I’m definitely not an expert on boa growth rate, but 4 feet does seem awfully long for a 2-year-old boa, especially a dwarf who has been neglected and underfed, so I’m a bit dubious of that age estimate. Boas grow a good deal slower than most pythons and colubrids. But I would expect her to fit comfortably in a 4x2.
In any case, I’m very glad she’s in a better situation now. She’s already gorgeous, but once she’s gotten some TLC, she’s going to be spectacular. Good to hear she’s a sweetheart too. Boas have such wonderful personalities.
Yeah, the more I’m looking at pictures the more I think this is probably an adult snake. I also think “she” may be a “he”. It really doesn’t matter though. I am not interested in breeding boas because I am already working with 4 species, so they are just a happy pet!
I think adult boas can be sexed by looking at their spurs. I think both sexes have them, but they’ll be a good deal larger on a male. So if yours has decent-sized spurs, it’s most likely an adult male. You can also palpate down from the vent towards the tail. If it’s a male, you should be able to feel the hemipenes. (I’m sure you could also pop or probe, but I know many people aren’t comfortable doing that…I know I’m not.)
Boa people, please correct me if I’m wrong! I got my first boa in January and have no plans to breed, so I’m even less of an expert on sexing than I am on morphs.
I appreciate the info! They have basically no spurs (or probably very tiny ones) from what I can see. I used the palpating from the vent towards the tail method, which is what made me think male. They have a fleshy “speed bump” right below the cloaca, but I’m not sure if that’s just from being thin, or what. My understanding was that if it’s not just smooth then it’s a male? I’m perfectly comfortable popping and probing other species, but this poor kid is so stressed that I didn’t want to do anything too invasive as it’s really not that important.
Could be an immature male. Or as you say, maybe you’re just feeling something on palpation that you wouldn’t normally feel on an animal with better body condition. I agree that it’s not worth putting Zaza through the stress of popping or probing, especially in their current state.
Honestly, I’m only 100% certain about the sex of one of my snakes (sand boa). She’s a middle-aged adult, and given her size and how short her tail is, she can really only be female. On my blood python and BI, I’m just taking the breeders’ word that they’re female. I have no reason to think they were sexed incorrectly, but I also haven’t bothered to confirm it. Since I don’t plan to breed them, it just doesn’t seem that important.