First red tail boa.

[Niki Dunbar]

I was just wondering if any one would recommend a red tail boa as a first snake...I had a simple corn snake as a child. And I was planning on getting a ball python in the next week or so but the man just offered me his baby red tail boa instead for the same price. The whole reason I was planning on buying his python was because I wanted to get the hang of ball pythons before I bought my albino in october but now that I have a offer for a redtail boa I want to snatch him up... he come with papers and pix proving genetics and their feed/birth card, care sheet etc

For her and her set up it is 110....
I have had plenty of "non-beginner pets as first pets and it has always turned out okay(besides one snippy chinchilla but that is just who she is)...

This is her....



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Mom is a super hypo het for anery and albino and is a dwarf at about 5' and the dad is a little 3' anery het albino- all genes proven with this litter.


This is what he sent me in a message..

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I ment to say for her is 110... not with her set up..

[Alexandra V]

Although his claiming that she's a dwarf kind of sounds fishy to me, the baby looks healthy and the price isn't exorbitant. You're going to get some different opinions on the subject, but in general boas grow into very laid-back animals with proper husbandry and handling. If you're able to provide all the right conditions for her, feed her properly and can devote enough time to handling her to get her comfortable with you, then there is no reason why you shouldn't go for a boa for your first snake.

Check out the caresheet we have on here for boas and if you can do that for her - and are prepared for her full size (even if her parents are dwarves, though I haven't really heard of genetic dwarfism, it's possible that she may outgrow her parents - better safe then sorry!) then by all means, boas are great snakes!

[Vypyrz]

I think baby boas make great first snakes. Even though they will get larger than a Ball Python, your confidence and experience will grow with the snake and become second nature. And that is a nice looking boa that you are considering...

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX using Tapatalk 2.

[Evenstar]

I agree with both responses above. I got my first boa as my 2nd snake and have no regrets. Boas are excellent pet snakes! Just be prepared for it to grow large. Frankly, I am doubtful about the dwarfism. A fully grown male at 3ft??

There are a few localities that are smaller than the Colombian BCIs. Hog Island, Central American, and Sonoran Desert BCI's are all smaller than Colombians and 5ft would be average for a male with females of those localities hitting about 6-ish feet. It's possible that these snakes are one of these localities and the breeder is breeding them young. But other than that, I can't see them being "dwarf".

Did the breeder mention if they are a specific locality? If so, that should be on the papers.

According to what you said about her genetics, this boa is a normal colored baby and is 100% het for anery and 66% het for albino. I would say $110 is a pretty fair price for her. I would personally get her. Boas are terrific and you won't be sorry!

[xFenrir]

My boa was a rather hefty 4.5ft already when I got her, and not only being 2ft+ longer than my little Ball Python, she was at least 2-3 times her girth. Even so, she's given me zero problems from day one: she's healthy, never refused a meal EVER (the pig lol) and is puppy-dog tame. I feel no hesitation in letting people hold her either. In my opinion boas actually make better first snakes, because although you WILL have to have a larger enclosure, they're more forgiving with set-up errors than most snakes, you're almost guaranteed not to have them EVER go off food and they have a much more curious and exploratory nature than Balls. And honestly, with how young she is, you won't have to worry about larger enclosures for another year or even two. I say go for this girl.

[Daybreaker]

Agreed with Evenstar: what locality boa is the breeder saying she and the parents are?

If she turns out to not be a dwarf (she looks pretty Colombian to me) expect at least a 4' cage but 6' is my personal recommendation for female non-dwarf boas (so you'll need a lot of room for proper adult caging).

I love my boas though and as long as you can have the proper housing and afford the larger feeders I say go for her.