Should I get a red tail boa?

MasonMSTY · 10-20-17, 08:53 PM

My girlfriends step dad has offered to give me his red tail boa, i believe it is about two years old and 4 1/2 feet long. its is current being housed in a 29 gallon tank which is not nearly big enough for the snake. if i was to take it i would build it a 2' x 4' melamine enclosure. 1st question, is that big enough for it currently and how long could it stay in that sized enclosure. My 2nd question is that this would be my first snake (I currently have a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, Asian forest scorpion, and a community fish tank). Would it be too much to handle? Im aware that they can get quite big but how fast do they grow to full size. And im not so much concerned about the length of the snake but more about how big around it gets and how heavy.

dannybgoode · 10-21-17, 12:29 AM

Boas are slow growing snakes and if fed properly (that is infrequently) they will be a heavy bodied snake but not ridiculous. They are also heavy snakes physically but again remain manageable.

Temperament wise every boa I've every handled has been incredibly chilled. Of all the snakes I own my boa is the one I am completely happy letting anyone handle regardless of age or experience of handling snakes. There are exceptions but I've never come across one personally.

Lovely snakes and if recommend one to anyone interested in having one.

The viv you describe will be good for now. As a full grown adult is go for a 6*2 or 6*3.

Shauna0522 · 10-21-17, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasonMSTY

My girlfriends step dad has offered to give me his red tail boa, i believe it is about two years old and 4 1/2 feet long. its is current being housed in a 29 gallon tank which is not nearly big enough for the snake. if i was to take it i would build it a 2' x 4' melamine enclosure. 1st question, is that big enough for it currently and how long could it stay in that sized enclosure. My 2nd question is that this would be my first snake (I currently have a bearded dragon, leopard gecko, Asian forest scorpion, and a community fish tank). Would it be too much to handle? Im aware that they can get quite big but how fast do they grow to full size. And im not so much concerned about the length of the snake but more about how big around it gets and how heavy.

I had a red tail and absolutely love him he was the sweetest snake ever he was 5' long when I sadly had to get rid of him and he was very manageable anyone could handle him my great niece was 4 or 5 yrs old and loved holding him (supervised of course) but he was great with everyone never tried to bite even when he was cloudy eyed getting ready to shed you could still handle him although I only did so to put warm water in the bathtub and let him go swimming and that he loved that as well. I would definitely recommend one to anyone!

Black cobra · 10-21-17, 04:12 PM

Boas are great snakes.

BillyCostume · 10-22-17, 04:30 PM

I have 5 boas and they are by far my chillest snakes. Other than the occasional hissing from my Central American boas they are very placid and a joy to handle.

bigsnakegirl785 · 10-22-17, 04:56 PM

A 4'x2' will last until it reaches/exceeds 6', Length+Width should be equal to or greater than the snake's length. They're also semi-arboreal, so 2' of height is best, but I wouldn't go below 18" if you have ethical keeping in mind. They will benefit the most from being able to show all natural behaviors: it can affect their brain physically not to have these things provided to them, and they also will stay more in shape if it is provided.

If you feed the boa properly, I would not expect it to reach 6' for another 1.5-2 years, or longer. They only get big fast when people power/over feed their boas, at the cost of the animals' life span and long term health. Adults average about 5'-7', 8' is rare but not unheard of for very mature females. 9' is pretty much the absolute max, they don't get much bigger than that, and even 9' is extremely rare. You should be able to handle most adults by yourself, but that completely depends on your personal physical abilities and your comfort level. I would have one other person with you at all times for any boas 8'+, or if you have any disabilities that keep you from handling certain sized animals.