Bci. (Other members, please correct me if I am wrong!)

In my opinion, I don't beleive you are too young for a Bci with the caveat that you have adult back-up; and it sounds like your step-dad is happy to be your back-up! Lucky you!!

My opinion is bias as to the snake to choose; I only have Bci's. I love them....well, there is one who I choose to believe has it out for me!! Lol!!! I am trying to love her through it!!! Lol!!!!! I strongly recommend that if you choose to adopt a Bci that you speak with Jimi who is a mod on this forum. He knows the personalities of his snakes and their offspring and he is a real stand-up guy. He would absolutely be able to sell you a snake that is mellow and perfect for you. And, icing on the cake, his snakes are totally gorgeous!!!! :D

Lastly, maybe you could invite your mom to this forum so that she might be able to ask the questions she might have and air any concerns that might be bothering her. She would be able to receive reliable information which might allow her to feel more comfortable with the safety concerns she has shared with you.

Anyway, it is very cool that you are doing all of this investigation prior to adopting a snake. In the end, this will pay off for you and your family as you will choose the best type of snake and have your husbandry and caging in order.

Take care.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

Are Corn Islands hard to keep? Must say, I've never heard of them... D: I hate not knowing all this Boa stuff. Makes me feel stupid when I'm the one saying I want one...

OH WOW! Is that a Nicaraguan? :O I've never been attracted to them before (along with the Hog Islands) but that is one jaw dropping snake! Is that some sort of morph or something? For some reason that snake just blew my mind. :D

---

Corn Islands are a bit rare in captivity and are very expensive, I would never recommend them unless you had prior boa breeding experience, not as rare or expensive as Sabogae boas, but in my opinion up there.

Yes she's a Nic, and not a morph, just a locale boa.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by starmom

Having a little toddler in the house is similar to having a small dog, cats, birds, even you!! ;) A good keeper does not permit a snake to roam the house unattended. A good keeper of snakes make certain that their snake-caging needs are taken care of completely.

With a Bci, a reptile cage is a really good plan given that they are so very strong. I have my three Bci females in 2x3x1 cages from RBI heated by RHP's. These cages are terrific and fit the bill quite nicely. Two of my girls are yearlings and I am just now starting to see new cages in their futures. As I have been planning for this eventuality for some time, and I will purchase them each their own AP T20 (6x2x2), with RHP's and glass doors.

My point is, if you purchase or build appropriate caging for the snake you choose, the only way for a snake to escape is through human error. That said, I am pretty certain that there has not ever been a human death related to a Bci. (Other members, please correct me if I am wrong!)

In my opinion, I don't beleive you are too young for a Bci with the caveat that you have adult back-up; and it sounds like your step-dad is happy to be your back-up! Lucky you!!

My opinion is bias as to the snake to choose; I only have Bci's. I love them....well, there is one who I choose to believe has it out for me!! Lol!!! I am trying to love her through it!!! Lol!!!!! I strongly recommend that if you choose to adopt a Bci that you speak with Jimi who is a mod on this forum. He knows the personalities of his snakes and their offspring and he is a real stand-up guy. He would absolutely be able to sell you a snake that is mellow and perfect for you. And, icing on the cake, his snakes are totally gorgeous!!!! :D

Lastly, maybe you could invite your mom to this forum so that she might be able to ask the questions she might have and air any concerns that might be bothering her. She would be able to receive reliable information which might allow her to feel more comfortable with the safety concerns she has shared with you.

Anyway, it is very cool that you are doing all of this investigation prior to adopting a snake. In the end, this will pay off for you and your family as you will choose the best type of snake and have your husbandry and caging in order.

Take care.

---

I think my mom was more talking about handling the snake around my little brother... but who knows. -shrugs- Luckily the snake is going to stay in my room, behind closed doors, with only other reptiles so I won't have to worry about some little kitten or something. Since I'm not at her house on the weekends the only pets I can have are rodents and reptiles. :)

Since the commercial cages are so expensive (I really don't have that much money. Its hard to make money when you're 12 and the only options you have are working for family members... Heh...) I think that I'm just going to buy the wood and have one of my step-dad's friends, him, and I build a cage. Who knows though, I'll think about that when the time comes. Luckily though my step-dad has lots of friends that will help in within a second if he asks for it. They already offered to help build my CWD's cage but we got a good deal on a 55 gallon. :D

