Some Advice And Suggestions Please

[BoostedNick]

Im looking into getting a snake but im caught between and Ball Python and a Red Tail Boa. Im not looking to end up with a 15 foot snake a 3-4 years so thats why im sticking to 2 on the some what smaller side. My dad had a 22 foot female Retic when I was younger and she was PITA due to her massive size. So far I really have no cons as far as a Ball Python goes but there are a couple things about the Boa. One I have heard they can grow up to 10ft+ but the males usually dont get over 8-9 feet. Also I have 2 cats and I really dont want to come home to them being dinner for the boa if it were to get out of its cage once it becomes older and bigger. Advice anybody???

 

[hopingforbabies]

I have boas and have had them for a long time.The largets female I have ever had is 8'. To get them over that,you need to feed the crap out of it. My males are an average of 5'-6' and no fatter than a can of soda. I think balls are very boring. They don't seem to move much,and when you have had 8' snakes,they seem puny.

 

[BoostedNick]

Wow I was told by a few including a local breeder that the males can get up to 9ft. Yea I can see what you mean. I guess if you feed them to much they might be able to get that big.

 

[T&KBrouse]

Hey,

I have both bps and boas.
My biggest female bp is 5 feet long and weighs a little over 7 pounds. My biggest male bp is 4'3" and weighs about 4 and a half pounds.
My biggest female red tail boa is right at 8 feet and 24 pounds and my biggest red tail male is an inch shy of 7 feet and 14 pounds.

Personally, I prefer the bps over the boas because of their calmness and docile nature. (I'm more of a python person all the way around)
Hubby likes the boas more because as he says, theres more meat and potatos. Nothin' wimpy about a grown red tail, believe me!!
I love our boas to death, but I swear they're like a hyperactive 2 year old with ADD... All the time.

At one point we did foster a female red tail that was 11'5" and over 40 pounds. (Can we say POWER FED??)
Good thing she was a good natured gal, or we all would have been screwed.

Its all personal preference. If you get a chance to handle both for a while, you'll figure out which one suits you best.

Oh... EDIT!!
BPs are a little more difficult husbandry wise. Humidity, temps and such. Boas seem to be a bit more forgiving.

 

[BoostedNick]

Well see when I was younger (i think i was 10-11) I had a baby ball python. I honestly dont remember to much of it but i do remember that he was very calm. Back then I didnt take him seriously obviously. I was 11. So thats why I kind of leaning more towards a red tail. But who knows, ill probably end up with both eventually.

 

[wings2fly]

I have had better experiences with red tail boas.
When I worked at the petstore, we were constantly having problems getting the ball pythons to eat.

Carin

 

[BoostedNick]

Oh yea I remember now thats why my dad sold him back to the place we got him from because he wouldnt eat at all. He went on like a almost 2 month eating strike after only having him for like 6 months.

 

[BoostedNick]

My main concern is if I do happen to get the red tail, is keeping him away from my cats. I was thinking it might work if I use the spare bedroom in my house to keep his enclosure in and keep the door closed and locked at all times.

 

[T&KBrouse]

Well, if you got a baby, red tails tend to grow much slower than pythons, so you'd have time to "boa proof" whatever enclosure you choose. We usually keep ours in Criiter Cages with locking lids until they are around 4 years old.

Ball pythons can be a total PITA when it comes to feeding. Some of mine go off food all winter and I have one boy that won't eat a brown rat to save him. (He was bit by a brown mouse as a baby and apparently it scarred him for life. :main_rolleyes: )
They are also more succeptible to respiritory issues than boas, IMO.

We've had a brain dead cat for 7 years now and while I'm sure, if opportunity were to present itself, Thorin would be, well, eaten, by one of the boas, but they don't seem to as actively "hunt" the cat as our Burms do. Now THOSE are some eating machines!!

 

[BoostedNick]

Yea, critter cages till 4 years old? Wow you mean like a big critter cage im guessing like a 40 gal?

 

[T&KBrouse]

Yeah (sorry).
The 40's seem to work really well at keeping the little escapists contained. We usually end up upgrading after that, not because they outgrow it, but because they've figured out how to break through the screen top. :main_angry:

 

[BoostedNick]

Wow, yea i figured i start with a 40 gal and then eventually go with a custom built enclosure. That is if I decide to go with the red tail. Which im actually leaning more towards now.

 

[T&KBrouse]

Well, be sure to get them stuff to climb on. They LOVE to climb everything! They seem a bit more content as adults to stay on the ground more, but as babies, kids and sub adults? Nothing is safe!

Two of the biggest lessons we've learned from raising boas is;

-If you should decide to stand in the middle of your living room with your boa, always turn OFF the ceiling fan..

-Should your young boa escape it's enclosure. Look up.

 

[BoostedNick]

Haha, ill remember that. Yea im definitely going with the red tail now. Its final! The litter that im choosing from are about 6 months old. They were born on February 8th. Haha 2 days before my birthday. I just noticed that. Mine is on the 10th.

Yea im very excited. Im definitely going with a male due to growth size though. There temperaments are pretty tame from I have read, is this correct? I have read they may be alittle nippy as babies but they get better as they get older.

 

[T&KBrouse]

I think its just personality, really. Of the 7 we have (3 males, 4 females) one of my biggest PITAs is a 3 year old male, but he's been "high spirited" since the day we got him.
And yes, babies can be a bit nippy. They're usually done with that after the first year, though.
So there was a whole birthday litter born just for you? Pretty cool! Can't wait to see pictures of the new baby you pick out!:main_thumbsup:

 

[BoostedNick]

Oh yea I will definitly post up pics of him when I bring him home.