Boa size requirements and other pets etc?

[EmiLee]

Hi!
I am considering getting a Colombian boa in the next couple of months. I keep doing research to make sure I can really make the right decision as it’s not something I take lightly since they can live to 30 years.

For some reason I keep wanting to get a female boa, since I already have one male BP I think it would be nice to have a female snake.

I am aware of that they can grow big. One particular one I’ve been looking at is a baby now, her mom is 8 ft and 20 pounds so I assume that she’ll be just as large.

So here is a few questions I have about the size:

- As of right now, the largest cage I could build where I live (live in a pretty small space) is around 5.6 feet long. Would that be large enough for a full grown boa? I could definitely build on the height more so it would allow for climbing space. It also might change that I move into a larger space within the next 5 years, I just don’t know.

- This might be a silly question but what are the risks with other pets for a full size female boa? I have an indoor cat and even though I plan on never letting them meet and keeping the tanks secured, accidents could happen. I don’t have a separate snake room and my cat can wander around my house when I’m not at home and don’t feel like locking her into a small room.


I think that’s if for now I also considered getting a Sonoran boa, however I’d like to get a boa that gets at least 6 ft long, and seem like Sonoran tend to grow slow and stay between 4-5 feet.

Look forward to read your answers
thanks
Emilee

[richardhind1972]

Sonoran boas normally are under 5ft, there stunning, had you though of Peruvian longtail boas (bcl) around 5-6ft so may about right, pure too, fantastic looking. Great colour change from young too

That size cage will be fine for a fair few years if you do go for the Colombian boa, she may not grow that big especially if the male was a shorter boa, but most Colombian will grow bigger, remember boas are slower growing


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[Craiga 01453]

I haven't added a boa yet, but I know there are several localities of boa that will stay in the 6 foot or under range. Might be worth exploring those a bit

[ladywhipple02]

Folks will typically get 6 foot cages for their boas to live in the rest of their lives, though the general rule of thumb is that the MINIMUM length of the cage should be no less than half the length of the snake, ie an 8 foot snake in a 4 foot cage (doesn't mean this is the best avenue, of course, as minimums are never ideal). Boas WILL utilize vertical height if it's given to them, but temps get a little trickier to maintain.

For your own personal comfort level, getting a baby snake and growing with it is a great way to get used to the size of the boa. Kinda like having a kid... they'll always be your baby, even if they appear intimidating and huge to other people lol

Boas are the best (yes, I'm biased).

EDIT: I knew I missed one of your questions! As for other pets, I've had large boas in the same house as my cat, and never had an issue. It's all about maintaining awareness. Currently, the litter box for our cat is in the same room as the reptiles and has been for two years, and no one's gone off feed in two years except for a couple winter months. When we need to clean cages or get the snakes or lizards out for any reason, the cat gets locked in our bedroom.

[dakski]

How you feed (how often and what size prey) has a lot to do with adult size and probably more than genetics.

8FT and 20 pounds is not out of the realm, especially for a female BI, but fed conservatively. That would be a 15-20 year old female (they grow their entire lives, but it slows a lot).

A male BI, fed conservatively, should be able to comfortably live for life in a 5X2' enclosure, regardless of height (about 1ft being the minimum height). Rule of thumb IMO is length + width should equal snake or be greater. So a male BI shouldn't get more than 7FT, if fed properly, and probably smaller than that, therefore 5FT+2FT = 7FT.

My female BI, Behira, is in a 6X2X1' Boaphile tank. She is 3 1/2 now and 5ft and 1,650G (close to 4 pounds). They grow slow (or should be grown slow I should say). I expect her to be about 4-6KG (9-14 pounds or so) and about 6-7ft and eating mostly medium rats with an occasional large thrown in when essentially full grown/adult. 10 years down the road, she could be 8FT, but again, I never plan to offer more than large rats. I might adjust duration, but she doesn't need to be that big and BI's are exceptionally efficient with food, as are most snakes, they just have a slower metabolism and can eat less frequently.

Males are generally smaller than females, and dwarf/locale BI species are even smaller.

I, and others here, can recommend some dwarf species and breeders if you are interested.

I generally keep my other pets (4 dogs) away from the snakes. Being in the same room isn't the issue, but the dogs could scare or hurt the snake, as could a cat, and an adult female BI could hurt a smaller dog or cat. I don't think they would, but why find out?

If you go with a dwarf species, and/or a male BI, your tank size sounds perfect. If you get a female, you may eventually want a little bigger, or if fed conservatively, could last her life.

I should mention that snakes have individual personalities, but they don't really differ between male and female, in boas anyway. If you happen to love a female BI, go for it. However, if space is an issue, or you are worried about a large snake, I would get a male.

[Zincubus]

Mmmmm

May I enquire why a Columbian and not a Brazilian ?


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[Bogertophis]

I think you should see about handling an 8' boa, just to see how that feels...and do you have another person that you live who will help and be on hand for safety?

