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Hey im new here and have a question

H

Hurricane

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Hey guys, i just joined here. Ive had sanke experience for about 2 years. It was a Ball Python that i bought from petco (i knew i shouldve have done it, he had some kind of disease that i found about about 3 months later cant remember quite what it was), i had studied and studied and studied and did everything i could to help the little guy, but i took him to the vet and then he died overnight :crying: , alright so i wasnt crying but still, it sucked. So ive had some experience with snakes and the bp was really easy to take care of.

Now for my question... What would be a good beginner boa for me? im sure a million people have asked this before, but can you spare me and tell me please? lol thanks.

Ive been looking at Peruvian red Tailed boas i think you guys callem BCI? you guys think hed be to big/to hard to take care of? thanks.
 
My first boa was a rosy boa and it was a good beginner boa small, hardy and strong feeders so i think that would be the way to go. Just my advice if u want something bigger the colombians are pretty easy to take care of but get pretty big.
 
I'm pretty sure Peruvians are BCC, and a bit harder than BCI to care for. I wouldn't recommend a BCI, nor a BCC for a new snake keeper. They do get big, and some can have nasty temperments. Rosy boas and sand boas are good, but they don't have the classic 'boa' look to them.

I would find a breeder that you trust and buy another BP if I were you, as you already have the cage and stuff to properly care for one.
 
Then how much space do you have? What size cage can you afford, and can you afford rabbits (in several years) to feed?

Seriously, boas aren't for everyone, if you don't have anyone to help handle it in a few years when it's larger (or someone who can get it off of you should it start squeezing) then don't go for a boa...
 
Ive gota big enough space to fit an 8 foot vision cage and ive got about $600 to spend. and im a pretty big guy, 6'2 220 lbs.
 
Hurricane said:
and im a pretty big guy, 6'2 220 lbs.
Click to expand...

That means nothing to an 8ft Boa wrapping itself around your arm when it doesn't want to go back in it's enclosure. I am by no means a weakling but I can have a difficult time trying to do it by myself, (for the others: don't worry, someone else is always in the house), and usually need my wife's help to put them back. These animals can get very big and are extremely powerful as adults. Just something to keep in mind.

Now to answer your question. IMO, a good starter Boa, notice I did not say snake, would be a Colombian Boa, BCI. They are much more forgiving with husbandry mistakes and tend to have a mild disposition if handled often.

But again, keep in mind, they do get very large and can severely injure a person if not treated with the respect they deserve.
 
Yeah hed definatly get the respect he deserves. Ive thought this through and i know they get pretty big, ive always known that and has always been a factor when thinking about buying a boa, i know they are small to start out and get huge. so the Columbians are pretty docile when handled enough?
 
Yup, some of my biggest are also my most docile. They tend to mellow out with age. I've actually never been bitten by an adult Boa, just young ones. (Now that I've said that, off to go get bit cleaning the adult boas' enclosures..lol)
 
Hurricane said:
Lol, how big are their pieces of poop anyways? huge im guessing?
Click to expand...

Comparable to my two Siberian Huskeys..lol
 
Lol, you know of any good caresheets you could direct me to for a BCI? ive taken care of snakes before but would like to know of there specific needs.
 
I sure don't. I got most of my information from different places all over the net. This is how I keep mine....

4ftx2ftx18inch enclosure for adults.
Cool side 80f
Hot spot of 90f. I provide this using Flex Watt heat tape. I do not use over head heat. It's hard enough to keep humidity up in the desert and over head heat makes it impossible.
Large water bowl for soaking and yes they will use it.
Hides on both ends.
Humidty at around 65%.

These are just the basics but if you can get these going, the rest will fall into place. Plus, if you have any problems, people here will be more than willing to help.
 
Actually, the really big water tub I use is sufficient to keep the humidity up in my enclosures.
 
A large water dish/soaking tub on the hot side is usually enough to keep the humidity up. Some people keep a dish of wet sphagnum moss for the snakes to rub and soak in as well, which also helps keep humidity up. As a kid I had assorted small snakes, in addition to every other kind of animal you can think of. I always adored the larger boas, so last year I figured it was time to get one.

I couldn't be happier with my Colombian Red Tail, she's a sweet, tolerant, mild mannered, good eater. With consistent handling I rarely hear of anyone having aggression problems with colombians. As far as a starter boa, they're the way to go. I got my girl from Hermin's Herps, and couldn't be happier. He was extremely helpful and snakey is a healty girl who never refuses her frozen thawed meal.

As others said, they get huge, and they eat huge food, as in rabbits. Theres always the chance that they wont eat the frozen/thawed, and you might have to feed prekilled or even live. You ready to throw a sweet, live bunny into an enclosure, or kill it yourself then throw it in? Poop is usually about the size of what goes on, a little smaller. Pick up a couple of books, they aren't always right on, but read enough and you will get the general idea. I found "The Boa Constrictor Manual" from The Herpetocultural Library quite helpful and a good single source for an overview. You can pick one up at any local Petco.

Good luck, let us know what you decide!
 
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