Got a new BCI today

[Sonny1318]

Very nice indeed, so vibrant. Congratulations!

[richardhind1972]

Once he’s settled in in and had a few feed with you you will be able to start handling regular, on the whole boas are pretty chilled
My sunglow is 2.5 years old and from a 3rd generation dwarf blood line, mum and dad are both under 5ft
She’s kept a fair bit of colour and got loads of peach and pink on her sides



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[dakski]

He is a 2018 baby. The breeder wasn't sure at the show his birthday, but he's going to send me the info when he's back home after the show ends, and possibly a picture of the dad.

He weighs 84 grams! So so small. His breeder said he's around 3 months old. (Also, I'm 5'2" so I've got small hands as well)

I bought his only male sunglow on the table (he had 3 females as well). He was the only boa breeder at the show with any albinos at all. The other 3 or 4 tables that had boas were all hypos, jungles, and hets. I think 1 table had mostly surinames, so BCC I think.
Excepting one more table that looked like super high-end morphs and had no prices marker. (Had an all black and all white boa as NFS on display and a few others. Possibly a blood? I'm not sure)

My favorite changes day by day, honestly. (Not that I don't love them all!!) My honduran milk snake has probably been my favorite lately due to his very calm temperament (not usual for a milk from what I've heard, ha) and easy handling. He has been easy going, if a bit more head shy (I think albino = poor eye sight, so he doesnt see it coming hardly at all) than most of my others, since I brought him home. He was 20 grams in March (not sure if that makes him 2017 or 2018...) and is now pushing 80-85 grams feeding about 10-13% by weight.

So far I've only handled Cas for a few minutes to get pictures and weigh before letting him settle, so he was a little cool from the show still. He was pretty calm overall, though both at home and at the show he decided he wanted to get away/get to the table in front of me and moved a bit quicker for that, but nothing compared to my colubrids nor what I suspect would be his full speed. He was determined to check some things out, I think. He came out of the bag much like Vega my banana BP did.. easily in a palm-sized ball, and right around the opening decided he didn't want to leave and tried to make his way back into the bag.

From the breeder's description. The mom is around 6-6.5 feet and fairly girthy and the dad is probably 5 feet or so and substantially leaner. I suspect the dad is pretty young since the 6 foot male they have at a local reptile store (owners personal pet) is a good deal thicker at 5-6 years old.

I'm sure I will have questions. I like to think I've learned a lot watching some of the threads on here, including Behira's.

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Awwww, shucks. I am glad you have learned from Behira's thread, as have I. I've also learned from other users on here who have far more experience than I do.

BCI's seem a little more active than BP's, but not crazy active like many colubrids. Figment, my Hypo Lavender corn is very active. He doesn't' sit still for two seconds. However, he doesn't have a mean or defensive bone in his body. Totally docile, just active. My BP Shayna seems more active than many BP's I've seen, but that's not saying much. A little curious, but also somewhat shy. Solana the baby corn snake, is actually really calm for her age. She's less active when being handled than Figment, but again, neither have a mean or defensive side.

Behira can be active and want to go in X direction, but she takes redirection well, and once she explores for a few, is happy to chill. She is super brave and has virtually no fear. She lets me rub her head and chin, etc. Doesn't care. I don't make a habit of it, but it's interesting that nothing really seems to bother her. She's also the most inquisitive and seemingly has the most personality.

You've fed colubrids, so you know about a strong feeding response. Good. BCI's are known for having a very strong food response. I started hook training at 600G and should have done it sooner . Behira has a similar strike response to Figment; she's on the prey fast. However, unlike Figment, she will get excited as soon as she thinks food is coming and nail the acrylic doors, etc. She also hits much harder than Figment did when they were the same weight. Now she weighs almost twice as much and is on her way to 13-15X his size.

Just think colubrid food response X 2 and with a very large snake.

Otherwise, BCI's are a breeze to handle. I got to hold a 5 year old female, a momma, at the last NH reptile expo. She was about 7,000G (15+ pounds) and about 7 FT. Gentle giant. Awesome experience. Really excited about Behira getting big now and not so scared.

Behira's dad was 5ft+ and her mom was over 7FT. I am expecting a big girl.

Anyway, we are here to help and I hope your experience with Cas continues to be positive and lasts a lifetime.

Keep us in the loop! He's so pretty and it's going to be awesome watching him grow!

[Bogertophis]

I'll just add my congratulations on your gorgeous new pet! I've only had one BCI before, she was docile with me, loved to cuddle & fed spectacularly .
I love that you have a varied collection of snakes, as that's how I am too...unable to love just one kind...they're all awesome in their own ways.

[pretends2bnormal]

Awwww, shucks. I am glad you have learned from Behira's thread, as have I. I've also learned from other users on here who have far more experience than I do.

