Thinking of getting a boa

[Kyle1989]

If been wanting a Columbian red tail boa for sometime now and soon the time might be right. Can I keep it in the same room as my ball pythons. What size cage would I need for lets say a ten foot girl and once it got that how many rats would I have to feed it. Would it be safe that size to handle it myself I think it would since I'm 6.6 and 350ish pounds.

[shorty54]

Get it......as far as in the same room with a BP. I don't think that would be a issue as long as they where in their own enclosure! I want another Boa! But, my wife really doesn't like snakes so me getting into BP's is a BIG step! But, I had a RTB I had to get rid of because of her fear of such a big snake! My female was around 7 foot! I miss her! LOL! Wifey doesn't want anything in the house bigger than her! Guess being 4'11" 100 lbs makes a lot of stuff bigger than her!!!!!

[Wh00h0069]

You should. I love boas. I used to keep ball pythons, but have sold all but one off, and and now raising / breeding boas. Colombians are great. They get large, but manageable. My adults range from 5.5 to 8 feet. As babies, you want to feed them weekly; sub-adults, every ten days; and adults, every fourteen to twenty-one days, depending on how large the meal is. You should always only feed them one meal of the appropriate size. My sub-adults and adults are all very docile. The babies, on the other hand, can be a little nippy. Yes, they can be kept in the same room as balls, or any other snake. They do, however, require their own enclosures. I hope this helps.

[brian abrams]

At your size, you have nothing to fear! If you want a good "intro" into boas; why not start with a dwarf boa? I myself prefer Cay Caulkers, but there a a # of them out there that max out at 6.5 feet or less. The only downside with dwarfs is their "nippy" reputations.

[JLC]

I don't think their size or handle-ability should be an issue for you. As far as keeping a boa in the same room as your balls....I'd QT the heck out of it first. For at least three months. And I'd probably seriously consider getting an inexpensive normal ball python to keep in an enclosure right next to the boa's QT. This is because even after three months, a boa may show no signs of carrying IBD, but you don't want to risk exposing your ball pythons to that....even if the risk of it being there is very small.

If you expose one ball python to the boas environment (not the same enclosure!)....and it survives without any ill effects for three months...then you can be pretty confident that the rest of your balls would be safe in the same room with it.

This may be a case of my over-protective-motherhood-self being extra cautious...but I couldn't let a thread like this go by without mentioning these cautions. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

[Kyle1989]

I don't think their size or handle-ability should be an issue for you. As far as keeping a boa in the same room as your balls....I'd QT the heck out of it first. For at least three months. And I'd probably seriously consider getting an inexpensive normal ball python to keep in an enclosure right next to the boa's QT. This is because even after three months, a boa may show no signs of carrying IBD, but you don't want to risk exposing your ball pythons to that....even if the risk of it being there is very small.

If you expose one ball python to the boas environment (not the same enclosure!)....and it survives without any ill effects for three months...then you can be pretty confident that the rest of your balls would be safe in the same room with it.

This may be a case of my over-protective-motherhood-self being extra cautious...but I couldn't let a thread like this go by without mentioning these cautions. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

I don't like the idea of using one of my balls as a guinea pig I'll just keep it in a different room for 6 to 8 months.

[Austin236]

I don't like the idea of using one of my balls as a guinea pig I'll just keep it in a different room for 6 to 8 months.

I agree.

[JLC]

I don't like the idea of using one of my balls as a guinea pig I'll just keep it in a different room for 6 to 8 months.

Of course you should do whatever you think is best. And 6-8 months is a good long time. But here's my thinking about the matter. With boas, they can carry the disease without showing any symptoms...even for that long. So....either one python is the "guinea pig"...or they all are, when you move the boa into its permanent quarters in the python room.

Of course, IBD is not nearly so common as all the talk we hear about it would indicate. If you buy from a well known, very reputable breeder, the risks you run at bringing in this kind of disease is extremely small. Just be careful who you buy from.

[Kyle1989]

Of course you should do whatever you think is best. And 6-8 months is a good long time. But here's my thinking about the matter. With boas, they can carry the disease without showing any symptoms...even for that long. So....either one python is the "guinea pig"...or they all are, when you move the boa into its permanent quarters in the python room.

Of course, IBD is not nearly so common as all the talk we hear about it would indicate. If you buy from a well known, very reputable breeder, the risks you run at bringing in this kind of disease is extremely small. Just be careful who you buy from.

Ya will do so who are some good breeders in Canada

[jjmitchell]

I don't think their size or handle-ability should be an issue for you. As far as keeping a boa in the same room as your balls....I'd QT the heck out of it first. For at least three months. And I'd probably seriously consider getting an inexpensive normal ball python to keep in an enclosure right next to the boa's QT. This is because even after three months, a boa may show no signs of carrying IBD, but you don't want to risk exposing your ball pythons to that....even if the risk of it being there is very small.

If you expose one ball python to the boas environment (not the same enclosure!)....and it survives without any ill effects for three months...then you can be pretty confident that the rest of your balls would be safe in the same room with it.

This may be a case of my over-protective-motherhood-self being extra cautious...but I couldn't let a thread like this go by without mentioning these cautions. Good luck with whatever you choose to do!

x2 beat me to it.... Quarantine is verry important