most friendly

[azdesertman]

what is the most docile species of boa?im thinking about getting one in the near future but honestly i dont want to get a "kiss" from it. so help me out. ;D

[eric]

I've heard and read that Columbian boas are the most docile. I think that Argentine boas are the most agressive, but I'm no expert. I think that purchasing a CB boa along with quality handling will ensure a docile animal. I know this isn't always the case. Good luck with your purchase. I have a boa and a ball python. My columbian is very docile and boas are the best snake, IMO.

[honkyfb35]

I definitely recommend a boa and from what I've seen and heard, Columbians are consistantly the most docile! Though BCC's can become docile if handled enough at an early age and through time become just as docile as a BCI IMO. If you purchase a boa from any of the established breeders on this site I don't see where you could go wrong! GL Kyle

[gomez101]

I agree with everyone else on the cb portion of it. But if your afraid of getting bit, tough luck there. Some way some how your going to get bit, it just happens. Handling them often cuts the risk, but it will still happen. Every time I've been bit it been my fault for not reading the snake. Example: pre shed!!!

[ratman]

A captive born bci is definitely your best bet! :'(

[Doug]

HI,
See if you know someone with an adult with a good history of being puppy dog sweet, Handle it for a while see if your comfortable with the size. Most bo'a today can get rather large after a few years. Many people say the BCI are smaller I have seen some big bci. Understand the animal may live close to thirty years and can cost considerably for cages, heat and good food.
 If your stil really interested clean a  couple cages out see if your up to that....
     I hate to sound negative but if your keeping a boa cause they look raelly nice to own be sure you understand that animal husbandry side of the coin to.
  Hey I have 6 boa's 4 are puppy dog sweet one tries to tag me every chance she gits... geeze but is sweet out of the cage.
  Getting bit by a boa dosen't hurt that much their teeth are designed for holding and griping ..
   I don't worry to much about the bite, I try and read the boa's attitude and then work with the animal..  Any reptile can lash out if disturbed or uncoverd in its hide many are grumpy on feeding days, and like my new female she likes looking grumpy all the time... hehe never actually nailed me yet...she will its just a matter of time.
here's a snake with an attitude,
http://www.redtailboas.com/albums/doug01/Camile_051003_003.sized.jpg

same snake after chilling a while no attitude.
http://www.redtailboas.com/albums/doug01/Camile_051003_002.sized.jpg

they sort of radio their intention with their head postion.
 hope this helps.
 doug

[azdesertman]

:P thanks guys.

i have been thinkin about BCC or BCI.i just have to save up some money. o and are u shure it dont hurt to get bit because i heard pythons hurt alot.

[honkyfb35]

Heh depends on the size of the snake, the size of the head, and how well it gets you! I have been bitten a couple times from a retic that hurt like hell, but have yet to have a boa latch on to me well enough to cause pain. Normally just makes ya jump and jump starts ya heart ;D GL Kyle

[honkyfb35]

O and I forgot! If you handle snakes long enough it's not a matter if you get bit but rather a matter of when! But also along with time comes experience and hopefully like Doug said you will learn to read the snakes and will considerable reduce the amount you get bitten! Most of bites usually are SFE's. Kyle

[CCS]

I've kept alot of boas, but I've only been bit 4 times. Boas usually give a good bit of warning before they actually bite. I have been bit by adults twice neither time hurt, but was not a pleasant experience. My 6 1/2' female caused a hematoma to rise beneath the skin. Bottom line is boas are not normally aggressive snakes. There are exceptions to that rule. But if you are that worried about getting bit, get a cornsnake.
Chris

[azdesertman]

im not that worried. ok and i have had corn snakes so if that was a joke it was stupid. because i want a bigger snake and dont want severe pain you are making fun of me!you are a disgrace to this forum.i just know that most python bites hurt alot. and boas are like pythons ( or so i thought) so i thought maybe it would hurt alot. o and for those of you who dont know, a "hematoma" is also known as a bruise. im not that stupid! am i

[CCS]

I was not making fun of you, I did not know your experience with snakes. The bite I was referring to did turn into a bruise eventually but was a blood clot, raising the skin. She got a blood vessel. I was just saying that you will get bit when you keep snakes, large snakes have the potential to hurt you. I have a friend, James Church, who was bit by a retic, it severed tendons in his wrist and required surgery to correct. I am not saying that a boa is in the same league as a retic in the way of aggression and destructiveness, but a large boa could concievably do the same as your tendons in your wrist are right under the skin. I am just saying that if you are that concerned about the possibility of getting hurt, maybe boas aren't for you. I apologize if I sounded like I was making fun of you, I was not.
Chris

[honkyfb35]

Seems like all serious injuries are traced back to those darn retics ;D! Definitely my worst experience!

