Carpet or Boa?

[Drevj12]

I'm not really sure where to put this, because I feel like might be hard to get good answers from both sides in either of the species respective forums. So I'll just ask here. I'm 16 and I currently have 2 ball pythons. One male normal which I'm not entirely sure on the age of because I purchased him already somewhat grown from the local exotic pet store that hadn't kept track of his age. And my second is a female pastel that's about a year and 6-7 months old that I purchased from a reptile show in November last year. I absolutely love my pet rocks and I honestly never get tired of playing Xbox with one in my lap and one on my shoulder without fear that they'll slither off when I can't pause the game, but I'll be starting work soon, and I'm looking to move up to something bigger and a bit more active. I've settle on either a boa constrictor or a carpet python, but I'd like some opinions from the community. I like that the boa is a bit thicker, but I want this to be somewhat of a display snake when I'm not handling it and I'd like to decorate the cage a little with some basic small fake plants and things like that and I've heard that boas prefer a space without unnecessary "furnishings." Is there any info you think it'd be important for me to know before making a purchase? And who knows, I may get both eventually, but for now I need some advice on which would be good at the moment. Thanks. :)

[EL Ziggy]

I love boas but don't currently keep any. I have (4) carpets and they are AWESOME snakes. They're beautiful, easy to care for, good feeders, and make great display animals. They won't sit and chill with you while you're gaming though :).

[Minkness]

Both are good options, from your description though, sounds more like a carpet would interest you more.

I own bith a boa and a carpet. Love both! But my boa has even declined his hide so his enclosure is litterally just substrate and a large water dish. Nothing pretty or special about that. This does have him as more of a display snake than BPs, but he doesn't nove much lol.

My carpet howevrr looooves stuff in her enclosure. She climbs and basks and cruises and is the best display animal I could hope for! I will be getting another in the future because of this.

Neither of these snakes 'hang out' with me though. My BPs are good for that, but even my big boa is pretty active when outside of his enclosure. However, I also have a baby hog island boa who is SUPER LAZY. She doesn't move much in or out of her enclosure unless she smells food lol.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Boas are slimmer than a similarly-sized ball python (or should be), and they're only slightly more active. If you want an active snake, definitely get a carpet python like Minkness suggested!

I like boa constrictors because of their nice muscular build, their angular faces, and although at times it can be hard to wait for them to grow their slow growth is nice in that it gives me plenty of time to save up and buy permanent enclosures if I get one from a baby. They don't eat very much at all, which is something a lot of keepers seem to be unable to come to terms with, but fed properly they eat a lot less than a ball python or carpet python. That comes with the downfall that they suffer from fatty liver disease and obesity much easier, so if you're one to worry about food intake a carpet would be easier on that front as they'll eat more food more often.

I don't keep any carpets, but I held one at a shop once and it was way different than a boa. The carpet grabbed onto literally anything within its reach, which is also much farther than a boa proportionate to its body. Boas tend to not be very determined about reaching things that are far away. They will only reach so far to get something, but if something is within easy reach, they'll try their hardest to get it. lol At least, that's how my 5 are so far. The carpet I held however strained to the last degree of its reach for the smallest hint of something to grab onto. Similar to my retic except much slower.

Both carpets and boas will require constant attention while out, and you could easily end up with a snake in your furniture sitting down playing a game with one in your lap.

This is an old photo of my boa Cloud next to my bp Bud. Bud is 3.5' long and Cloud is 4' here. Although he's a decent bit longer he looks of similar girth to Bud. He's also overweight in this photo.

http://i1157.photobucket.com/albums/p600/dtr_2009_/Other%20Photos/IMG_3165_zpse5j8rjlr.jpg (http://s1157.photobucket.com/user/dtr_2009_/media/Other%20Photos/IMG_3165_zpse5j8rjlr.jpg.html)

[REM955]

Although he's a decent bit longer he looks of similar girth to Bud. He's also overweight in this photo.

Could you share what indicates him being overweight? My understanding is that the body is supposed to be square-like and I see a bit of rounding on the sides.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Could you share what indicates him being overweight? My understanding is that the body is supposed to be square-like and I see a bit of rounding on the sides.

