my next snake.... a boa?

so, ive had my baby ball for a couple of months, and everythings going swimmingly.
ive decided that i will get another snake at some point in the future, but im having a really hard time deciding what..


the basic candidates are:

common boa
blood python
carpet python (sumatran)
rainbow boa
spotted python

(and anything similar you can think of)


i want something which is similar to a ball python in that it can be very docile and friendly and easy to handle. (with proper care), but is a little bigger and a little more inquisitive.
ideally i would like the snake to grow to around 7ft.

im being pulled towards a common boa. but i would need some assurances on their character and size. if i were to get a male then what are the chances of him growing more than 7ft?

im also very interested in teh carpet pythons/spotted pythons.
i can get a high yellow jungle carpet, an irian jaya, and an irian jaya x jaguar too.

the problem is, from all ive read, its very hard to seperate a common boa from a carpet (as far as character description and growing capabilities goes.) all the care sheets just say "can be very docile and tame with good husbandry", for both the boa's and pythons. so i need to know from people with more experience to lay out the finer details for me.

so can anyone help me decide?

if anyone thinks a blood python or any other constrictor would suit me then please let me know what and why!.

thanks alot guys;)

Care-wise, many of those snakes are very similar, so in this case it would be really be what you think looks coolest. As far as a male BCI getting over 7ft., that's quite possible but not really likely unless you power feed it, which there's no reason to.

If I were to pick one, I'd say Brazilian Rainbow Boa. They get around 5 feet and are very docile once they grow a bit (nippy little babies). Not to mention their absolutely gorgeous!:gj::gj:

Rainbow's are the bomb!

hmm ok so thats 1 vote for the rainbow :D
obviously i agree that theyre beautiful.
the only reason they arent first choice is:
i dont know if they can be as friendly as common boa's.
the price
the humidity - they need 70-80% humidity which would require daily spraying which wouldnt be ideal.

theyre still definately in the running though

next!

Rainbow boa's always catch my eye!
But gonna have to say get a blood! They are AWESOME snakes!

I would say either a common boa, or a blood python.

I can definitly understand why its hard to make a decision! They are all great animals. Personaly, I have a TON of ball pythons, but only found 1 boa that my heart went out to. We have a dumeral boa. He is large, but is EXTREMELY docile. He will honestly let you hold him as long as you want to! They have beautiful markings, and eat great. I would reccomend a dumeral to anyone (as long as they are comfortable with the size)

Let us know what you decide! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lillyorchid

Rainbow boa's always catch my eye!
But gonna have to say get a blood! They are AWESOME snakes!

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thanks. why so? :)
what do you like about them in particular?
:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Neal

I would say either a common boa, or a blood python.

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have you worked with a common boa before?
i must admit, personally im most drawn to them. the seem to have great character, gentle but strong and active. only problem is i dont want a monster. i think 7 foot would be okay. but ive no experience with large snakes.. im not worried about safety i know theres no danger, just space.. and the cost of food, etc.

I'm partial to Bloods as well!

They're all I keep!! Big snake appearance without the big snake length. Poop 3 or 4 times a year. Great personalities as well. Eat every single week too, unlike those picky ball pythons! haha

All around a very rewarding specimen!!

I've also got one for sale in the classifieds....if I can post it.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=95008

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ThunderHeadsGirl

I can definitly understand why its hard to make a decision! They are all great animals. Personaly, I have a TON of ball pythons, but only found 1 boa that my heart went out to. We have a dumeral boa. He is large, but is EXTREMELY docile. He will honestly let you hold him as long as you want to! They have beautiful markings, and eat great. I would reccomend a dumeral to anyone (as long as they are comfortable with the size)

Let us know what you decide! :)

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cool, thankyou ill look out for one.

what was wrong with the other boas that your heart never went out to? :)

I'd like to throw in my two cents and second the idea of a Dumeril's boa. I'm not a fan of larger snakes (generally they make me a bit nervous), but my friends just got a Dumeril's and he is a big beautiful snuggly sweetheart who's stuffed with personality and I just love him.

try to find a caulkers caye boa, they dont get big at all and as big as a broom handle

I would deffinatley go with the common boa, id get a sunglow or albino just my opinion, or a BRB (Brazilian rainbow boa) I love BRB's but im starting out with a ball python first. Eventually ill probably get a common boa then a BRB. Good luck deciding.

