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  1. #1
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    I really want to get into big snakes in a few years, so, I have been reading up, for several months, on how to prepare for getting a giant snake. From what I have read most people believe that it is best to start off with a "medium" sized snake, and many of them suggested getting a bcc. So, I started researching bcc boas and some how stumbled upon carpet pythons, which seemed to fit what I was looking for. I love both of these types of snakes! However, I do let people handle my animals so the deciding factor is... which species has a better temperament?

  2. #2
    BPnet Lifer EL-Ziggy's Avatar
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    That's a very tough choice!! I love carpets and boas. You can't go wrong with either snake. Temperament wise all of mine are pretty mellow but both species can be a little fiesty as hatchlings. Many of the world's largest snakes are pythons, but if you're looking for the one that'll give you more of a "big snake" feel, I'd probably go with a boa. They're more of a heavy bodied snake and carpets are more slender. A 6ft boa and a 6ft carpet are two different beasts. I also think the boa is a better choice if multiple people will be handling the snake. They move a little slower and aren't as active during handling as most carpets are. I have two large python species and one large boa constrictor.
    3.0 Carpet Pythons, 1.1 Bullsnakes
    1.0 Olive Python 1.0 Scrub Python,
    1.0 BI, 0.1 BCO

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  4. #3
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Re: Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    Thanks El-Ziggy! Hopefully, I will own both one day.

  5. #4
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    I have 3 boas and one carpet python.

    Two of the boas I have are BI's (Boa Imperator) which make up 99% of the morphs out there, and one is a Dwarf BC (Boa Constrictor - or true red tail).

    Not sure when you said BCC what exactly you meant. For several years the columbian boas (again pretty much all morphs) have been called BI's, not BCI's anymore. Some locales of true red tails, now called BC's, can get larger than the average BI, but a lot with both depends on feeding. Less is more with boas, but we can get more into that later.

    Not trying to be condescending, I just want to be clear if you are looking for a Boa, like a BI, or you definitely want a larger locale boa (as opposed to most dwarf species that are technically BI's but are also often sold by locale and not morphs) life a Suriname BC. There are also other boas, as EL-Ziggy can attest too, such as BCO - Argentine Boa, that I believe are their own subspecies and not technically a BC, but anyway, I've digressed and I am beyond my area of expertise.

    In any event, if you are talking Boa vs. Carpet Python, here are my thoughts keeping both. If you want my credentials, look up Behira, Feliz, and Jeff Shemesh for boas, and Yafe for CP, under advanced search "titles" and my user name, "dakski" or ask and I'll happily post links.

    Boa Pros:

    -If fed correctly they are, as you said, medium snakes, with females generally being a bit heavier bodied. Despite being a medium snake, they are generally so calm and docile that one person can handle them. Rule of thumb in general is over 8FT = two people. Most Boas, even female BI's and BC's, will max out about there if fed properly and it will take years. However, having handled 10+ year old and properly fed female boas, they can be handled by one adult. Doesn't hurt to have someone near by during feeding or handling, but in general, they are much easier than a retic of the same size. Males are usually thiner bodied and even easier for one person to handle.

    -They virtually never skip a meal and will eat anything, live, F/T, mouse, rat, rabbit, chick, etc.

    -Takes a long time to reach adult size - so you can grow with them and really get to know each other.

    -Babies can be nippy, but often are not, and 98% grow out of it with consistent and gentle handling. Having said that, I have hook trained all my boas (fierce food drive) and my carpet python.

    -Beautiful snakes and often like being (at least partially) out of their hides, so you can see them when you are not handling them.

    -Back to demeanor and temperament. They are really chill animals. They also know they are big and really tend not to get defensive (much more likely to take a food bite than a defensive bite from an adult boa - hence hook training). This also makes them good when others are around or handling them.

    For example, my Mother, who used to be terrified of snakes, hold Behira, my almost 4 year old 5 1/2 foot boa at over 4 pounds. She will hold Yafe, my 500G/1.2 pound carpet python at 4 ft, but gets nervous with him as he's very active and sometimes a little darty. Neither has ever attempted a bite once tapped by the hook and out of the tank. Behira nailed me as a young thing as a food response. That's when I started hook training religiously.

    -Don't need a tall cage for them, but they will use climbing space.

    Boa Cons:

    -Need big tanks as adults. 4X2' is a minimum for an adult male BI and 5X2 or 6X2' is needed for a female. I keep my female BI (Behira) in a 6X2' as well as Jeff (male BI). My dwarf BC (Feliz) would do fine in a 4X2', which he is in currently, but I am moving him to a 6X2' anyway. They will use the space as they are active and like to explore and move around different temperature zones.

    -Humidity is important, but this really isn't a con unless you are an inexperienced keeper.

    -Fierce food drive. Can be scary at first, but again, not really a con. I'd rather have a ferocious eater who needs to be hook trained, but it is a puppy dog the rest of the time, then a snake that doesn't eat regularly.

    -See above. VERY IMPORTANT to feed appropriately and slow grow boa(s). They will get fat quickly and it will greatly shorten their lifespan and hurt their quality of life.

    -Takes them years (5-6) reach adult size and they will grow their entire lives. A properly fed female BI might be 6 1/2 - 7FT at 6 years or so and then 8 FT at 15 years.

    Onto Carpet Pythons

    Carpet Python Pros:

    -Beautiful animals that can easily be used as a display animal. They like being perched or peaking out.

    -Once they outgrow the nippy stage (which Yafe never really had - although he's still a hisser when you wake him up, he's all hiss and no bite) they are pretty docile. They are active and like to move around, but even a larger Carpet Python (Yafe is not - he's an IJ/Darwin mix so he'll max out about 5 to 5 1/2 feet) is manageable. Active snakes often seemingly have a lot of personality, and if you believe that, Carpet Pythons are more interesting than a Boa.

