What should I get? (thinking of picking up a boa this weekend)

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Ive been wanting a boa for a while now and Ive been thinking about it a lot lately. Im not sure weather to get a male or female, and I was thinking of getting a hypo, or an albino. (depending on the prices out there).

Which comes to whats a good price for hypos and albinos? Ive seen some albino males on kingsnake for around 200, same with females.

Hypos ive seen from $70-150+

But at the same time Im kind of also just thinking about getting a nice little normal, and saving my self a good chunk of money. I know I can get one really cheap, but I also think that I might regret not getting a morph later on, if I ever decide I want to breed them?

Any ideas? I know I ALMOST bought a normal boa a few months ago when I was at a show, I went there thinking of buying one, or a pastel BP, but they had some really good looking normals, the tail colors were great.

... This is a longer post than I expected to make...

ALSO, about the male female thing, Im worried if I get a male it will end up being on the small side or if I get a female it will be to big...

And what size enclosure they will need eventually? I have a 50g long aquarium I could probably use by the time it gets big enough. Right now I have a lot of vacant aquariums lol...

[Kyle1989]

http://www.redtailboas.com/general_c...eral_care.html

it's a great site for boas

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Not much new there...


What about IBD and my BP?

[Kyle1989]

Boa's can carry it for like 6 or more months and not show any symptoms I don't like it but if you have a big collection you might consider Quarantine it with one bp for 3-4 months with the tanks side by side if the bp is fine after that you can put it with the rest of your bps.

[Wh00h0069]

If I were first starting out with boas, I would go with an albino or a salmon. Salmons are normally around $100 and albinos $250. Males do stay quite a bit smaller than females, but both will grow depending on how you feed them. Males are normally around 5.5 - 6 feet and females around 7 - 8 feet. Females are much thicker, however. It is really up to you to determine which size you want. I personally like the females better, because of their size.

It is possible that your boa could have IBD, just as it is possible with pythons. However, pythons die much more quickly than boas. Buy from a reputable breeder to be on the safe side. It may also be a good idea to buy from a breeder who breeds both pythons and boas. If their boas had IBD, their pythons would have died.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

If I were first starting out with boas, I would go with an albino or a salmon. Salmons are normally around $100 and albinos $250. Males do stay quite a bit smaller than females, but both will grow depending on how you feed them. Males are normally around 5.5 - 6 feet and females around 7 - 8 feet. Females are much thicker, however. It is really up to you to determine which size you want. I personally like the females better, because of their size.

It is possible that your boa could have IBD, just as it is possible with pythons. However, pythons die much more quickly than boas. Buy from a reputable breeder to be on the safe side. It may also be a good idea to buy from a breeder who breeds both pythons and boas. If their boas had IBD, their pythons would have died.

I think I might get a female in that case. I have a female bp which I expect will get near 4 feet, and I want a boa that is quite bigger, and 5-6 feet isnt much difference.

Im not sure about getting a morph still, I like hypos some what but im not sure if I want to spend the extra money for something that I dont see as much different than a normal, where as albino is way different.

Kinda like how I dont like many BP's that have dark colorings or similar patterns to normals...

I will deffinatley look for someone who breeds pythons as well. Couldnt that pose a risk at a reptile show if someone had boas with balls, or does it take a while for them to actually catch it?

- I was thinking maybe look for het normals? Its kind of half way, save some money but still have better odds if I ever decide to breed. Im still not sure if I ever would breed them. Right now I dont really have any desire to breed boas....

[Wh00h0069]

I think I might get a female in that case. I have a female bp which I expect will get near 4 feet, and I want a boa that is quite bigger, and 5-6 feet isnt much difference.

Im not sure about getting a morph still, I like hypos some what but im not sure if I want to spend the extra money for something that I dont see as much different than a normal, where as albino is way different.

Kinda like how I dont like many BP's that have dark colorings or similar patterns to normals...

I will deffinatley look for someone who breeds pythons as well. Couldnt that pose a risk at a reptile show if someone had boas with balls, or does it take a while for them to actually catch it?

- I was thinking maybe look for het normals? Its kind of half way, save some money but still have better odds if I ever decide to breed. Im still not sure if I ever would breed them. Right now I dont really have any desire to breed boas....

Although normals and hypos may not look that different as babies, they look way different as adults. Here is a picture of my adult female het coral albino:



Compared to my adult male salmon het albino:



If you are into morphs, I highly suggest paying the little extra. I normally sell my hets / normals for 40 - 50, and my hypos for 100 - 150, so it is not really that much difference. I love my salmon's colors, and most people that come to check out the collection comment on his color's as well.

I do not know too much about IBD, since I have never had that or know anyone that has had that in their collection. However, from what I read, it is normally spread through husbandry; such as, using the same feeding tongs from a snake with IBD and one without. I have also heard mites can carry IBD from one snake to the next. I personally do not take my snakes to reptile shows because of reasons such as this. I also do not buy snakes from reptile shows.

I hope this helps.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

Although normals and hypos may not look that different as babies, they look way different as adults. Here is a picture of my adult female het coral albino:



Compared to my adult male salmon het albino:



If you are into morphs, I highly suggest paying the little extra. I normally sell my hets / normals for 40 - 50, and my hypos for 100 - 150, so it is not really that much difference. I love my salmon's colors, and most people that come to check out the collection comment on his color's as well.

I do not know too much about IBD, since I have never had that or know anyone that has had that in their collection. However, from what I read, it is normally spread through husbandry; such as, using the same feeding tongs from a snake with IBD and one without. I have also heard mites can carry IBD from one snake to the next. I personally do not take my snakes to reptile shows because of reasons such as this. I also do not buy snakes from reptile shows.

I hope this helps.

I know they end up somewhat different lol but like an albino compared to that is way different. I like hypos but Im still debating. I do like the one you posted, but at the same time I got respect for normals as well... I guess Ill just have to see what they have and for how much.

If I DO go for a hypo, what are some good characteristics to look for, example, saddle shape, peppering, etc. Another thing, Ive seen some hypos on kingsnake that are like orangish, and others that look more grey/ light brown, are the orangish ones just better?

Dont hypos usually get darker when they get older also? (than the hatchling colors)

[I<3Dreamsicles]

like these, the bottom pic is way different...

http://market.kingsnake.com/detail.php?cat=8&de=823642

I think I would already look for one with less peppering but yeah. Im not sure what will make a nice hypo.

[Wh00h0069]

I know they end up somewhat different lol but like an albino compared to that is way different. I like hypos but Im still debating. I do like the one you posted, but at the same time I got respect for normals as well... I guess Ill just have to see what they have and for how much.

If I DO go for a hypo, what are some good characteristics to look for, example, saddle shape, peppering, etc. Another thing, Ive seen some hypos on kingsnake that are like orangish, and others that look more grey/ light brown, are the orangish ones just better?

Dont hypos usually get darker when they get older also? (than the hatchling colors)

It really depends on your personal preference. I like hypos that have minimal saddling, bright colors, and minimal speckling. They do darken, but in a good way. Their colors really come out as they age. I do not have a picture on my photobucket account of my male when I first got him, but he did not look that much different from a normal. He has drastically changed over time. Normals are nice, but in my opinion they do not compare visually to morphs, such as albinos and salmons.