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BCI / Red Tail Boa Journey.

BolensFrogQuatics

BolensFrogQuatics

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I got this guy on August 17, 2023 and he has been a dream of a BCI. He is very intelligent and accepts handling very well. I got him when he was maybe a month old and he has grown way faster than I expected. You can see the difference in the photos. This will just be a post on the journey I have had and will continue to have with raising this boa and any upgrades or updates to his habitat

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I’ve kept this male BCI in a transparent storage tote with a heater and all other necessary equipment since I received him. Boas grow pretty fast so here is just an example of what the storage tote upgrade looks like. On top is the tote he was originally housed in and the bottom is his current home.

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This is what the guy looks like now. He has been packing it on fast but he’s not overweight so he is doing very well to be growing as quickly as he is.

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Jbirdy said:
Might be a silly question, but does he actually enjoy being held? I've never held a snake so I have no idea what that is like but is he like, chill with it? He's absolutely beautiful
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He really has gotten big! How big do you anticipate him getting?
 
Omg I didn't realize that was the same snake lolol.

Don't let it near your other critters 😂
 
Jbirdy said:
Might be a silly question, but does he actually enjoy being held? I've never held a snake so I have no idea what that is like but is he like, chill with it? He's absolutely beautiful
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No such thing as a silly question!

He really just enjoys getting out of his habitat and exploring. Boas are very inquisitive and like to check out their surroundings. He climbs around on me a lot when I have him out. I think he’s just chill as far as being handled goes and doesn’t mind being touched as long as you’re not too fast about it.

It is very common for BCIs to grow in excess of 7 feet. Males tend to be a little smaller that females so I would say anywhere between 6-8 feet would be about his fully matured size
 
BolensFrogQuatics said:
No such thing as a silly question!

He really just enjoys getting out of his habitat and exploring. Boas are very inquisitive and like to check out their surroundings. He climbs around on me a lot when I have him out. I think he’s just chill as far as being handled goes and doesn’t mind being touched as long as you’re not too fast about it.

It is very common for BCIs to grow in excess of 7 feet. Males tend to be a little smaller that females so I would say anywhere between 6-8 feet would be about his fully matured size
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Oh. My. Gosh... Wait so are you going to get a TANK to accommodate his size or is he just going to be lounging around the house like a dog? Lol that is CRAZY! I can't even imagine 😳 that is so cool. Man, I never thought I'd be intrigued about owning a snake but man... You got me thinking lol I never really thought they were too cool with being handled so I always thought it was something you just put in an enclosure and watched. I'm sure there are some that you don't handle as much but that is so legit. I am curious if their bond continues as they mature and you could like, chill with it on the couch? Lol so dumb but I honestly am curious about the level of companionship you can have with a snake.

So so cool.
 
Jbirdy said:
Oh. My. Gosh... Wait so are you going to get a TANK to accommodate his size or is he just going to be lounging around the house like a dog? Lol that is CRAZY! I can't even imagine 😳 that is so cool. Man, I never thought I'd be intrigued about owning a snake but man... You got me thinking lol I never really thought they were too cool with being handled so I always thought it was something you just put in an enclosure and watched. I'm sure there are some that you don't handle as much but that is so legit. I am curious if their bond continues as they mature and you could like, chill with it on the couch? Lol so dumb but I honestly am curious about the level of companionship you can have with a snake.

So so cool.
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Some people actually do let their snakes just chill around the house like a dog!

I for one will be building a large enclosure that will accommodate him once he reaches the 4-5 foot range. I have small dogs that by time he is fully grown he could very likely make a meal out of so I will be keeping him in an enclosure that is locked.

Boas are very intelligent but when it comes to food they are highly instinctual. So they can’t really be trained to differentiate between what is food and what are your other pets. You can train them to associate certain colors with being fed so they understand the difference between when they are being fed and when you are going to handle them but if anything suddenly appears that they could see as a quick meal they absolutely will take the opportunity.

They can learn to associate you with being able to explore and stretch themselves out for a while but I don’t believe they actually bond with you so to speak. They are solitary animals in nature and most of their behavior is instinctual
 
BolensFrogQuatics said:
Some people actually do let their snakes just chill around the house like a dog!

