6 week old BCI: DUW

Originally Posted by tyflier

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....

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!

Originally Posted by Tula_Montage

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!

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Tula_Montage again.

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...

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!

Originally Posted by Nanci

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

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...

Originally Posted by Tula_Montage

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!

A bloke at my local pub has a 13ft common boa. Its a beast!

Originally Posted by tyflier

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...

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".