Help on caring for a columbian red tail boa?

my boyfriend has a ball python and i love her to death but i want my own snake. i have plenty of experience with consritors, but i need help with a columbian red tail boa. im looking into getting one but not sure exactly what to do and how to care for them. HELP!!!

Help on caring for a columbian red tail boa?
Columbian Red tails are wonderful animals that can make great pets, for the right keeper. They certainly aren’t for everyone though. Red tails are large, intelligent, medium to high upkeep snakes that can be a bit moody at times. Just because of their size and care needs, I wouldn’t recommend them to people without at least some experience handling large reptiles, and I wouldn’t dream of recommending them to beginners. I have owned five of them, so I'll type up a care sheet for you for further details on them; hopefully this will give you some of the information that you'll need should you be considering one of these guys. :)





Size: Males average between 5-8 feet, females average between 7-10, though I have had females that have been 11-12 feet in length. Keep in mind that a snake that large is very awkward to handle, and can be fifty plus pounds. If you don’t have someone to help you handle the snake as it grows; I would suggest getting a male. It simply isn’t safe to handle any constrictor over eight feet long without another person around, no matter how docile your snake may be. Accidents can and do happen.





Feeding: Feed one appropriately sized rodent weekly. The general rule of thumb is to feed a prey item that is roughly the same in diameter as the widest part of your snake’s body. They have a massive feeding instinct, so it is often best to offer food on tongs. They are capable of taking rats from the time they are babies, and some of the larger females do best with rabbits. PLEASE remember that with rats in particular, it is imperative to feed pre-killed or at least stunned rodents to your snake. I NEVER recommend offering live rats. Rats are very intelligent animals that will fight back; and are quite capable of seriously injuring or even killing your snake.





Temperament: They are generally docile, but must be handled regularly throughout its life in order to make it as friendly as it can possibly be. Babies can be nippy when young, but usually grow out of that stage with frequent handling. Most of them are quite mild mannered, and are one of the best tempered larger constrictors. Please remember that you’ll need someone to help you if you handle any snake longer than six to eight feet long. They seem prone to being moody at times, (particularly the females, for whatever reason) and while not all; some of them will randomly decide that they don’t like certain people for no good reason. For example, my eleven foot female, Bella, loves everyone and is an exceptionally friendly snake, however she absolutely loathes my best friend’s brother. She will strike at him if he so much as walks by her cage, God forbid he get near her when she is being handled. He has learned to give her a wide berth. They bites aren't all that serious (nowhere near as nasty as a Monitor bite), it is about like having a cat scratch. I've only gotten nailed once by one of my Boas (which was completely my fault), and I hardly felt it. I just cleaned it up afterwards and went back to business as usual.





Lifespan: If well cared for; they can live 20+ years in captivity.





Caging requirements: As adults; they need a minimum cage size of 10 square feet. I generally keep my females in cages that are eight feet long by two feet high by two feet deep, and my males in cages that are six feet long by two feet high by two feet deep. They do grow pretty quickly, so be prepared to purchase several different cages for them. They seem to do best in closed top, front opening cages that keep the humidity in. If that isn’t practical and you use a typical tank with screen lid set up, try covering most if not all of the top with a towel or something similar to keep the humidity from escaping.





Heating/Humidity: The temperature gradient in the cage should be maintained with a basking spot of 95-97 degrees with an ambient (background) temperature in the low 80’s. This can be achieved by under-tank heating pads, heat lamps, or ceramic heat emitters. They are medium-high humidity snakes that should be kept with a large water dish for drinking and soaking, and should have their cage misted every other day or so, or depending on the substrate you use, up to twice daily.





Substrate: While there are plenty of options out there (repti-bark, aspen, cypress, paper towels, etc) mine have done best when kept on Eco-Earth substrate by Zoo-med. It is compressed coconut dirt that holds humidity very well, doesn’t need to be misted often, seems resistant to mold, is relatively cheap, looks great, and my snakes have all been healthier and better hydrated since I’ve been using it.





A suggestion, though, if you'd like the over-all look and disposition of a Red tail with a bit less moodiness, smaller size, and easier to accomodate care and maintenance needs; I would highly recommend a Hog Island boa. They are the smallest (averages four to six feet, though it isn't common for them to exceed five) and in my opinion the prettiest member of the Boa Constrictor family, and they have all of the great aspects of the Columbians and very few of the bad. :)





Here is a care sheet on them; if you are interested.


http://s48117.sites45.storefront-hosting...





And here is a picture of one:


http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/images/i...





I hope this helps, and if you have any further questions at all on the subject; please feel free to message me and I will be more than happy to assist you. :)





Good luck!
Reply:well sounds like you got the basics though i have nerver had a boa so i wont act like i have but i do know with any repitile you take the full size its going to get and times that by three and thats the length of your cage and the care you can find just bout any care shets on any big herp site BUT i always say when you find one find 5 more that say the same thing that way you know you got the right answers





hope things go well








And a reply to the "coffee" guy yes they are more care but reamember we are talking a girl here she can multi task un like us lol
Reply:I always research any pet I ever get so I know I can give them the best possible car. But red tails require a lot of maintence and care. I provided a website I use, I hope it help you decide. Good Luck
Reply:I have a ball as well. All I know about colombian boas is they grow much larger than ball pythons and are considerable more difficult to care for, go to www.kingsnake.com for more information
Reply:I have quite a few ball pythons and about 20 red tails, and the upkeep isn't too different. Take into account that red tails grow faster and longer, so make sure you have the room to expand as they need it (babies can start in a 20L which will last a few months to a year depending on how much you feed them). I had to build 6 foot cages for all of my RTB so I have one room designed just for them. Ball pythons are calmer, as RTB are constantly moving and climbing, but RTB are more fun to interact with in my opinion. Ball pythons tend to not move unless they are warm and comfortable with their surroundings, but red tails just keep going!


Red tails can be kept on aspen bedding just like ball pythons, but you need to keep an eye on their humidity to make sure that they don't have problems. RTBs are not prone to obesity like ball pythons, although I'm not saying it doesn't happen, nor to feed them whatever they want whenever. Babies can start with hopper mice, and will quickly be on adult mice or rat pups (depending on your inclination to mice or rats) if fed weekly. Be prepared for the fact that you will eventually have to feed very large rats, guinea pigs, or small rabbits when they mature so make sure that is something you are willing to do (yes, I know that is aways off but you need to be prepared for their size and feeding requirements or else you should think about another snake). They are considerably easier to feed since they don't have the same feeding issues that ball pythons can have (voluntarily fasting for months, or quit eating because a small environment change), and rarely have shedding problems. They can be snappy when they are young as all snakes can be, so make sure you spend plenty of time handling them when they are young so you don't have a 8-10 ft snake who is aggressive. I commonly take them to pet stores and with me around the house to get them used to different sounds, smells, actions... getting a snake used to quick movements at a young age really prevents undue strikes and unpredictableness when they are being handled. I trust my red tails as adults more than my balls simply because of their curious nature... they aren't the type to strike and ask questions later, but instead enjoy cruising around and interacting with people and objects (be careful that you keep an eye on them at all times, because they rarely sit still and it can be easy to lose them). They have more personality than balls, and it's always fun to interact with them. They can be great beginner snakes because of their attitudes, but their size can become a problem after only a year and many people get rid of them because they don't have room, or weren't aware how large they can get. I have three full grown males who are 8-9ft long, and six females 9-10ft. I haven't seen any larger than that, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen!


Make sure you don't feed them in their cage to avoid hand aggressions, and spend alot of time with them. They can be wonderful pets with the right foundation work, so I wish you the best and I hope I helped!