Dwarf/Island Boas?

[SnoopySnake]

Hello everyone,
My birthday is coming up soon and I've been looking into getting a boa, I love redtails but they're too big. I was wondering about dwarf/island boas, just types of boas that average around 5-6ft. I look online and see a lot of different answers, so..

I would just like to ask people who have personal experience, what sizes do each type of boa average?

I'm interested in Hogg & Pearl Islands, Caulkers Cay, Crawl Cay, Tarahumara Mountain & short-tailed boas, I've read that these ones stay smaller but have seen varying numbers.

Thanks in advance :)

[SnoopySnake]

Can anyone help me out here? lol :confused:

[Mikoh4792]

I have a pair of cay caulker's boas. Breeders have told me they can breed just under 4 feet and usually max out at 5 ft(females).

I think the smallest ones are the tarahumaras that max out around 3-4 feet.

[MONIKAZEMA]

You are right on, all of those are much smaller than common redtails, there are individual and genetic factors involved, but for sure a male of any of those will not get more than six feet. They reach breeding age at about 4-5 feet.

[Kid Boa]

Boa constrictor imperator | Stöckl - Die Nr.1 Boa constrictor Seite im Internet (http://www.boa-constrictors.com/en/boa_constrictor_imperator)

[c-cap]

I have the smallest boa there is a Turks & Caicos Island Pygmy Boa. They average 14 in.
Looks like big one only tiny.

[Hotchkiss]

I have the smallest boa there is a Turks & Caicos Island Pygmy Boa. They average 14 in.
Looks like big one only tiny.
How odd...

[Pals_id]

My vote would be for Nicaraguan boas as you can get pure Nics and they are available in a few different morphs. Females breed at just under 4 feet and will stay small as adults if not overfed (no more than one small meal every 2 weeks) Some people will say they are nippy or aggressive, but I have never had that problem and after settling in have been some of the animals I enjoy handling the most.

Just make sure you buy from a reputable breeder to ensure you are getting quality stock of pure Nicaraguan boa. Many breeders have crossed them into other projects and it is sometimes hard to tell if it is all Nic or not. I got mine from Vin Russo at Cutting Edge Herp, one of the best in the business for locality animals:
Locality & Color Morph Boa constrictors & selectively Bred Ball Pythons Color & Pattern Morphs, Cutting Edge Herpetological Inc. Home (http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/)

He has a wide selection of other dwarf localities as well. He returns emails promptly and is great to deal with. Here are my Nics for an example of the color variations.

T Positive Albino Nic
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/pals_id/BCI%202012/IMG_1194.jpg (http://s651.photobucket.com/user/pals_id/media/BCI%202012/IMG_1194.jpg.html)

Super Hypo Nic
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/pals_id/BCI%202012/IMG_1200.jpg (http://s651.photobucket.com/user/pals_id/media/BCI%202012/IMG_1200.jpg.html)

Type 2 Anery Nic
http://i651.photobucket.com/albums/uu239/pals_id/Boas%202013/IMG_1286_zpsa4d7d138.jpg (http://s651.photobucket.com/user/pals_id/media/Boas%202013/IMG_1286_zpsa4d7d138.jpg.html)

Of course the anery and hypo can be bred to make ghost nics. The other possible pairings that could be made with these three genes would be interesting to see as well.

Good luck...chances are you won't just have one. I started out getting one for my birthday too back in 2009 and now have 18 snakes in the collection!