How to Buy a Pet Boa Constrictor?

Question

I'm wanting to buy a pet boa contrisctor, but need some advice. Should I buy from a pet store or a breeder? Can you rescue a snake? If so, how do I find a boa constrictor in a rescue? Should I get a male or female? How old? What supplies will I need? Any other advice on purchase and care is appreciated.

Answer 1

buy from a breeder it is normally a chepaer and healthier animal.

yes you can rescue snakes but they may nto be as docile if they have been abused!

male boas get smaller and are not as strong, if it is your first boa i highly recommened getting a young male over a young female so you can get experience.

get an 07 born that would be your best bet and a good size to start with!

you will need an appropriate sized enclosure, thermostat and heating implement.

anymore advice please email me I would be glad to help if you have any questions.

Answer 2

I think your best bet to get a healthy animal is to get one from a buyer.

From the sound of your question you haven't researched having a boa for a pet. Before getting one your first line of action is to RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH...

Google boa care sheets and you should be able to find out most of your answers on what you need to keep a healthy boa. Also look for boa forums, I have found MANY helpful answers on forums. One forum you may want to check is cornsnakes.com, even though it isn't a boa forum if you check the micelaneous section there are ALOT of posts on boas and their care.

Good luck to you in your future ownership.

PS. I applaud you for asking first before getting your pet, that is one thing most don't do.!

Answer 3

Before rushing into any decision yu need to think about the care and responsibily ur taking on. Boa constrictors are very large snakes and it is wise not to get them because of their sometimes not so nice behavior and large size and housing requirements. So im going to give you advice on Ball pythons. They are much smaller than their constricting counterparts and even though you really want a constrictor those snakes should not be handled unless youve had considerable experience with reptiles and snakes in general.

Ball Pythons are much smaller and are actually very docile and they come in a stunning array of morphs with the standard costing 80$ The best place to get a young healthy snake is form a breeder. some pet stores don't get me wrong take very good care of there animals but around here these come in short supply and the animals are often kept in bad living arrangements. you can also rescue a ball python or constrictor off petfinder.com(http://www.petfinder.com) to find a local recue group who had one for adoption.

Choocing a ball python too is relatively easy. Both male snad  females are very good choices but females tend to be larger than males since they hold the eggs :) A minimum setup for a ball python would be a 30-40 gallon enclosure(glass) with a sturdy secure lid. We have a ball python at school and he still manages to get out(but thats mostly due to carelessness) you can put a brick or rock on top for extra measure but just make sure that tank is super secure. they are avid escapees :) Shredded newspaper or bark or reptile carpet are very good choices for bedding too! The temp for the tank should be 80-85 daytime temp with a basking temp 90. at night the temp can go as low as 70-75 degrees. make sure to monitor the heating very closely with probes and make sure you furnish the tank with lots of sturdy branches and hides for him or her to hide or bask on. of course you will also have to invest in prey items. baby ball pythons eat fuzzies-small mice while some large females or males will take small rats. They should be fed once a week.  also invest in a good safe reptile cage cleaner and a very good book on ball pythons. Hers is a link to top choices for ball python books! there is also a link for reptiles magazine sonline site reptile channel

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/pythons/t...

reptiles magazine    http://www.reptilechannel.com

p.s ball pythons are nocturnal and have no special lighting so if you plan on observing ur snake invest in a blue or red bulb so you can observe him with disrupting his balance or day and night.

i really hope this helps and im sorry i cant give you info on boa constrictors but ball pythons really are a better choice for starters. if u need nay more info please contact me!

list of breeders online

http://www.rcreptiles.com/

http://ballpython.com/page.php

http://www.ballpython.ca/about_us.html

Answer 4

I just watched a show about how people buy them and then dump them in the woods down in Florida and Pythons and Boas are going to be in the wild in south Florida at an alarming pace soon.  People get them, they grow to 20 feet and they dont have room for them.  If you get one, I hope you have room for it.    Just something to consider