Should I go with the Boa or try for something smaller?

[gothkenny]

Having a little toddler in the house is similar to having a small dog, cats, birds, even you!! A good keeper does not permit a snake to roam the house unattended. A good keeper of snakes make certain that their snake-caging needs are taken care of completely.

With a Bci, a reptile cage is a really good plan given that they are so very strong. I have my three Bci females in 2x3x1 cages from RBI heated by RHP's. These cages are terrific and fit the bill quite nicely. Two of my girls are yearlings and I am just now starting to see new cages in their futures. As I have been planning for this eventuality for some time, and I will purchase them each their own AP T20 (6x2x2), with RHP's and glass doors.

My point is, if you purchase or build appropriate caging for the snake you choose, the only way for a snake to escape is through human error. That said, I am pretty certain that there has not ever been a human death related to a Bci. (Other members, please correct me if I am wrong!)

In my opinion, I don't beleive you are too young for a Bci with the caveat that you have adult back-up; and it sounds like your step-dad is happy to be your back-up! Lucky you!!

My opinion is bias as to the snake to choose; I only have Bci's. I love them....well, there is one who I choose to believe has it out for me!! Lol!!! I am trying to love her through it!!! Lol!!!!! I strongly recommend that if you choose to adopt a Bci that you speak with Jimi who is a mod on this forum. He knows the personalities of his snakes and their offspring and he is a real stand-up guy. He would absolutely be able to sell you a snake that is mellow and perfect for you. And, icing on the cake, his snakes are totally gorgeous!!!!

Lastly, maybe you could invite your mom to this forum so that she might be able to ask the questions she might have and air any concerns that might be bothering her. She would be able to receive reliable information which might allow her to feel more comfortable with the safety concerns she has shared with you.

Anyway, it is very cool that you are doing all of this investigation prior to adopting a snake. In the end, this will pay off for you and your family as you will choose the best type of snake and have your husbandry and caging in order.

Take care.

I think my mom was more talking about handling the snake around my little brother... but who knows. -shrugs- Luckily the snake is going to stay in my room, behind closed doors, with only other reptiles so I won't have to worry about some little kitten or something. Since I'm not at her house on the weekends the only pets I can have are rodents and reptiles.

Since the commercial cages are so expensive (I really don't have that much money. Its hard to make money when you're 12 and the only options you have are working for family members... Heh...) I think that I'm just going to buy the wood and have one of my step-dad's friends, him, and I build a cage. Who knows though, I'll think about that when the time comes. Luckily though my step-dad has lots of friends that will help in within a second if he asks for it. They already offered to help build my CWD's cage but we got a good deal on a 55 gallon.

Yeah, I'm going to make sure we have at least one lock on the cage then maybe secure it with bungee cords or belts. Whatever fits the bill.

Yep, I definatly have to bring some questions to Jimi once I start nearing the time when I can get my snake. (I have a hamster that has to die first. LOL. I can only have 3 pets at a time... >_>)

Hah, yeah, I am SOOO lucky that my step-dad is into reptiles. He really was the one that fueled my love for reptiles (he pushed me into getting a CWD when I was really ready for a Chinchilla or something like that) and I will thank him forever for that.

I WISH my mom would do something like that. If she would only take a look around this website I'd like scream and jump up and down. She'd realize then that snake people aren't weird, that snakes aren't scary, and that this is something I really love. Oh well, its not going to happen. The best I can hope for is that when I send her links to certain caresheets, and some quotes from breeders that she'll read that... Thats the one thing that I can do that I think might change her mind. She's a sucker for a cute picture. LOL. I pretty much won her over with a baby rattie picture when I wanted one a while ago but my step-dad over-ruled one that one. Oh, well, I'm glad for that one! I wouldn't be able to feed my reptiles rats if I had one across the room looking at me. Its hard enough with my hamster.

Wow, you take care to. I must say, that post really helped me think about different things... Thank you so very much. Having all you people help me is really making me believe that somehow, this whole Boa thing is going to work out.

[crystal]

you are singlehandedly the most mature 12 year old i have ever 'met'. i think you will do great with a boa if you keep the smae attitude and willingness to learn from those who know more about snakes than you. keep it up kid and good luck

[blackcrystal22]

I think my mom was more talking about handling the snake around my little brother... but who knows. -shrugs- Luckily the snake is going to stay in my room, behind closed doors, with only other reptiles so I won't have to worry about some little kitten or something. Since I'm not at her house on the weekends the only pets I can have are rodents and reptiles.