I would say based on your desires you should go with a Colombian boa, or a locality BCI from the islands which max out around 5ft in length, sometimes smaller for males. BCI are extremely docile, maybe even more even tempered than ball pythons, they are much more active and inquisitive than ball pythons (think of a ball python as a lap dog and a boa as a retriever), and they attain an impressive size without being huge and potentially lethal like retics or burms or african rocks. Even with a BCI if you follow a maintenance feeding schedule your male would probably max out at around 6-7 feet. Of course you want to purchase CB from a reputable source. If all you've had so far are ball pythons, then you are still likely in the begginner stage of herping. Blood Pythons, Carpets, Jaguars, and the like are a more intermediate snake, due to the husbandry requirements. Plus Bloods, Carpets, and Rainbow boas can be a handful personality wise even into adulthood. Dumerils boas are notorious for urinating constantly and dont mind doing it while on your lap. Bloods can be tempermental also. I would go with a boa since you have a large number of subspecies and localities which offer tons of different sizes, from a 4' Sonoran dwarf to 10'+ for BCC, various colors and patterns, and when it comes to BCI are very hardy and tolerant of husbandry mistakes. It's also a sensible transition from ball pythons. Once you have some experience with these guys, then you can try your hand at some of these less forgiving species.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by seercirra

so, ive had my baby ball for a couple of months, and everythings going swimmingly.
ive decided that i will get another snake at some point in the future, but im having a really hard time deciding what..


the basic candidates are:

common boa
blood python
carpet python (sumatran)
rainbow boa
spotted python

(and anything similar you can think of)


i want something which is similar to a ball python in that it can be very docile and friendly and easy to handle. (with proper care), but is a little bigger and a little more inquisitive.
ideally i would like the snake to grow to around 7ft.

im being pulled towards a common boa. but i would need some assurances on their character and size. if i were to get a male then what are the chances of him growing more than 7ft?

im also very interested in teh carpet pythons/spotted pythons.
i can get a high yellow jungle carpet, an irian jaya, and an irian jaya x jaguar too.

the problem is, from all ive read, its very hard to seperate a common boa from a carpet (as far as character description and growing capabilities goes.) all the care sheets just say "can be very docile and tame with good husbandry", for both the boa's and pythons. so i need to know from people with more experience to lay out the finer details for me.

so can anyone help me decide?

if anyone thinks a blood python or any other constrictor would suit me then please let me know what and why!.

thanks alot guys;)

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I suggest you not to get a common boa because I the chances of it reaching 7ft is low. I have 2 males that are 3/4 years old and there almost 9ft! I got a baby Pastel boa 6wk and is going to eat rat pups in the next 3wks!

Daniel

Ps: I am not over feeding the baby boa it's just huge!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simpson Balls

I suggest you not to get a common boa because I the chances of it reaching 7ft is low. I have 2 males that are 3/4 years old and there almost 9ft! I got a baby Pastel boa 6wk and is going to eat rat pups in the next 3wks!

Daniel

Ps: I am not over feeding the baby boa it's just huge!

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Nine feet in under a year?

Our male boa is about 3 years old I believe, and right around the 6 foot mark.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by m00kfu

Nine feet in under a year?

Our male boa is about 3 years old I believe, and right around the 6 foot mark.

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3-4 is what he meant I think,

Not all boa localities have males growing over 9ft, and I think a 9 foot male is sort of remarkable, but not the norm. Could be wrong, I'm not a boa snob. ;)

Get both

I have a Rainbow Boa, and they are great, but I also have two Common Redtails, or BCI's and I would not trade for them. They are pretty awesome snakes. One seems to like it when I play Iron Maiden, so I renamed him Bruce the Ed Tailed Boa :)

I definitely love the carpet pythons, and plan on getting one after i get some more bp's that I want. But I also like the idea of the Dumeril's boa, and also plan on getting one eventually lol. When will the obsession stop? :P