any advice ? ball python or red tail boa

[clint6969]

i own a ball python i have had it for 8 months, he is four feet long and is just a lame animal, always scared to eat, just a bad pet , i was told boas are great feeders. im tired of balls.

[jsmorphs2]

What's your husbandry like for your ball? Maybe there is an underlying reason why it's being a picky eater.

I've kept boas in the past and we have a small one now. He's not too different from most of our balls. But I see your point that some BPs can be, well, not exiting. But if for some reason its stressed it can act scared or just ball up all the time. I'd do a little digging before you give up on it though. A happy ball will be inquisitive and active.

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[Kinra]

All snake species have different characteristics. The fact that the only thing you mentioned was feeding as a reason for a ball python being lame has me worried that you will find a boa boring/uninteresting/bad pet as well. Boas generally do feed well, but they are not all the same. My RTB for instance eats f/t and gets really upset if I try to make it seem alive. Boas are pretty lazy when they are in their cages, but are interesting when you hold them. In most cases you're only going to feed a boa every 7-14 days, so feeding is a small part of owning them. You should think long and hard about what it is you are looking to get from owning a snake before you get another one/replace the one you have. I have 10 ball pythons that are all interesting great pets with individual personalities, but I also have various other reptiles. They all offer me something different and I know what to expect from them because I did my research. Please research before you consider a different species.

[jason221]

Boas are a lot more fun to handle, in my opinion. They're also better feeders, in my experience. Keep in mind, though, boas will get quite a bit larger than ball pythons. Females especially. Be prepared to handle a potentially 8-foot-long, 20-to-40+ pound animal.

[llovelace]

I have read & responded to some of your other posts, and have some concerns:
1. Have you moved your BP into a smaller enclosure.
2. Is your husbandry optimal.
3. Did you get your BP to eat for you?

To me it seems like you are looking for some sort instant gratification.
I'm sure that once you get your husbandry issues in order, and your BP starts eating on a regular basis, you'll hopefuly see things in a different light.

[TheWinWizard]

Boas also can be a lot feistier then BP's.

[weird_science04]

I love Boa's as I have around 15 of them. When they get larger, I don't feed every 7 days. I feed every 2 to 3 weeks. However, they usually don't go off feed in the winter so you will have to feed them year round.

It just depends on what you want. BP's have their advantages and Boa's have their advantages.

Boa's do get much larger. My 6 year old Suriname weighs 13 pounds and while she is actually awesome to get out and hold, her weight limits the amount of times I do hold her and her weight gets tiresome to handle for long periods of time. My boys are no where near this size at all. A BP will never get to the point where you are limited in this aspect.

If you want to try a boa, I say go for it. They are beautiful and different than BP's but similar in care. However, others pointed out husbandry stuff for your BP so if your husbandry isn't spot on with your BP, then you might have trouble with an RTB. (Not saying your husbandry isn't spot on at all).

Star

[Evenstar]

I'm sorry, but if you're tired of all ball pythons after owning 1 for 8 months, when are you going to get tired of the boa???

No pet is a "bad pet". It is true that not all pets are for everybody, but if you make the choice to take on the care of an animal, you must accept responsibility for that animal and you must recognize that the animal isn't going to change to what you want it to be. That's why researching your choice of pet is so important BEFORE you bring it home. If you aren't happy with your bp, you have no one to blame but yourself. What are you going to do with your bp if you get a boa? Keep him? Why? He's not going to change what he is. Ignore him? That's not fair. You have the responsibility to find him the PROPER home - no matter how long that takes.

What happens if your boa turns out to be a picky eater too???? They generally have a better feed response, but not all. Check out the threads here - you'll find some very recent ones about boas not eating....

Sorry for the rant. I don't mean to sound harsh, but your BP has no voice - someone needs to speak for him......

[clint6969]

I'm sorry, but if you're tired of all ball pythons after owning 1 for 8 months, when are you going to get tired of the boa???

No pet is a "bad pet". It is true that not all pets are for everybody, but if you make the choice to take on the care of an animal, you must accept responsibility for that animal and you must recognize that the animal isn't going to change to what you want it to be. That's why researching your choice of pet is so important BEFORE you bring it home. If you aren't happy with your bp, you have no one to blame but yourself. What are you going to do with your bp if you get a boa? Keep him? Why? He's not going to change what he is. Ignore him? That's not fair. You have the responsibility to find him the PROPER home - no matter how long that takes.

What happens if your boa turns out to be a picky eater too???? They generally have a better feed response, but not all. Check out the threads here - you'll find some very recent ones about boas not eating....

Sorry for the rant. I don't mean to sound harsh, but your BP has no voice - someone needs to speak for him......

thank you for the reply, i am a very good pet owner, i have spent alot of time money and effort on him. my tank setup is perfect two hides, lots of plants, heat is perfect always has water, i have $30 worth of frozen rats in the freezer he wont eat , he used to eat them now he wont. he hasnt eated in a month , im hope he will get hunger and just eat. also please read the new post i put out ,any advice will be valued