Questions about Hog Island Boas

[RedRabbit]

WrongPython, your Sonoran is SO cute. I remember happily checking in on her progression thread just last week while I was at work, haha.

Luvyna, I think the question of manageable size is a very reasonable concern to have. I've heard a fair number of reptile keepers (both reptile Youtubers and in-person) say that something in the boa constrictor/boa imperator size range is the largest they would consider still being relatively safe for one individual to handle on their own. You'd definitely want someone else present as a spotter once you're talking about the true giants like burms and retics. However, it's all up to your personal comfort level. Sometimes boa breeders at shows will bring an occasional adult boa or two, either to sell or just to showcase one of their breeding pairs; if you happen to be attending another expo in the future, perhaps it would be helpful to take a look at one of those, to get a sense of actual size scale, and ask if the breeder has time and is willing to demonstrate how it handles? Q's breeder actually had a 4-year-old male boa imperator at his table, so when I asked what I could roughly expect Q's adult size to be, he just pointed at that fella, haha.

Some rather ugly but hopefully entertaining pictures incoming! These are just from me coming home from work at whatever hour in the evening, seeing a boa pose that made me chuckle, and snapping a photo, in dim lamp lighting and through the hazy sides of their plastic tubs.

First, a demonstration of Gen's love-hate relationship with his Acurite:

"This is nice. I shall cuddle with it."



"Never mind. Perish, wretch."



And next we have a collage of Q's considerable acrobatic skills. While most of the time he sleeps IN his tree hollow, there have also been at least a few instances of him falling asleep wedged on top of the tree, or nestled near the "ceiling" of his tub, or who knows where else. For the record, he has zero objections to striking and eating from any of these awkward positions, including when suspended in midair.



He makes an excellent suspension bridge.