Please help getting a colombian red tail boa

[probe7899]

Hi everyone I am new to this forum and I need a little advice. I have looked over the computer for some info on red tails and couldnt find a lot. I found basic info.
I already have two ball pythons and two corns. So i am planning on buying a colombian red tail boa. I would like to know are they an agressive snake or are they docile?? (Do they make a good pet snake)???? And any kind of info that will help.
Thanks a lot
Brian
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[BWSmith]

I think RTBs are great snakes. Just be ready for the adult size. Columbians I have not found to be too aggressive in general. But I have ran into many Central American Boas being passed off as Columbians and they are a little more aggressive. Of course you did start with the two most passive species [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] I am sure that others will come along with more time to post, but I think that you are moving at the right pace, balls and corns to boas (better than most, at least a Burm wasn't your first snake [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] )

BTW, welcome to RTB, have fun, there is wealth of info here [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[probe7899]

Thanks for the fast reply

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[storm]

If you're looking for info on boas, you're definately in the right place. Head on over to the FAQ's forum and poke around a bit, as well as the Help Me forum. Lots of good information already there, and of course you can always ask for help on anything you can't find.

In terms of Columbian redtail boas being good pets, i would say yes. I personally own one and live with Morti and LdyDrgn (admins on this site), and they have so many, i'm not even sure if there are walls behind our enclosures.

A boa tends to be fairly docile (varying with personality, of course), though they can be a bit nippy for their first couple of months of life (but hey, can't we all?) If you handle them about two or three times a week, they're usually fairly friendly (except for shed-time and a day or two after feeding, but you probably know all about that from the corns and balls).

As BWSmith mentioned, you just have to be prepared for their adult length. Depending on the breed and gender (and the feeding schedule), they can get anywhere from 5 to 10 feet in adult length, with some occasionally bigger from what i've heard. The largest i've personally seen were females, and they were all under 9'.

If you do decide to get a boa, you've found yourself a wonderful community standing by to help you with any and all questions you have.

Welcome to RTB.net!

_________________
<i>Plan: Detailed idea of what we wish would happen, but won't.</i><hr>1.0 Redtail Boa (BCI), 0.1 Leopard Gecko

	Female Female

Like the others have said already here. These ones are usually quite docile snakes. I also would exclude the ca as being docile at all like BW said. The CA is one of the BCI's and that's where it gets mixed into your post btw. Some just refer to them all as colombians and others separate them out further than just that is all. The basic BOA Comstrictor that is refered to as the colombian boa though is the gentle one IMO of them all. They can get HUGE though. My largest ones that I keep are in the 9-10"+ range here [ females of course, BUT I do also have some males that are 9'ers even].
Read through the forums and if there's anything else you want to know..Just ask and members will answer you np. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

WELCOME TO REDTAILBOA.NET!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Storm : She saw your comment in that thread and just left to pick you up.. OH MY! Are you in for it now hehe [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[BWSmith]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> My largest ones that I keep are in the 9-10&quot;+ range </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
Maybe eventually they will get over a foot! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

I think the largest BCI I have ever seen was a 14' female! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] And that was quite a jump from the runners up! I just figure with boas to plan on a 10 foot snake even though it may not get that big. That way you are prepared.
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[jpaulson]

Just wanted to comment on the BCI and CA comment. I have a colombian and a central american (among others), and yes, I can DEFINITELY tell which is the docile one. Although my CA has only bitten once, he constantly holds his head in the &quot;strike&quot; position. So, yes, make sure you get a columbian. BCI's are light in color, usually grey or brown with tiny black specs. The CA is much darker, almost to a black color. IMO, CA's also have much more pink on thier bellies then CBI's.
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[Gib]

Well Personally I love CA boas...they arent all bad....just most of them....
(had to defend my CA's) But they arent something I would recomend as a first Boa...and they generally arent as pretty as Columbians (well in MOST peoples eyes)


And Columbians Boas make GREAT pets!!!!They do get big but they stay mellow when they get big to.....


My Suggestion for ya would be to find a neonate....since You havent had any experience owning a large constrictor.....

With a neonate You get to Grow up together in a manner of speaking...and that can really help with the intimidation factor of a large snake.

Oy its Way to early for me to be up writing stuff...WEll anyways Good Luck!!