Yeah, I'm going to make sure we have at least one lock on the cage then maybe secure it with bungee cords or belts. Whatever fits the bill. :)

Yep, I definatly have to bring some questions to Jimi once I start nearing the time when I can get my snake. (I have a hamster that has to die first. LOL. I can only have 3 pets at a time... >_>)

Hah, yeah, I am SOOO lucky that my step-dad is into reptiles. He really was the one that fueled my love for reptiles (he pushed me into getting a CWD when I was really ready for a Chinchilla or something like that) and I will thank him forever for that. :worship:

I WISH my mom would do something like that. If she would only take a look around this website I'd like scream and jump up and down. She'd realize then that snake people aren't weird, that snakes aren't scary, and that this is something I really love. Oh well, its not going to happen. The best I can hope for is that when I send her links to certain caresheets, and some quotes from breeders that she'll read that... Thats the one thing that I can do that I think might change her mind. She's a sucker for a cute picture. LOL. I pretty much won her over with a baby rattie picture when I wanted one a while ago but my step-dad over-ruled one that one. Oh, well, I'm glad for that one! I wouldn't be able to feed my reptiles rats if I had one across the room looking at me. :D Its hard enough with my hamster.

Wow, you take care to. I must say, that post really helped me think about different things... Thank you so very much. Having all you people help me is really making me believe that somehow, this whole Boa thing is going to work out. :grouphug: :gj:

you are singlehandedly the most mature 12 year old i have ever 'met'. i think you will do great with a boa if you keep the smae attitude and willingness to learn from those who know more about snakes than you. keep it up kid and good luck :colbert2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

I think my mom was more talking about handling the snake around my little brother... but who knows. -shrugs- Luckily the snake is going to stay in my room, behind closed doors, with only other reptiles so I won't have to worry about some little kitten or something. Since I'm not at her house on the weekends the only pets I can have are rodents and reptiles. :)

Since the commercial cages are so expensive (I really don't have that much money. Its hard to make money when you're 12 and the only options you have are working for family members... Heh...) I think that I'm just going to buy the wood and have one of my step-dad's friends, him, and I build a cage. Who knows though, I'll think about that when the time comes. Luckily though my step-dad has lots of friends that will help in within a second if he asks for it. They already offered to help build my CWD's cage but we got a good deal on a 55 gallon. :D

Yeah, I'm going to make sure we have at least one lock on the cage then maybe secure it with bungee cords or belts. Whatever fits the bill. :)

Yep, I definatly have to bring some questions to Jimi once I start nearing the time when I can get my snake. (I have a hamster that has to die first. LOL. I can only have 3 pets at a time... >_>)

Hah, yeah, I am SOOO lucky that my step-dad is into reptiles. He really was the one that fueled my love for reptiles (he pushed me into getting a CWD when I was really ready for a Chinchilla or something like that) and I will thank him forever for that. :worship:

I WISH my mom would do something like that. If she would only take a look around this website I'd like scream and jump up and down. She'd realize then that snake people aren't weird, that snakes aren't scary, and that this is something I really love. Oh well, its not going to happen. The best I can hope for is that when I send her links to certain caresheets, and some quotes from breeders that she'll read that... Thats the one thing that I can do that I think might change her mind. She's a sucker for a cute picture. LOL. I pretty much won her over with a baby rattie picture when I wanted one a while ago but my step-dad over-ruled one that one. Oh, well, I'm glad for that one! I wouldn't be able to feed my reptiles rats if I had one across the room looking at me. :D Its hard enough with my hamster.

Wow, you take care to. I must say, that post really helped me think about different things... Thank you so very much. Having all you people help me is really making me believe that somehow, this whole Boa thing is going to work out. :grouphug: :gj:

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Mature indeed!
Jimi is a wonderful choice to work with! Just feed your hamster to the snake.. obviously.. kidding.
I'm worried about my small dog getting too close to my RTB when he's an adult, but I don't think he would get big enough.. but I'm still going to be careful.
Well, with your 20 gallon that will last you a little while and you can start saving up for a reptile basics cage (or something similar) and eventually buy that. It doesn't take a ton of saving to work up 250 dollars or so. ;]
Especially in 2 years time.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by crystal

you are singlehandedly the most mature 12 year old i have ever 'met'. i think you will do great with a boa if you keep the smae attitude and willingness to learn from those who know more about snakes than you. keep it up kid and good luck :colbert2:

