Carpets, nice and slender, don't weigh near as much as boas. But still not always the most comfortable handling(sometimes they like to swing, very rare but they will bite if you don't hold them just right) whereas a boa is much heavier bodied but a little more comfortable with handling. Alot slower moving usually which makes for a slightly easier handling. A bite from either would suck, but a boa even moreso in my opinion. But I think they would be less likely to bite, especially as baby. Baby carpets can be downright nasty for nipping, but they are so small it usually just bounces off with very little if any blood. A baby boa bite is more like a baby bp bite. Bigger head, bigger teeth,bigger bite. But far less likely to bite I think. Could go with a smaller species of boa to compensate for the extra weight(hogg islands are amazing) but even an adult carpet can be a dream to handle as well. It's all what you want, and technically, nothing stopping you from getting the other later on! Best of luck! ~Caylan.S.~