Ball pythons vs. boa constrictors - key differences in care?

[RedRabbit]

Currently, my only snakes are my two ball pythons. I am very happy with my duo, and haven't really felt the need to add any more to the family, no matter how gorgeous the morph. (Though the Blue Ghost from 8 Ball Exotics and the Enchi Leopard Lavender from Justin Kobylka get shout-outs for absolutely blowing my mind with their looks.) If I were to add another snake to the family, I would be looking at a boa constrictor; as with my BPs, I would ideally like to start with the snake as a baby or juvenile/sub-adult. So, with that said, I would love to know what to expect and prepare for. I've read through the stickies in the RTB (BCI and BCC) section of the forum, as well as some additional browsing, and this is my impression so far ...

Similarities to BPs:
- Humidity requirement - around 50-60%
- Temperature requirement - 78-80 F ambient
- The baby boa tub setup sounds very similar to what I have for my BPs too - water dish, couple of hides, thermostat-controlled UTH on one side, some fake plants

Differences from BPs:
- Much larger max size as adults. Obviously. Would need to plan accordingly for enclosure space and feeders (jumbo rats, maybe rabbits).
- Temperament - more active, less timid. Will likely require a bit more attentiveness when handling, compared to the sedate little "plop" of a BP. As adults, they won't care about utilizing hides as much as an adult BP would.

Questions I still have:
- For females - there have been cases of BPs laying unfertilized eggs (with no prior exposure to male, no retained sperm plugs). I am solely a pet-keeper with no interest in breeding snakes, so my main concern in this regard is the presumed risk of becoming egg-bound that might come with this. Since boas are ovoviviparous, is this a non-issue?
- Morph color retention - a lot of BP morphs are brightest as babies and mellow out with age. Does this occur with boa morphs as well? What boa morphs are known for aging well vs. fading/changing significantly?
- Health issues - if I get a boa, I plan to quarantine it away from my BPs for at least 6 months to 1 year, as I have read that boas can carry and hide diseases that could quickly decimate a BP collection. In addition to the usual precautions for mite prevention, and monitoring weight and poop to rule out intestinal parasites, what else do I need to keep any eye out for?

Any corrections, clarifications, and additional advice would be much appreciated!

[Bogertophis]

I've only had one "boa constrictor", a (said to be Mexican) BCI- and she wasn't planned, she was a homeless yearling rescue, but she was a real sweetie once
I calmed her down. She was came to me as an inveterate biter that only got worse, more afraid that is, with every new "home" she passed thru on her way to
mine. I wish she'd been a male (so she'd have stayed smaller) but there are also dwarf species...or some that tend to stay smaller, if that's a concern. She
grew very slowly but got over 7.5' by 12 years of age. (After that she moved in with a couple I'm friends with, & passed at age 18, sooner than we expected.)

Anyway, her enclosure ranged from mid-upper 70's to about 86-87* basking or over UTH in warm hide. She stayed quite healthy & made use of all temperatures.
She was very dark coloration with amazing iridescence in the sun or bright lights, & liked to snuggle around my waist & "watch movies"...my biggest battle was
getting her back into her cage, not coming out... Strong feeding response, not a fussy eater (no blow drying her rats!) & btw, she never once bit me. She
certainly wanted to when she first came to me, but that was just self-defense & terror. (you should see me in the morning ) You just have to communicate
(tap train or whatever) so they know when it's social & when it's food. Fun snakes...& photogenic, I'm sure! No shedding difficulties either. You probably
don't need as much "clutter" for their sense of security as with a BP, especially once they get beyond neonate stage...they're naturally bolder than BPs. I was
lucky (after she had so much prior exposure) that she came with no mites or health issues...all I had to work on was her stress.

I attempted no breeding with her & she never passed any slugs* etc. Years back I took in a mature rosy boa -short version!- that had never mated but expelled
slugs several times before she was under my care, then also the first summer at my place along with a parthenogenetically-produced live neonate...so can't rule
out 'surprises' but you shouldn't have problems.

