New Snakes

[CarlyEliz]

I have recently decided that i want to have more than just corns, kings and milks... so that means in my world BIGGER... so I am getting a male colombian red tail boa and a female peruvian red tail boa. (which i wouldnt have a big enough cage for but im buying the cage they are in at my friends pet store which is perfect for their current size). i am completely aware of the size that they get when full grown and have already read a book about boa constrictors. i know this is cornsnakes.com but what snake person has only corns? lol. so i was just wondering if anyone had anything that might be useful information since iv never had a boa or python before. they are both about a year and a half to two years old and both eat fine. the main thing im concerned about is heating the cage when i bring them home. its a wooden cage so sticky heating pad underneath the cage is not an option they are going to be kept in my room so no problem with having a heat lamp during the day but at night i would prefer for no lights to be on but if that is the only option ill do it. the cage has wood bottom and wire screen on the top so any ideas would be great thanks

 

[Kokopelli]

Erm, well...
I won't wiggle my finger at you for what is obviously an impulsive buy... it is done- I say this because you haven't figured out the set up, nor read enough about them. Maybe it's just a false impression so.... best of luck.

I wish it was the other way around... a Female BCC... that's a big animal.

Some general info- Colombian Red Tails usually are rather dociles... size-wise, the males reach around 5.5-6.5 feet which isn't THAT horrible... but, they are very powerful and should be handled with care.

At this point, feeding shouldn't be much of a problem- bear in mind that male BCI at this age shouldn't be fed more than once every two and a half, probably three weeks.
The meals should be consisted of adult rats, 1-2 should do the job.

The female BCC... well, first off, she is going to be far thicker, and far larger. BCC also tend to be a tad more aggressive- this is not an animal you should be handling on your own- take extreme care with her.
I would have switched to a female BCI if at all possible...

I am an ex-tank commander and I have the back for it- even the 5.2 feet female Boa I have here(which is a HoggXColombian-smaller than any of your two snakes) requires quite a bit of strength to handle safely.

I wouldn't be bringing a female BCC into my household... but that's just moi.

Best of luck,
There are quite a few Boa forums that can help you...

Boas generally are less forgiving than Colubrids- the maintenance should be more strict(they won't survive in the low temps colubrids can live in).

Try and keep the journey to a minimum- If you have access to IV bags, you can put these in the microwave until they are warmish and put them with the snake- It's a vet's trick and works wonders... it takes quite a bit for the bag to lose all the heat.

If you have more specific questions I am positive people here(me included) will try and help.

Oren

 

[tstephe3]

I basically agree with everything he has said. When I became interested in Boas, I wanted to get one of a smaller size just to see if I'd like keeping them. So far I love them. But getting two at once I would say probably isn't the best idea. But like Oren said, it seems like it's already bought etc.

I guess I'll try to help with any questions.

 

[CarlyEliz]

1. its not an impulsive buy iv been taking care of them at the store for a while now and have grown attached to them my friend is the owner of the store and also knows alot about snakes but she is busy most of the time so i cant ask her questions
2. as for buying 2 at a time 1 is male and 1 is female you think they r going to just be pets? if that was the case then i would have just gotten the male

 

[Kokopelli]

I do think that outcrossing a BCI with a BCC is not a very preferable option- They are quite different sub-species: temperament, size, visual appearance.

I work with Hogg IsleXColombians, they are both BCI...

BCC and BCI is a line I would rather not cross, I can't see the real benefit of it either- aren't there enough BCI in the US? I doubt there's a shortage.

Do as you wish, I am not getting the impression that everything was considered as thoroughly as it could have, especially if you actually planning on breeding them.

 

[tstephe3]

Well, ok then. Guess you don't need the help. Have fun!

 

[Kokopelli]

This should get you going, at any rate:

http://www.redtailboas.com/care/

Have fun, I am not one to try and jam help down unwilling throats

 

[CarlyEliz]

UPDATE!!!!


got into fight with my pet store owner friend so i wont bebuying from her anymore i have my sweet boy colombian red tail and didnt pay for the peruvian so im not getting her now that this problem with my xfriend has happened fine with me cuz i got my favorite anyways. jess is my colombian's name and i take him everywhere (walmart, home depot, walks in the neighborhood, gas stations, restaurants, and of course pet stores) he hangs out with me when i watch tv, i bought him a little kiddie pool to swim in (under mommys supervision of course) and for now he is in a see through rubbermaid that is a good size for him for now. he is currently about 4 foot 6 inches long and about 6 inches thick at his thickest point this is theboa iv had and before this iv had 8 corns, 2 kings, and 1 milksnake. sorry if i had an attitude earlier in this but my snake hating great grandma recently moved in so iv been under alot of stress with that


thanks

CarlyEliz

 

