New Member Looking For Suggestions and Info

[Cheesenugget]

I have a Dumerils boa and previously kept a sand boa. Sand boas are kind of boring imo. No matter how pretty the morphs are, you will not see it because it spends most of the day burrowed in the substrate. So if you are looking for something that can be a display and easy to find in your tank, sand boas may not be for you.

Dumerils boa also prefers to burrow in the substrate, but not in the same way a sand boa does. With 3-4 inches of substrate, you can still easily spot the boa, and they don't do so much burrowing but rather they like to hide in the substrate. Some keepers don't provide that and uses newspaper and such, which still works. Anyways, this was not what you asked for but just in case you see one, they are from Madagascar, about 5 feet for males and 6 feet for females, more or less. Known for their extremely docile temperament, a bit of a shy eater so they can be challenging to feed. I don't recommend them unless you had previously worked with difficult eaters but since you are looking at boas, I thought I should let you know this much.

There is about 2 rubber boa breeders in the country that are still breeding this species. Unfortunately, I forgot their names because it was several months ago when I found them. Babies are usually born close to fall, there is a waiting list, and the cost for one is about $350+. Even so, there is never a guarantee there will be any available. I was lucky enough to find a wild caught specimen last year. It was so calm, easy to handle and scales as smooth as skin. However, you should know that rubber boas, in general, fasts for at minimum 6 months every year. Brumation is a must to get them breeding with temps that must be lowered down to the 50's or so, and the other steps needed to get them to brumate. Even if you are not breeding, many babies are born not wanting to eat and entering into Brumation immediately. In other words, you may end up with a boa that won't eat for you for about 4-6 months until you brumate it to trick it eat or wait it out, which is incredibly unnerving for a beginner with an expensive, rare baby snake. The breeders I mentioned tries to get food into them before they are sold, but it is not unusual to sell them as is because they are not going to hold on to them for 4 months for you. If you get an adult, most likely it is a male (Females are so rare to find) and it is wild caught, meaning it is most likely to carry parasites, stressed out, not eat for you for several months and you need to check if your state law allows you to keep them.

The alternative to the rubber boa is the more popular rosy boas. They are 'cousins' of the rubber boa, with easier care, morphs, readily captive bred, docile, easier to feed and just overall a better suitable pet for beginners. I myself would love to add one of these in my collection someday.

I also have been looking at Tahamaru (Probably mispelled). If I recall correctly, they are usually priced over $300 for a baby.

Whatever you decide, if you put your heart into it, it will work out no matter what.