You really should think about that...and also about where* you'll be in 20-30 years when your boa is full-grown. *I don't mean location so much as your age & physical
strength, those kind of issues. Large snakes don't mean to be inconvenient, but they often are. Will you be owning your home? It can be challenging to find a good
rental that allow some kinds of pets, and some locations even have laws against them now. Keep in mind there are national laws, but also individual state laws, and
also local county & city regulations to contend with. If any of them say "no", you've got a problem. Some cities now are saying no snakes over 6', for example...what
will you do when yours exceeds that? You cannot count on snakes to stay the size of their parents, many grow larger (just like humans do), & no snake should ever
be treated like a bonsai tree...chronic underfeeding is not healthy & if you wouldn't do it to a kid or a dog, you shouldn't do that to a snake either. Besides, boas
have mighty impressive appetites!

I had a large BCI for many years btw. I don't know how big you are either, or how strong, but really consider this carefully. My BCI loved being out & handled, but
getting her back in her cage was a bit of a "rodeo"! Mine was an unplanned rescue, btw...I never wanted such a large snake and I hoped she'd stay smaller- she did
for some years, but by age 13 was 7.5'+ which is when she moved in with friends of mine who like big snakes (& there's 2 of them). She was docile, but big snakes
are quite strong & can be hard to handle when they "want" to be. She was about 8' when she passed away with them some years later, & that is a LOT of snake.

Some localities stay smaller, & males typically do, so maybe that's a consideration? You say you want a female for some sort of balance, but really there's no
personality difference between male & female snakes...and a male won't even care if you name him "Sue". LOL

[WrongPython]

I recently brought home a female Sonoran boa, so I can provide a bit of information on that front!

Female Sonorans typically grow to be between 5-6 feet long, with the occasional report of a huge female around 7 feet. It's typically the breeding males that only grow to be around 4 feet, with non-breeding males potentially reaching the same lengths as females (though they'll be considerably less girthy). Like all boas, Sonorans grow pretty slowly and only reach adult size around 5-7 years old. They'll continue to grow incrementally after that. So, if you're looking for a female boa, there's a chance that a Sonoran may wind up being enough snake for you.

I think you should see about handling an 8' boa, just to see how that feels...and do you have another person that you live who will help and be on hand for safety?... You really should think about that...and also about where* you'll be in 20-30 years when your boa is full-grown. *I don't mean location so much as your age & physical
strength, those kind of issues. Large snakes don't mean to be inconvenient, but they often are.

With that being said, I'd like to echo Bogertophis here. I ended up going for a dwarf boa versus a larger locality for several of the reasons they highlighted - I don't have another person on hand to help me with my boa, I probably wouldn't want to to be dealing with a 7+ foot boa when I'm 30+ years older, and the logistics of owning such a large snake aren't something to be taken lightly. The way I saw things, I wasn't just buying a boa for the me of today, but for the me of 30+ years from now. So, I was quite happy when I saw you say this:

I keep doing research to make sure I can really make the right decision as it’s not something I take lightly since they can live to 30 years.

You're on the right track there! Keep doing your research, take your time, and don't be in a rush to find the boa of your dreams. They're well worth the effort.

Per your other questions: I'm a "the length of the enclosure should be equal or greater to the length of the snake" person, so I'd argue that a 5 foot enclosure is a bit cramped for a female Colombian. Having some additional high certainly helps with cleaning and your boa will utilize it up to a point - keep in mind that older, heavier boas tend to be more terrestrial. If you could build a 5' x 2.5' x 2' enclosure, that may work for an adult female Sonoran. As long as said enclosure is escape- and cat-proof, you should also be fine on the cat front. Just make sure the cat is out of the room when you have your snake out - reptiles and other pets don't mix!

[dakski]

One other thought, and not trying to scare you, but Boas are aggressive eaters. I've had to protect both my Boas by putting drapes up in front of their enclosures to keep them from striking at the doors when they see movement (at night mostly). They also strike their prey items (F/T) with a gusto I haven't seen in either of my two pythons (BP and Carpet) and rival if not surpass my corn snakes. Boas are large and powerful snakes and even my 400G 2 year old Dwarf BCC strikes harder than any other snake I have except maybe Behira (my 3 1/2 year old female BI). I've been feeding F/T prey on tongs to snakes for 20 years +, but am newer to Boas. I still jump every time any of my snakes strike (). However, the Boas are not for the faint of heart. Having said that, I am not worried about getting bit. Between 2 FT tongs and the Boas good aim, I am okay with that, it just shocks me every time.

I agree with Bogertophis here that you should definitely hold a larger BI to see if it's for you. I've held several adult female BI's (15-20 pounds and about 7ft each) and found them surprisingly docile and easy to handle. However, not for everyone. Additionally, I am sure they pack quite the punch when striking at prey.

I think you should definitely hook train any boa so as not be confused with food. We can help if you are not sure how to do that.

I am planning on getting another Boa (BI) soon and seriously considering a male even though I have a 6X2X1' that can accommodate a female. Not sure how many adult female BI's I want.

[EmiLee]

Thanks for all the input everyone! I decided to go with a Sonoran Boa, as I think I can provide a better life with adequate amount of space for a 5-5.5 foot boa mayyyybe me and my husband will get a full size boa once we move into a larger house one day. However I think this girl will be just enough snake for me to handle as she gets older!