red tail boa vs ball python care

[maudie]

what's different? what's the same?

[emilys_exotics]

red tail boas are bigger and eat larger meals.
But they're both pretty docile snakes

[kiiarah]

My S/O has a red tail boa and I have a ball python so I may be able to help. The biggest thing is probably the size as the previous reply mentions. Ball pythons will do well as adults in a 50+ gallon enclosure (depending on gender, females of course do get larger than males) while boas will need a great deal more space. They both start out small but you have to plan for that size increase with boas, as it is not cheap to house or feed them as adults.

Humidity requirements are the same, both do well with around 50% standard humidity upped to 70% or so while shedding. Both are fed weekly on appropriately sized rats, though boas can get large enough to need rabbits as adults. Hot spots for both should be 90 degree floor temps in the hot hide, generated by a UTH (under tank heater) and regulated by a good quality thermostat (stay away from those cheap ones they sell in big box pet stores), and both require an ambient temp around 80.

In my experience ball pythons tend to be more placid, but not by much. I find boas to be a bit more skittish at least when they are young. Both are very tolerant snakes, though I have heard of a greater number of feisty boas than ball pythons. With any snake temperaments can differ. There are grumpy royals and extremely docile boas.

In the long run, it really comes down to whether or not you are comfortable with a snake that will get as large as a red tail and whether you can commit financially to its care for life. Both species will live for 20+ years if kept properly. Whichever you choose to go with the folks on here can give great recommendations on care and equipment, as well as help with any issues that come up along the way. Both are delightful species to keep.

[chip07]

I would never feed my boas weekly unless they were very young still. My 7ft female gets one jumbo rat once a month and she is perfect weight wise. My two 7 month olds get bounced back and forth between a small mouse or a rat pup every two weeks. My tarahumara pair are at every 10 days eating fuzzy mice but can most likely be pushed back to every 2 weeks. I also fast all my boas for 2 months every winter.

I keep my 3 colombians on a little higher humidity around 60-80% all the time. I don't track the tarahumaras since it isn't as important for them. Temps depend on what kind of boa you are talking about....the tarahumaras can tolerate colder temps than my other three. Though I do keep everyone at the same temps but I could keep the taras at a lower temp and they would be fine...they do generally stay on the cooler side of the cage. I keep them at the temps mentioned already by the other poster

My big female is in a 6ft cage but given her size she could be in a smaller cage without much issue. Honestly, she is much cheaper to keep than the colubrids because she rarely eats compared to them. All my boas are friendly enough. The tarahumaras will grumble and complain about life when I am taking them out but once out they shut up and tolerate the handling just fine. I have one ball python (well technically I have 3 but the one just came in today and the other tomorrow morning) and she is a little more iffy about opening the cage than all my boas. She is pretty fast thinking a rat is coming and will be right there when you lift the lid. All the boas on the other hand I have found are too lazy to care unless they scent the rat...even then they aren't generally temperamental about it.

I don't really think care between ball python and the boas are too much different. The major difference would probably just be feedings and the size.