Looking to get a boa no sure what kind

[VooDooDoc]

I've had a ball python for about 2 years now. I've resisted the temptation to get another snake long enough. I want something a bit bigger, but I not quite as big as red tail. I'm thinking something that gets a max of 6-7 feet in length. I think maybe there are a few types of boas that would fit the bill.

I'm looking for something that is easy to feed and not picky like a BP, and temperament is important, I have young kids that like to hold and pet the BP and would want a boa that will tolerate people well. Complicated husbandry, I'm fine with that, I know some need high humidity, etc.

Any suggestions or advice is welcome.

[Trackstrong83]

I LOVE my dumerils boa and everyone else that has one loves them too. Husbandry almost identical to a BP, and dumerils have great temperaments. At first they can be finicky eaters. But now mine is an eating machine. She is my first boa and she's awesome, and they get to a decent, but not huge size.

[Daybreaker]

I would pick up a male Colombian BCI: they get to be about 5-6' average (bigger, smaller individuals found), real tolerant of handling with most having good temperaments, easy to feed and take care of, and great display snakes too. I recommend at least a 4' cage for males and 6' for larger males/females. Here's my jungle morph male:

[Pyrate81]

The following have all been reported to have great demeaners. I feel quite a few people will concur.

Brazilian Rainbow Boa(BRB)
Dumerils Boa
Hogg Island Boa

Perhaps to a lesser extent a Carpet Python?


The only one I have any type of experience with is the BRB which was at an expo. It was a 2 year old 7' female which made me fully fall in love with them. All 4 of these are on my list of snakes I would like to get in parts of demeaner, look, length(averge 4-8ft), girth, attractiveness to me.

[ktint]

I would say Bolivian Boa BCA. They are thick but not long enough to scare people. Most of them will be quite tame. They have better tollerance to temperature and humidity than BCI or BCC. Eat like a pig and can feed once a month. My male Bolivian boa is puppy tame.

He is better than my female sunglow BCI, female ball python Russo BEL and male albino ball python.

[bcr229]

BRB's can be a little nippy when young but settle down if handled carefully. Our adult female is right at 72".

I'm not sure how big a Children's Boa would get, other than being smaller than the BCC's and BCI's. I tried googling it and all I got was "is a Boa a good pet for a child?" responses.

[reptileexperts]

Red-tailed Boa BCI local - good demeaner, widely available, forgiving for husbandry mistakes as long as they are corrected, max out around 7 ft on the largest side of the spectrum, enough morphs to keep the morph keeper please (Albino Kahl and Sharp, Hypo, Super Hypo (Also known as Super salmon, and other things), Motley, Jungle, etc. . .).

Dumeril's are awesome boas, very tame and strong feeders. Problem with them is you need to consider their size - lengths of 8-9 ft are common for properly kept girls, and I've seen males in this range as well. So them, as well as BCC locales, should be avoided.

There are many other boa sp. out there that have the same quirks as boas that people find attractive, that do not get as big. Nicaraguan, for instance, is a lot smaller locale typically maxing around 5' for females, and 3-4' for males. This is a great size range for people coming over from ball pythons and wanting something more active and larger. They are slightly harder to come by than BCI's / Dumerils / Hogg Island, but they can still be found if you look hard enough.

[Evenstar]

I highly recommend a male BCI or a male Dumerils. Either of these should stay around 6-7 ft at their max and both have superb temperaments and tolerate handling very well. Husbandry for either of these is quite basic - about the same as a BP.

A Hog Island male would be another good choice as would a Tarahumara Mountain boa. The T-mtn boas, even females, will usually max out at no more than 4-5 ft!

Some folks have found both BRBs and Nicaraquan BCIs to be fairly nippy, so I might steer clear of them.

One thing to keep in mind is that nearly any species of boa will likely get too large for young children. I assume that a parent would be present anytime one of your kids would want to interact with the snake, but even if you're there, most boas would be too large for a young child to hold by himself - you'd have to help him hang onto the snake. Just a friendly tip.

[rocknhorse76]

I definitely recommend a Dumeril's Boa. My male is like a puppy dog, and he's about 64" and 8 lbs right now at around 4 years old. Most males top out between 5 and 6 feet, but some get closer to 7 feet. Females tend to be a bit bigger, but rarely exceed 8 feet. Dumeril's get quite heavy, but they're very easy to handle.

[Raven01]

There has been lots of good advice here.
Research the snakes that interest you most thoroughly.
If Tom Crutchfiild in Florida is still in reptiles he has some very uncommon snakes and could get you something that fits in with what you want in a pet.
He even had some tiny hispaniola ground boa's. They aren't even as big as a BP.