I for one will be building a large enclosure that will accommodate him once he reaches the 4-5 foot range. I have small dogs that by time he is fully grown he could very likely make a meal out of so I will be keeping him in an enclosure that is locked.

Boas are very intelligent but when it comes to food they are highly instinctual. So they can’t really be trained to differentiate between what is food and what are your other pets. You can train them to associate certain colors with being fed so they understand the difference between when they are being fed and when you are going to handle them but if anything suddenly appears that they could see as a quick meal they absolutely will take the opportunity.

They can learn to associate you with being able to explore and stretch themselves out for a while but I don’t believe they actually bond with you so to speak. They are solitary animals in nature and most of their behavior is instinctual
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Okay, so no playing fetch with the boa lol orrr having it around other pets.. that would be pretty tragic 😵‍💫. Not super surprising though, especially with what you said about being instinctual, but it's still fascinating to be able to create an environment for it where you can make it happy and get to be so up close and familiar with it. I can't wait to see his journey and growing enclosures 😱 I'm sure they'll be sick
 
Jbirdy said:
Okay, so no playing fetch with the boa lol orrr having it around other pets.. that would be pretty tragic 😵‍💫. Not super surprising though, especially with what you said about being instinctual, but it's still fascinating to be able to create an environment for it where you can make it happy and get to be so up close and familiar with it. I can't wait to see his journey and growing enclosures 😱 I'm sure they'll be sick
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I will be building a 4’x3’x4’ enclosure for him in about another year or so. I’ll be sure to post the progress as I go along with it. I may even make some changes to part of my house to accommodate it I haven’t decided yet lol
 
If you’re interested in snakes though there are plenty of smaller species that may be a better fit for you. They all have their own draw backs but are just as great lol. I’m pretty biased on bias because I just love them so much but I don’t recommend them for anyone that just wants a snake and that only comes down to their size. They are a large snake that will require large food items and a large enclosure. But a 125 will be good enough 👀
 
BolensFrogQuatics said:
If you’re interested in snakes though there are plenty of smaller species that may be a better fit for you. They all have their own draw backs but are just as great lol. I’m pretty biased on bias because I just love them so much but I don’t recommend them for anyone that just wants a snake and that only comes down to their size. They are a large snake that will require large food items and a large enclosure. But a 125 will be good enough 👀
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I have to say, have never thought about the possibility of owning one up until this point lol you got me thinking for sure
 
Jbirdy said:
I have to say, have never thought about the possibility of owning one up until this point lol you got me thinking for sure
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Ball Pythons are pretty great too. I have two of them right now. They don’t get too big and they are pretty docile. Most of the time when they get scared they just hide their head rather than bite. They can be finicky with feeding, though. Some will eat everything they see and others will need some serious determination to get them to eat. They can be pretty picky about their environment too. Otherwise they’re a great snake for those who don’t want a large setup and don’t need to buy farm animals to feed them 😂
 
BolensFrogQuatics said:
Ball Pythons are pretty great too. I have two of them right now. They don’t get too big and they are pretty docile. Most of the time when they get scared they just hide their head rather than bite. They can be finicky with feeding, though. Some will eat everything they see and others will need some serious determination to get them to eat. They can be pretty picky about their environment too. Otherwise they’re a great snake for those who don’t want a large setup and don’t need to buy farm animals to feed them 😂
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Holy moly they seem to have quite a long lifespan! I'm seeing 20-30 years! I'm sure that massively depends on how they are cared for, but that is still pretty crazy!
 
Jbirdy said:
Holy moly they seem to have quite a long lifespan! I'm seeing 20-30 years! I'm sure that massively depends on how they are cared for, but that is still pretty crazy!
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I would assume that is why a lot of people end up setting them free when they become too much to care for. You are seeing huge problems in the Everglades with pythons because people are just setting them free when they become too much to handle and they don't have the space or money to take care of them anymore.

Its really cool when people do care for them properly and have super nice setups for them

I am super excited to see the progress of this @BolensFrogQuatics
 
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