[Panama_Red]

I think what everyone is trying to tell you is, boas are a great snake to have as long as you are aware of the fact that they may very well bite you, and even a bci can and will (in my experiance) reach lengths of ten feet, and be heavy. I have been bitten by the puppy dog tame boa, one day she just grabbed my arm and proceeded to get nasty and grind her teeth in, It shurly didn't feel good. If you know snakes and keep your eye on them it shouldn't happen often. Get a baby boa and handle it regularly(couple times a week) and by time it is a large enough for the bite to realy hurt, you will have a working knowledge of that animal, and be able to read it's mood well enough to tell when it doesn't want to be handled.

[azdesertman]

thanx everyone. i know that i will be bitten and i AM willing to but i just wanted to know wich species is the most docile.cuz i didnt want to have a mean snake that wiil get up to 10 feet long and have to get rid of it.i know some BCI and BCC will get mean but i will have to take my chances.


thanx everyone,

matt

[bcijoe]

hey matt,
in my opinion, bci are more domesticated than bcc - they have been consistently more of a pet for longer than bcc, meaning they are or should have been exposed to humans more making them more docile in nature than many bcc...
now, although this makes sense, snakes do not domesticate to the extent of a dog, for instance...
i thought they did until about 10 years ago when my 9' albino burm took my hand right in front of my new girlfriend... yeah, sure i was showing off! he missed the veins in my wrists by inches!
you should just learn (not saying you don't know, i don't know your experience) how to handle a snake like this...
it requires a certain degree of respect - how to read the animal, how to undertand its 'moods' , how to support it right and make it feel most safe...
these days i handle my nastiest snakes just like my tamest snakes, and don't get bit anymore.
one of the simplest ways is to make it feel safe so it doesn't feel the need to defend or attack..
or else it's a matter of understanding how to distract it and keep it off balance so it is unable to strike or atleast actually nail you.. lol
this doesn't mean i never get bitten anymore! yes, i still make stupid mistakes!

bci spans a large area... some columbians can reach 10 feet or more, then some of the central americans usually reach only 5-6 feet or so.. you should check out the different bci out there.. i'm sure you'll find one that will suit your color and pattern tastes quite well, for alot less than the price of a bcc

hope this helps.. take care, Joe

P.S. Many moons ago, I did not like central americans... boas, that is..lol i thought they were all dark and ugly... well this beautiful little light orange cancun bci helped changed my mind! thing looks like it's half tail!

[bcijoe]

sorry, here she is...

[bcijoe]

ooo kkkk :-/ :-X :-/ ???
let me try another that helped change my mind..
pretty light phase sonoran desert bci

[marcalarc]

Hi...first post here, great site...slightly strange that there is a polemical face to the "boa forum"...didn't think politics was relevant to snake husbandry...but hey, cheers to all armed service men and women and undisclosed.

I just thought I would weigh in on this subject, having owned a number of boas...In my experience, BCI is slightly less inclined to use its teeth as a statement of personality. On the other hand, I have found that BCC has more personality. Maybe I'm guilty of anthropomorphism or some such form of projection, but it seems to me that cc's have a much more nuanced approach to interacting with their handlers. Yes, the occassional love-nip is to be expected, but that's far sight more interesting than a tube of flesh that sits disinterested in a corner of its terrarium. BCC engage in considerably more exploration and insistent probing than BCI. My advice: forget BCI. They tends towards uninteresting saddle patterns, dun coloration, far-from-brilliant tails and indolenence. Buy a newborn BCC, take gentle care of it as it grows, and you will be a much happier man (or woman, or undisclosed.)

[YVP]

I have 5 bci at the moment, collection is always growing though, layaways etc. but anyways, 2 are dog tame... my pastel Petunia of unknown blood, and Sancho my f3 gee line hypo. My 2 triple het hypos (striped sunglow) are 'iffy' but normally kewl, they've both gone for me once. The female got me but it was a love tap. Then..........there's the FREAK (hypo 50% het albino). She wants nothing more in life than to eat me. You think I'm kidding? pfffffffft, I wish. From what I've noticed in my experiences so far and have been told by a few breeders, though it's not a 'fact' is that the albino gene makes them a little meaner. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and get a pair of thick gloves! :'(

[Jiffyjam]

Check out a few Dumerils Boas man, the ones I have worked with were extremly docile.

[ScooterJ46]

I just got tagged yesterday, by a snake that was supposedly very very tame. The snake was not in pre shed or shed, it is about 6.5Ft. long and was showing no signs of aggression. All of a sudden he just swung around and latched onto my wrist. Really didn't hurt too bad, but scared the dudy out of me. Left a few teeth in my arm, and bled like hell! Then I was opening his cage and he shot out at my son and just missed latching on to him, guess who is not staying around here any more. I think this one is a little psycho, or as my son said, "I think that boa has a bad brain". So , it's bybe bye to Buck!

[ScooterJ46]

BCIjoe,

That is really a very nice looking Sonoran. Awesome colors and very nice tail, I agree with you, I was never really interested in the central american or mexican, but I am growing fonder of some, and yours is an absolute beauty.

[bcijoe]

Thanks Scooter - I picked her up from Chuck and Rob over at CFRB - great guys. Thanks again, Joe

[Jon-e-Boy]

Yes, very nice indeed.