[RyanR]

UPDATE!!!!


got into fight with my pet store owner friend so i wont bebuying from her anymore i have my sweet boy colombian red tail and didnt pay for the peruvian so im not getting her now that this problem with my xfriend has happened fine with me cuz i got my favorite anyways. jess is my colombian's name and i take him everywhere (walmart, home depot, walks in the neighborhood, gas stations, restaurants, and of course pet stores) he hangs out with me when i watch tv, i bought him a little kiddie pool to swim in (under mommys supervision of course) and for now he is in a see through rubbermaid that is a good size for him for now. he is currently about 4 foot 6 inches long and about 6 inches thick at his thickest point this is theboa iv had and before this iv had 8 corns, 2 kings, and 1 milksnake. sorry if i had an attitude earlier in this but my snake hating great grandma recently moved in so iv been under alot of stress with that


thanks

CarlyEliz

WTF i hope your kidding, the LAST thing this happy needs is more negative attention, keep the snake AT HOME where it BELONGS... either that or SELL IT... if you don't have the common sense to not bring a damn BOA let alone any snake to WALMART you shouldn't keep a snake.

 

[RyanR]

"this HOBBY needs" ****

 

[Zulu3]

Let's all take a deep breath here...
This is no way to respond to someone who needs help caring for a new addition.

That said.. CarlyEliz, please take the advice given to you here. I think it was a bit rough around the edges IMO, but sometimes you've just got to brush it off and learn.

I think everyone here only wants the best for the snake but there is a way to help people without the "looking down on you" tone...

Not taking either side, just trying to make this thread actually informative and placid
We've all been on the "newb" side of the grass!

Good luck :cheers:
Ali

 

[pwargcm]

well one thing is im glad your getting into other animals, as this world has a lot to explore and learn. but at the same time you said you were buying "a" cage. singular. should never house animals together unless its during breeding. plus mixing up a gene pool of a bcc and bci is making mutts. plus its not impossible but it isnt to make a bcc and bci breed on their local specific cool downs and time they start to breed. i would suggest vin russo's book the complete boa constrictor.

i would also say that if you dont want a light on, use a ceramic heat emitter. im not gonna tell you what to do. i just want the best on the snakes part. and another thing, this isnt a dog. people are afraid of snakes and dont understand them. please for the snakes safety leave him in his cage when your gone. he doesnt want to be out in the world with you. thats added stress he doesnt want. he would be much happier in his home. plus your giving us a bad name as a community of animal keepers. especially in florida where you guys are having trouble keeping your rights to keep animals like this right now. i wouldnt be surprised if you get reported and have your boy taken from you. be smart, you might love him but your sure not showing it by the risks your putting him in.

your caging sounds alright. but you might want to cover half of the screen top with plexi or foil. to help keep humidity up and ambient temps in. you could use a heating pad if you did it right. you could put one inside the cage. and put tiles over it to keep him from direct contact, but you also need a good proportional thermostat to control it. feed him sparingly, im not saying not to feed him. but at his age hes a big boy and a slow growing boa is a healthy boa.

i buy animals because i like them and have an interest in them. they are not jewelry. please remember this and do not take your snake out as a necktie going to stores or hanging out. its alright to hang out with your animals and watch tv, surf the web. i take mine outside by my house every so often for some free roam just make sure they dont get into any rodent holes or up to high in a tree you cant climb.

have fun, keep him safe and healthy. and sorry to be bland in some of this post, but its for the better.

