Boa constrictor question...

[Redneck]

OK... I am fixing to go pick up a 6 foot female boa constrictor.. I am being told its a RTB.. But I dont want to say thats what it really is yet.. Anyways..

My question is not about what it really is.. I just wanted to state that is what the seller is calling it..

So.. My question is this..
It is a 6 foot female.. She is in a 4 foot long enclosure.. Is that going to be big enough for her or should I build her a bigger one if I buy her..

I am more than likly going to buy her since she is being sold for $100.. The seller is a girl I use to go to school with.. So I can get it for like maybe $65.. It is not her snake is her ex brother-in-laws.. She said he has not been around for like 2 months to even care for it and she is scared of it..

Also.. Another question.. What is the right size prey item for her? I was thinking a large rat.. But I have never had a snake this big before & I am wanting to make sure I get the right food for her.. Plue the person I am buying her from said she eats medium.. Is that right?

Anyway.. All help would be great.. Because I am about to go get her today..

 

[Sadistic_Serpen]

Hi,

I may not be an expert on tarantulas... But I know enough about snakes to know how to help with your questions

Your red tail boa (also, warning... pick up tongs! Red tail boa strike, and strike with force) should be eating medium to large rats, or a small rabbit. Just to let you know, you snake will most likely end up eating rabbits.

When boas (or any snake, really) reach 4 or 5 feet, it's a good idea to move it into a "breeder" size tank, which is something about 6 feet long, 2 feet deep and 2 feet tall. Snakes cannot be in an enclosure that is too big, or they don't feel secure. Use hides for your snake

If you have any more questions, I would love to help.

 

[DeathsPyro12]

A cage can never be to big Tommy as long as there are plenty of hides. Also as for feeding the usual rule of thumb is something as big around as the snake's mid section. So for my male 7' burm I feed extra large or "jumbo" rats. Post pics when you get her!

Tim

 

[DeathsPyro12]

Oh and usually a rule of thumb for caging is half the snakes total length, and in my opinion twice the snakes size coiled up, and for her size I would say 2 feet tall, but personally I would rather build a boa a cage large enough to climb because it is their nature.

Tim

 

[Redneck]

I will deff. Post pictures as soon as I get her..

If she eats jumbo rats how often should I feed her? I was told she ain't ate in nearly 2 months!
So I am grab a medium rat for now.. I saw a picture of her.. She don't look 6 foot.. I will know more here in a bit.. I am on the phone right now taking faulty lawnmower back to where we got it.. Soon as we are done we are going to pick her up for $65.. Thanks for the help!

 

[DeathsPyro12]

I feed my guy every saturday, granted he still has some growing to do. If it really is a big girl I would say once a week to once every other week. But also the larger the meal the longer the wait.

 

[Sadistic_Serpen]

If she is severely under weight, feed every five days until she gains weight.

But if she looks okay, then feed her every seven to ten days. Though, I think she would be fine every seven to ten days.

Snakes go off feed a lot, and for long periods of time. Not so common with boa constrictors, though, since they are such voracious eaters.

 

[Redneck]

Well I am heading to look at her now.. I hope she is healthy enough for me to get her.. Sadly if she's not I won't be getting her..

 

[Redneck]

Well.. I went & looked at her.. She was gorgeous! They said that not one person has touched her, fed her, cleaned her enclosure, NOTHING in nearly 2 months.. They brought her & her enclosure with them to show me.. Even bigger shock was the fact that her enclosure she was in fit in the trunk of a Chrysler 300! Her enclosure was like 2.5' long X 1' deep X 2' tall.. That is sad.. She is not 6 foot.. She is more like 4.75-5 feet..

But none the less.. I got her! She is such a sweetie! Her name is now Sweet-Pea... :razz:

Pictures coming soon.. Hopefully someone can ID what kind of Boa she is because I cant..

 

[DeathsPyro12]

Congrats Tommy! I can't wait for pictures

 

[Redneck]

As soon as I get them uploaded to photobucket I will get them on here..

They kept repeating the fact that I should offer her a jumbo rat.. "Live"! I told them after I gave them the money that they should never buy another snae for the rest of they pathetic lives..

Because they want to enjoy seeing the snake kill the rat.. Sweet-Pea has a bad scar on her face.. Between her eyes.. The rat they offered her must have bit all the way through her face.. Because there is also a scar on the underside of her head..

But its not to bad.. Its not an infected sore or nothing like that.. Thank goodness.. Other than the scar.. She has no mite or nothing.. I believe her weight is OK hopefully..

