are there any smaller boas?

[eeethannn]

i'm looking to get a bigger snake but i don't want something quite as big as a red tail. i was thinking about the size of a brazilian rainbow boa or a hog island boa. (i want a male about 5ft) but since i'm a beginner i don't want a rainbow because of the humidity and i can't find a hog island anywhere. are there any smaller boas that are easy to take care of and relatively easy to get and affordable?

[Zincubus]

Why settle for second best !?
BRBs ( Brazilian Rainbow boas ) are a contender for best looking snake , stay a manageable size and many have them for their first snake .

It will just mean doing some research .
I started with a Corn snake but within 3 months I'd moved onto a BRB and had no issues . I bought an Exo Terra glass viv and used a mix of Eco-earth and orchid bark as a substrate .. .. Gave the substrate a real good soaking and simply kept it damp with regular water spraying .
I then went a step further and added a carpet of lush green moss which lay on top of the substrate , looked fabulous and the BRB loved crawling under it and spending daylight hours there and always looked great . In the evenings , of course , he came alive exploring the viv and loved climbing branches ( as many snakes do given the opportunity ) .

I'd do plenty of research and then get the snake you REALLY want

[Sauzo]

Look into Island boas like Hog Island, Crawl Cay, Caulker Cay, Corn Island or Pearl Island. Also Tarahumara and Sonoran boas as well. Sure there are others i have forgot but I/m sure someone will chime in.

Forgot the second part of your question. You can find them on Fauna Classifieds.com and kingsnake.com. Can also check with Vin Russo at Cutting Edge Herp. Some of the dwarf/island boas are not cheap also. Hogs, Tarahumara, Caulker and Crawl I've seen for sale a lot. The other ones I see here and there but definitely not common.

[AbsoluteApril]

I wouldn't discount BRBs so quickly, as the humidity issues are fairly easy to deal with as long as you give them a nice moss hide and one or two bowls big enough to soak in.
I sold my adult BRB a *looong* time ago, but here he was, awesome snake and a very easy to manage size:


For a quality hog also check with Chad Duggin of Duggin Reptiles (http://www.cdreptiles.com/)
I got a lovely female from him a while back and he's a great guy that produces true locality hogs.

Hogs average 4-6' and are great little snakes although tend to be hissy posturing babies.
Here's an old photo of my adult male from Rio Bravo (sadly no longer in business).


Good luck with whatever you decide!

[Zincubus]

I wouldn't discount BRBs so quickly, as the humidity issues are fairly easy to deal with as long as you give them a nice moss hide and one or two bowls big enough to soak in.
I sold my adult BRB a *looong* time ago, but here he was, awesome snake and a very easy to manage size:


For a quality hog also check with Chad Duggin of Duggin Reptiles (http://www.cdreptiles.com/)
I got a lovely female from him a while back and he's a great guy that produces true locality hogs.

Hogs average 4-6' and are great little snakes although tend to be hissy posturing babies.
Here's an old photo of my adult male from Rio Bravo (sadly no longer in business).


Good luck with whatever you decide!

Absolutely beautiful - the snakes as well

Great post !!

[bcr229]

My adult male Tarahumara BI is in a 32 qt tub and it's almost too big for him. My two adult females are in 41-qt tubs with room to spare.

[farmer1911 45ACP]

My dumerils breeder pair is only 6' and they are calm and manageable. That is one thing i have noticed from my line is that they are seem to stay under 6 ft and dont grow into those gaint 8ft dumeril

[Gio]

i'm looking to get a bigger snake but i don't want something quite as big as a red tail. i was thinking about the size of a brazilian rainbow boa or a hog island boa. (i want a male about 5ft) but since i'm a beginner i don't want a rainbow because of the humidity and i can't find a hog island anywhere. are there any smaller boas that are easy to take care of and relatively easy to get and affordable?

By big, what do you mean exactly?

Most male, boa imperators don't get all that large. There are several breeders with adult male Suriname boas that are around 5-5.5 feet.

Don't let a Colombian, male boa escape you by worrying over a 12" difference in length. 5' VS 6' is not much, and the near bullet proof, docility of boa constrictors makes them one of the best pet snakes. You want something bigger as stated, so you might as well go for it. You will grow with your snake. I remember when I thought a 5 footer would be huge, it just isn't. They all curl up and get small LOL! It is very rare to get a true, giant boa.

I also agree on the BRB if that is what you want.

But don't get nervous about an actual boa constrictor. It is really, IMO the perfect step up in size. They handle well, are thick, but not too thick, and long, but not too long.

This is a thread I just put up. The boa is over 5 years old, a male, Barranquilla, Colombian locale and he may be close to 7 feet. I'm guessing he may get there in the next 5-10 years. I give him large prey items at times, and if I can say this correctly, I've conservatively fed, and kept him to be on the larger end of the size scale. That said he's not at all a giant.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...Boa-done-right!

BCs are very tolerant and easy going for the most part. If you want something bigger, I'd at least check them out and see how you feel.

Otherwise if the BRB is really your passion,,, GO GET ONE and be happy.

[BR8080]

I was also looking for a "smaller" boa when I started looking in to the Crawl Cay, Hog Island, Tarahumara, and finally chose to go with a Caulkers Cay from TJ Blevins (Second City Constrictors). She is very even tempered, sometimes a little hiss when startled but awesome to handle and very inquisitive. She's a great eater and LOVES to burrow in her Herptopia/Reptile prime coco husk substrate. She'll max out around 5' and MAYBE be as thick as a tennis ball.

As the others have said, do your homework and make an educated decision, as it seems you will. After all - the life expectancy of our pets is 15-20+ years.

I also sent you a PM with TJ's info.