controlling the size

[unknownclown]

Hello :)
Ive been to a few sites and seen the subject of controlling the sizes of BCIs and was wondering what everyone here thought of the idea. Now before anyone starts on me about "if you dont want a large snake buy a smaller breed" Id like to say I got my snakes knowing they will be large and look forward to them growing larger.... but I think 7.5' is a perfect size like Linds beautiful guy in the pic she posted. I dont think that it would be unhealthy to keep a snake at that size neither. I'm curious what others may think about keeping an animal in that range as long as it is fed the propper amount and isnt being starved. (Trust me I have an abundance of food, starvation wont be an issue) ;)

Also I was wondering how large should a female be to breed? Im no where close to breeding especially since the female(s) I should be getting was just born a week or so. I'm just curious thats all since that also seems debatable.

[Zoe]

Hi,
There's nothing wrong with keeping you boa 7.5' long, that's a normal size. Trying to keep it 5ft might be pushing it. If you feed one reasonably sized food item every 10 - 14 days you should be fine.

Zoe

[Colonel SB]

As long as your not stunting it's groth go for it...or get a Hog Island morph wich is a natural dwarf and they are quite beautiful.

[Pixie]

I don't feel that trying to aim for a specific size is fair. You say you won't starve your snake but then how will you control it's growth??? Just like us, I think that snakes and all animals are predisposed to reach a certain size with appropriate care. How can anyone tell that the snake will be 7.5 feet or 10?

You can't determine such a thing in advance. Either you want a BCI or you don't. If you do, you have to expect the biggest, as if it outgrows your expectancies you'll be dissapointed. I didn't get boas hoping they would stay on the small side. If they do, great for me, if they don't great for me too! lol

This is just one of those thing you cannot expect the snake to do for you. Genetics are genetics. If the boa you get gets to be 8' or more what will you do? Will you just give up on it because it's bigger than you wanted???

This is why I don't have a burm. I would love to but what if the burm I get goes 20'? That's not my fault but it's mine to expect it to stay around 13-15' You have to expect when getting a certain species that you will be able to care for it properly. To say you want a boa that will stay under 7.5' isn't very smart in my books as no one can guess the size of a boa when still young.

You cannot foresee the size that a particular snake will get. Some people powerfeed to get bigger animals and some underfeed to get smaller. Both in my opinion are wrong.

You get the snake species because you love it, not because it's a certain size. If you want to be garanteed a specific size then buy the snake adult, not a juvenile or hatchling.

There are so many things to different species than size. Temperment, feeding, housing, etc. can vary between species. I would be surprised if none met your desires without taking a risk on potential size.

Choose carefully, you are doing the best by asking around first. I would just hate for a boa to be given up just because it outgrew your expectations.

Pixie

[Zoe]

There is a difference between underfeeding and regulating feeding.

The window between just enough food and almost too much food is very big, and while you can't aim for a specific size, you can try to aim for a small normal size or a large normal size. For example, I have one female BCI. I can accomodate a snake 10 ft long if she decides to get 10ft long, but I am regulating her meals. She's a bit over 3ft now, and I'm feeding her 1 large small to small medium rat every 10 to 14 days. I don't think that's underfeeding, but I could just as easily feed her one medium a week and that wouldn't be overfeeding. I feed her what I do so she will grow at a steady, but not too fast rate, and will eventually reach her potential size.

I don't think aiming for 7.5 ft in a snake that could grow to be 6.5 ot 9.5 feet is the same thing as aiming for a 13ft burm.

[unknownclown]

Cool thanks for all the replies :) ok just to verify what I have already said, dont stress pixie ;) I totally agree with you and I look forward to my snakes getting large and no way no how will I ever get rid of them because they get bigger than 7.5' even if I think that's the perfect size. Like you said I got the snake because I love the species they are so beautiful! Here I'll explain what Im goin thru ;)

I have read here and other sites that the size can be controlled after a certain point and Im not realy asking because its something I wanna do, its way too early for that and its more just to get a feel if its right or not. See on another site I seen a post where a guy kept his snake at around 4 feet it looked healthy and all that but whos to say whats goin on inside of the stunted snake? Ive also heard that a well known breeder keeps his snakes small because he found that they produce better and live longer than the larger ones( I think he was referring to the power fed ones ). I also went to an aquaintences house, where I will be picking up my female(s) from soon, and she has the HUGEST pair columbians that are almost as big around as a bowling ball. They are enormous and I can't help but wonder if they were fed too much and if its healthy for them to be so obese. And with that in mind Im trying to figure out wheres the happy medium? As we all have pretty much noticed boas can be down right pigs. Do we give in to that or do we regulate?

Now another thing is I'm not sure if there is a difference between keeping a snake at 4' or 7.5' sure the 7.5' is larger and more twards its natural weight but if I kept them at that size I would still be stunting their growth which alot of people Ive noticed suggest to do.
does that make sense or am I just babbling it is gettin a bit late :p

[Pixie]

I understand what you are saying and in my opinion, as long as your snake would get to eat like Zoe's, every 10 to 14 days a decent sized food item. I don't think this is "stunting" the snake. I would however in the first few months if it's a baby to feed it once a week just to get it a little bigger and hardier. I find baby boas a little scrawny so I like mine to fill out a bit more at first.

I know how easy it could be to over feed a snake with a good appetite. My first corn was a total pig and I fed it 1-2 times a week when a juvy and once a week as of 6-8 months. It's nice to see your pet eat with gusto but I saw that he was getting pretty big pretty fast so I stopped that and now he's on a "maintenance" diet, 1 mouse every 14 days.

My boas have a really good feeding response but I'm being careful not to overdo it. They are all still pretty young now so are eating once a week. I think that's good for young boas and the growth rate I have isn't too fast. My first baby boa, a normal BCI was 16-18" inches when I got her at the end of last November. Now she is just about 3' and a nice size. Knowing that boas do most of their growing in the first 2-3 years, it's not that big. I've read others same age as mine already being around 5'!!! I wonder how often they feed their snake!

I want what's best for my snakes in terms of health and it sounds very much like you do too.

When are you getting your little boa? I tell you now that they are addictive! I love them because they are so relaxed (mine anyways!), I've never even had a stress reaction from any of mine yet!!! They feed very well and accept f/t easily. Even with such an aggresive feeding response it amazes me that they are so smooth to handle.

Pixie

[unknownclown]

You're right they are addicting :) I already have a male columbian and I love him to death :)

.http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1365hugs_s_5-12-03.jpg
He has such a personality compared to my ball pythons! There realy is no comparisson. I know, I know you shouldn't compare childern.

Monday or tuesday I will pick up a female and depending on my cash flow and what's available I may pick up a second female