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[BadKarma]

If you want a calm boa the key is to handle them. When you have as many as a lot of us here do you don't get to handle them much. That's when you wind up with the cranky ones. If you only take them out to clean or feed then you tend to get a feed response when the door opens. I know we have some cranky adults, and I believe this to be the reason. With 60+ snakes in your house you just don't get to hold them like you do if you have three or four. So what I'm saying is don't let your collection get to be more than you can treat as pets and they'll act more like pets.
One more piece of advice, check with some of us who breed boas. There are plenty of us that do, Lori, Tom, Morti, Myself, just to name a few. (sorry if I left you out I'm really tired). There are some gorgeous babies coming from RTB member's collections. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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[savannah_babe]

the thing that i like about rtb's is that you grow with them. get them as a baby, and not just boom, big. you get used to it. and its not like they grow over night. red tails make good pets, and for the most part, are pretty docile. i personally have 2 (1 4ft and 1 7ft.) both are baby tame and have never bit me. but every snake is different and everyones perference is different. good luck on your search [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[probe7899]

Thanks for all the replies. I am probably going to get a youngster does any one have any websites that sell them? Also months do they usually hatch??? And sorry one last queston witch one is the calmest red tail boas???? Not the CA correct?
Thanks again
Brian
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[BadKarma]

Boas are live bearers and there are people who produce them year round. We have ours between April and June. As far as websites go there are plenty of them but like I was saying there are plenty of us here that produce them. We still have some from last year '01 available as I'm sure others here probably do as well. If you check the photo albums you'll probably come across some available animals. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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[jpaulson]

Not to take away a sale from anyone here, they are usually readily available at any local pet store that handles exotics. They are available year round, as Badkarma said. Make sure to read up on them; we have lots of information available here, including caresheets. They will tell you everything you need to look for in purchasing one.

The best snake you could buy for a beginner in the boid family is a red-tail boa. They are usually the most available. The central american boa in general is a bit more nippy, but it all depends on the snake. Also, while looking, you may come across a suriname red tail. These are classified as BCC's. Although they are &quot;prettier&quot; then BCI's, i.e. pattern and more pronounced color, esp. in the tail, they too can be nippy, and require more strict husbandry.

Your best bet is to ask for a BCI, red tail. Can someone post a pic of a baby BCI so he has something to look for?

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	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>Maybe eventually they will get over a foot! </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

WOW That typo really makes it a whole different thing huh? LMAO

Now if they were that size range in inches, caging would be soo much easier and I would have more than just a few of them even hehe.
They are in the 9-10' range ..NOT inches
Thanx for pointing that one out BW hehe
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[BadKarma]

Man I just read over my previous posts and it looks like I'm trying to push off one of our animals on someone. UGH sorry bout that. My only excuse is that the stress of getting out the army and finally being able to be back with the collection is killing me. What I meant was there are lots of really nice babies produced by members of this site. You can get boas from the pet store. I personally would rather deal with breeders but that is mostly just one of my personal demons. If you have a breeder near you check with them. They will give you excellent animals/advice. The downside is you'll probably pay a bit more. As far as the pix go if anyone wants to get a pic from our album and post it here feel free. I can't do it with my webtv. Again sorry if I was pushing our animals on anyone and thanx Jpaulson for pointing it out. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_cool.gif[/img]
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[PythonTamer]

Here's a pic of one of my little boys 'Boscoe'

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[jpaulson]

Thanks for the pic, Pythontamer......by my best judgement, he seems to be about 8 months old? Hard to tell...can't tell what the size of the wood is. It helps to include an item (such as a lighter, dollar bill, etc) to compare against for sizing.

There ya go, probe..thats what you want to get.

Badkarma, I agree with you; i prefer breeders myself. I would recommend that he buy from one of the members here as well. I just wanted to make sure that he was aware of all his options.
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[probe7899]

Thanks again every one for your help and advice it help me out a lot.
Brian
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[morti]

Of course nobody mentioned to this poor soul that we have a great care sheet for boas right here on redtailboa.net [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Here ya go:

General Care of the Boa Constrictor Subspecies.

-Your Sick Uncle Morti,
AKA, The guy who wrote the care sheet. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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[jpaulson]

uummmm.......Morti?

Quote&gt;&gt;&gt;Make sure to read up on them; we have lots of information here, including caresheets&lt;&lt;&lt;

I see how much you read MY posts [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img]

I guess ldydrgn is really keeping ya busy...
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