View Full Version : Columbian Red Tail Boa.
Shawn
11-28-2004, 03:01 PM
Just got one of these, they're very nice. I like it much better than the ball python I used to have -- the boa is much more active, somewhat like a King snake (without the aggressive side). It's much more attractive, as well.
It's currently about thirty inches in length and approx. two inches around, as it's a baby. As an adult, it should grow to around eight to ten feet in width.
Check it:
http://www.exotictropicals.com/encyclo/reptiles/snakes/columbianredtailboa.htm
Hehe, now there's a pet I certainly wouldn't have ;) That snake does look nice though.
Do you keep it in a cage or something?
Shawn
11-28-2004, 03:23 PM
Yeah. I'll take pictures of the setup I have soon.
As an adult, it should grow to around eight to ten feet in width.
That is one wide snake! Or did you mean length?
Nice looking snake though :)
How would you feed something like that?
Shawn
11-28-2004, 05:51 PM
Yes, I mean length.
I'm going to feed it baby mice.
Chris
11-28-2004, 09:29 PM
I have two. The female is Jafar and is 7 feet or so and pretty fat. The male, Oscar, is 5 feet and skinny.
Oscar is supposedly heterozygous for albino, but so far my mating attempts have not been fruitful.
If you have extra freezer room, I find it cheaper to order rats and mice in bulk a couple times a year from Rodentpro.com
Shawn
11-28-2004, 10:45 PM
As it gets older, I'll introduce frozen food into its diet.
While it's so young, though, I'm going to feed it live fuzzies.
Fuzzies? Whats a fuzzy?
So you just pull a frozen mouse out of the freezer, and then presumably whack it in the microwave for a couple of minutes to defrost it?
What would you do if one of these snakes escaped?
incka
11-29-2004, 06:07 AM
Tip: Don't use same microwave for defrosting mice as you do for cooking microwavable meals. End of tip.
MarkB
11-29-2004, 06:14 AM
What would you do if one of these snakes escaped?
**** yourself :p
Chris
11-29-2004, 07:44 AM
To defrost frozen critters you stick them in a plastic bag and put them in a sink of hot water.
Chris
11-29-2004, 07:46 AM
You know if he is already 30 inches long I'd think he'd be up above fuzzies already.
Westech
11-29-2004, 08:05 AM
Congratulations on the new pet! I used to have a ball python. I've heard that red tail boas are generally more aggressive than other boas. Does he snap at you at all?
I could never get my snake to eat frozen mice. It would have been nice, though. Sometimes I would put a mouse in his cage and he wouldn't eat it right away. If he didn't eat the mouse within 15-20 minutes, I would take it out so it (the mouse) wouldn't chew on him (the snake). I know that sounds crazy, but I've seen a mouse chew on a snake's tail when the snake wasn't hungry and left it alone for too long!
Once when I was reaching in to remove a mouse, my snake suddenly decided he wanted it. Scared me pretty bad! From then on, I was a little more hesitant to reach into his cage when food was in there.
James
11-29-2004, 09:01 AM
Well, keep him well-fed :) Good luck with the new snake.
What do you do if you're holding a boa and they start wrapping around your arm?
MarkB
11-29-2004, 09:54 AM
See my previous post ;)
Shawn
11-29-2004, 10:55 AM
A boa my age wouldn't do anything if it started constricting around my arm -- you'd definitely feel pressure, but no pain. Boas/pythons are very, very strong. Chris' snakes would be another story entirely, though, especially Jafar. She could easily kill you if she got around your neck and felt like constricting.
Westech, this boa is one of the kindest I've seen. It's very active, but no sort of aggression at all -- its never snapped at me.
I could feed it frozen food, but I'm going to see how he reacts to fuzzies (r2d2: small live mice) first -- I'll let you know Wednesday how well of an eater he (or she) is and how it reacts to live prey.
Still havent heard any backup plans if one should escape ;)
James
11-29-2004, 05:06 PM
How is one to know whether a Boa is a male or female?
Chris
11-29-2004, 08:48 PM
There are physical characteristics that can give you a reasonable guess. The only sure way though (and even then on young snakes its not 100% sure) is probing (exactly what it sounds like). Its best done by a vet though since it can injure the snake.
James
11-29-2004, 10:57 PM
Or by an alien.
What do you do, though, (besides **** yourself, Mike) if a full-grown Boa starts constricting? Start punching?
AndyH
11-30-2004, 01:25 AM
:eek: Not a snake person... :o
Shawn
11-30-2004, 01:56 AM
If you're handling (letting them crawl on you) a full grown python or boa, you should have another person there just in case the snake starts constricting you. If you're by yourself, you're going to have a very tough time stopping the snake.
Westech
11-30-2004, 08:00 AM
Most owners of large snakes keep a mirror in the room to help them see what's going on if they need to disentangle themselves.
Dorson
02-28-2006, 03:07 PM
Hello everyone i have acouple of pets and i have 2 lizards 2 snakes and i have sharks and stuff.i have a columbian red tail that makes me very nervous i just bought him i think he's gonna bite me is there anything i could do for him to get used to me.he was never handled before just fed he is 32 inches now.he has really nice colors i left him alone in his tank for 3 days so he could get used to his new home can someone help me.
Chris
02-28-2006, 03:55 PM
Heh... snake advice on a webmaster forum....
kingsnake.com is an excellent resource (Though hard to use and cluttered). The most popular snake site on the Internet probably.
Most snakes need to be conditioned when young to be friendly. My only advice with yours would be to handle it every day and eventually it should cool down.
...and i have sharks...
You have pet sharks!? I think thats the craziest pet I've ever heard! I thought a pet Lion/Tiger was crazy, but sharks! I take it your fish tank doesnt fit on the coffee table ? ;)
Sorry, I can't help on the snake though - hopefully someone else can!
James
02-28-2006, 04:03 PM
The spined bygmy shark is only 8-10 inches long. It could probably fit on a good-sized coffee table.
Dorson: if you didn't feed it for those 3 days, and they didn't feed it at the store for 5-7 days prior (IE they were expecting to feed it the day after you bought it), you know it could become agressive.
Yes, I guess there are small sharks - you (or I do anyway) just think of sharks being big and dangerous :)
Shyflower
03-03-2006, 07:29 AM
My husband and a partner raise snakes and also build snake cages. :)
I don't even want to start talking about all the snakes we have around the house -- and dragons, and geckos, and tortoises, and frogs .... etc. :eek:
I'm glad to see there are other reptile lovers here!
Chris
03-03-2006, 07:35 AM
What kind of cages?
My female snake has outgrown the largest premade cage I can find. So I'm building a custom one out of some industrial shelving and pieces of plexiglass. It won't be anything nice to look at though.
I've looked for larger premade ones but they're always overpriced IMO.
Shyflower
03-03-2006, 07:38 AM
Well, I'd say look at my sig -- but so far I don't have one. :D
Monster Cages (http://monster-cages.com)
I'm in the process of updating this site. I have some better pics if you want them, pm me and I'll send you some.
Mullen
03-03-2006, 07:58 AM
I'm such a wuss when it comes to snakes (and spiders). :(
Shyflower
03-03-2006, 08:08 AM
I'm such a wuss when it comes to snakes (and spiders). :(
Our tarantula wouldn't like to hear that! :D
Mullen
03-03-2006, 08:10 AM
Our tarantula wouldn't like to hear that! :D
You've made me paranoid now, I keep on looking behind me to see if a massive spider is crawling up my back. :o
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