I can't answer all your questions...hopefully others will fill in the gaps. One thing...I never fed my BCI jumbo or even large rats, or rabbits. She was not under-fed
or over-fed: as an adult, she did well on a medium f/t rat every 2-3 weeks. When I gave her a large rat one time, she was clearly miserable digesting & I feared
it was coming back up, but fortunately she kept it down. Boas have a slower metabolism & can easily be over-fed...just have to be watchful. They are very willing
eaters: when I was feeding snakes (ie. had a platter of f/t rodents) she knew & took aim...it was ALL I could do to open her cage & get her rat in front of her using
my long tongs. Strong pounce & ready to launch!

[RedRabbit]

I've heard of the dwarf variants, but I think I'd find the full size reasonably manageable, too. That temperature gradient sounds pretty much like what I do for my BPs, so I'm reassured that I should be able to maintain that for a boa as well. I've definitely seen others also mention the effort it takes to wrestle an adventurous boa back into its enclosure though, so I'll keep that in mind, haha. And, considering my current woe is how tired my hand gets while dangling a rat and waiting for Iggy to decide if he wants it or not, a robust feeding response sounds delightful to me! Especially if medium rats are enough to do the trick (not sure how reliably I would be able to supply rabbits, anyway). I have long feeding tongs with angled rubber tips, plus a snake hook (which I've never needed to use for the BPs), so hopefully I'd be able to figure out an approach for an "enthusiastic" feeder! Good to know about the slower metabolism, though.

[jmcrook]

Boas are one of the best reptile keeping decisions I’ve made since I began. Can’t speak highly enough about them. Do a lot of reading up and ask questions and you’ll do great. I’m 1yr into boas as of last week and have a bcc and an Argentine, currently yearlings, and love them both.
That said, the biggest difference that I’ve had to research and educate myself on is the feeding schedule. Definitely a more lean schedule than most pythons. Which is nice because that will generally translate into slower growth rates. So even if the particular species or subspecies that you become interested in is a larger growing animal, it will be a number of years before it attains that size. Meaning you get to learn its behavior and eccentricities and such as a tiny little neonate and grow along with it.


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[Bogertophis]

I've heard of the dwarf variants, but I think I'd find the full size reasonably manageable, too. That temperature gradient sounds pretty much like what I do for my BPs, so I'm reassured that I should be able to maintain that for a boa as well. I've definitely seen others also mention the effort it takes to wrestle an adventurous boa back into its enclosure though, so I'll keep that in mind, haha. And, considering my current woe is how tired my hand gets while dangling a rat and waiting for Iggy to decide if he wants it or not, a robust feeding response sounds delightful to me! Especially if medium rats are enough to do the trick (not sure how reliably I would be able to supply rabbits, anyway). I have long feeding tongs with angled rubber tips, plus a snake hook (which I've never needed to use for the BPs), so hopefully I'd be able to figure out an approach for an "enthusiastic" feeder! Good to know about the slower metabolism, though.

Boas need (prefer) somewhat cooler homes than the ball pythons do (not as high as 90* & the cool end can be cooler). I really don't think you'd have one bit of trouble.

One sneaky way to get your large boa back into her cage: when I had mine out for play, she liked to hide in a soft-sided small dog carrier that I happened to have...I put
a towel in it, & while it's well-ventilated, to her it was a cave she happily entered. Then I just carried it back to her cage, to exit from at her leisure. Much easier than trying to make her let go of me. Don't wrestle with a snake, just out-smart them.

Yes, I'm with you...I love a good immediate feeding response too. I guarantee your hands won't get tired with a BCI.

In terms of care, I've only kept a BCI, but nearly everyone says they are easier (more forgiving in terms of care) than BCC.

As far as 'hook training' or curbing that enthusiasm, you won't have any trouble reading their thoughts & redirecting their first impression, as long as you aren't walking
around with a plate of f/t rodents or wearing "rat cologne"...'cause these snakes will KNOW.

[RedRabbit]

Boas are one of the best reptile keeping decisions I’ve made since I began. Can’t speak highly enough about them. Do a lot of reading up and ask questions and you’ll do great. I’m 1yr into boas as of last week and have a bcc and an Argentine, currently yearlings, and love them both.
That said, the biggest difference that I’ve had to research and educate myself on is the feeding schedule. Definitely a more lean schedule than most pythons. Which is nice because that will generally translate into slower growth rates. So even if the particular species or subspecies that you become interested in is a larger growing animal, it will be a number of years before it attains that size. Meaning you get to learn its behavior and eccentricities and such as a tiny little neonate and grow along with it.


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That is definitely helpful information to know, thank you! Given the slower-paced feeding schedule, around how many years does it typically take for a BCI to reach adult size?

[Bogertophis]

Mine started putting on more size at about 7-8 years of age, but given that you aren't planning to breed, I assume this is just curiosity & for planning purposes?
You have LOTS of time to adjust to the growth of a boa.

[RedRabbit]

Boas need (prefer) somewhat cooler homes than the ball pythons do (not as high as 90* & the cool end can be cooler). I really don't think you'd have one bit of trouble.

One sneaky way to get your large boa back into her cage: when I had mine out for play, she liked to hide in a soft-sided small dog carrier that I happened to have...I put
a towel in it, & while it's well-ventilated, to her it was a cave she happily entered. Then I just carried it back to her cage, to exit from at her leisure. Much easier than trying to make her let go of me. Don't wrestle with a snake, just out-smart them.

Yes, I'm with you...I love a good immediate feeding response too. I guarantee your hands won't get tired with a BCI.

In terms of care, I've only kept a BCI, but nearly everyone says they are easier (more forgiving in terms of care) than BCC.

As far as 'hook training' or curbing that enthusiasm, you won't have any trouble reading their thoughts & redirecting their first impression, as long as you aren't walking
around with a plate of f/t rodents or wearing "rat cologne"...'cause these snakes will KNOW.

Okay, noted - slightly cooler than for the BPs. Since there is some overlap in the ranges for optimal ambient temperature for BPs and boas, is it still reasonable to keep them in the same room (of course, after completion of the quarantine period), maintaining a fairly consistent room temp of around 77-78 F?

Haha, that sounds like a very resourceful strategy for "tricking" a boa back into its cage! The BPs are generally more than happy to skedaddle back into their tubs after a handling session or photo op, so this would certainly be a very different experience. I wonder if one of those tent/cave style beds that they make for dogs and cats would be similarly effective ...

Just from browsing MorphMarket, so far the boas that have caught my eye have mainly been BCIs. I'm still learning the terminology - what is the distinction in listing the locality? Are there size or pattern differences associated with locality, like with any other listed gene/morph? Are there particular localities that are more or less commonly bred than others? And should I start redirecting these questions to the BCI/BCC section of the forum? lol

[jmcrook]

That is definitely helpful information to know, thank you! Given the slower-paced feeding schedule, around how many years does it typically take for a BCI to reach adult size?

This article is more geared towards BCc animals but could certainly be applied to the care of BI as well. I’m not totally certain on the average age of maturity in boas as mine are both babies still, but it seems the consensus is ~4-5+ years for females to reach reproductive maturity.

https://web.archive.org/web/20080828...aisingboas.htm



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[RedRabbit]

Mine started putting on more size at about 7-8 years of age, but given that you aren't planning to breed, I assume this is just curiosity & for planning purposes?
You have LOTS of time to adjust to the growth of a boa.

Haha, yes, it's mostly for planning purposes -- and to have realistic expectations to curb my eagerness to see my babies quickly grow big and strong. I'm sure that's part of what makes it tempting to deviate from a regulated feeding regimen, so I want to arm myself with the knowledge now to avoid over-feeding as a result of my own impatience.