Medium Sized boas

[AndrewM1217]

So, although this would not be for quite a while (if ever), but if I were to get another snake I think I would lean towards a boa. I really like the size of BRBs but the humidity requirements kind of put me off of them since I live in Arizona and maintaining humidity can get rough sometimes. I also really like the look of BCC's but I don't think I would be interested in owning a snake that large.

The one boa I've found that seems to fit the bill is the Central American Boa, and I was just wondering about any experiences with them and also if there are some other good species/localites to look into like Hogg island boas or anything else with relatively modest requirements. Thanks for all the help in advance!

[Minkness]

I suggest the hog island myself as I personally love them and will be getting one or two in the future. =)

[bigsnakegirl785]

So, although this would not be for quite a while (if ever), but if I were to get another snake I think I would lean towards a boa. I really like the size of BRBs but the humidity requirements kind of put me off of them since I live in Arizona and maintaining humidity can get rough sometimes. I also really like the look of BCC's but I don't think I would be interested in owning a snake that large.

The one boa I've found that seems to fit the bill is the Central American Boa, and I was just wondering about any experiences with them and also if there are some other good species/localites to look into like Hogg island boas or anything else with relatively modest requirements. Thanks for all the help in advance!

Central Americans are pretty much any BCI, so you could get a snake that will max out at 5' or a snake that could potentially get 8'-9' in the case of Colombians. In the pet trade, Central American is usually applied to dwarf locales when the exact locality isn't known, so usually any mainland BCI that isn't Colombian, but it's still a pretty ambiguous term. Hog Islands seem to average 5'-6' from what I've seen, I'm not sure I've ever seen someone with an adult under 5', and I've heard of a breeder who has/has had 7'-8' wild caught Hogs. (Just to clarify, a breeder said he was friends with a breeder who had some imported before importation stopped and has encountered these huge Hogs. The majority of the Hogs I've seen other people own have been ~6', and 7' isn't a rare occurrence but not as common, so 8' may not be outside the realm of possibility but it wouldn't be a very common occurrence.)

If you cut down on the airflow and use high-humidity bedding, I don't see why you couldn't maintain a BRB's humidity even in a desert. The biggest problem with these guys are temperatures, especially with babies. It should be a simple thing to provide humidity with the right set up, but these guys are really susceptible to too high of temps. If they can't escape the temps, temps of 85F+ can kill them quite quickly. So you'd need an A/C to keep it cool enough, at least in the summer.

[riddick07]

The Isabel ground boa is a favorite and on the list of possible future snakes for me. They stay pretty small and their care doesn't seem difficult.

[Wingbeats]

I live in the desert and I keep BRBs :) (Boise is desert climate). A proper enclosure and large water bowls sitting over the heat tape is all I need to do it! Humid hides help too.

[toddnbecka]

Google Dominican red mountain boa. Awesome mellow disposition, and less demanding than BRB's for temps and humidity.

[MM1]

Google Dominican red mountain boa. Awesome mellow disposition, and less demanding than BRB's for temps and humidity.

I second this. I have had One for decades. Calm disposition, never more than an occasional musking if you inadvertently annoy them while handling. Good eater once established, 6-7 feet with a fairly slender build.

[Lefitte]

I also live in the desert and have a BRB. I spray every day to every other day with mountain moss as bedding to keep the humidity in the 90s. The heat is much more of an issue for me because I'm in Southern California and our summers get over 120. It's a struggle some days to keep the heat off even with a/c. Our humidity has been lower than 20% the past two weeks so I have been spraying every day to keep it over 85%. He also has a humid hide. Perfect sheds so far so dont rule out the BRBs just yet ;)

[Bearklr]

What about a dumerils boa? Pretty cool markings and not near the humidity requirements of the BRB and not as large as the BCC.

[Mad Max]

I love my Costa Rican. He's only 4.5 feet long and his temperament is amazing.

[Nightflight99]

Some (but not all!) of the Central American boas stay smaller as adults, including boas from the Tarahumara Sierra (Mexico), which are readily available and easy to keep. Generally speaking, many of the various island forms also stay smaller than their continental counterparts. Another aspect to consider is the fact that while an 8-ft boa may initially seem overwhelming, keeping a 2-ft juvenile that slowly grows into a large adult is often a different story entirely, as you get to grow with the animal.

If you are uncertain whether you can provide the humidity requirements of Brazilian rainbow boas, then you may want to consider the more northern species--Epicrates maurus (i.e., the former subspecies E. c. maurus). They're less sensitive regarding heat and humidity, and are fantastic snakes to keep.

[AndrewM1217]

Yes, growing with the animal would certainly make it more manageable. However, right now I am very limited on space and do not know when I will eventually have a bigger place to live, so I need to make sure if I ever get another snake that it's one I will be able to care for in the long term, in case I'm still living in the same place by the time the snake has grown substantially larger.

Also, not really "medium" since they're quite small, but what's the consensus on viper Boa's? I've read that they're aggressive and hard to care for, but it seems like these accounts are from older times and wild-caught snakes, similar to the bad rep blood pythons seem to get

[toddnbecka]

CB babies or juvies are few and far between, wild-caught would be full of parasites. They also need high humidity, which you mentioned above put you off BRB's.

[Derek Roddy]

Dumerils are nice.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/Dumerils/DSCN7574.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/Dumerils/DSCN7574.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/Dumerils/RSCN8435.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/Dumerils/RSCN8435.jpg.html)

Rainbows are nice

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v321/derekroddy/Dumerils/RSCN8369.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/derekroddy/media/Dumerils/RSCN8369.jpg.html)

Dumerils are a lot less maintenance though.

Cheers,
D

[Minkness]

Are those hypo dumirs?

[Derek Roddy]

Are those hypo dumirs?

Nah, just exceptional ones.

Years ago (25+) there used to be more really nice dumerils.....but since the "morph craze" has taken over (and there are no known morphs in the dumerils world)....nobody cares to breed them anymore so, the captive population has sorta washed out into the animals you see today.

Just goes to show what selective breeding can do for a species....if one cares enough to make a difference.

Hopefully, between myself and a few others....we can breed out some really nice dumerils again.

Cheers,
D