need help convincing parent...

[Nicky]

Hey guys,
I've been a long time fan of boas, and have always wanted one. I've been keeping herps for around 3 years now(15 currently) and have worked with RES,Ball pythons, Cornsnakes and a hoggy. I'm responsible and feel I could responsible care and cage a boa that could get 10' plus. Were soon having a new room built on for me in which i could build a cage 7' by 5' by 6' for a boa. I've done tons of research but my mom is still petrified of big snakes( she's currently scared of my year old ball python and says shes huge)
Does anyone have any ideas of how i could convince her? I understand that columbines tend to get slightly larger than true red taileds( that or the book was totally off) I also read in one reptiles issue that there are dwarf forms of the boa but they tend to be much more nippy and nervous( people who actually keep these guys is this true?) If not i'll have to go with a dummerils boa which is still just as attractive but you just can't beat a boa,their so gorgeous.
anyways so if anyone had any tips would be greatly appriciated
Thx:D
Kayla

[LdyDrgn]

A male Colombian bci will USUALLY top out at 6'... sometimes they can get bigger, but it isn't often. A tall cage for a boa is really hard to maintain heat and humidity gradients... the tallest I would personally go is 2' for an enclosure. You get easily house one in a 4'x2'x'2'... the biggest I would go is 5'x3x'2'. If you get one young and handle it gently and regularly, you would have a very docile adult. Mom has no need to worry. ;)

Central Americans and the Hog Islands start off as hissy and nippy, but can be calmed down... just be prepared for unpredictibility from any snake, though.

[Nicky]

Thx so much, also when your building them a custom tank what kind of locking measure do you use to keep the cage escape proof i was thinking of having like sliding glass front with the rest wood and then have some kind of lock on it or something?
Hopefully she'll come around.
Thx again sooooo much.
Kayla:)

[Enter]

columbian red tails? i got a friend hs selling 11' male and 6' female $180 to $250 i can contact him for ya if the person ur buying from is more expensive but im not sure its kinda suspicuis anyone in toronto?

[LdyDrgn]

You might want to use plexi for the door in case it strikes before you throw the rat in, LOL. Shattered glass is no fun for you and dangerous for the snake. Ours all have either sliding doors or flip down doors using slide bolts to hold the door closed.

[jjnnbns]

I have always preferred swing down doors as sliding only gives you access to up to half the enclosure at one time (bigger pain while cleaning!)

[LdyDrgn]

I agree!! We will be replacing the Visions and the homemade enclosures (not made by us) soon.

[Wish fire]

thx so much everyone, does anyone know someone in or around toronto who make custom big tanks for boas? I don;t mind making my own cage but it would probably be worth the extra dollar when housing a boa. The last thing our hobby is another "killer boa" lose.
Kayla

EDIT: ON NICKY'S FILE

[rwg]

Originally posted by jjnnbns
I have always preferred swing down doors as sliding only gives you access to up to half the enclosure at one time (bigger pain while cleaning!)

For general access I agree, but for cleaning, I just lift the glass out.

[bistrobob85]

I use a 4'X2'X2' and i only have to remove the top to clean the cage... it's not homemade but i bought it used, it was MUCH CHEAPER!!!

[Nicky]

It seems sorta cruel though putting an animal that large in such a small cage??It's like keeping an adult corn in a 10 gal it's whole life dosen;t seem very fair to the animal, just my thoughts though... When i'm older I intend on giving a boa a whole room but for now I'm going to use something along the lines of 5-6' by 3' by 2'. Or is the reason you guys use such small cages is because it gets easly stressed out by bigger cages?
Kayla:)

[LdyDrgn]

If you have a large cage that you can successfully maintain temps and humidity in, then go for it! But understand that you need to provide cage furniture so that the snake has stuff to climb (what good is height without letting it climb?), stuff to hide behind, more than one water bowl.... in essence, the bigger the cage, the more stuff you have to clean!

None of our boas have ever expressed any kind of 'stress behavior' from being in a 4'x2'x1' enclosure (Boaphile 421d, 8 square feet of space will house an 8' boa). In fact, because it is so dark at the back and in the corner, they usually go back in quite readily.

Big cages are beautiful and aesthetic if you can pull it off. If that is what you really want, then do it. For us personally it would be too much work and too much room since we have something around 60 snakes with more on the way. LOL

[rwg]

Some snakes are very active, and travel far and wide hunting for prey. Large cages are usefull for these species. Some species hardly ever move in the wild. A lot of boids (especially the ambush hunters) fit into this category. You could give them a whole room, and they would probably spend 99% of their time in one of 2 or 3 spots depending on temps. I dont keep boas, so I dont really know for sure where they fit in, but small caging is not necessarily cruel depending on the requirements of the species.

rg

[bistrobob85]

My BCI only really moves when i feed it, hehe...

[LdyDrgn]

Boa constrictors are mainly ground pounding ambush predators... as bistrobob said... they move the most when it is time to stike ;)

[Nicky]

oh ok thx, I was kinda shocked at first but I guess it makes sense there so big they seem kinda lazy lol. I guess i'll just stick to something like 5' by 2' by 2' oh ya what do u guys use for hideboxes the male i;m purchasing is 7 feet long and 5 years old i have no idea what to make a hidebox that big out of:S:S?
Kayla

[damzookeeper]

I"ve never kept anything bigger than a 4.5 foot corn. lol, but if I were to get a snake that big I'd go with an apropriate sized wooden crate turned upside down. I've seen people use cardboard boxes but I"m not sure if a snake that size would topple it if it wasn't stuck down somehow. If you can't find a wooden crate you could probably make one fairly cheap. Just my thoughts. Haven't owned snakes that long and my biggest is my male ball and my famale corn. lol. Good luck with the boa though! love those guys, I held one a few weeks back and fell in love, but I just can't see myself feeding bunny's, so it's mice or rat eaters for me. :)

[LdyDrgn]

Get one two of those big kittly litter boxes. Cut a hole in one, turn over, there's your hide box. The other will serve well as a water bowl/soaking tub within the enclosure :)

[Nicky]

ok sounds good i'll deffently have to post some pics when i get the enclosure set up and once i get him (haven;t decide on name yet either fluffy, broccoli or chad... anyone?)
Kayla

[m1k3_88]

i say go with broccoli!

[Nicky]

lol nice that was my first choice to:D Its so random but good.
Kayla:)