Mostly I know he's overweight because of the way I was feeding him then, he was getting small rats iirc every 5-7 days, I think leaning more towards 7 days than 5 at this point. He should have been eating a small rat every 2 weeks maximum. He went from 2'7" at 1 year to 5'2" at 2 because I was worried that he was nothing but skin and bones and wasn't growing enough so I started feeding him as often as I could. He was, in reality, a very healthy weight and length.

If you look at his back, there's little to no muscle definition. At the neck, you can muscle, but that's a given. And after me seeing fit, lean boas, he looks a little bit like a stuffed sausage. He has that basic square shape, but looks like he's being pushed out from the inside if that makes any sense? There's a bit of roundness you mentioned as well.

If you look at his tail, it's also rather rounded and bloated looking. Back then, he always looked that even after he pooped. That's where the largest fat reserves are, so looking at the shape of the tail is the easiest way to gauge a boa's weight when they're only slightly overweight rather than obese. Keep in mind they can look overweight if they haven't pooped, so if they recently ate and haven't pooped yet wait until they do. They'll look deflated after. haha

Snakes store their fat internally so by the time you can 100% identify they're overweight they're already obese.


I do also want to stress, that although he's overweight here it's barely noticeable and easily corrected, and is by far not the heaviest he's been. He's never been extremely overweight, but he got a lot heftier before I corrected his diet.

[Drevj12]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I appreciate it. I've decided on the carpet python. Do y'all have any favorite morphs you'd recommend?

[Minkness]

I love jags, but they have nuro issues, so be careful!

Also, be aware that different sub species get to different sizes. Bredli are pretty large, but Irian Jayas are smaller. Just research the adult needs so you are prepared for when they are no longer babies!

[Matt-R]

For a morph I definitely love the Jungles as I own one myself. I have heard they can be pretty nippy when young but as they grow and are handled they calm down. I got Frankenstein when he was already nearly 7 feet though so I cant speak from experience but so far he hasn't shown any signs of aggression or struck at me and is extremely calm when feeding too.

[eminart]

I've never had a carpet, but they've been on my list for a long time. I love my boa, but as far as activity, he's not much more active than a BP when he's in his enclosure. He moves more when he's out. He does also tend to lay in plain sight in the middle of his enclosure, so that's nice.

[bigsnakegirl785]

For a morph I definitely love the Jungles as I own one myself. I have heard they can be pretty nippy when young but as they grow and are handled they calm down. I got Frankenstein when he was already nearly 7 feet though so I cant speak from experience but so far he hasn't shown any signs of aggression or struck at me and is extremely calm when feeding too.

I don't think jungle is a morph in carpets, but a subspecies.

I love jags, but they have nuro issues, so be careful!

Also, be aware that different sub species get to different sizes. Bredli are pretty large, but Irian Jayas are smaller. Just research the adult needs so you are prepared for when they are no longer babies!

Bredlis aren't carpets, but I think they're similar enough OP may still like one! They're Morelia bredli rather than Morelia spilota ssp. I love the hypo Bredli myself.

There's a decent variety in carpets, but my favorite by far are the high yellow jungle carpets. Not a morph, but a really nice high yellow just blows me away.

[Matt-R]

I don't think jungle is a morph in carpets, but a subspecies.

Haha my mistake, you are correct. That sums up my thinking ability at work :P

[EL Ziggy]

You can't go wrong with any carpet IMO and even though Morelia Bredli aren't carpets they are considered a "sister species". There are lots of cool morphs out there but I like a nice clean jungle or coastal the most. The IJs, inlands, and axanthics are all stunning too. Coastals and Bredli get a bit larger than the other ssp.

[toddnbecka]

Purebred Irian Jaya are the smallest carpets, coastals are the largest, bredli are probably the hardiest of the family. My jungle/cross was a sweet tempered baby and has grown out the same way. The IJ was a holy terror as a baby, literally struck at anything that moved, but calmed down after a few months. Now she's no problem at all to pick up or handle.

[Andy_G]

@OP: I had a pure Hamper x VPI bloodline IJ that was slightly over 7 feet...so just be aware that there are always exceptions to expected sizes.

For what it's worth, I would've voted boa. ;)

[Drevj12]

Thanks for all the replies and information. I've decided on a high yellow or zebra Jungle or a yellow form Diamond. I appreciate all the help!