interested in gettin a colombian Boa

[DeviledDiablo]

Hey everyone.. I juss started to get very interested in buying a snake. I wanted to get a boa constrictor and i was wondering wut kinda setup i need.. as in cage size and how to setup a good habbitat for it and juss anythin i really need to know about keepin it healthy. i wanna get a custom cage built.. but i dunno where to go to even start looking. this is gonna be my first snake (i cant wait) so im quite new to this snake keepin concept.. plz help me out on any tips/info u could give
thanx alot

PS: im plannin on gettin a male colombian boa ( about 1-2 months old) i have no setup yet and i dun wanna get the snake until i get the rite stuff for it

[SerpentLust]

Try going to google and typing in "Colombian Boa Care Sheet" or "Boa Constrictor Imperator Care Sheet" and see what you get. My main tip is read read read read read. I've had my spotted python for 3 years and I'm still reading up on how to give her the best care. You'll find that no matter how much you learn, there will always be more.

As long as you realize that BCI's are a BIT on the large side when full grown and you are prepared to keep it properly fed and housed in a proper enclosure, go for it and good luck They're gorgeous animals.

And don't be afraid to ask tons of questions here, this community rules

Jenn

[condabroad]

Well make sure you have a huge cage because mine is about 12 ft right now and eats like crazy. It has shed three times since December. However he is great to handle and has only struck at us once.

[Linds]

Well sounds like you are already on the right track Bci do grow quite quickly. They can easily exceed three feet in length by the their first birthday. Custom enclosures are the best way to go for these snakes. By one year of age, sometimes sooner, they are of size to be moved in to an adult-sized enclosure. Until then, rubbermaids work very well. They hold humidity, give security, easy to work with, and are easy on the wallet. If you don't like the way they look you can always modify them to look nicer, with sliding doors on the front and whatnot as well At only a few months old, an adult enclosure isn't the best idea, although it can be done, snakes certainly weren't born in to 2' boxes in the wild. Problem with that is it will need to be so crammed full of stuff in order to make your snake secure enough, that you may have trouble finding or observing it. There are some nice reptile enclosures that can be purchased, or you can save some money and make your own. The General Enclosure forum might be of interest if you wanna give it a try 4x2 is the bare minimum for most Bci. Some females may need at least 5'. The minimum gives room for the snake and a waterbowl. Decorations and the like require additional space. I've never found Bci to be overly active, regardless of the enclosure size, so I disagree with any beliefs that minimum housing is not sufficient. They are pretty easy in terms of requirements. I keep mine with a temperature gradient of 80-95 degrees, and humidity around 50%.

Originally posted by condabroad
Well make sure you have a huge cage because mine is about 12 ft right now and eats like crazy. It has shed three times since December.

Do you have any pics with something for scale? I have a hard time believing your snake is 12'. If it were, you may have a record holder. Colombians usually only hit around 5-8 feet on average, 10 feet may happen but is not very common and considered a monster. Also, if your snake is shedding once a month at that age, I would be a little concerned. That's almost pushing it for neonates that are growing quickly.

[HetForHuman]

Originally posted by condabroad
Well make sure you have a huge cage because mine is about 12 ft right now and eats like crazy. It has shed three times since December. However he is great to handle and has only struck at us once.

I would deffinitely have to see pics of this snake being held by someone or on something for scale, before i believed this...

[DeviledDiablo]

Hey, thanx for the support so far.. i got advice from a petshop i went to about cage size.. they said a 33 gallon tank would be good for an adult boa.. is it a good enough size? im tryin to keep the tank inside my room, so i dun have too too much space to stick a huge incloser for it.. i mite even rearange my room to get a bit for space for it.. any suggestions on space savin alternatives? and i aslo wanna get a tank because of the fact that id wanna see my snake in it.. although i was plannin on gettin either a rubbermaid container or a 10 gallon tank for a baby.. i was plannin on keepin a male boa ( about 7 feet would be nice ) i was wonderin wut kinda setup would be best for my snake to be.. like wut the cage would be best for displayin it. ( pictures would be relaly helpful ) i also heard i should get a heat pad for under my tank.. i was juss wonderin where i could get a custom build one wit built in heatin ( if possible ) around the greater vancouver area and how much it would cost me.. thanx alot for the info guys.. helpin me alot ( ive also been readin alot of those caresheets, their quite interestin ) im really excited to get a boa of my own soon

[Pontus]

i would make your own for when it got bigger and when its full grown it needs atleast 5'x3'x2'

[K1LOS]

33g for an adult boa??? i wouldn't shop at that pet store anymore...

Geoff

[Boakid]

ahhh! my bci is gonna get 12ft. i dont think so, if its a he 6 or 7ft, she maybe 9ft as an absolute max. i think sum1's tlkin about a bcc. they do make great pets, mine is coming up to his first birthday and hes about 3 1/4 ft

[mcfreshdeli]

"im tryin to keep the tank inside my room, so i dun have too too much space to stick a huge incloser for it..

Here is my remedy for saving space. If you have a T.V. in your room design an entertainment center That has a built in enclosure. this may be a little large for an entertainment center but it will save you room as compared to an enclosure and a tv or something. you could also build it to fit a dresser or something... GET CREATIVE.

[Invictus]

I should post pictures of my 17 foot kenyan sand boa. Granted, I may be a LITTLE bit off....

[HetForHuman]

ummm, this thread is over a year old now..

[Invictus]

Yikes! So it is.... Geoff, why are you resurrecting dead threads? >:[

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

LOL things must be slow, just saw it is a year back, LOL.

[K1LOS]

lol, i think i found it in a search. Didn't know it was that old.

christ that boa must be pushing 20' by now! LOL

Geoff