Quote Originally Posted by PocketPirate View Post
Billy I'm almost in the same boat you are, so thank you for making this thread and thank everyone else for providing so much great insight.

I mean I'm only just about to get my first BP, and afterward maybe I'll get a corn snake, but I've always been fascinated by how beautiful the boas are, so much so that I've contemplated getting one in a few years once I have gained enough experience. The size of BCC's has always intimidated me though, and I've been apprehensive about eventually getting a true BCC to the point of maybe considering only a BCI male. However this thread is really informative and made me feel better about them overall, so hopefully in a few years I too can appreciate the wonders that are boas. They are truly beautiful snakes and I've heard they have much more developed personalities than BPs. I hope one day I can have one of my own!
I agree that ball pythons are amazing animals. But it's interesting how people consider them to be a starter snake over a boa. While their size stays smaller, IMO they are much trickier to house and feed as a first time herper. BPs are notoriously picky eaters and get stressed out on a whim, sometimes from ridiculously small things. On the other hand boas are voracious feeders, and are much hardier when it comes to caging and husbandry. If you can accommodate the size, boas are great as a first snake.