What's a good boa for me?

[skinnyrascal]

I've been looking into another snake at some point in the next few months. I read a lot of great things about BCIs and boas in general, so I'm now considering some kind of boa possibly (was going to go with a corn snake but honestly don't like the way they 'try to escape' while being handled).
Just a few questions...

- Would a BCI or Dumeril's be a safe pet for someone who is 100 lbs and can't lift more than 40 lbs? Can you trust them enough not to suddenly constrict you or bite your face? I was captivated by the few young BCIs I've held (especially their black tongues!) but I have to admit their stronger and sturdier build made me a little uneasy. I'm used to 'squishy' BPs haha.

- Out of the smaller boas, do you prefer Rosy or Sand Boas? Which are easiest to keep?

- I looove BRBs but temperament is important to me, I wouldn't buy a pet mainly for looks.

- Any other snake you recommend? Preferably one that stays 6 ft or under. I'd like one that is easygoing but not so slow that it's boring to handle or barely does anything on it's own. I don't consider my BP boring at all but she's still young, not sure how much she'll slow down with age.

Thanks!

[eatgoodfood]

If you are set on a boa, I would say a Dumerils, they ones I have have experience with are not much larget than an adult female ball python, the males anyway, and were very very docile. Get a male if size is an issue. I may be getting my hands on a female soon, I love them, awesome pattern, and the wife fell in love with them too.

[scooter11]

definitely get a dumerils. through the years ive had a couple. right now, i have a male and i just recently sold off all my boas to get into balls, i had to keep my dumerils because theyre so great and such a joy to keep. they are every bit as docile as a ball if not more. i highly recommend one. if you do get one, be advised its different than a regular boa or bp. wait until they defecate to feed them. thats the rule i use. if you try feeding them on a regular schedule they wont eat it. at the same time, they are very hardy and perfectly healthy. i have found that they eat slightly less than your average boa. hope this helps.

[skinnyrascal]

definitely get a dumerils. through the years ive had a couple. right now, i have a male and i just recently sold off all my boas to get into balls, i had to keep my dumerils because theyre so great and such a joy to keep. they are every bit as docile as a ball if not more. i highly recommend one. if you do get one, be advised its different than a regular boa or bp. wait until they defecate to feed them. thats the rule i use. if you try feeding them on a regular schedule they wont eat it. at the same time, they are very hardy and perfectly healthy. i have found that they eat slightly less than your average boa. hope this helps.

This is good to know, thanks! I will do more research on them. From the photos I've seen they are *beautiful*, I definitely love the way they look.
I think I read somewhere that they are stronger than a BCI though, is this true? Again I have a very small frame and despite my attraction to larger snakes I don't want to get crushed. ^^;; I will also be living alone when I get one.

[3skulls]

My BCI has bit my face.
My sand boas are driving me nuts because they are very picky eaters.
My BRB is very very laid back, never has struck at me.

If you are looking for a display animal I would go BCI.

BRB is going to easier to handle.

Sand boas the easiest to care for.

These are my opinions and each snake is different.

[Mike41793]

I would look into getting a hog island boa. They generally stay much smaller than BCI's or BCC's.

[sorraia]

I have 2 rosy boas, and that's the limit of my boa experience. If you are considering a rosy, I'd say go for it! In general, they are very docile and even when active (of my 2, one is very active, the other not so much, I've read they slow down with maturity though, mind are just babies) they are still very easy to handle and not fast at all. These two are very tame. I picked them up almost immediately have they were born, and after getting them set up in the right conditions and waiting for their first shed, I was able to get them to eat very quickly without a lot of effort. They took f/t pinkies from their very first feed. The only feed refusal I have had since then is from one that just shed again last night (I had a feeling he was getting ready to shed, because his colors were getting dull, but his eyes hadn't gotten foggy yet), who is probably now ready to eat again! Neither one has ever so much as looked like they were thinking about biting, and even if they did, they are so small they couldn't do any damage at all.

[brobertson]

I would look into getting a hog island boa. They generally stay much smaller than BCI's or BCC's.

I second a hog! Females top out at 5 or 5 and a half feet, males at about 4 and a half. All the personality of a bci wrapped into a smaller package.

[RoseRed]

I would go for a BRB. They are beautiful and are sweet hearts when it comes to handling. My BRB only struck at me once and that was my fault for man handling her to much (it was more of a "back off" bite than aggressive). They also don't get very big so if you are not looking for a large boa then they are perfect.

[Daybreaker]

I would look into getting a hog island boa. They generally stay much smaller than BCI's or BCC's.

Hogs are BCI too

I second a hog! Females top out at 5 or 5 and a half feet, males at about 4 and a half. All the personality of a bci wrapped into a smaller package.

Females can get larger, some pure females still can get up around 7 ft. Even though they're considered a "dwarf" boa I don't really consider them one since some can still get on the larger side.

I really recommend a Hog Island as well or Colombians or Central American boas (which usually do stay smaller). Look into getting a male if you want to stay around 6' and I'm 110lbs and only 5'3" and handling isn't an issue with my 6' wacky jungle Colombian male.

Can't go wrong with a Hog:



Or any normal or morph Colombians: