Thanks, all! I wanted a Boa, but I am a small woman and would rather not need to ask others to help keep an eye on things when I'm cleaning or feeding - so the bigger snakes aren't a great option. Thankfully there's a wonderful variety of Boas in sizes that are reasonable for handling! I seem to have a thing for some of the dwarf species (I also have Antaresia pythons), and when I saw the Tarahumara I was just smitten with them - my photos don't do justice to the soft pinks and silvery grey colors. I did more research and talked with a couple of breeders about their husbandry and temperament, and when I learned they are the smallest of the Boas, I was sold.
The mountain regions where they originated have shaped husbandry requirements that aren't demanding. And being Boas, they certainly aren't picky eaters, lol. Even though, as I mentioned, they are still a little nervous and hissy when I initially pick them up, they're calm and confident little guys who are usually lounging on their cork rounds rather than in their hides, and they're just wonderful to handle.
They'll be in quarantine tubs for a couple more months, and since Boas seem to grow slowly and the tubs have plenty of room for their cork rounds, clutter, and hides, they may well just stay in those tubs (Sterilite 24x18x7) for quite awhile. I'll eventually shift them into 3' PVC enclosures and if they get big enough to need it, ultimately 4' PVC. We'll see. In the meantime I'll update with photos and any interesting tidbits about how things are going with them.
Reply With Quote