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Wow... Thank you! That actually means a ton to me. :P

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

Mature indeed!
Jimi is a wonderful choice to work with! Just feed your hamster to the snake.. obviously.. kidding.
I'm worried about my small dog getting too close to my RTB when he's an adult, but I don't think he would get big enough.. but I'm still going to be careful.
Well, with your 20 gallon that will last you a little while and you can start saving up for a reptile basics cage (or something similar) and eventually buy that. It doesn't take a ton of saving to work up 250 dollars or so. ;]
Especially in 2 years time.

Good luck!

---

Not to say I haven't thought about that... Simple, easy, clean, done. :D Just don't want to have to buy a 15 dollar meal, (not to mention switching him over to live!) every week! LOL!

Yeah, I would worry about that too... Eep! Just keep him out of the reptile room! That would be devistating though... I'm not sure if I would be able keep a snake that ate my dog. I'm pretty sure I'd have to hand him over to someone else.

You think a 20 gallon would lat TWO YEARS!? I heard that he could outgrow it in 6 months.... :O I still think I'm going to build one. I don't really like the way the Reptile Basics ones are set-up as much. And anyway, I keep looking for an excuse to build stuff for my reptiles. :D Everytime I see a plastic box I wish that I had more snakes to build a rack for. I was really pumped about building a tank for my CWD but my step-dad got too good of a deal to turn it down. The scary thing about the tank though is that it was GOING to me sold to the guy that originally owned my Ball Python (he's 18 inches right now) and he was going to house the poor little baby in a HUGE 55 gallon tank. :O I HATE THAT GUY! >_> He made my Ball totally head-shy. He would just tap it on the head all the time and not to mention he fed him way too tiny meals... ANYWAY...! :rolleye2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by qiksilver

You're reccomending Corn Islands to someone new to boas? Interesting. Personally if I were you I'd go with something cheaper as a first animal, personally I love my Nicaraguans, some are snappy and some are fine to deal with. But I think they're great. I don't do Colombian boas at all, I'm only interested in the Central American and Insular forms. All these are small, getting maybe 5 feet max.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/DSC01368.jpg
sorry for the link, my pic refuses to size down no matter what I do.

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I didn't mean he has to get one. I just was saying they were a smaller boa. Sorry, if I wasn't clear enough.

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

...I don't really like the way the Reptile Basics ones are set-up as much...

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Care to elaborate?

Just curious as I have 6 RBI cages and 4 RBI racks and I love them :bow: Strong, easy to clean, handy accessibility, hold temps and humidity really well, made for snakes, and they look great :gj:

As if top-notch cages aren't enough, Rich gives the VERY BEST customer service out there and is always totally accessible by phone or email, and totally stands by the customer should any issues or questions arise. He is an amazing guy and extremely professional and insanely knowledgeable.

What a read, thanks for the comments everyone!

"Dwarf" boas are actually called Insular boas, right on the money qiksilver, but are also mostly known as BCI's so it's very confusing. Insulars tend to be a little bit fiestier than "normal" BCI's, but most will calm down with some work. Whenever I get an email that is in relation to this very thread, I steer them towards a nice normal male colombian bci. They are hard to beat for a great pet. They stay relatively small, like 4.5-5 feet, and have a good disposition most of the time.

Corn Islands are a hand full, for the most part, but will calm down in due time. The problem is they generally go for around a grand a pair and you will have a hard time getting someone reliable to sell a single male/female. You also will need to get on a waiting list.

Hogs are great pets, but just make sure your mind is made up whether or not you want a PURE Hog or not. There's a lot of Colombian/Hog crosses out there lately...some don't mind and some do. For the most part they are great snakes, a bit touchier than most colombians.

Central Americans and Nics are also good pets. They stay within 4-5 feet and are really neat looking. I personally have seen more mean ones than nice ones, but with some tender loving care, they will relax for anyone.

Hope this all helped!

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Originally Posted by starmom

Care to elaborate?

Just curious as I have 6 RBI cages and 4 RBI racks and I love them :bow: Strong, easy to clean, handy accessibility, hold temps and humidity really well, made for snakes, and they look great :gj:

As if top-notch cages aren't enough, Rich gives the VERY BEST customer service out there and is always totally accessible by phone or email, and totally stands by the customer should any issues or questions arise. He is an amazing guy and extremely professional and insanely knowledgeable.

