Carpet Python or Boa?

[sean12wilk]

Thanks for all the help with my decision guys. I think I'm going to go with a boa. Do you guys have any suggestions on a smaller locality boa?

[ajmreptiles]

as far as I know Solomon Island boas are around the same size as ball pythons as adults

[Gio]

Thanks for all the help with my decision guys. I think I'm going to go with a boa. Do you guys have any suggestions on a smaller locality boa?

Little suggestion. Don't go too small based on what you think you can handle right now. You and the snake will grown together. A male, mainland BCI like mine even close to 6 feet is a one hand snake. At times I wish I bought a female for a little extra size. Look at many types and make a well planned decision that is not rushed at all. Get the pattern and colors you really like.

[Fireproof]

Thanks for all the help with my decision guys. I think I'm going to go with a boa. Do you guys have any suggestions on a smaller locality boa?

Hog Island Boas don't get as big as others. Plus their lighter coloring is cool!

[Jwkempo]

Over the years I've kept, retics, boas, burmese and balls. Just got my first carpet a baby Red Tiger Jaguar. He was snippy and flighty for a very short time. He's a great snake, good personality and handles well. I'm going to enjoy watching him grow.

[Mike41793]

Between comparing the two....

Carpets can be a bit more squirrelly. More prone to quicker movements and nippier. That's not to say they're evil or unhandeable, but they'll keep you on your toes more. They stay thinner than boas. A 6ft carpet sitting coiled in the cage will take up like less than a 1ft diameter circle of area. They look all cute and tiny. Then you go to get them out and they give you sass and you're like "whoaaaa there's a lot more of you than I thought!" haha. But they're definitely smaller overall.

Boas (BCI's) are calmer, get bigger (fatter), and are generally easier to handle. Their metabolisms are a bit slower than carpets too I believe.

I've worked with both, though I personally don't own either. Between the two, I like both. I'd like a BCI female just as a pet. Don't have any interest in breeding them really. I like the Moonglow morph, I think. I'm not great with keeping up on all the boa morphs tho.

I love carpets paint jobs, smaller size/body shape, and more feisty attitudes. Some carpets are definitely in my future. A pair of jungles for sure and maybe some coastal stuff too...

[Mike41793]

Thanks for all the help with my decision guys. I think I'm going to go with a boa. Do you guys have any suggestions on a smaller locality boa?

I just saw this comment... What I said still applies, but to add...

Stay away from central american boas. They can have nasty attitudes. This was a kiss from a 2 or 3foot female the other nite. Got her out of the tub with help from a hook, she was calm in my hand without any snapping. Then just looked at my arm and decided to taste me haha. Doesn't bother me any, but if you have kids or don't want a feisty snake, avoid them.


I say Go for a regular BCI. Even adult females aren't hard to deal with as adults. If you're worried about size, get a male. They grow slow though so you have time to learn and grow with them.

[bcr229]

Thanks for all the help with my decision guys. I think I'm going to go with a boa. Do you guys have any suggestions on a smaller locality boa?

While not "BCI", Dumeril's boas typically top out at 6-7 feet. For BCI you can look into Hog Island, Caulker Cay, Sonoran, and Tarahumara. Note that the smaller locality BCI's can have big "attitudes"; IMO it's because their diminutive size makes them more likely to become prey rather than predator in the wild, and thus they are more defensive than the common BCI's. I have 1.2 Tarahumaras approaching two years old, and they all hiss whenever I pull them out to be handled, clean the enclosure, etc.

[Artemisace]

I don't own any boa constrictors, but I got to play with a good size Columbian at a local shop recently. And I have to say I'll be picking one up eventually. Super tame not flighty at all, unlike my retic who is literally a handful. Mind you she's 10 foot, but the boa was just such a different snake. I would say they are more ball python esk with their attitude.

Sent from my snake room

[Gio]

Between comparing the two....

Carpets can be a bit more squirrelly. More prone to quicker movements and nippier. That's not to say they're evil or unhandeable, but they'll keep you on your toes more. They stay thinner than boas. A 6ft carpet sitting coiled in the cage will take up like less than a 1ft diameter circle of area. They look all cute and tiny. Then you go to get them out and they give you sass and you're like "whoaaaa there's a lot more of you than I thought!" haha. But they're definitely smaller overall.

Boas (BCI's) are calmer, get bigger (fatter), and are generally easier to handle. Their metabolisms are a bit slower than carpets too I believe.

I've worked with both, though I personally don't own either. Between the two, I like both. I'd like a BCI female just as a pet. Don't have any interest in breeding them really. I like the Moonglow morph, I think. I'm not great with keeping up on all the boa morphs tho.

I love carpets paint jobs, smaller size/body shape, and more feisty attitudes. Some carpets are definitely in my future. A pair of jungles for sure and maybe some coastal stuff too...

Mike,

While we have a decent discussion going, how do you feel retics stack up? You are a new retic owner. I was going to mention a SD retic but I just have no experience. It's one on my list though.

I'd say any Colombian/mainland BCI male or female would be great. I also feel carpets get a bad wrap for their initial defensive behavior. They settle very fast, and a few micro bites from a juvey is absolutely nothing. I didn't even bleed in the 3 times I was bitten by my coastal.