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4 ft? ADULT Red Tail Boa??

Random8A

Random8A

Cornaholic
Hey Guys,
I just "today" picked up a 4 Foot 7 year old male Red Tail Boa. The guy was calling him a "Dwarf?" He is super sweet. But I'm a little concerned about his size and weight? I have in "lock down" for about a month, but in the mean time, I will be offering him Rats and maybe a few chicks? I will weigh him tomorrow, he's really a very sweet snake, DOES NOT like to go back into his bin, but I just can figure out why he is so tiny, I've heard about the underfeeding of the larger snakes, and people thinking, or knowing they will be smaller then usual.. So I am going to send a fecal in as soon as I can collect some from him.. And I'm keeping my eyes peeled for mites, or any type of problems, he seems and acts very healthy, aleart. But I dont need to expose my Colubird and BP collection to anything he may have so. Does anyone have any information about this so called "Dwarfism" in the RTB's? Anything I can do since I'm a first time RT owner? I've done TONS of research, but I figured It wouldnt hurt to ask!
Thank You Everyone! I will post pictures as soon as he settles down in a few days!
 
Any pictures of him? It sounds faily plausable that he is an insular dwarf locality or central american boa. 4ft is a good average for male dwarf species.
 
Looks like he was being cohabbed. The stress alone could keep him small. But maybe if you start feeding him up a bit, he'll start to grow!
 
Yea, :( Poor little guy. But the guy I got him from only had him for about year, so. Not sure if he was cohabbed at his other home, but. I hate seeing thin snakes, TRUST me, I will be making sure this little guy eats. :)
 
It's not outside the realm of possiblity. The father to my Colombian BCI was only just over 5' in length at 7 years old. His mother was under 6'. However, my boy is approaching 5' at 1 year. It's not completely unheard of.

Could also be a low guess as to the age. You'd be surprised at how many people don't know how long they have really had a snake and overestimate the length of time. Could be that the first owner had it for 2 years instead of 4, the second owner 1 year, putting this snake at 3 years instead of six. Simple mistakes, but a tremendous difference in acceptable size range.

My advice would be to try and view the snake in person. The pictures aren't very clear, and your best bet would be to go look at it, and assess it's general health. If it is a healthy specimen...does the length really matter? As long as it isn't stunted and unhealthy, I'd go for it.
 
Tyflier,
Thank you for the info! It really makes me feel better! I did decide to take him home! I've had him since yesterday. Nope, the size he is, I'm happy with! I just wanted to make sure this wasn't something I needed to be concerned about him health wise, him being as small as he is... I've asked a few RT people, a few said it was Genetic's,Feeding,Health,Age? I really dont mind his size at all! He's like a bigger Ball Python lol.. Very sweet indeed! I just saw another CRTB for adoption that is 4'.5". So I'm guessing it's not a big deal at all? I will have to get better pictures on feeding day, (Wednesday).
 
Random8A said:
Tyflier,
Thank you for the info! It really makes me feel better! I did decide to take him home! I've had him since yesterday. Nope, the size he is, I'm happy with! I just wanted to make sure this wasn't something I needed to be concerned about him health wise, him being as small as he is... I've asked a few RT people, a few said it was Genetic's,Feeding,Health,Age? I really dont mind his size at all! He's like a bigger Ball Python lol.. Very sweet indeed! I just saw another CRTB for adoption that is 4'.5". So I'm guessing it's not a big deal at all? I will have to get better pictures on feeding day, (Wednesday).
Click to expand...

Good Luck with him! If he's healthy, his size doesn't really matter. Like I said, the sizes of these animals seems to be HIGHLY variable, based on a number of factors. And most of those factors have little to do with the general health of the snake, though granted, poor health could also contribute to small stature.

If he seems healthy, Kudos! It never hurts to have a fecal and physical performed by a qualified herp vet for any questionable snake, however...Just quarantine him and keep your eyes on him for the first few months.

Enjoy! Boas are great animals!
 
***PICTURES***

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BUMP , This guy ate a chick for me today! Can anyone give me an idea of how much I should be feeding him right now?
 
Couple things...;)

First, that looks like a nice healthy boa. Not skinny at all from what I can see. Which brings me to point number 2...she looks to be BCC based on the low number of saddles and the high amount of granite-like "speckling" I can see. This probably means she isn't an adult yet, and could reach 7-9'.

This is purely speculation based primarily on the last photo...
 
Thank You Very much! Just a really dumb question! What does BCI and BCC mean? ( I'm super new to Boas ) Also. What size prey should I be feeding him? I have small rats right now, but can pick up larger ones.
 
BCI=Boa constrictor imperator
BCC=Boa constrictor constrictor

On average, BCC reach larger sizes. Guyana and Surinam are two localities of BCC. Colombian and Hogg Island are two localities of BCI.

He can handle prey that is roughly equal to the thickest part of his body or just slightly larger. Medium rats, by the looks of things, but judge for yourself in person.
 
Oh ok, so you do think he is a Juvi? Also have any tips for a new Boa owner? I've read all the sites there are to read. lol..

Any Wise words of wisdom?
Thanks.
 
I have many males from the smaller lineages that I keep that size - or smaller - and they are prefectly fine. It is hard to judge from those images, but you may want to START by feeding him one SMALL adult rat every 2 weeks and see how it does. If he puts on weight too quickly (and you want him to stay small), go down to every three weeks. If he starts losing ANY weight AT ALL, bump up the size or go to every 10 days. Yes, you will have to watch and adjust the feeding regime to keep him healthy without a significant amount of growth over the next few years. It's been shown males can be kept that size - and remain healthy - for most of their adult life. Aren't some of these available boas that are on the market now just amazing?

KJ
 
Indeed they are! I'm so amazed with this boy I have now, he is so friendly. But I try not to take him out too much. One thing I have seen him do, is sit on the cool side of his bin and not the warm side, his warm side is about 87, I have seen the temps bounce around from different species, but what do you think I should keep this guy at?
Again, thank you for all your help! :)
 
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