Help please

I am new to this so bare with me please. I know rding has already talked about this but i had a few questions. how big does a bci get? Are they pretty much the same as handling a ball? We stoped by a local pet store yesterday and it was love at first sight. He is not being housed very well there and i would love to give him/her a good home. Thinking about going to get him/her today. Is this a good idea? Help please.

I would be worried about the infamous ibd, which can pass from boas to Bps and have mortal consequences on the Bps. I got my first bci a bout a month or so ago, and I keep him in a different area frrom my BPs and make sure to wash my hands after handling him (which I do between handling different snakes, anyway.) I paid $150 for my little bci and he ahs already doubled in size; they grow fast once you get them started on rats. I do not think that bcis get over ten feet if fed a moderate diet (which means, no overfeeding.) Depends on what sex it is; males generally stay around 7 feet, females can get bigger.
I have noticed he has a MUCH faster and more eager feeding response than my Bps! And when he's handled, he is not shy at all, but also not nippy or aggressive. They're really great, in my limited experience. :) You can see a pic of mine in my avatar.

Thanks alot. Are they any way of telling if they have ibd?
Also, they are all housed side by side......there is a little bp, then 2 albino burmese, then about an 18 month old bp, then the bci. They have screen tops, could ibd spread like that?? i know they have been there atlest 2 weeks because that is when they had been fed...according to the notes on the tanks. or, do they have to come in direct contact with each other???
thanks, again!!

Yes, IBD does appear to be a possibly airborne-spread disease, though it's not certain. Boas are frequently carriers but unaffected by the disease itself but pythons who are exposed to it have about a 100% fatality rate. You definitely don't want to take any risks, so either don't bring it home or keep it in another room and practice quarantine procedures all the time to keep your ball pythons safe.

To answer one of your questions, the only way to tell if a boa has IBD is a very expensive liver biopsy.

Thanks every one for the help. Went back today and could not leave without him/her. I have got him in a room away from our bp. I will or rding will get some pictures on here soon.

congrats toad, i had a feeling you would end up with him/her

what is IBD?

Inclusion Body Disease. Typically fatal for pythons and carried by boas. You'll need to be careful, too.

Some more information on Inclusion Body Disease:
http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/sacs/wildlife/IBDINFO.html
Hope it helps to explain it
Thanks
Rusty