Convinced to get a Boa.

[famoussas]

My friend's sister is currently training to be a vet, and recently started working at an exotic animal store. So today as promiced she said she'd show us around. Turns out the owner has the largest collection of snakes and lizards in the UK(even though he's American) so it was pretty impressive. On display were the usuals, boas, pythons, corns, hognose etc, but he also had a seperate room behind a glass screen with his 'hot snakes'. There was a green manba, egyptian cobra, puff adder and western diamond back rattle snake just to name a few, although there were too many to remember. He had many many more snakes in the back of the store but the owner was busy so I've
bin invited back next week to see the whole of his collection. The owner was very knowledgable and VERY passionate about his snakes(and had worked with Steve Irwin on many occasions) and apparently is very picky with who he sells them to, which is a good thing.

I told him I was interested in getting a ball python in the near future and that I had done my research about them on here and was confident I knew what was required, however for some reason he didn't seem to keen on ball pythons. Many things he said about them contradicted what I've read on here, especially about their temperment, however due to his large collection and outright experience with snakes, I didn't argue. He strongly recommend boas to me, and said that a Hog Island boa would make a great pet. He then disappeared out the back and returned with a gorgeous 5ft female which I handled for a bit, and was a lovely snake. When I go back there I'll be sure to take a camara and get lots of pictures.

Ed.

[joepythons]

You might want to ask a moderator to move this to the boa section .

[JLC]

You might want to ask a moderator to move this to the boa section .

Done.

(For the record, I think if you love BP's, you should still aim to get one. Personally, I'd be thrilled to get both! )

[Shelby]

Having owned both boas (including a hog island) and balls, I will say both make excellent captive snakes. Hog islands are pretty high strung, and ball pythons can be pretty shy, but I'd say BPs are calmer. Colombian red tails are very calm snakes usually, but they can also top 9' and 40 lbs.

Get what YOU want.. not what someone else thinks you should.

[famoussas]

When I first joined this site I did have my heart set on a BP, but since browsing the forum I did develop a soft spot for RTB's but was put off by their size. However the Hog Island I held today was great, and actually looked more like a RTB( I was assured it wasn't), which was a bonus.

PS Sorry this was posted in the wrong section

Ed

[Nate]

yeah man there's nothing saying you can't get both. I've got a few ball pythons..lovem...but i'd love to get a red tail too. As Judy said, get what you want.

do your homework on each one and figure out what is best for your life style. if you can't handle a 9 foot snake in a few years, go with a bp..but if it's no big deal and you want a bigger snake, get a boa. I'm sure they're both excellent pets and noone here will tell you not to do it.

Keep in mind that when one person spends time around one particular type of animal (ie, me around ball pythons), they get to know that animal, what their needs are, what they're like, etc. etc. etc., and then when someone else says "hey, do you like ball pythons or boa's better?" of course, it's going to be a one sided story because i only have experiance with ball pythons.

[Shelby]

Hog islands in the species sense ARE red tailed boas, even if the color of their tail isn't actually red. Both hog island and colombian red tails are boa constrictor imperator. Female hog islands can top 7' sometimes as well.

[famoussas]

I would get a male anyway as they grow to about 5-6 feet? Anyway, I haven't had any snakes for about a 8months so it'll be good to get back into it all whatever I choose , and at the moment I am thinking of the Hog Island. Only thing against them is the price compared to a normal BP. The owner said he only gets a few BP's a year, bred at London Zoo. But he was expecting to breed his Hog Island and was expecting for around March, however he's asking around the $400 mark.

[ladywhipple02]

I would get a male anyway as they grow to about 5-6 feet? Anyway, I haven't had any snakes for about a 8months so it'll be good to get back into it all whatever I choose , and at the moment I am thinking of the Hog Island. Only thing against them is the price compared to a normal BP. The owner said he only gets a few BP's a year, bred at London Zoo. But he was expecting to breed his Hog Island and was expecting for around March, however he's asking around the $400 mark.

Lol, maybe that's why he wanted you to hold the Hogg I'm not saying the guy isn't passionate about his snakes, but he's also an excellent salesman: you went in wanting a $40-50 snake and walked out wanting a $400 snake. Kinda like at reptile shows... you'll be looking at something, kinda thinking you want it, but not really sure, but, as soon as that vendor gets it out and lets you play with it... you want it NOW! Great sales technique

[Ginevive]

Surprisingly, a lot of reptile-keepers I talk to, dislike BPs. They complain about their finicky appetites; their shyness; etc. I think it is BS; if you're a true owner, not merely a dolt who wants a snake for novelty, you have the patience to wait out a fasting snake; care for them through thick and thin, etc.
Personally, having a few BPs and one RTB, I would hesitate to recommend a boa to a beginning keeper. They just get really big, comparatively, fast. They need a lot of attention and are just different than BPs in many subtle ways; much mroe likely in my experience to strike-out, thinking you're food, though I know Bps can do that too; but I'd recommend getting a BP first, to get experience handling and keeping boids, before getting a boa. And an awesome idea, would be to get a larger, maybe unwanted boa later on, instead of supporting the pet trade by buying a smaller one; there are so many unwanted ones on a lot of reptile- rescue sites.
But, if you're set on wanting a boa, not really a BP, I would not suggest getting one merely as a stepping stone; maybe a smaller boa would do.