Since the commercial cages are so expensive (I really don't have that much money. Its hard to make money when you're 12 and the only options you have are working for family members... Heh...) I think that I'm just going to buy the wood and have one of my step-dad's friends, him, and I build a cage. Who knows though, I'll think about that when the time comes. Luckily though my step-dad has lots of friends that will help in within a second if he asks for it. They already offered to help build my CWD's cage but we got a good deal on a 55 gallon.

Yeah, I'm going to make sure we have at least one lock on the cage then maybe secure it with bungee cords or belts. Whatever fits the bill.

Yep, I definatly have to bring some questions to Jimi once I start nearing the time when I can get my snake. (I have a hamster that has to die first. LOL. I can only have 3 pets at a time... >_>)

Hah, yeah, I am SOOO lucky that my step-dad is into reptiles. He really was the one that fueled my love for reptiles (he pushed me into getting a CWD when I was really ready for a Chinchilla or something like that) and I will thank him forever for that.

I WISH my mom would do something like that. If she would only take a look around this website I'd like scream and jump up and down. She'd realize then that snake people aren't weird, that snakes aren't scary, and that this is something I really love. Oh well, its not going to happen. The best I can hope for is that when I send her links to certain caresheets, and some quotes from breeders that she'll read that... Thats the one thing that I can do that I think might change her mind. She's a sucker for a cute picture. LOL. I pretty much won her over with a baby rattie picture when I wanted one a while ago but my step-dad over-ruled one that one. Oh, well, I'm glad for that one! I wouldn't be able to feed my reptiles rats if I had one across the room looking at me. Its hard enough with my hamster.

Wow, you take care to. I must say, that post really helped me think about different things... Thank you so very much. Having all you people help me is really making me believe that somehow, this whole Boa thing is going to work out.

Mature indeed!
Jimi is a wonderful choice to work with! Just feed your hamster to the snake.. obviously.. kidding.
I'm worried about my small dog getting too close to my RTB when he's an adult, but I don't think he would get big enough.. but I'm still going to be careful.
Well, with your 20 gallon that will last you a little while and you can start saving up for a reptile basics cage (or something similar) and eventually buy that. It doesn't take a ton of saving to work up 250 dollars or so. ;]
Especially in 2 years time.

Good luck!

[gothkenny]

you are singlehandedly the most mature 12 year old i have ever 'met'. i think you will do great with a boa if you keep the smae attitude and willingness to learn from those who know more about snakes than you. keep it up kid and good luck

Wow... Thank you! That actually means a ton to me.

[gothkenny]

Mature indeed!
Jimi is a wonderful choice to work with! Just feed your hamster to the snake.. obviously.. kidding.
I'm worried about my small dog getting too close to my RTB when he's an adult, but I don't think he would get big enough.. but I'm still going to be careful.
Well, with your 20 gallon that will last you a little while and you can start saving up for a reptile basics cage (or something similar) and eventually buy that. It doesn't take a ton of saving to work up 250 dollars or so. ;]
Especially in 2 years time.

Good luck!

Not to say I haven't thought about that... Simple, easy, clean, done. Just don't want to have to buy a 15 dollar meal, (not to mention switching him over to live!) every week! LOL!

Yeah, I would worry about that too... Eep! Just keep him out of the reptile room! That would be devistating though... I'm not sure if I would be able keep a snake that ate my dog. I'm pretty sure I'd have to hand him over to someone else.

You think a 20 gallon would lat TWO YEARS!? I heard that he could outgrow it in 6 months.... I still think I'm going to build one. I don't really like the way the Reptile Basics ones are set-up as much. And anyway, I keep looking for an excuse to build stuff for my reptiles. Everytime I see a plastic box I wish that I had more snakes to build a rack for. I was really pumped about building a tank for my CWD but my step-dad got too good of a deal to turn it down. The scary thing about the tank though is that it was GOING to me sold to the guy that originally owned my Ball Python (he's 18 inches right now) and he was going to house the poor little baby in a HUGE 55 gallon tank. I HATE THAT GUY! >_> He made my Ball totally head-shy. He would just tap it on the head all the time and not to mention he fed him way too tiny meals... ANYWAY...!

