# Thinking about a redtailed boa.



## J.huff23 (Jul 27, 2012)

So I'm going to a reptile show in Pittsburgh on Sunday and I have been contemplating getting a red tailed boa. I have obviously been doing research on them and I see that they can max out at 10 feet and require some experience to keep. I have kept corn, rats, and ball pythons before, would this qualify? Also I read that at their adult size they feed on large rats? Is this correct? 

I read that they are very docile snakes and rarely bite. I want sOmething that I can handle even at it's adult size. I hear that they can go from 12" to 7' in a year. I this true?

My only concern is their adult size. I have never kept a snake that big before and I fear that I may not be able to handle it. 

So I guess what I'm asking for is the opinions of those who have kept or are currently keeping these at their adult size. What do you guys think? Are these hell to keep at their adult size?


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## cmack91 (Jul 28, 2012)

J.huff23 said:


> So I'm going to a reptile show in Pittsburgh on Sunday and I have been contemplating getting a red tailed boa. I have obviously been doing research on them and I see that they can max out at 10 feet and require some experience to keep. I have kept corn, rats, and ball pythons before, would this qualify? You should have enough experience, just remember that BCC aren't as tolerable of humidity fluctuations.Also I read that at their adult size they feed on large rats? Rabbits are better.Is this correct?
> 
> I read that they are very docile snakes and rarely bite. I want sOmething that I can handle even at it's adult size. I hear that they can go from 12" to 7' in a year. I this true?No. They do not grow that fast, inless you are seriously power feeding them. Also, only a female BCC will come close to that size, expect around ten feet for females, and 7-8 for males.
> 
> ...


Have fun with them.


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## pitbulllady (Jul 28, 2012)

J.huff23 said:


> So I'm going to a reptile show in Pittsburgh on Sunday and I have been contemplating getting a red tailed boa. I have obviously been doing research on them and I see that they can max out at 10 feet and require some experience to keep. I have kept corn, rats, and ball pythons before, would this qualify? Also I read that at their adult size they feed on large rats? Is this correct?
> 
> I read that they are very docile snakes and rarely bite. I want sOmething that I can handle even at it's adult size. I hear that they can go from 12" to 7' in a year. I this true?
> 
> ...


First of all, when you say "Red-Tailed Boa", exactly what are you referring to?  Probably 80% of the snakes referred to as "Red-Tailed Boas" AREN'T; they are COLOMBIAN or Central America Boas.  There is no such thing as a "Colombian Red-Tailed Boa".  That is a pet shop marketing thing that put into play when Brazil cut off exports of TRUE Red-Tailed Boas and Colombia tried to fill that niche.  Colombian Boas are by far the most common of the _Boa constrictor_ subspecies out there.  Both Colombians and Central American/Mexican Boas are _Boa constrictor imperator_, while true Red-Tailed Boas, the ones from east of the Andes Mountains in South America, are _Boa constrictor constrictor_, and there are quite a few differences, appearance-wise and temperament-wise.  I'm assuming that you'll be getting a Colombian Boa, and since I own and breed both Colombians and Red-Tails(Suriname/Guyana locales), I can answer your questions.  I started out with Boas when I was 12, btw, with an imported female Brazilian for a Christmas gift from my grandfather.