    -Good eaters (F/T is rarely an issue, but the prey needs to be warmed up adequately to stimulate a good food response).

    -Still haven't caught on as mainstream snakes IMO. They are unusual and really cool animals (and who doesn't love heat pits?????).

    -The smaller carpets do not need big cages. An IJ or a Darwin could live in a 3X2X1.5' tank. They do like height and the more the better. However, they don't need a ton. Yafe lives in a 4X2X1.5' cage with two perches (front and back with the back being a little higher). As long as they can look down and hunt down, they are happy. I also have his tank 4 feet off the ground so he can really look down into the room as well, although I do not know if this matters to him or not. Perches = happy carpets.

    Carpet Python Cons:

    -Active can equal unsettling for some as can their (often) nippy nature as youngsters. I know Yafe well enough to know active doesn't equal defensive/bitey. Same with my corn snakes. Yes, he can get startled and is more head shy than my boas, but my BP, Shayna is the same way, and the worst either do if they get spooked is pull back. Still, where a boa will look at you ("really dad?") as you touch it's head or gently move away (not recommending with a snake you do not know but after years of handling Behira and Feliz they will let me stroke their head or under their chin - more to show people how docile they are than as a general practice), a carpet python darting in another direction or pulling back quickly can startle some people.

    -Need taller cages and big cages if you are getting a larger species.

    -Can go off food. However, if you keep BP's, that's hardly a deal breaker.

    -Can fixate on certain food items. Try to switch from mice to rats ASAP. Having said that, F/T is not normally an issue as stated above.

    -I've heard (and experienced) that they can be more sensitive to temperature and humidity changes and not being in range than some other species, especially boas. Yafe was lost by fedex and when I got him, at a year or so old and about 110G (not tiny and seemingly fragile), he had an RI within 24 hours. It took a long time and a lot of money to cure him. I've heard other stories from people with Carpets. I believe Clint, of Clint's Reptiles on youtube, adopted a Jungle Carpet and almost lost it 2 weeks later having developed an RI in quarantine.

    For this reason alone, I consider them an intermediate species. For what's it's worth, Boas are too, but that's due to size and food response, not susceptibility to illness.

    Of course abusing any animal and not giving him/her a proper environment is not something I condone. I've just experienced and read that boas are pretty adaptable comparatively.

    Bottom line:

    Yafe, my CP, is an awesome display snake. He's great to handle and only misses a meal (so far) in shed. It's also awesome to see him strike down from a perch, grab his prey, and pull it up coiled and eat it while hanging. He's also gorgeous. Striking markings and striking colors. We also have a special bond having nursed him back to health and watched him grow.

    Having said that, there's a reason I have 3 boas. I love them. Great balance of size, awesome temperament, and active but really chill when out. They also come in any color or pattern you can imagine, but aside from that, they are just great snakes. Behira, my first Boa, is a Ghost morph, and if you see my collection, she sticks out like a sore thumb - Anery and Hypo means no red, reduced pattern, etc. Most of my other animals are very bright and colorful with strong patterns. However, of all my animals, Behira is probably my favorite. She's my first Boa and we have a special rapport. I love her because of her personality (not that she isn't beautiful - just in a more subtle way than most of my other reptiles) and her easy going nature.

    The one final thought I had is that I am not sure which snake would prepare you for a GIANT Python down the road. A large boa will give you more of the size idea, but not really close. A Male burmese is going be substantially heavier than even a large female BI (again, not obese). A female, forget about it, not even close. Retics are incredibly active and again, will be much more to handle.

    I do think a Boa has a greater chance to satisfy your craving for a large snake than a carpet python, but that's just a hunch.

    Anyway, we are here to help, so feel free to ask any follow up questions.

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  7. #5
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Re: Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    Thank you so much for the detailed response! What I meant by BCC, was the boas classified as "true red-tailed", Suriname, Guyana, Peruvian red tailed, etc... I didn't realize that they are now called BCs.

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  9. #6
    BPnet Lifer dakski's Avatar
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    Re: Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    Quote Originally Posted by Reptile$ 4 Life View Post
    Thank you so much for the detailed response! What I meant by BCC, was the boas classified as "true red-tailed", Suriname, Guyana, Peruvian red tailed, etc... I didn't realize that they are now called BCs.
    No problem.

    Most of the true red tails (BC's) are similarly tempered/have a similar demeanor to BI's. My Dwarf BC is similarly docile to my 2 BI's, but a little grippier. Having said that, could just be a personality thing. I've held a 6+ FT male Suriname and can say they are stunning snakes as adults and this guy was calm as can be.

    Make sure you do your locale research on the BC's you want. BI's tend to be a little more tolerant of lower humidity than many of the locale BC's, but again, that's something someone keeping an intermediate species should be ready for. Also, locality in BC's can determine ultimate adult size to an extent, as can feeding regiment.

    I've heard that with BI's, slow growing is best, but with BC's, slower growing than even BI's is better.

    So, take everything I said about BI's and apply it BC's except adjust for size, humidity, and slower growth.

    Good luck on your search and keep us posted.

  10. #7
    Registered User Reptile$ 4 Life's Avatar
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    Re: Carpet Python or BCC Red-Tailed Boa

    I held a 6-7 ft Suriname female at the last reptile expo I went to, and need less to say it was amazing. She was gorgeous, and had lots of pink blushing on the sides, which he told me was fairly common in Suriname. I don't know if that's the case but it surely made her one in impressive snake. I am thinking of either getting a Suriname or a Peruvian, but I will probably wait to get one until this COVID thing clears up.

    Thanks for all the info!

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