[snakelady]

You're reccomending Corn Islands to someone new to boas? Interesting. Personally if I were you I'd go with something cheaper as a first animal, personally I love my Nicaraguans, some are snappy and some are fine to deal with. But I think they're great. I don't do Colombian boas at all, I'm only interested in the Central American and Insular forms. All these are small, getting maybe 5 feet max.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...s/DSC01368.jpg
sorry for the link, my pic refuses to size down no matter what I do.

I didn't mean he has to get one. I just was saying they were a smaller boa. Sorry, if I wasn't clear enough.

[starmom]

...I don't really like the way the Reptile Basics ones are set-up as much...

Care to elaborate?

Just curious as I have 6 RBI cages and 4 RBI racks and I love them Strong, easy to clean, handy accessibility, hold temps and humidity really well, made for snakes, and they look great

As if top-notch cages aren't enough, Rich gives the VERY BEST customer service out there and is always totally accessible by phone or email, and totally stands by the customer should any issues or questions arise. He is an amazing guy and extremely professional and insanely knowledgeable.

[JimiSnakes]

What a read, thanks for the comments everyone!

"Dwarf" boas are actually called Insular boas, right on the money qiksilver, but are also mostly known as BCI's so it's very confusing. Insulars tend to be a little bit fiestier than "normal" BCI's, but most will calm down with some work. Whenever I get an email that is in relation to this very thread, I steer them towards a nice normal male colombian bci. They are hard to beat for a great pet. They stay relatively small, like 4.5-5 feet, and have a good disposition most of the time.

Corn Islands are a hand full, for the most part, but will calm down in due time. The problem is they generally go for around a grand a pair and you will have a hard time getting someone reliable to sell a single male/female. You also will need to get on a waiting list.

Hogs are great pets, but just make sure your mind is made up whether or not you want a PURE Hog or not. There's a lot of Colombian/Hog crosses out there lately...some don't mind and some do. For the most part they are great snakes, a bit touchier than most colombians.

Central Americans and Nics are also good pets. They stay within 4-5 feet and are really neat looking. I personally have seen more mean ones than nice ones, but with some tender loving care, they will relax for anyone.

Hope this all helped!

[gothkenny]

Care to elaborate?

Just curious as I have 6 RBI cages and 4 RBI racks and I love them Strong, easy to clean, handy accessibility, hold temps and humidity really well, made for snakes, and they look great

As if top-notch cages aren't enough, Rich gives the VERY BEST customer service out there and is always totally accessible by phone or email, and totally stands by the customer should any issues or questions arise. He is an amazing guy and extremely professional and insanely knowledgeable.

GAH! I'm stupid, sorry, I got RBI cages mixed up with something else. -hits head repeatedly-

Yeah, gosh, I'm sorry. Bleh. D:

[gothkenny]

What a read, thanks for the comments everyone!

"Dwarf" boas are actually called Insular boas, right on the money qiksilver, but are also mostly known as BCI's so it's very confusing. Insulars tend to be a little bit fiestier than "normal" BCI's, but most will calm down with some work. Whenever I get an email that is in relation to this very thread, I steer them towards a nice normal male colombian bci. They are hard to beat for a great pet. They stay relatively small, like 4.5-5 feet, and have a good disposition most of the time.

Corn Islands are a hand full, for the most part, but will calm down in due time. The problem is they generally go for around a grand a pair and you will have a hard time getting someone reliable to sell a single male/female. You also will need to get on a waiting list.

Hogs are great pets, but just make sure your mind is made up whether or not you want a PURE Hog or not. There's a lot of Colombian/Hog crosses out there lately...some don't mind and some do. For the most part they are great snakes, a bit touchier than most colombians.

Central Americans and Nics are also good pets. They stay within 4-5 feet and are really neat looking. I personally have seen more mean ones than nice ones, but with some tender loving care, they will relax for anyone.

Hope this all helped!

How much would a Dwarf Colombian go for right now? How big would the females get?

A grand? Eep. I defiantly couldn't afford that! Do you know why its hard to get one by itself?

Again, how much would a pure Hog or a cross cost? Either would be okay with me.

Thanks for posting here!