Not all this is necessarily true.
Some boas can get quite large. But boas have a huge natural range and are comprised of multiple species, subspecies, and localities, and there’s a huge amount of size variety there. Generally boas from Mexico and Central America are smaller, while boas from South America tend to be larger. The smallest localities from Mexico (Tarahumera Mountain boas and Sonoran boas) typically stay under 6’, even for a female. The Tarahumera boas don’t get much longer than a ball python. And they probably weigh considerably less than an adult ball.
Boas also grow pretty slowly compared to many colubrids and pythons. My blood python was more or less adult size by age 3, but my boa is still very much a juvenile at 2.5. I don’t expect my boa to be near maturity for at least another 2-ish years.
I also wouldn’t say boas are really more expensive to feed, even the larger localities. As adults, they’re only going to eat maybe once a month at most…which can still add up if you have a bunch of boas, but I spend way more money feeding my cats every month than I do feeding my three snakes of various species and sizes. I also wouldn’t say boas have a specialized diet. Most will be fine eating rats their whole lives, they really don’t need to be fed actual livestock like some of the true giant constrictors. That said, they’re not picky and will happily accept a variety of prey. And while it’s certainly true that boas can be prone to obesity, that’s also the case for virtually every other snake species in the hobby. Humans just like to overfeed their pets in general.
A lot of these are common misperceptions about boas that I used to believe myself before researching them more, so I just wanted to clear that up.
OP: I think a boa could be a great first snake. In many ways, I think boas are potentially better beginner’s snakes than ball pythons, mainly because most boas are not going to give you the same feeding headaches as most ball pythons. Boas tend to be GREAT eaters that will reliably eat f/t rodents.
But that reliable eating does come with a caveat, especially for beginners, which is that you’ll need to learn to manage that feeding response. A boa is more likely to bite you thinking your hand is food than a ball python. But if you do tap training and learn to read your snake’s body language, I think it’s very manageable, even for a beginner.
Before getting a boa, you should also ask yourself how big a snake you can realistically house and manage. Your answer to that question will help determine what type of boa is right for you. Do be aware that most morph boas are “mutts” comprised of a variety of different localities, so their adult size can be somewhat unpredictable. If size is really important to you, you’re probably going to want to look at pure locality boas from breeders who work with that stuff and look into getting a “dwarf” or smaller locality. If size isn’t a big concern for you, then just go wild and get whatever catches your eye.
But having that initial interaction be with an object that is sort of neutral and “boring” helps to “turn off” their feeding response.
