considering a boa

[hornsrule]

i've been starting to get more and more interested in boas, but have had a little bit of trouble finding all the information i want. particularly i have been looking at BCIs, and hogg island boas. i know both of them would be a decent first boa, but wondered who some of the better breeders to contact would be. also, i was wondering if anybody has opinions or knows anything about the nicaraguan and suriname boas. any weblinks, comments or breeder pages are greatly appreciated. thanks guys

[Shelby]

Nicaraguans tend to be duller in color and pattern than colombians. They are also known to be nippy. They are typically smaller than colombians.

Surinames are BCC boas. They get bigger than colombians. They also tend to have bright red tails that stay with them through adulthood (unlike colombians which brown out normally) BCC require more exact husbandry than BCI. Temps and humidity should be right on. Babies are usually more shy and take longer to settle in. You really don't want to feed a young suri a large meal, as they are prone to regurgitation.

I have three suris and I LOVE them. Hard to beat the beauty.

[hornsrule]

do hogg island boas tend to keep their color as they age or do they lose it like Columbians? I am not sure if i want something that gets too large, about how large are your suris? and do you know of any good boa breeder sites i can browse around on? thanks alot

[Shelby]

My hogg island boa: They keep color very very well. She will get a big bigger.





My baby female suri



My male suri. He will get quite a bit bigger.



My female suri. She could also get bigger. They usually do not top 10'. She's around 7-8' now. Haven't had the chance to measure her yet. Her tail is brighter red than it appears in this picture, but she is a dark suri.

[Shelby]

Forgot to add:

Some sites to check out. I have not bought from any of these people, so I don't know how good any of them are, but they are nice resources: http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/

http://www.millerreptiles.com/

http://ectothermics.com/html/Boas.htm

http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/com.html

http://www.allboas.com/

[JLC_in_Tucson]

April, your snakes are just fabulous!!! Suri's are my favorite boa and I do hope to have one or two in the distant future.


BCI's are also wonderful snakes to handle....which is all I've ever done, so I can't speak for how great they are to raise, but everything I've read and heard gives them a huge thumb's up.

[Shelby]

Thank you. I hope they will someday give me babies as beautiful as they are.

BCI are wonderful to have around too.

[hornsrule]

thanks april. the pics were a big help. i knew the hoggs would be a size that wouldnt bother me but not sure if i want something quite as big as those suri's. i've been getting more and more interested in boas lately. ill keep you posted as to what i decide.