So, the species Boa imperator includes many different localities, which are very different from each other, especially in size. Western Colombian BI are by far the largest, and the most popular. It would be very rare, however, for a male to exceed 8ft. Most male Colombians are between 5-7ft as adults. Colombians are a great choice because they usually have a good temperament and feed well. However, every snake is an individual, so bear that in mind. Baby boas are often nippy/hissy when they are still small, but they usually grow out of that with size and consistent handling. In addition to the Colombian, there are many smaller localities from Central America. Some of these never exceed 3.5-5 feet. The only issue is that they sometimes have more difficult temperaments. However, I own 4 Central American BI, and they are all very well tempered almost all of the time. The most commonly available of the localities is the Nicaragua BI. These guys stay very small and come in a number of pleasing morphs. Whatever locality you choose, make sure you are purchasing a well-started animal that has fed a number of times on appropriately sized prey. Most BI are great eaters once they are well established.
Thank you for your input, West! It’s very appreciated. Male Colombian Boa Imperators will be marked down on my list as of today. I’ll be doing more research on them from now on.
Feel free to ask any questions that you like. True boa species are my specialty and what I love. I’ve been keeping them for 18 years.
In that case, mind if I ask you what you would house a male hatchling to juvenile BI? Would a 40-gallon terrarium be fine for the hatchling until they reach 3 years old? I’m one to give my animals ample space.
Starting a baby snake of any kind in a 40 gallon tank is setting yourself up for failure. Even more so with a snake that needs consistent humidity/heat. I would start it out in no more than a 32 quart tub, though a 15-20 quart would be what I would use to start. Especially since you need to quarantine for a couple months.
Even starting a baby rat snake/bull snake in a 40 gallon would be a bad plan, mainly because you might lose the snake in that size of enclosure or not realize if they manage to escape. Though Eastern rat snakes would be a bit better for that kind of start, and they are able to take temperature swings since those happen in their native range often and don’t need consistent high humidity.
As a last note I will add though, BIs are not very active unless hungry most of the time. They are slow and are barely a step above BPs in activity in most cases. Even as a 5-6 foot snake they are very strong as well, so if you can’t handle a heavy and strong snake, they wouldn’t be a good plan.
Tanks in general are a bad idea. They don’t hold heat or humidity well, and boas are notorious for messing up their faces by rubbing on the screen. I’d recommend using series of tubs until your snake is large enough for its adult enclosure (4’x2’x1’ minimum). I personally house baby true boas in an IRIS shoebox rack for the first few months, then into an IRIS men’s shoebox for the first year. Then they go into an IRIS bootbox until they are too large for it, then into the adult enclosure. I wouldn’t go larger unless your specimen is an excellent feeder who takes prey from the tongs consistently. I know it may seem like you are doing a nice thing for your snake by giving them a ton of space, but many snakes actually find this stressful.
How about any of the Antaresia species - Children’s, Spotted, Stimson’s…? Not overly large, good feeders, understated beauty. This is my male Stimson’s Python - he’s got a little bit of an attitude until he’s out of his tub.
They stated they wanted a minimum of 4 feet. Children’s pythons are tiny and only get to around 3 feet.
Depending on the species and gender, they can reach 3-4 feet. Spotted pythons average 39 - 55 inches. I understand that they are considered a dwarf genus, but they are awesome captives and deserve consideration.
Anywho, Pituophis are good candidates, as mentioned above. Various kingsnakes could also meet the requirements set.
To my knowledge, and every source I have checked, they average 3 feet. They can get larger though not by much, or can even be smaller. Pretty sure they are also rather inactive most of the time, much like other nocturnal pythons. They don’t check off a lot of the categories listed by the OP.
I would love to bring up Mexican Black King snakes and California King snakes as an option. Adult males reach 3-5 feet, females are a bit bigger. From what I’ve heard they eat great and are also great for handling.