Only in rare instances do Boas get as large as you described, and that would mainly apply to females, which get considerably larger than males, so if you want a snake to stay a reasonable size, get a male.  I have had Boas that could and would eat rabbits, but they will still do just as well on jumbo rats, which are a bit cheaper than rabbits most of the time, and I'm talking frozen/thawed, of course.  COLOMBIAN Boas are typically very docile, though bear in mind that they have powerful feeding responses.  Every bite I've gotten from a Boa has been feeding related.  Red-Tailed Boas, on the other hand, are a bit more temperamental much of the time, and you're more apt to run into a hissy, defensive specimen there.  There are exceptions, of course, as mine are very tame, but they are also more delicate, more prone to RI's, and prefer smaller meals to avoid regurgitation than Colombians.  Colombians are going to be a cheaper, easier-keeper snake, although if you want to splurge, there are plenty of morphs out there that will require some major investment capital.  You will need a large cage for an adult, one with a securely locking lid, and the cage will probably wind up being your biggest investment, cost-wise, but you can often pick up used ones at reptile shows for decent prices.  Like Ball Pythons, Boas do have to be kept warm, though they don't need quite as high humidity as BPs do.  Their temp requirements are about the same, though.  An adult male Colombian will average around 6-7 feet, while a female will be around a foot more, typically.  A BCI over 10 feet is a rarity; I've only seen one such animal in my lifetime.  Boas' growth rate is dependent on feeding, and anyone who tells you that a Boa will go from 12 inches to 7 feet in a year is either BSing, or they are confusing these with Burmese and Reticulated Pythons, or they are "power feeding" a snake to force rapid growth, something that is very detrimental for the snake's health and lifespan.  My yearlings tend to be around the 3-foot mark, and two-year-olds are generally around five feet.  If you're worried about size, then consider one of the Central American or Sonoran Boas; just make sure that the snake you pick out is tame and handleable, because some CA and Mexican Boas can be snappy, but that's not to say they all are.  I've got a Genetic Stripe Sonoran girl who is the sweetest little thing, and at a year she's still less than two feet long, and will probably max out at around 4 1/2-5 feet.

pitbulllady


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## Deftones90 (Jul 28, 2012)

I'm partial to the nicaraguan BCI. I also like the BCI more because like the others said they stay much smaller.


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## macj1983 (Jul 28, 2012)

They are cool Just be ready for all it's need b4 hand would be my advice


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## J.huff23 (Jul 28, 2012)

Thanks for all of the great info guys! Taking all of this information into consideration, these are definitly on my list of interest. Thanks again guys. I'll be there tomorrow morning so I'll let everyone know what I decide on!

-Jake Huff


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## J.huff23 (Jul 29, 2012)

I ended up getting one. It is a salmon "redtailed boa" if that means anything. She is almost 2 feet right now but doesnt look it at all. She looks smaller.

PitBull Lady, here are some pictures of her. Are these the ones you were describing where the females get around 8 feet? I know pictures are hard ID methods but I just figured I'd ask.


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## pitbulllady (Jul 29, 2012)

She is a cutie, although to the best of my knowledge no one has been breeding BCC's, aka Red-Tailed Boas, with the Salmon Hypo gene, although it would not be difficult to introduce it since it is a co-dominant gene mutation.  It's difficult with the Hypos to go by things like saddle count, since pattern aberrations are normal with this morph.  She's got some nice coloration and will be a wonderful pet in any case, and she looks like a real sweetheart.

pitbulllady


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## J.huff23 (Jul 29, 2012)

So this is for sure a BCC? She'll get 7-8 feet? Thats what I was told when I bought her. I got her from a legit guy because he also told me that Redtailed Boa is a generic name and he wa giving me some good information.


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## pitbulllady (Jul 29, 2012)

J.huff23 said:


> So this is for sure a BCC? She'll get 7-8 feet? Thats what I was told when I bought her. I got her from a legit guy because he also told me that Redtailed Boa is a generic name and he wa giving me some good information.


No, she's probably not a BCC, since as I said, I don't think that anyone is working with legit Hypo lines of BCC's that aren't crossed with BCI's.  Most of the Hypos are of certain bloodlines, just as in dogs, and those bloodlines exist within the BCI's, not Red-Tailed Boas.  She probably will get to be around 7-8 feet, though, since that is a typical adult size for a female Colombian Boa.  I don't use "Red-Tailed Boa" as a "generic name" just like I don't refer to American Pit Bull Terriers by the generic "pit bull" or "pit", since now those terms often refers to dogs that AREN'T American Pit Bull Terriers, just as "Red-Tailed Boa" now often refers to snakes that aren't Red-Tailed Boas.  It's confusing when people start using a specific term for a very broad group of objects.

pitbulllady


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## J.huff23 (Jul 31, 2012)

Thanks for all the help!


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## cantthinkofone (Aug 1, 2012)

im a bit late here but you made a good decision. if i had the space i would get one to but i dont


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