Dumeril's Boa?

[JoshSloane]

Oooh, the super show? Jealous! I so want to go, but I can't!

I've seen some Dumeril's at expos before. Just something to consider... you're still pretty new to owning snakes, it seems. You just got Cake recently, didn't you? These boas get fairly large, and are very strong (I've seen adult females in person and handled them). Do you really think you're ready for that kind of step up? If I were you, I would stick to the ball pythons for a bit. I truly think you should take a step back and think a little more before you get another snake, especially something with the potential to grow so large. Another thing... do you have the means to do a proper quarantine? I know you got your first ball python recently, and buying more snakes right now without a proper quarantine is not the best idea. A new owner shouldn't have to deal with RIs or mites in all of their snakes, so quarantine is incredibly important. Why not stick to owning ball pythons for a few months before you do anything more? I see no problem with getting a few more balls if you quarantine. You're still getting used to the behavior of a ball python from the looks of things. I will be the first to admit I expanded my collection a bit too quickly, and I had a few headaches as a result. Everything ended up being resolved, but the added stress is not fun. There are advantages to staying small for a bit. You can reduce feeding costs and really get to know your animals. If you're absolutely sure you're ready and you quarantine, I won't try to stop you from expanding your collection. I just feel like you should think about this a little bit first.

It's never a bad idea to move slowly into large constrictors. That being said, if you believe that you can manage the size increase, I'm sure you would do just fine with a boa. It takes at least 3-4 years before boas achieve large adult sizes. IMO this gives you plenty of time to learn the snakes personality, habits, and grow yourself as a large snake herper. In my entire collection over the years, my boas have always been the most pleasant to own. They are always the most consistent eaters, tolerant of handling and healthy. Just be prepared that in a few years you will need to provide at minimum a 4x2x1 enclosure for them as adults, and be feeding jumbo rats, maybe rabbits. If you can handle the size parameters and feeding, you will do just fine. There is a big difference between jumping from bps to a boa, and going from a bp to a burm or retic.