BCI's seem a little more active than BP's, but not crazy active like many colubrids. Figment, my Hypo Lavender corn is very active. He doesn't' sit still for two seconds. However, he doesn't have a mean or defensive bone in his body. Totally docile, just active. My BP Shayna seems more active than many BP's I've seen, but that's not saying much. A little curious, but also somewhat shy. Solana the baby corn snake, is actually really calm for her age. She's less active when being handled than Figment, but again, neither have a mean or defensive side.

Behira can be active and want to go in X direction, but she takes redirection well, and once she explores for a few, is happy to chill. She is super brave and has virtually no fear. She lets me rub her head and chin, etc. Doesn't care. I don't make a habit of it, but it's interesting that nothing really seems to bother her. She's also the most inquisitive and seemingly has the most personality.

You've fed colubrids, so you know about a strong feeding response. Good. BCI's are known for having a very strong food response. I started hook training at 600G and should have done it sooner . Behira has a similar strike response to Figment; she's on the prey fast. However, unlike Figment, she will get excited as soon as she thinks food is coming and nail the acrylic doors, etc. She also hits much harder than Figment did when they were the same weight. Now she weighs almost twice as much and is on her way to 13-15X his size.

Just think colubrid food response X 2 and with a very large snake.

Otherwise, BCI's are a breeze to handle. I got to hold a 5 year old female, a momma, at the last NH reptile expo. She was about 7,000G (15+ pounds) and about 7 FT. Gentle giant. Awesome experience. Really excited about Behira getting big now and not so scared.

Behira's dad was 5ft+ and her mom was over 7FT. I am expecting a big girl.

Anyway, we are here to help and I hope your experience with Cas continues to be positive and lasts a lifetime.

Keep us in the loop! He's so pretty and it's going to be awesome watching him grow!

I actually have a small extendable hook (I think it gets 26", but too flimsy for lifting more than 1 kg I would guess) I picked up at a pet store. I was thinking I'd just use it from the start as a "hey, it's me. No food here" signal, not for picking up. Just to get in the habit of it from the start and see how it goes.

I bet that he'll be the strongest feeder of the bunch before long. My largest/longest otherwise will be my honduran milk snake, I think, since both my BPs are male.

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[Bogertophis]

I actually have a small extendable hook (I think it gets 26", but too flimsy for lifting more than 1 kg I would guess) I picked up at a pet store. I was thinking I'd just use it from the start as a "hey, it's me. No food here" signal, not for picking up. Just to get in the habit of it from the start and see how it goes.

I bet that he'll be the strongest feeder of the bunch before long....

Count on it, lol...and yes, "hook training" is a good idea, assuming you can open the cage to touch him with the hook before he launches...
(but starting while he's small is the way to go...they certainly learn our routines)

[dakski]

I actually have a small extendable hook (I think it gets 26", but too flimsy for lifting more than 1 kg I would guess) I picked up at a pet store. I was thinking I'd just use it from the start as a "hey, it's me. No food here" signal, not for picking up. Just to get in the habit of it from the start and see how it goes.

I bet that he'll be the strongest feeder of the bunch before long. My largest/longest otherwise will be my honduran milk snake, I think, since both my BPs are male.

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I never pick Behira up with the hook. I just stroke her with it (actually the handle) to let her know there is no food and it’s handling time. I read her body language. 90% of the time, a couple gentle strokes is all it takes. If she seems to have food on the brain, I often do a few extra strokes and/or show her the hook handle a few inches from her face. Between getting strokes and seeing/smelling the handle, she always relaxes. The other day she was eyeing my movement and in the “S” position. Head off the ground. It took 5-6 strokes and on a few different parts of her body, but ultimately, she uncoiled and put her head down. I picked her right up.

Keep in mind, the one time she nailed me hoping for a rat (at 600g), she got me top and bottom, and it drew blood, but I didn’t feel it. She immediately let me pick her up and realized as soon as she nailed me, I was not a rat. Cas will be totally hook trained well before he could ever do any damage.

[richardhind1972]

Same as dakski, I either stroke my snake with the hook or just turn there heads away with the hook if there near the glass and get them out with my hands.most of the time if there head is isnt in strike range I just stroke them with my hand and lift them out

I never pick them up with it either

Hook training is deffo a good idea


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[pretends2bnormal]

That's what I was planning for the hook, but thanks for the confirmation! I was trying to give an idea how small the hook is, I guess. Haha. It's pocket sized when fully collapsed.

Since tonight is my usual feed night, and I have the hopper mice already, I thawed an extra to see if he would take it. Answer: yes, but only rear-end first.


(His bin is in the T8 he will probably graduate to when he's bigger. The table in that room is right under a vent and the ambients outside it were 72-77 depending if A/C was running or not, so inside the cage has a higher more stable ambient temperature ~78)

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[dakski]

Wow! Ate already! He's going to be an awesome Boa for you! Way to go Cas!

I use a 3ft hook with Behira but hold the hook part about 6 inches down, so it's really a 2 1/2FT hook. Again, I rub her with the soft handle.

That's plenty for when she's a really big girl. Again, it's how you maneuver it and if you train him when he's little, he will know what to expect when he's bigger and it won't matter.

Awesome on the feeding tonight!