What did I get myself into?

[dakski]

Okay, first off, the title of this thread is me being very sarcastic.

I have had BP's and corn snakes over the years, and currently have an adult BP female, an adult male corn, and for four months have had a 2016 (June baby) female BCI (as well as 3 leopard geckos and a BTS).

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...no-Spider-Ball

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...nder-Corn-Baby

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...host-First-BCI

I always see baby BCI's at the shows, and got Behira (my BCI) from a breeder I met at a reptile show. I knew she was going to be much larger than anything I have ever had, but am not great at visualizing things!

There is local reptile store/breeder near me and I went in today to say hello and grab some mealworms for my Leopard Geckos. He had an adult female BCI there. OMG - big snake!

I don't think I realized how much bigger Behira is going to get! I think it's awesome and, "Challenge Accepted!" I already have her in a 6X2' Boaphile tank, so she will be fine in there even as an adult. I also have husbandry down pat. The issue is merely how big she's going to be and how it hit me tonight! She is puppy dog tame (when she doesn't hope I am a rat) and I am sure she will stay that way. Not afraid of her at that size, but a little nervous about feeding and getting her out of her enclosure.

Good thing I began hook training (which is going very well I might add). Also, very happy that Behira and I are growing together. I would be intimated bringing an adult home versus watching Behira grow and learning her and working with her for years before she's mammoth.

See: https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-Hook-Training

Seriously, 10% nervous, and 90% excited. Just kind of hit me! I wanted a BCI because after having snakes for years, I wanted a larger animal. Part challenge/taking my skill set and hobby to my limit, and part, how awesome to have and properly care for such a beautiful and large animal.

I plan to feed properly and do not expect Behira to be grown for years. Healthy over speed to size, thank you. I also never plan to overfeed or try to get her larger! She will be what she will be, with proper feeding. So, to be clear, I am not comparing her size now to overfed 25-50 pounds BCI's that are obese (that you see on google images). The BCI I saw today looked healthy and muscular and was about 7+ feet. Having said that, I will never underfeed to keep her small either. Balance is key and I know it.

Just wanted to share my shock and excitement.

[KevinK]

Boas overall are such big puppy dogs I really dont think you have anything to worry about , especially from a bci. Sure, she'll get big but not anything too crazy by any means. I had a bcc female years ago that was around 9ft and 85lbs (and NOT overfed) and I still thought she was easily manageable by myself. Granted....Im a big guy (6'1" and about 220lbs) but every bci Ive ever dealt with has been puppy dog tame unless they know food is in the room. They are as easy as it gets concerning big constrictors because they're slow and not in a hurry to get anywhere....unlike a retic.

Plus...boas grow very slowly compared to other species, you will have plenty of time to figure out her behavior. I wouldnt consider a 25lb adult female bci to be obese though by any means...

You'll be just fine

[dakski]

Boas overall are such big puppy dogs I really dont think you have anything to worry about , especially from a bci. Sure, she'll get big but not anything too crazy by any means. I had a bcc female years ago that was around 9ft and 85lbs (and NOT overfed) and I still thought she was easily manageable by myself. Granted....Im a big guy (6'1" and about 220lbs) but every bci Ive ever dealt with has been puppy dog tame unless they know food is in the room. They are as easy as it gets concerning big constrictors because they're slow and not in a hurry to get anywhere....unlike a retic.

Plus...boas grow very slowly compared to other species, you will have plenty of time to figure out her behavior. I wouldnt consider a 25lb adult female bci to be obese though by any means...

You'll be just fine

I know, I will be fine. It's just funny looking at this 1 1/2 pound snake and realizing she could be 15-20 pounds or more! It's not like is tiny relative to my other snakes now! However, tiny compared to what she will be, yes!

BCC's get bigger, but I know BCI's can be large as well.

I was referring to animals that are clearly obese and unhealthy that you see on the internet all the time.

Brian Gundy, has a healthy BCI, puppy dog tame, named Big Mama. She's 50 pounds and 8 1/2 feet.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8g9zARe1MYg/hqdefault.jpg

So not out of the question. However, Behira's mom was 7 1/2 feet (age I am not sure though) and her dad about 5 feet, and the breeder said the mom was a big girl, but would be surprised if Behira was over 20 pounds. He guessed closer to 15-20 pounds, tops. Who knows though? I was considering a male, but I am only getting one BCI (likely), so I wanted to pick a winner. Behira is awesome and so tame.

Even if Behira turns out to be big, I will still love her.

Big girls need love too, right?

At 5'4" though, not sure how easily I would handle a 50 pound animal! We will see!

Thanks KevinK!

[dakski]

Boas overall are such big puppy dogs I really dont think you have anything to worry about , especially from a bci. Sure, she'll get big but not anything too crazy by any means. I had a bcc female years ago that was around 9ft and 85lbs (and NOT overfed) and I still thought she was easily manageable by myself. Granted....Im a big guy (6'1" and about 220lbs) but every bci Ive ever dealt with has been puppy dog tame unless they know food is in the room. They are as easy as it gets concerning big constrictors because they're slow and not in a hurry to get anywhere....unlike a retic.

Plus...boas grow very slowly compared to other species, you will have plenty of time to figure out her behavior. I wouldnt consider a 25lb adult female bci to be obese though by any means...

You'll be just fine

I also wanted to add that I am in no hurry to get a retic! Dwarf or other! BCI works fine for me. Besides, Behira falls asleep on my chest half the time. She's pretty cool. Curious, but not crazy.

Thank you for being kind about correcting me on BCI size potential. Some people might think I was being insulting, like if your BCI is over 25 pounds, you are irresponsible, etc. Thank you for seeing that is not what I meant.