what size enclosure?

[eeethannn]

i really want some kind of boa and i'm trying to find out what one is best for me. a red tail seems perfect but the only problem is that the biggest enclosure that i can have is a christmas tree box (about 4 by 2 feet) do you guys think that is big enough to hold an adult male red tail or common boa? if not then do you have any suggestions for a boa that would fit in that size enclosure?

[redshepherd]

IMO it's not large enough to hold a true adult red tail of either gender. 4x2 can work for a male BCI (imperator) or a smaller female, but that's still minimum sizing. Boa constrictors are semi-arboreal and relatively active species, so they'll use all space and branches provided to them.

Boa constrictor sabogae and amarali are 5~6 feet max.

[MasonC2K]

From what I have a read, a 4 x 2 will last you a long time for BCI. Like years. Just not forever. My girl is 6 years almost and is fine in her 4 x 2, When she gets 8 ft+ I will have to probably move her up.

[Sauzo]

I had my 6-6.5' girl in a 4x2 and it was too small. I moved her up to a 6x3 and she has plenty of room to cruise around now.

The general rule of thumb for cage sizing is length+width=total length of the snake. So with that said, a 4x2 would top out at about a 6' snake.

I had my 5.5' girl is a 4x2 also and honestly when she would 'play' around in the cage, she never really got to cruise around. It was more just go to the shelf and then try and kind of stretch out. Thats why like i said, i moved her, my big boa and my retic all in Animal Plastic T25s which are the 6x3 cages and they all seem so much happier.

And to answer your question, no a 4x2 is not going to hold an adult BCI or BCC unless you want to cramp them. It will work for probably 4-5 years though depending on if you get a BCI or BCC but end game caging, you will need a 6x3.

You can try a true dwarf boa for a 4x2 permanently. Something along the lines of a Caulker Cay, Crawl Cay, Tarahumara, Pearl Island, or Corn Island.

But again, it would take years for a normal BCI to need a cage upgrade. I had Rosey since she was a baby and it took about 5 years before she really needed a cage upgrade. With a BCC, it would take even longer. So you can really get what you want, just know eventually you will need to upgrade the cage size.