Considering first boa

[elbee]

Hi friends. I have kept ball pythons and colubrids, but am thinking of getting a smaller boa for a pet. I am considering a hog island or a dumeril. However, I was wondering if boas could be kept in rack systems? I want a baby boa and I have an extra rack that holds 28 and 41qt tubs. Would this be acceptable caging? I know they will climb some and are more active then bp's, but I have seen them in racks before. Just curious about it so I thought i would ask you experienced people . Also, of the two species mentioned, what would you recommend? I have no plans on breeding, just for a pet. Of course i said that about the bp's too...

[Daybreaker]

Racks/tubs are just fine for younger boas, but both of those species will eventually need vivariums (4' minimum, possibly 6' for extra large Hog females and female Dums). Just take note that Dums actually get pretty large (around the same size as Colombians if I'm not mistaken), the Hogs should stay smaller. I recommend Hogs since I have a pure female myself:

[dragonboy4578]

The only problem that I have found with keeping my boa's in a rack is that they can be difficult to put away after you have them out. It always seems to be a fight for me. lol I currently have 5 boa's in my collection. 1 Coral Albino, 1 Sunglow, 1 Motley, 1 Central American Motley, 1 Central American Hypo, 2 BRB's, and one Amazon Tree Boa. I love them all. Each one has it's own personality. My Boa's are always the first to come out when guests come to my house and want to see a snake.

[jben]

The only problem that I have found with keeping my boa's in a rack is that they can be difficult to put away after you have them out. It always seems to be a fight for me. lol I currently have 5 boa's in my collection. 1 Coral Albino, 1 Sunglow, 1 Motley, 1 Central American Motley, 1 Central American Hypo, 2 BRB's, and one Amazon Tree Boa. I love them all. Each one has it's own personality. My Boa's are always the first to come out when guests come to my house and want to see a snake.

I have the same problem with the tubs, its a project putting them back in.

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[Evenstar]

Racks/tubs are just fine for younger boas, but both of those species will eventually need vivariums (4' minimum, possibly 6' for extra large Hog females and female Dums). Just take note that Dums actually get pretty large (around the same size as Colombians if I'm not mistaken), the Hogs should stay smaller. I recommend Hogs since I have a pure female myself.

The only problem that I have found with keeping my boa's in a rack is that they can be difficult to put away after you have them out. It always seems to be a fight for me. lol I currently have 5 boa's in my collection. 1 Coral Albino, 1 Sunglow, 1 Motley, 1 Central American Motley, 1 Central American Hypo, 2 BRB's, and one Amazon Tree Boa. I love them all. Each one has it's own personality. My Boa's are always the first to come out when guests come to my house and want to see a snake.

x2 with both of these comments!

There are several smaller localities of boas that would fit the bill. Hogs are great and male Dumerils are too. Even a male Colombian shouldn't get more than 6-ish feet or so.

You'll be fine with a 41qt tub for awhile if you start out with a baby, but any boa is going to need a larger enclosure as an adult. I personally recommend a 4x2x2 pvc cage from Animal Plastics (or similar company) for any adult boa regardless of locality or size. Boas tend to need a bit more room than ball pythons - they like to stretch out whereas balls tend to prefer cramped spaces.

[elbee]

Thanks for all of the input guys!
Daybreaker, your hog island is beautiful! I've been looking at other smaller boas too. There are more to choose from than I thought. I also like Costa Rican boas and pearl islands.
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[BFE Pets]

My vote goes to the dumerils. I have 1.2 and want more. They are great snakes to handle. Also I seem to remember seeing an ad on kingsnake of someone selling dwarf dums that would fit nicely into a rack system there entire lives. Idk much on them other than what the ad said though. Imo dums tend to grow slower than your average rtb so you could get away with a 41 qt tub for about 3 years on a male and maybe 2 on a female and since they are ground dwelling they don't need the additional height like a rtb. Either way you can't really go wrong if you want a nice boa. Hogg islands are very pretty and I'd like to ad one to my collection but I can't seem to find one that I like when I've got the $.

[elbee]

I love the look of hog islands but I have heard dumerils are just puppy dogs. I would need a male for sure though since they get larger. They just seem really dark as adults and lose that redish color. What about the tarahumara boas? They look neat too.

[elbee]

Took the plunge. I have a little male hog island to be here soon from Vin Russo