Gonna go Boa

[dakski]

Okay, here goes. First, Boas rock! I have two. Behira, a Ghost BCI female, and Feliz, a Venezuelan True Red Tail/Dwarf BCC.

Secondly, there are two major kinds of boas that people generally call red tails. Boa Constrictor Imperator (BCI, often just referred to as BI these days, but that's a separate discussion) which include Columbian Red Tails, a medium sized boa species, but also include the dwarf species which stay much smaller. Of note, there are morphs of both, but many more of the columbian BCI's. 99% of boa morphs, if not specified as a dwarf species, is a columbian boa. The second major red tail is the "True red tail boa," or Boa Constrictor Constrictor (BCC), which is generally a larger species than BCI (not hugely, but noticeably), needs more humidity and is more sensitive to humidity being spot on, and can other digestive issues if fed too often or meals that are too big, etc.

As a separate note, I could write a book here on proper feeding techniques for boas, but we will safe that for a different day. Let's say Boas have much slower metabolisms than say BP's and need to be fed smaller meals less frequently or they can develop serious digestive issues, can get obese quickly and it can be dangerous or fatal, and it can be very tough to get them to lose weight.

BCI's, except for dwarf species, are generally bred for color and pattern (morphs) and BCC's are almost always bred for locality. Many dwarf boas are also bred for locality.

If you found a sunglow boa you like (which is essentially a hypo albino, I believe Kahl strain, but don't quote me on that part), it is almost definitely a columbian BCI.

A few rules of thumb for BCI:

1. Males and Females generally vary greatly in size with males being much smaller.

On average: Males, if fed properly, are 4-6FT, with 7FT not impossible, but very rare. Females are generally 5.5-7FT, with 7.5-8FT possible, but much over that, very rare. A female BCI will be 2X the thickness of a male, or more.

A healthy, well fed, 7FT female, can weigh 13-18 pounds, give or take.

A healthy, well fed, 5FT male, can weigh 5-7 pounds, give or take.

Both of those are averages.

2. Boas are generally VERY aggressive feeders and should be hook trained. However, they eat like clockwork. Once they know food is not being offered, they are generally puppy dog tame and are brave, curious, inquisitive, beautiful, and gentle, animals. Awesome snakes to handle.

3. Bigger snake = bigger enclosure.

Any questions, there are quite a few Boa peeps on here who will be happy to help. Also, feel free to PM me. I know some good breeders and have learned a lot researching before getting my first boa, from keeping her, and from the people I referenced earlier from this forum.

Good luck!