 

[CarlyEliz]

idiot

WTF i hope your kidding, the LAST thing this happy needs is more negative attention, keep the snake AT HOME where it BELONGS... either that or SELL IT... if you don't have the common sense to not bring a damn BOA let alone any snake to WALMART you shouldn't keep a snake.

do you have any idea how many people iv known that take their snakes to walmart? i can think of 3 that i know and iv heard of a many others. atleast im not one of those idiots that has a 15 foot burmese that i walk around with like alot of people iv seen throughout my life. if u dont have any nice to say shut the f*ck up and dont post anything at all

 

[pwargcm]

do you have any idea how many people iv known that take their snakes to walmart? i can think of 3 that i know and iv heard of a many others. atleast im not one of those idiots that has a 15 foot burmese that i walk around with like alot of people iv seen throughout my life. if u dont have any nice to say shut the f*ck up and dont post anything at all

i would say your wrong. most people cant handle carrying a 15 foot burm very far. and also ill say bye to you now cause your actions are not proving that youll be around for long. cussing it up at someone who is being responsible owner is not a good idea. you asked for advice, and were gonna give it to you. like it or not. your not a very good snake owner and i doubt you know many smart people that take their snakes into public. its people like you that have the burms that kill your babies. i hope your snake ends up in a good home before you end up killing him. im sorry to say that.

 

[Carinata]

WTF i hope your kidding, the LAST thing this happy needs is more negative attention, keep the snake AT HOME where it BELONGS... either that or SELL IT... if you don't have the common sense to not bring a damn BOA let alone any snake to WALMART you shouldn't keep a snake.

Ok dude calm down. Deep breaths. In, Out, in, out, in out. Very good! :sidestep:

 

[Pruddock]

do you have any idea how many people iv known that take their snakes to walmart? i can think of 3 that i know and iv heard of a many others. atleast im not one of those idiots that has a 15 foot burmese that i walk around with like alot of people iv seen throughout my life. if u dont have any nice to say shut the f*ck up and dont post anything at all

I have to continue to back up those saying its probably not a good idea and probably not good for the snake community to be taking large snakes (or any snakes) into the public for no other reason than you felt like being looked at while you walked through the walmart. You're not only going to freak people out, but you're also exposing your animal to a lot of unnecessary stress. I GUESS I can understand if you wanted to bring it to petco or something, but I see more harm than good coming from taking your snake to walmart with you. Also, just because you know 3 or 4 other people who do it, doesn't mean that it is a responsible thing to do, it just means that they do it anyways. So, if you would like to heed the advice of others here on the forum (harsh and rude as it may be at times) I would try and respond positively rather than swearing at them. It'll get ya' kicked quick. oke:

 

[RyanR]

Ok dude calm down. Deep breaths. In, Out, in, out, in out. Very good! :sidestep:

Why exactly am I calming down? who here can tell me it ISN'T stupid as hell to bring a SIX AND A HALF FOOT BOA into walmart? come on, use your brain..

I was 17 three years ago too, and man, I was never that stupid, I owned 9 foot snakes at that age, and look... I never did anything stupid!:dunce::dunce:

 

[Pruddock]

Why exactly am I calming down? who here can tell me it ISN'T stupid as hell to bring a SIX AND A HALF FOOT BOA into walmart? come on, use your brain..

I was 17 three years ago too, and man, I was never that stupid, I owned 9 foot snakes at that age, and look... I never did anything stupid!:dunce::dunce:

I think he was just trying to point out to you that calming down and respectfully telling the person its not a good idea to take a large snake out in public is more effecting and polite than calling them an idiot and yelling at them.

 

[Zulu3]

CarlyEliz.. you'll get yourself banned talking like that...

at least be open to answers if you are going to post questions, and you are going to get called on it if you are doing something wrong, which you are in this case. I'm sorry. You have to accept that these people know what they are doing.

Taking a large snake into public is dangerous to yourself, potentially dangerous to others and you are legally liable if something happens. Please please calm down and listen to advice and corrections. If you don't want advice don't post asking for it.

Remember it isn't always going to be what you want to hear.

 

[pwargcm]

I think he was just trying to point out to you that calming down and respectfully telling the person its not a good idea to take a large snake out in public is more effecting and polite than calling them an idiot and yelling at them.

idk. when i was that young, if someone was nice to it about me i would say ok its not that big of deal i can get away with it. but if someone yelled at me and made me feel bad i woulda learned my lesson. teenagers are thick headed individuals. not saying a lot of people are thick headed. but knowing i was just there, and i still am not out of that age, i would rather also like to put it both ways. he yelled, some of us were polite. it all comes down to common sense.

also. why is it only at walmart you find people of all demographics and of all stupidity come together. walmarts are my least favorite place on earth.

edit: on zulus point. she said your liable. but in this case i think your parents are liable as your a minor and they let you own this animal. im not 100% on that. but i think you should possibly learn to be responsible. or maybe stick to rubber snakes from the toy store instead of anything living.