Please help

[kjhowland]

I had done a lot of reading concerning size, disposition, etc. The actual looks were not important. I didn't want a big snake and the ball seemed to match my desires perfectly. I had also planned to purchase a custom built cage at the same time. After conversing with the cage builder, I decided to have one built to my specs. He has had a little problems with his vehicle, which has delayed the cage. I agree that i shouldn't have bought the snake without a cage ready for it, but we don't see snakes like that normally around here.

[babygerl3094]

I had done a lot of reading concerning size, disposition, etc. The actual looks were not important. I didn't want a big snake and the ball seemed to match my desires perfectly. I had also planned to purchase a custom built cage at the same time. After conversing with the cage builder, I decided to have one built to my specs. He has had a little problems with his vehicle, which has delayed the cage. I agree that i shouldn't have bought the snake without a cage ready for it, but we don't see snakes like that normally around here.

none of the sites that u went to had pics of what they looked like ? werent there other venders there that u could have compared with ??

well anywho.. good luck

[starmom]

Oh my goodness. Well, where to start. I would say to get in touch with the breeder since an error has been made. I would also post the boas picture in the boa section of this forum. Jimi will undoubtedly chime in, as well as Jo, and they are really helpful with boas!!
To my eye, your boa looks like a beautiful BCI red-tail Columbian. Nice speckling!! What a cutie!! BCI's typically have great personalities: gentle, mellow, curious. If it is a male, a 4x2x2 ought to hold him for his lifetime. If its a female, a 6x2x2 will do well. Now of course people keep them in tubs and in smaller enclosures; this is simply my opinion for how to keep a boa. The boa environment is similar to the royal though not so hot as some people keep royals. I keep my boas at 90F and have them at 50-55% humidity; very similar. I provide climbing branches and will have a basking shelf in their large cages. They are very cool snakes though very different from royals. You really want to contact the breeder!!!
Good luck and keep us in the loop!

[SatanicIntention]

To me it looks like either a common boa(it's spelled Colombian ) or a Nicaraguan. I keep my boa between 78-80 cool side and 88-90 warm side, they like it a bit cooler than Ball Pythons do.

A baby boa DOES need a small-ish enclosure(20 longs work well). Juvies just get stressed easily and they need to feel secure in their environment. You don't want to risk regurgitation. Females generally don't need anything bigger than a 4x2 unless they are 10ft+, which is a rarity. Mine is around 8ft now and she's in a VE-175 tub from ReptileTubs.com(otherwise known as the $25 X-Mas Tree box).

For a start, all you need to do is CLEAN the enclosure. It looks filthy as does the water bowl(is that a lid??). Get an actual water bowl, 2 hides, a DIGITAL thermometer so you can measure the temperatures and humidity accurately, and an undertank heater with a dimmer(dimmer is $11 at Home Depot, no wiring needed).

[starmom]

Well, like I said, size of the enclosure is a matter of opinion. I don't feel right about keeping a 6-8ft female boa in a 4 foot enclosure....

[SatanicIntention]

I realize that, and if you have room for a 6x2x2 enclosure, go right ahead. I for one, don't have that much floor space. I will trust the people who are the most experienced in the field, such as Rio Bravo and many others, and they say a 4x2 is perfect for an adult female and a 3x2 is fine for an adult male. Males, if fed conservatively, stay around 5ft. They should be squared off, not round-bodied. I'm sure my girl would get to be a fattus if I let her, and that's why she only gets fed a 2.5lb rabbit every 3-4 weeks.

[invadertoast]

...I agree that i shouldn't have bought the snake without a cage ready for it, but we don't see snakes like that normally around here.

You might not know this, but New Hampshire is home to NERD, it's certainly not hard to find a ball python around here! I don't know how far you travelled to go to the show though... I was there, it was SUPER crowded and nearly impossible to get close to any tables, maybe the breeder misunderstood or you mis-heard. Anyhow, good luck!

[kc261]

Why the He!# did you buy a snake when you obviously had no idea what you were buying and nowhere to properly house it? I seriously don't get it. Why did you even want to buy a ball if you had NO IDEA what a ball looked like??

I kind of agree. I thought about posting something similar. Although I think your tone is a bit over the top.

But I thought about it. Maybe someone new to snakes who has been researching and probably seen pictures of many, many different BP morphs, might not recognize the difference between a boa and a BP. It might have just looked like yet another morph to them. And even if this guy thought it didn't look quite like a BP to him, who was he to argue with the breeder when he was told (or at least thought he was told) that the snake was a BP? Sure, to us this is very obviously not a BP, but maybe to a newbie?

And it seems like the snake is reasonably housed. He has a ceramic heater controlled by a t-stat, a hide, water. Yes, it is time to clean the enclosure.

I agree totally that the OP could have done things better. But I decided to go with the benefit of the doubt and the idea of attracting more flies with honey.

[starmom]

I realize that, and if you have room for a 6x2x2 enclosure, go right ahead. I for one, don't have that much floor space. I will trust the people who are the most experienced in the field, such as Rio Bravo and many others, and they say a 4x2 is perfect for an adult female and a 3x2 is fine for an adult male. Males, if fed conservatively, stay around 5ft. They should be squared off, not round-bodied. I'm sure my girl would get to be a fattus if I let her, and that's why she only gets fed a 2.5lb rabbit every 3-4 weeks.

Becky, I realize we have different thoughts about cage sizes and I too have gotten this advice from respected professionals I also included the caveat that caging size was variable and that some people keep in tubs as well as cages.
Also, I have no intention of ever over-feeding any of my snakes; obesity in any animal causes major health issues
Glad to hear your boa is doing well!

[Jenn]

I keep BP's and Corns mostly but I'm looking for a Boa. Let me know if you need to find a new home for that beautiful snake. Are You from NH?