What to get - BI - Male or Female?

[dakski]

As many of you know, I re-homed Toref, my problem child Dwarf Monitor.

That leaves me with a free 4X2' tank.

I had considered getting a Hermann's Tortoise or Jeweled Lacerta for that tank, but I think I am going to stick with what I know and get another Boa (BI). Shayna, my BP, is in a 6X2X1' because I have a tower and that's where i put her, but she can comfortably go in the 4X2' I have free and therefore have room for another BI at full size.

All my tanks are Boaphiles and Jeff Ronne (the Boaphile) and I have become friends over the past year or so. He often sends me pictures of animals I drool over, but either he isn't selling, or are out of my price range, or both .

When I first fell in love with Boas, I wanted a sunglow. I ended up getting Behira (and have zero regrets - although Ghost is about as far from a sunglow as you get) and adore her. Then I had a 4X2' free and I bought Feliz, a dwarf BCC and a male. Feliz will stay small and Katie liked that. He is also a BCC, which I always wanted, but a rare dwarf species, and he rocks.

I like the idea of something different, but I have room for one more animal and Katie and I agreed 13 is the limit due to space and time. Additionally, Boas are a known quantity and easy in terms of time and I find them awesome and rewarding.

Okay, so what Boa am I getting and male or female?

Jeff just had a litter of Lipstick Sunglow Motleys (Hypo, Kahl Albino, Jungle, and Motley). I have (basically) my pick of the litter. There is one male and he is stunning, but Jeff is going to send pictures of the females, who he says are, in general, nicer looks wise. He says the whole litter is pretty chill and eating well.

The question is do I want a male, a female, or just get the nicest one color and temperament wise?

Feliz will be small, Behira will be BIG, and if I get a male he will be in between. Do I want another 7-8FT animal that's girthy?

My inclination is get the male if he's chill, but the idea of nice and big female Lipstick Sunglow sounds amazing and beautiful too.

So, what should I get (and I will post pictures soon)? A Male BI, a female BI, or get the best looking one with the best personality?

[Kam]

The best looking one with the best personality.


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[Bogertophis]

I can't speak for you, but personally I'd get the male. He'll be a better fit for both you & Katie, & you'll be glad for that when you have some not-so-great days.

[AbsoluteApril]

Jeff just had a litter of Lipstick Sunglow Motleys (Hypo, Kahl Albino, Jungle, and Motley).

Where'd the jungle come from or are you saying he had lipstick sunglow jungle motleys?

So, what should I get (and I will post pictures soon)? A Male BI, a female BI, or get the best looking one with the best personality?

Personally, I'd go with the best looking and temperament combo regardless of sex.
Looking forward to the pics!

[richardhind1972]

Hi dave
I'd go for what ever one you like the look of most
Especially if your not thinking of breeding in the future, if you are then I'd go with the male just incase, the males should stay fairly small compared to an adult female especially if fed correctly like I know you do
I know Katie's isn't Keen on the larger snakes so the male also may be a better option.
I'd wait for the pics to all come thru then make your decision after that, once you have the bigger picture in front of you.

Can't wait to see what you choose.
You know they will be great genetics from Ron regardless which you choose.


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[dakski]

The best looking one with the best personality.

Thanks Kam!


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I can't speak for you, but personally I'd get the male. He'll be a better fit for both you & Katie, & you'll be glad for that when you have some not-so-great days.

That's a good point Bogertophis. I cannot argue it, and the male looks stunning, but I haven't seen the females yet . If I cannot tell a difference really, and the male is chill, you make a lot of sense.

Where'd the jungle come from or are you saying he had lipstick sunglow jungle motleys?

Thanks for asking for Clarification. I thought Lipstick was Jungle and Sunglow. My bad.

He (the male I saw, and I believe the females are the same) is a Kahl Albino, Hypo, Jungle, Motley. 4 genes.


Personally, I'd go with the best looking and temperament combo regardless of sex.
Looking forward to the pics!

He says the male is chill, but he's going to handle the females as well and compare and contrast. If there's a noticeable difference, personality wins every time for me.

Hi dave
I'd go for what ever one you like the look of most
Especially if your not thinking of breeding in the future, if you are then I'd go with the male just incase, the males should stay fairly small compared to an adult female especially if fed correctly like I know you do
I know Katie's isn't Keen on the larger snakes so the male also may be a better option.
I'd wait for the pics to all come thru then make your decision after that, once you have the bigger picture in front of you.

Can't wait to see what you choose.
You know they will be great genetics from Ron regardless which you choose.


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Katie says I can get whatever I want. She prefers the best personality animal, regardless of ultimate size. However, if there's no difference, I think she would want the male.

Having said that, I slow grow my boas. Feliz at 2 years old (dwarf BCC, but still) is 400G and Behira (BI Ghost Female) is 1,650G at almost 3 1/2 years old. So we would have time to adjust. Further, the way I feed, and not expecting to feed anything bigger than a large rat (I'll adjust duration if necessary over larger prey), I don't expect a female to be more than 7FT or so (max 8FT) and 12-15 pounds. I know people who get their males close to that weight or above. I plan to be very disciplined.

I've handled 15-20 pound females, but I've never had one, and there's probably a big difference.



Here is the male in question.



