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6 week old BCI: DUW

tyflier

tyflier

[Insert Witty Commentary]
I "caught" Simon, my 6 week old male BCI cruising around his branches this evening, just checking things out. This was interesting to me, because since he came here about 2 weeks ago, he has rarely come out of his hide. So I snapped a few pictures, and thought I would share.

Enjoy, and thanks for Looking!
 

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That's cool! He must be feeling comfortable. He's a pretty guy! I'd like to see his entire viv.

Nanci
 
Nanci said:
That's cool! He must be feeling comfortable. He's a pretty guy! I'd like to see his entire viv.

Nanci
Click to expand...
He's moving in the next day or two. Currently he is in an 18"x18"x18" Exo-Terra Vivarium, which is ok...but not designed with snakes in mind. Over the weekend I am getting a new rack, moving ALL of my colubrids into rack units, and Simon will move into a 30g Critter Cage, where he shall remain for the next year or so. I'll take pictures of the "jungle gym" when I get it set up for him...

Which is cool...I might actually invest in some "legged" creatures. I was thinking of getting a couple anoles to put in the Exo-Terra once I move Simon. This will serve the dual purpose of providing entertainment for my daughter, and a scent-source for next spring's reluctant hatchlings....
 
Mrs InsaneOne said:
Sweet! He's looking great! I love thier colors - but don't have the room for one here.


Jenn
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Not all BCI's are monstrous in proportion. This guy's mother was under five feet long, dad the same. I don't expect him to ever get bigger than 7' and about 20lbs...though admittedly, I am prepared for a MUCH bigger snake if need be.

I just finished reading "The Boa Constrictor Manual" by Philippe de Vosjoli, with sections by Roger Klingenberg, DVM and Jeff Ronne, and published by The Herpetocultural Library and Advanced Vivarium Systems. Let me quote what he says about boas and their size:

"By keeping boa constrictors at the low end of their temperature requirements(80-82* background temperature) and by feeding them a moderate-sized prey item every two weeks with babies and every two to three weeks with adults, it is possible to stunt the growth of boa constrictors so that they do not exceed 5 feet for males and 7 feet for females in the case of both Colombian boas and red-tail boas. As long as a snake maintains a decent weight this dietary "stunting" will not harm the health of your snake...."
Click to expand...

This was a surprising bit of information to have. While I have no intention of performing this sort of dietary "stunting" with my pretty boy, it is an interesting tid-bit for folks considering a BCC(true red-tail) or BCI(common boa), but not having room for a 10-14' snake...
 
Chris, that info is BS. I would NEVER reccommend following it. Boas grow at an alarming rate, and a hungry big boid is no pleasant pet. You may have stunted their growth on the outside, but their organs are still growing.

Eventually it will kill the snake, much sooner than expected. BCI's and BCC's can live in excess of 30 years, I HIGHLY doubt any snake that has been underfed and as a consequence is 3-4ft smaller than it should be will live for more than 10 years.

If you cannot house an adult common boa, don't buy one. Theres no loop holes around that factor!
 
tyflier said:
Which is cool...I might actually invest in some "legged" creatures. I was thinking of getting a couple anoles to put in the Exo-Terra once I move Simon. This will serve the dual purpose of providing entertainment for my daughter, and a scent-source for next spring's reluctant hatchlings....
Click to expand...

Like plain old anoles? Green anoles? I could probably catch you some and mail them- I think USPS takes lizards. If they're expensive where you live.

Nanci
 
At the pet shop in town they always have a big cage full of anoles and long tail lizards, it's really neat.
Congrats on the BCI, I also just got one, a nice pastel female. BCIs and BCCs are the largest legal snakes you can get in my province so this will probably be my giant. I'm hopeing for 10ft!
boa4.jpg
 
Tula_Montage said:
Chris, that info is BS. I would NEVER reccommend following it. Boas grow at an alarming rate, and a hungry big boid is no pleasant pet. You may have stunted their growth on the outside, but their organs are still growing.

Eventually it will kill the snake, much sooner than expected. BCI's and BCC's can live in excess of 30 years, I HIGHLY doubt any snake that has been underfed and as a consequence is 3-4ft smaller than it should be will live for more than 10 years.

If you cannot house an adult common boa, don't buy one. Theres no loop holes around that factor!
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You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Tula_Montage again.
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I am in full agreement with you. I was "jaw-dropping" shocked when I read that, and would never recommend it as a method of reducing size. Boas are "big snakes", and should be treated as such, with every expectation to achieve 7-10' at full size. That is precisely the reason I hesitated in taking this guy when he was offered.

I also go out of my way to inform customers at the shop of this. I want people to know what the potential size can be for these guys. Sure...I might end up with a smaller snake, considering his parental genetics are small in stature. But I am fully prepared, even looking forward to him becoming a 7-8' behemoth. That's why I decided to take him.

The "30 years" I didn't know, though. I hope I live for another 30 years... :sidestep:
 
Chris, it's very rare to have a common boa grow larger than 10ft. There are occasionally some 12ft monsters, but 5-6ft for a male and 6-8ft for a female is a more realistic figure for common boas. And considering the genetics of the parents, then perhaps your boy will not be in excess of 5-6ft!
 
Nanci said:
Like plain old anoles? Green anoles? I could probably catch you some and mail them- I think USPS takes lizards. If they're expensive where you live.

Nanci
Click to expand...
Anoles are about $10 a piece out here. I figured if I picked a few(2-3) at the shop, I could keep them in the Exo-Terra Viv, and use them for scenting next spring if I end up with some picky hatchlings. Shipping to get them here would run a minimum of $30 I would think, so I might as well just get them here. Thanks for the offer, though.

Tula-

Yea...his parents were small as heck. I might end up with one of those "dwarf" boas you hear talk of...;)
 
Tula_Montage said:
Chris, it's very rare to have a common boa grow larger than 10ft. There are occasionally some 12ft monsters, but 5-6ft for a male and 6-8ft for a female is a more realistic figure for common boas. And considering the genetics of the parents, then perhaps your boy will not be in excess of 5-6ft!
Click to expand...


A bloke at my local pub has a 13ft common boa. Its a beast!
 
tyflier said:
Anoles are about $10 a piece out here. I figured if I picked a few(2-3) at the shop, I could keep them in the Exo-Terra Viv, and use them for scenting next spring if I end up with some picky hatchlings. Shipping to get them here would run a minimum of $30 I would think, so I might as well just get them here. Thanks for the offer, though.

Tula-

Yea...his parents were small as heck. I might end up with one of those "dwarf" boas you hear talk of...;)
Click to expand...

Dwarf BCI's tend to be a locality ie Hogg islands, Blue fields etc. But boas like my Kubsch pastel were bred specifically to be small from small parents. Colombians are by no means dwarf boas, but by picking the smallest adults to breed, you are breeding genetically small boas. No matter how much you try to feed them up you cannot make them any bigger than their genetic potential.

The same with big boas. You can underfeed a genetically big boa all you want, but when bred it will pass on "big genes".
 
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