Looking to get a boa

[royal constrictor]

Hey everyone, I want to get a red tail but I can't figure out what type of red tail to get. I see the most common are the colombian red tails, but I would kind of like to get a true red tail.... I also want a fairly large one so definitely female... So question is what sub specie should I get, one of my local reptile shops sells Guyana's.... But what about Brazilian, Argentinian, etc etc etc

[Evenstar]

I have a 1.1 pair of Argentines and they are fantastic to work with. But they are not considered one of the "true" red tails. If you're looking for a large female specifically, most people will tell you there is nothing better than a Surinam female. Personally, I like the Guyanan's as their tails are still pretty spectacular, but there seems to be slightly more aberancy in their patterns.

Surinams, or so I've heard, are slightly more hardy than some of the other BCC localities, but I don't have any BCCs so I can't say for sure. I do know, because I've been told by several reputable breeders, that BCCs are more strict in their husbandry requirements over BCIs, need more time to digest their food (like 2-3 days instead of 1-2), and can be more prone to regurgitation if things aren't just so.

I have absolutely no trouble with my Argentines (BCOs) whatsoever. They are very hardy, like slightly cooler temps, have AMAZING feeding responses, and while they do like to huff and bluff some, they are totally sweet in hand.

Just my .02!!

Here are a couple of baby pics of my 2 Argies.....

[royal constrictor]

Those r some good looking boas... Thanks for the help

[Evenstar]

Those r some good looking boas... Thanks for the help

Thank you!! I forgot to mention, Argentines, while not a "true red tail" like the BCCs, are definitely one of the larger localities. A female Argentine will easily top out around 10 ft. So if size is your first preference, definitley don't discount them - they are really great to work with.

But if you have to have that amazing blood-red tail as well, then you'll want a BCC. If the Guyanan's at your local shop look really nice, I'd pick up one of them. Is the shop owner knowledgable? Or are you experience sexing boas? Just wondered so you could be sure to get a female. If not, then I'd look for one with a reputable breeder. Gus Rentfro at Rio Bravo has some awesome Peruvian, Surinam, and several other locality-specific BCCs.

[royal constrictor]

Thank you for mentioning that and yes my local reptile shop employees are very knowledgeable and i absolutely trust them. I can sex myself as well. But i think i will check out a few websites first.

[Evenstar]

Excellent! Let us know what you find!


BTW, if you are interested in the Argentines, Tim at Special K Reptiles deals with them on occassion and Reptiles by Mack is a good breeder as well - he developed the first T+ pure Argentines....

[BFE Pets]

Excellent! Let us know what you find!


BTW, if you are interested in the Argentines, Tim at Special K Reptiles deals with them on occassion and Reptiles by Mack is a good breeder as well - he developed the first T+ pure Argentines....

Tim had. I say had because it was last month. A beautiful pair of t+ Argentines! I wanted them soooooo bad but didn't have the extra $ or space.

[Evenstar]

Tim had. I say had because it was last month. A beautiful pair of t+ Argentines! I wanted them soooooo bad but didn't have the extra $ or space.

Oh yea - I wanted them BAD too.... Had to stick with the hets! Just couldn't manage the price right now. Hopefully, I'll be producing my own T+'s (motley to boot, lol) in a couple of years....

[BFE Pets]

Oh yea - I wanted them BAD too.... Had to stick with the hets! Just couldn't manage the price right now. Hopefully, I'll be producing my own T+'s (motley to boot, lol) in a couple of years....

let me be the 1st on the waiting list!

[Evenstar]

let me be the 1st on the waiting list!

Sure!! That's the pair in the pictures above, btw. It'll be a few years as the female is only a 2011, but if you don't mind waiting, I think they're offspring will be pretty spectacular. They both have great temperaments too.