Not sure if what Jeff means by nicer females. I notice a slight aberration on his tail pattern, but that doesn't bother me. I think it's kind of neat. I'll ask for clarification about the differences between the male and females. To me, this guy is stunning. He's young now and will color up more.

[richardhind1972]

That's a good point Bogertophis. I cannot argue it, and the male looks stunning, but I haven't seen the females yet . If I cannot tell a difference really, and the male is chill, you make a lot of sense.



He says the male is chill, but he's going to handle the females as well and compare and contrast. If there's a noticeable difference, personality wins every time for me.



Katie says I can get whatever I want. She prefers the best personality animal, regardless of ultimate size. However, if there's no difference, I think she would want the male.

Having said that, I slow grow my boas. Feliz at 2 years old (dwarf BCC, but still) is 400G and Behira (BI Ghost Female) is 1,650G at almost 3 1/2 years old. So we would have time to adjust. Further, the way I feed, and not expecting to feed anything bigger than a large rat (I'll adjust duration if necessary over larger prey), I don't expect a female to be more than 7FT or so (max 8FT) and 12-15 pounds. I know people who get their males close to that weight or above. I plan to be very disciplined.

I've handled 15-20 pound females, but I've never had one, and there's probably a big difference.



Here is the male in question.



Not sure if what Jeff means by nicer females. I notice a slight aberration on his tail pattern, but that doesn't bother me. I think it's kind of neat. I'll ask for clarification about the differences between the male and females. To me, this guy is stunning. He's young now and will color up more.

He's absolutely stunning dave,wow

The lipstick is a line bred albino line bred for amazing coloured sides(coralation) and brightness
The junglows are jungle sunglows
With all them genes with the lipstick albino and jungle in there, he should maintain some amazing colour and should only get brighter
Good luck with your decision, I'm sure you will choose wisely
Can't wait to see which you choose

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[Craiga 01453]

Hey Dave. "Knowing" you the way I think I do I'm almost willing to bet you'll go for temperament first and the rest is secondary.

If it were me, that's what I'd be doing too. I think that's where your heart of hearts lands. You're a smart guy who puts lots of thought and diligence into your decisions.

I look at it this way...

Male or female? It sounds like you don't "really" have a preference. And when it comes down to it, you grow them out slow and the size difference isn't a deal maker or breaker...

Best looking? Well, let's be honest...they're ALL going to be gorgeous animals, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So I don't think you can go wrong any which way.

Best temperament? This is the only variable (IMO) that will truly seperate one from the pack.

In 5 years you'll be happy you picked the "sweetheart" of the group. You won't be thinking "this snake is so sweet, I love him/her so much, but that other one was a tiny bit prettier".

I guess my point is, with looks the difference is miniscule... With gender the difference is subtle especially grown out over years...
While temperament can be worked with, isn't their personality what truly makes us love the animals?


Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong any which way. But my gut tells me you'll go for temperament.

Good luck, I'll be excited to see what you choose!!!

[EL-Ziggy]

That male is smokin hott Dave! I'd be curious to see the better looking females. Ultimately, I'd go with the critter that looks the best and has a good temperament. I'm sure you'll pick a show stopper. 😀

[dakski]

He's absolutely stunning dave,wow

The lipstick is a line bred albino line bred for amazing coloured sides(coralation) and brightness
The junglows are jungle sunglows
With all them genes with the lipstick albino and jungle in there, he should maintain some amazing colour and should only get brighter
Good luck with your decision, I'm sure you will choose wisely
Can't wait to see which you choose

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Thank you again for your thoughts, Rich. He is Lipstick as well as the Motley, Sunglow (Kahl), and Jungle. Should be very "red" when older. I will definitely keep you in the loop.

Hey Dave. "Knowing" you the way I think I do I'm almost willing to bet you'll go for temperament first and the rest is secondary.

If it were me, that's what I'd be doing too. I think that's where your heart of hearts lands. You're a smart guy who puts lots of thought and diligence into your decisions.

I look at it this way...

Male or female? It sounds like you don't "really" have a preference. And when it comes down to it, you grow them out slow and the size difference isn't a deal maker or breaker...

Best looking? Well, let's be honest...they're ALL going to be gorgeous animals, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So I don't think you can go wrong any which way.

Best temperament? This is the only variable (IMO) that will truly seperate one from the pack.

In 5 years you'll be happy you picked the "sweetheart" of the group. You won't be thinking "this snake is so sweet, I love him/her so much, but that other one was a tiny bit prettier".

I guess my point is, with looks the difference is miniscule... With gender the difference is subtle especially grown out over years...
While temperament can be worked with, isn't their personality what truly makes us love the animals?


Anyway, I don't think you can go wrong any which way. But my gut tells me you'll go for temperament.

Good luck, I'll be excited to see what you choose!!!

Craig,

Thank you for the thoughtful and thorough response. I greatly appreciate it.

That male is smokin hott Dave! I'd be curious to see the better looking females. Ultimately, I'd go with the critter that looks the best and has a good temperament. I'm sure you'll pick a show stopper. 😀

I know, "smokin." I'll see what else he shows me, but I am thinking temperament and personality are the #1 requirement. That has been said here a lot and I tend to agree. I'll show pics as soon as I get them.

Thank you!