Good Starter Snake?

[PitOnTheProwl]

Rosy and Kenyans are both cool and easy to maintain.
If you are looking at a hatchling make sure you have a supplier for small pinky mice.

[hypnotixdmp]

Let me tell you this, I have 4 types of boas, you can see them in my sig.

I personally think the dumerils is the most docile snake ever!! Even more so than my beeps. I have a friend whom also has one that's got good size to her and she's just as friendly as my baby!! I've seen and heard nothing but good about the Dumerils!!

That being said, a Hog Island is another good option, my girl is super friendly (once I get her out of the tub), she actually loves to come out and crawl around my hands and face and so on. She's never struck at me, but sometimes I feel like she's going to, I just use the flat hand method lol.

While I don't have any xp with all the other boas out there, I can at least say with confidence that you won't be disappointed with either one of these animals!!!


Ball Pythons
0.3 Normals (Coilette, Athena and Mary Jane)
1.0 Pastel (De Sol)
1.0 Spider (Zeus)
1.0 Mojave (Prometheus)

Boa Constrictors
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Stella)
0.1 BCI (Kiyoko)
0.1 Dumerils Boa (Gloria)
0.1 Yellow Anaconda (Serenity)

[Evenstar]

My first boa was a Colombian female. I have never been sorry. She is a fabulous snake and I love her to death. I did get her as a small baby and "grew" with her. It is a very wise idea.

Having said that, I got my first Dumerils today after having Colombians for a long time. She is sooooo calm!! My goodness, she just hung out on my lap the whole 2 hour car ride home. Very curious and interactive, but very chill and easy to work with. I have to agree with H.0.F.R. and hypnotixdmp and recommend a Dumerils as a first boa/snake. They are wonderful animals and highly underrated.

A Hog Island is another great idea as is the Rosy Boa. Even a male Colombian can work out fine. None of these should exceed 6-7 ft (the Rosy won't exceed 4-ish ft) and are generally considered "safe" to handle on your own (I do say that loosely as there are extenuating circumstances that would affect that - so take that with a grain of salt).

May I ask why you had to "take back" your ball python? I am not being critical, just wondering if something was wrong? Are your parents ok with you having a larger snake?

[sameintheend]

My first boa was a Colombian female. I have never been sorry. She is a fabulous snake and I love her to death. I did get her as a small baby and "grew" with her. It is a very wise idea.

Having said that, I got my first Dumerils today after having Colombians for a long time. She is sooooo calm!! My goodness, she just hung out on my lap the whole 2 hour car ride home. Very curious and interactive, but very chill and easy to work with. I have to agree with H.0.F.R. and hypnotixdmp and recommend a Dumerils as a first boa/snake. They are wonderful animals and highly underrated.

A Hog Island is another great idea as is the Rosy Boa. Even a male Colombian can work out fine. None of these should exceed 6-7 ft (the Rosy won't exceed 4-ish ft) and are generally considered "safe" to handle on your own (I do say that loosely as there are extenuating circumstances that would affect that - so take that with a grain of salt).

May I ask why you had to "take back" your ball python? I am not being critical, just wondering if something was wrong? Are your parents ok with you having a larger snake?

Honestly, his size intimidated me at the time. I was so used to my friend's little corn snake that I did not know how to act around him.

[pigfat]

I'm not trying to be mean, but if a baby ball python's size intimidated you, you're not going to do much better with a boa. I would REALLY suggest you getting a very young male baby ball and raising it up. I have a feeling you would end up taking a boa back just as fast when he starting growing rapidly on you.

[threezero]

I dont know why you think boa would be a good idea when the size of a baby ball python scares you

[rlditmars]

Rough scaled boas stay relatively small, most smaller than a bp and are very easy to care for.

[eatgoodfood]

Your friends corn snake must be a baby as well if a baby ball intimidated you. I think that tells you right there what you should start with. Get a baby corn, raise it up, the stay thin but will get fairly long and if his corn didnt bother you then that really is a good place to start.

[BFE Pets]

Honestly, his size intimidated me at the time. I was so used to my friend's little corn snake that I did not know how to act around him.

I'm not trying to be mean, but if a baby ball python's size intimidated you, you're not going to do much better with a boa. I would REALLY suggest you getting a very young male baby ball and raising it up. I have a feeling you would end up taking a boa back just as fast when he starting growing rapidly on you.

I dont know why you think boa would be a good idea when the size of a baby ball python scares you

I have to agree with what they said! Even a calm as dumerils are if a young bp intimidates you then a boa probably isn't a good starter snake for you. I would suggest spending more time with friends that have different snakes and handling them or at pet stores that will let you handle theirs. Please take your time and get comfortable with different types of snakes before making the decision to bring another on home. I'm not trying to be mean I just want you to have a good experience with having a pet reptile. They can be quite rewarding and challenging pets to own and care for. Imo if a young bp is intimidating to you then I'd say you aren't ready for any boa yet. I'd love to have a purple retic but I know I'm not ready for one. So I don't have it yet. You have to be 100% comfortable with some things before you can move on to the next. Good luck and hope to see pics of your new pet in the future. What ever it may be.

[Evenstar]

Honestly, his size intimidated me at the time. I was so used to my friend's little corn snake that I did not know how to act around him.

Whoa nellie!!! A boa is going to get MUCH larger than any ball python. And they grow VERY rapidly. If this is the case, I can not recommend a BCI or Dumerils boa for you (or Hog Island either). Either one of these, even a male, is going to be a LOT of snake and is not the sort of snake someone should own if they are the least bit intimidated by size. While they stay on the small side where boas are concerned, they are still an impressive animal and very strong. I'd suggest you look at a Kenyan Sand boa or a Rosy boa if you have your heart set on a boa. Both of these generally do not exceed 2-4 feet. Get a male, which will stay around 2 ft or so (the females can approach 4ft).

I'm not trying to be mean, but if a baby ball python's size intimidated you, you're not going to do much better with a boa. I would REALLY suggest you getting a very young male baby ball and raising it up. I have a feeling you would end up taking a boa back just as fast when he starting growing rapidly on you.

I have to agree with what they said! Even a calm as dumerils are if a young bp intimidates you then a boa probably isn't a good starter snake for you. I would suggest spending more time with friends that have different snakes and handling them or at pet stores that will let you handle theirs. Please take your time and get comfortable with different types of snakes before making the decision to bring another on home. I'm not trying to be mean I just want you to have a good experience with having a pet reptile. They can be quite rewarding and challenging pets to own and care for. Imo if a young bp is intimidating to you then I'd say you aren't ready for any boa yet. I'd love to have a purple retic but I know I'm not ready for one. So I don't have it yet. You have to be 100% comfortable with some things before you can move on to the next. Good luck and hope to see pics of your new pet in the future. What ever it may be.

I'm not trying to be mean either. We are only trying to help you! But please be responsible and recognize your limitations! If you were intimidated by a ball python, you are not ready for a boa. Try something smaller and if you find you truly enjoy it and feel more comfortable with it's size, then you may be ready for a boa sometime in the future. But I don't think that time is now. I'm not thinking about the snake here - I'm thinking about YOU. It is no fun to have an animal that you are uncomfortable with. You found that out with your ball. Don't make the same mistake twice.