Columbian/Central American Boa Cross - Questions

[spazziekitten]

My boyfriend and I bought a beautiful boa yearling today that is a mix between a red tail and central american.

We were told that she should only grow to be 5-6 feet when full grown - taking after the smaller central american boa that she has in her genetics.

At roughly a year old right now, she is close to 3 feet.

I am wondering if there is anyone else with a mix like this that could possibly give some advice about what to expect from this gorgeous little girl as she gets older as far as size and personality goes.

Thanks in advance for any and all information!!

[shaft6977]

If it's female, it will probably end up bigger than 5-6 feet. The female BIs and BCs both get bigger than 5-6 feet on average.

[spazziekitten]

Yes, I know she could potentially grow larger. That's why I was hoping there may be someone else on here with one so I could get a better idea of what her ultimate size range could be.

[AbsoluteApril]

I assume by 'red tail' you mean Colombian BI and not 'true red tail' BC?
Boas will continue to grow their entire lives. Having the CA blood in the mix, the boa is likely to stay on the smaller size but it's no guarantee. Also at one year and already 3', there's some potential for growth there for sure. I'd say 6' but could go up to 8' as a total guess. Growth depends on a lot of factors and heavier feeding when younger will lead to a larger snake once it's mature. Males do stay smaller over all as shaft noted above.
Good luck with your boa!

[Gio]

Here's the deal with ANY mix. Unless you have 100% data on what came from where there is the potential to have a mixed bag in the genetic makeup of both parents.

A "common" Colombian BI is more or less anything but common. The Colombian boas that are sold as common are often crossed with various other blood (BCC or BCI) over the years, and some, not all can get quite large. CA boas depending on the local SHOULD stay smaller, the Hog Island boas a noted to be larger than other C/A boas. Again is the C/A blood actually traceable to a local or is it potentially mixed with mainland BI? It happens and some breeders have no problem selling a boa that isn't really what it is cracked up to be.

See where I'm going with this?

Also we are talking about captive boas. I have personally seen C/A boas that were IMO over fed, not intentionally, but given way more than they'd eat in the wild. The keeper wasn't in tune with the biology of the locality and kept a "feeding schedule" that came from a cookie cutter care sheet.

With your boa, feeding and husbandry will play big roles in the ultimate size.

For reference, my true, locality Barranquilla, Colombian male boa was 3 feet at a year old.

He is 4 years old and now 6 feet and about 2 to 4 inches long. He weighs about 11-12 pounds and does not eat from November until about mid March.


He looks like this.


If you are worried, 6 feet and 10-12 pounds is nothing. I can still "one hand" this guy.

Chances of your female getting huge are slim if you feed properly.

Go for lean and healthy.

[spazziekitten]

I assume by 'red tail' you mean Colombian BI and not 'true red tail' BC?
Boas will continue to grow their entire lives. Having the CA blood in the mix, the boa is likely to stay on the smaller size but it's no guarantee. Also at one year and already 3', there's some potential for growth there for sure. I'd say 6' but could go up to 8' as a total guess. Growth depends on a lot of factors and heavier feeding when younger will lead to a larger snake once it's mature. Males do stay smaller over all as shaft noted above.
Good luck with your boa!

I also assume that I mean Colombian BI and not a "true" red tail BC. But to be honest, I am not sure. It sounds like the first one makes more sense, but he DID tell me that with her mix that her red tail would only get brighter as she ages, not dull out. That leads me to think BC?

We have a 55 gallon tank for her for right now. I realize she won't grow instantly and we will have time to find or make a bigger enclosure for her, just wanted to be prepared...

There is so little information available on the mix.

[spazziekitten]

That is one gorgeous boa. Or handsome, I suppose since he's a boy.

I'll have to get a few pictures of her to post. She's super neat to look at.

She has a blue tongue, a real red tail, and gorgeous soft diamond patterning along her back with the little patches of black dots along her belly.

We liked her so much because she is so unique... But that brings us to the next part...

What ARE her husbandry requirements and feeding schedule if I can't go by a specific local?

The guy we bought her from has her in an exoterra that's about 18x18x12h. Though she is almost 3 feet she is still very lean, so she has enough room to stretch out and move around, but we are upgrading her to a bigger tank as soon as we get a lid for it.

He was feeding her every 7-10 days depending on the size of the rat, and he was feeding small rats to her.

She's only as thick as my bp that I feed weans too though, so I'm not sure if I should be upping Cupcake's food or downsizing hers. She is lean so she certainly doesn't seem overfed in the least.

[spazziekitten]

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../4/galaxy1.jpg


Here's a picture that shows her lighter pattern and her red tail.

I think she looks like she's Suriname mixed with CA. She has the same little mustache/goatee mark on her face.

[bcr229]

I feed yearlings every 2 weeks, two year olds every three weeks, and adults every 4-5 weeks. The feeder should leave a barely visible lump in the boa.

Also once they get to large rats I prefer to switch them over to 6-8 oz rabbits since young rabbits have a lower fat content than mature rats do.

[Fraido]

http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../4/galaxy1.jpg


Here's a picture that shows her lighter pattern and her red tail.

I think she looks like she's Suriname mixed with CA. She has the same little mustache/goatee mark on her face.

They all pretty much have that goatee 'stache.:p