I am going to go get her a "medium" rat tomorrow.. F/T!

Uploading pictures now..

I even got the price down to $50!

 

[Redneck]

Pictures as promised.. (Picture heavy!!)

Here she is.. Again I am not sure what kind she is or even if she is a she.. They said that is just what they were told..

They are in no special order.. If you need diff. shots to help ID her I can get them..

 

[pitbulllady]

Dude, I think you got lucky on this one-NOT a "Red-Tail", but NOT a Colombian either. I believe you've got yourself a Boa constrictor longicauda-known as a Peruvian Long-Tailed Boa-there!

She definitely needs a bigger cage than what these idiots you got her from had her in, though. However, this subspecies is nowhere near as large as the Colombian Boa, with females maxing out at 7 feet and males around 5 or 6. You definitely need to get her on frozen/thawed MEDIUM rats, since you can see evidence on her head of what a rat can do to a snake, and it could have been much worse. People like that, who feed live just because they enjoy seeing a snake kill a prey animal, do not deserve to have ANY animals, and they give the rest of us reptile keepers a bad reputation for being cruel. These snakes, which are also known as Tumbes Boas, can tolerate cooler temperatures and lower humidity than most Boas, by the way, and if you find her a male and wish to breed them, you're going to need a nighttime cool-down temp around 65 degrees to achieve mating. This is a valuable animal, not common in the pet trade, and you are lucky to find her, or rather, SHE is lucky to find YOU, since it's clear that her owners were not properly caring for her at all and had no clue what they had.

pitbulllady

 

[DeathsPyro12]

Congrats Tommy! She is aboslutely stunning! Best of luck with her.

Tim

 

[Redneck]

Dude, I think you got lucky on this one-NOT a "Red-Tail", but NOT a Colombian either. I believe you've got yourself a Boa constrictor longicauda-known as a Peruvian Long-Tailed Boa-there!

She definitely needs a bigger cage than what these idiots you got her from had her in, though. However, this subspecies is nowhere near as large as the Colombian Boa, with females maxing out at 7 feet and males around 5 or 6. You definitely need to get her on frozen/thawed MEDIUM rats, since you can see evidence on her head of what a rat can do to a snake, and it could have been much worse. People like that, who feed live just because they enjoy seeing a snake kill a prey animal, do not deserve to have ANY animals, and they give the rest of us reptile keepers a bad reputation for being cruel. These snakes, which are also known as Tumbes Boas, can tolerate cooler temperatures and lower humidity than most Boas, by the way, and if you find her a male and wish to breed them, you're going to need a nighttime cool-down temp around 65 degrees to achieve mating. This is a valuable animal, not common in the pet trade, and you are lucky to find her, or rather, SHE is lucky to find YOU, since it's clear that her owners were not properly caring for her at all and had no clue what they had.

pitbulllady

Wow! Thanks for letting me know what she "could" be.. I was reading all those links last night.. I was up until 4 AM reading them.. I was thinking she does not have any traits the BCC or the BCI had.. It had me al sort of confused.. I also read about the DNA testing.. Can it really determine what it really is? If so... Who & where would I go to get something like that done? Im thinking a rep. vet. cant do that.. Can they?

Again thanks for the help..

Congrats Tommy! She is aboslutely stunning! Best of luck with her.

Tim

Thanks! She is awesome.. She has to be the best "neck" snake I have ever had..

 

[Shell]

She's gorgeous Tommy! Congrats

 

[Redneck]

She's gorgeous Tommy! Congrats

Thanks Shell.. Once I get the yard mowed & cleaned up I will take her outside & get some better pictures of her.. Maybe even a bit of a video..

 

[PrimalTaunt]

Glad to hear that she's now with somebody who will actually take the time and properly care for her. Congrats!

 

[Dyn]

It doesnt really look like a longicauda to me...

More of a central american boa look to me... except its head does have the really dark markings kind of like a longicauda but everything else says central american to me.

 

[pitbulllady]

Every B.c.longicauda I've ever seen had those exact same body markings, complete with the connected pattern, which is also often found in CA BCI's. I've seen and handled many "Long-Tailed" Boas, though they are a bit too expensive for me, and that included the one which recently sold at a USARK auction, and it was exactly like this snake. Here's an anery specimen bred by Vin Russo(I do not even want to know how much it would be worth; just having his name associated with it would add a couple hundred dollars to its value): http://www.darwinnet.org/images/boa_vincent.jpg . You can see it has basically the same pattern, just a lack of all reddish pigment.

pitbulllady