"Larger snake" suggestions?

[WingedWolfPsion]

SD Retics are going to be pretty slender animals, though! Normal retics are very slender....just extremely long, so they wind up huge.

One note on the SD Retics--you will need to hook train them just as you would a mainland retic, because they will try to eat you whenever you open their bin/cage. They aren't aggressive, just perpetually hungry, lol. Once in hand, they're sweet.

[mainbutter]

Something that isn't run of the mill? Olive python. Don't get turned off immediately just because they are "brown-ish", they are a top tier and unique species. Give olive pythons two hours of your time and you just might fall in love with them.

Boelens can get some nice size to them after some years, but still comparable to coastal carpet pythons. I think coastals are overrated with regard to how "big" they get, and on average it seems that the adult boelens I see are bigger than practically all coastals I see. There are issues with acquiring boelens of course, mostly availability (and almost exclusively captive hatched and then exported) and cost (3 grand or so?).

I've never heard anyone call BCCs "run of the mill", considering that known localities can command half a G or more in price for babies. They would be a top choice for me if I wanted a larger snake. Suriname, Guyana, and Peru localities are what I'd be interested in. Pucallpa BCCs are gorgeous, especially the high yellow ones, but Iquitos are a favorite of mine.

Red blood pythons are the bomb, but you are either into them or not. My girl is somewhere between 1-2k grams and an absolute sweety, my favorite to handle.

[DemmBalls]

I love my Super Salmon Boa and my SD Retic. As stated over and over...Boas are a great snake to break into keeping larger snakes. Our is puppy dog tame and has a nice heavy body.

Our SD Retic is AMAZING and full of personality. I don't need a hook to handle her although I have heard from most they should be hook trained. When she is looking for food she will come out of the tub and you better be ready. They may not be the best snake if you are looking for a "Larger" snake though. She is basically a Reticulated Ratsnake in that sense...Long and skinny! Awesome though.

[pigfat]

SD or dwarf Retic! They are super cool and a little more rare than your boa.

[Jason Bowden]

Woma python or a good ole boa. My preference would be a boa.

[mainbutter]

Lots of people are suggesting various retics, but here's my take.

SD retics are small.

Dwarf retics are huge.

Nothing in between if someone is looking for a 20-60lb snake if that's what you're looking for.

[Anatopism]

Longicauda are my favorite boa subspecies!! Possibly one of my favorite snakes ever. I've got a little het anery girl, she's wonderful! But keep in mind longis are very slow growing and are considerably more slender than most other boas.

A few things to keep in mind, briefly...

While I agree that big thick boas are adorable, the 'bread loaf' shape is absolutely not healthy in Colombian boas (Colombian Bci are the 'red tails' you see all the time, though they are actually not red tails, true red tails are Bcc, which are much higher quality and less common). Obesity is a big problem in boas, and a more slender Colombian for the first portion of their lives is the healthiest. If you're going for a super heavy-bodied snake, I'd recommend a more stout boa such as a Bolivian or a Dumerils, or a short tail python (bloods are not the only short tails... Borneo and Sumatran short tail pythons are not quite as common as bloods, that's why I love my Borneo).

If you want to be able to handle the snake alone, Colombian Bci get pretty large; even males have potential. I'm slender and 5'7 as well. I do have a Colombian and she's the sweetest thing, but since she's started getting big I have stopped handling her when I'm the only one home.




I think Bolivian boas (B. c. amarali) are your best bet. They are gorgeous boas for one, uncommon, unique, shorter than Colombians but just as wide.
Some Bca links...
http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/boacamarali/
http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/boas_short.htm

THANK you for the break down of different boas, very helpful. Finally found a website i remember browsing a while back that showed some beautiful snakes, but I couldn't remember the different subspecies/locales - http://www.boasandballs.com/CollectionBoa.html. Are most bolivians as gorgeous as the one listed on their boa page? Are bolivians like the hogg islands or longicaudas, that change color drastically from neonate to adult? Will the parents of a particular hogg/long/bolivian be a fair representation of what a hatchling might look like as an adult, or is it more complicated or random? My biggest concern with any snake that undergoes a color change, is that I have no idea of what it might look like as it ages.

I definitely understand about the bread loaf being too large, but in general, I like the box/square shape compared to the typically rounded tube of python.

[Anatopism]

Something that isn't run of the mill? Olive python. Don't get turned off immediately just because they are "brown-ish", they are a top tier and unique species. Give olive pythons two hours of your time and you just might fall in love with them.

Boelens can get some nice size to them after some years, but still comparable to coastal carpet pythons. I think coastals are overrated with regard to how "big" they get, and on average it seems that the adult boelens I see are bigger than practically all coastals I see. There are issues with acquiring boelens of course, mostly availability (and almost exclusively captive hatched and then exported) and cost (3 grand or so?).

I actually have looked into Olives, and I appreciate their 'subtlety', I just haven't been lucky enough to ever see one in person. As for Boloens.. I LOVE how they look, also haven't seen in person, and haven't worked up the nerve to fork out the money on one.

[fortoday634]

How about a Dumeril's Boa. Males tend to stay around 5/6ft while females grow 6/7ft (sometimes larger) and have the girth you're looking for.

http://www.moonlightboas.com/care-in...care-sheet.php

[fortoday634]

Here's our girl, Tetra. She is pushing 5ft at 2 years old and has the greatest disposition out of all our snakes.