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GAH! I'm stupid, sorry, I got RBI cages mixed up with something else. -hits head repeatedly-

Yeah, gosh, I'm sorry. Bleh. D:

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

What a read, thanks for the comments everyone!

"Dwarf" boas are actually called Insular boas, right on the money qiksilver, but are also mostly known as BCI's so it's very confusing. Insulars tend to be a little bit fiestier than "normal" BCI's, but most will calm down with some work. Whenever I get an email that is in relation to this very thread, I steer them towards a nice normal male colombian bci. They are hard to beat for a great pet. They stay relatively small, like 4.5-5 feet, and have a good disposition most of the time.

Corn Islands are a hand full, for the most part, but will calm down in due time. The problem is they generally go for around a grand a pair and you will have a hard time getting someone reliable to sell a single male/female. You also will need to get on a waiting list.

Hogs are great pets, but just make sure your mind is made up whether or not you want a PURE Hog or not. There's a lot of Colombian/Hog crosses out there lately...some don't mind and some do. For the most part they are great snakes, a bit touchier than most colombians.

Central Americans and Nics are also good pets. They stay within 4-5 feet and are really neat looking. I personally have seen more mean ones than nice ones, but with some tender loving care, they will relax for anyone.

Hope this all helped!

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How much would a Dwarf Colombian go for right now? How big would the females get?

A grand? Eep. I defiantly couldn't afford that! :O Do you know why its hard to get one by itself?

Again, how much would a pure Hog or a cross cost? Either would be okay with me. :)

Thanks for posting here! :D

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

GAH! I'm stupid, sorry, I got RBI cages mixed up with something else. -hits head repeatedly-

Yeah, gosh, I'm sorry. Bleh. D:

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Oh thank gods..... :P

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Originally Posted by gothkenny

How much would a Dwarf Colombian go for right now? How big would the females get?

A grand? Eep. I defiantly couldn't afford that! :O Do you know why its hard to get one by itself?

Again, how much would a pure Hog or a cross cost? Either would be okay with me. :)

Thanks for posting here! :D

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Don't know of any Dwarf Colombians.

Corn Islands are rare, that's why they're expensive. I don't know why they sell pairs only, but it's probably got something do to with them not wanting to sell 1 male and 2 females to people and then get stuck with 3-4 males at the end of the season.

Vin Russo sells his Hogs for around 250 shipped and they are pure as pure can get. Crosses are around 125-150 shipped, try pmherps.com for those. Paul does that Sunset thing over there.

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Originally Posted by jim020cricket

Don't know of any Dwarf Colombians.

Corn Islands are rare, that's why they're expensive. I don't know why they sell pairs only, but it's probably got something do to with them not wanting to sell 1 male and 2 females to people and then get stuck with 3-4 males at the end of the season.

Vin Russo sells his Hogs for around 250 shipped and they are pure as pure can get. Crosses are around 125-150 shipped, try pmherps.com for those. Paul does that Sunset thing over there.

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...I think I was trying to say Colombian BCI... who knows though. :confused:

Oh, okay. That makes sense then! :)

Oh, I'll be sure to look up both the Hogs and crosses! You've been REALLY helpful, thanks.

My 2 cents: When you're ready, adopt a male Columbia Bci. :D

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Originally Posted by starmom

My 2 cents: When you're ready, adopt a male Columbia Bci. :D

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Yup, I think thats just about where I'm headed now.
All I have to do now is raise up the money! :D

Thanks you guys for all your help. You definatly helped steer me in the right direction and really informed me on Boas. :D:D:D

Male BCI.
Nuff said

dude i think your ready youve done your reasearch and are really mature ive met adults that know less then i did when i was 10 owning burmese pythons and your 1000x more mature and educated then them you definently get my seal of aproval and you really should get one

If you're into Colombians, absolutely talk to Jimi, his stock are great. I only have Nicaraguans and other smaller boas, so that's where my experience lies. But he has awesome animals and is a true wealth of knowledge. And yeah I agree you don't seem like the typical know it all, don't give me any advice type 12 year old, so, thank you for that (especially since another forum I sometimes go on is being terrorized by a pair of arrogant 14 y/o's).