Boa constrictor identification?

[Sylphie]

Anyone can help me id this boa? I'm totally newbie with their localities and morphs, but I fell in love with this one, and so I'm super curious what it is exactly. I guess some type of local, or just a really nice "normal" red tail... Either way plesae help me. The pic clearly is not mine :)

https://scontent-waw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/10356725_902157023231299_6169391251179114909_n.jpg ?oh=e11c86c866197d0c558d78829122bb55&oe=57360973

[dannybgoode]

Can't help with id I'm afraid but that is a very pretty boa. Can see why you like it...

[Sylphie]

Yeah, if I'll be able to find similiar one, then I'm very tempted to get one. I was planning rhino rat snake as my next snake, but well... that one is just soo stunning. It would be hard though if it'll be one of the big locals, as then I won't be able to hold adult without help of my boyfriend.

[SnoopySnake]

I can't tell you specifics but that's definitely BCC, or a true red tail, which I hate to disappoint you but I think most will get out of your size range, going by your other posts :( I'm thinking suriname BCC but not 100% sure

[dross9615]

Has to be a Guyana or Suriname do you have any other pics?

[dross9615]

Could be a Peruvian but they don't tend to have the peaks that this bcc is exhibiting so yeah I'm sticking with Guyanese or Surinamese

[shrek71]

By the looks of the peakes off the saddles he or she is a BCC.

[Sylphie]

Thank you all for your help! And dross, unfrotunately no, only this one :(

Snoopy, uhh it's so bad then. That's one of the most beautiful snakes I ever saw (at least for me) :(

[Nightflight99]

Firstly, it is flat-out impossible to determine the locality of a boa by just looking at it. All we can do is make an educated guess, based on the phenotype, which is known to be extremely variable. Based on the shape of the widow's peaks, that snake is most likely a South American Boa constrictor. Whether it is Guyanese, Surinamese, Brazilian, or Peruvian is impossible to say. Regardless, it is a beautiful boa and I'd love to see you keep it. As long as you "grow with it," you will most likely feel quite comfortable handling this snake even as an adult.

PS: Love the tattoo!

[Sylphie]

Firstly, it is flat-out impossible to determine the locality of a boa by just looking at it. All we can do is make an educated guess, based on the phenotype, which is known to be extremely variable. Based on the shape of the widow's peaks, that snake is most likely a South American Boa constrictor. Whether it is Guyanese, Surinamese, Brazilian, or Peruvian is impossible to say. Regardless, it is a beautiful boa and I'd love to see you keep it. As long as you "grow with it," you will most likely feel quite comfortable handling this snake even as an adult.

PS: Love the tattoo!

Thank you! And I would love to try find a similiar one, but as I can't lift anything heavier than 11lbs I'm pretty sure that a full adult would be too much for me. On the other hand damn, that's the most stunning snake I ever saw, maybe we'll figure something out.
And I like the tattoo too, but it's not mine, just a pic from internet :)

[McCarthy Boas]

Anyone can help me id this boa? I'm totally newbie with their localities and morphs, but I fell in love with this one, and so I'm super curious what it is exactly. I guess some type of local, or just a really nice "normal" red tail... Either way plesae help me. The pic clearly is not mine :)

https://scontent-waw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xlt1/v/t1.0-9/10356725_902157023231299_6169391251179114909_n.jpg ?oh=e11c86c866197d0c558d78829122bb55&oe=57360973

Like everyone said you will never really know what locality this boa is but it is some type of BCC. It looks a lot like a Northern Brazilian BCC to me more than a Suriname or Guyana boa.

Here are a few picture of my Northern Brazilian BCC. Also the Northern Brazilian BCC will get 6 to 7 foot + and over 30 lbs. Both of mine are very tame and love being out with me.

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Brazilian_BCC_Male_6_2007_06.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Brazilian_BCC_male_4_2010_05.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Brazilian_BCC_Female_4_3_2009_01.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/7_3_2011_Aphrodite_04.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Brazilian_BCC_male_4_2010_11.jpg

Take care
Tom

[Nightflight99]

Those are nice-looking Brazilian boas, Tom. I'll have to take some outdoors shots of mine once it warms up again.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yup, I agree with the North Brazilian ID for sure. If nothing else, we can say it looks very much BCC.

A healthy 6' boa should only be 8-10 lbs, and a 7' boa should not be much over 15 lbs. Only the truly big boas (9'-10'+) should be even approaching 30 lbs, this is universal across all boa constrictors, except for the lighter-bodied ones like longicauda and such.

[Sylphie]

McCarthy Boas, thank you, they definitely looks similiar. And your boas are soo beaufitul too!

Nightflight, I'm looking for any pics of your boas, as some are as stunning as this one for me, haha! :D

bigsnakegirl, wow, I didn't know that. I mean, 15lbs isn't much more than I can lift, so I would be fine with snake that size. I guess most of the boas I saw were really overweight then...

[trailblazer295]

McCarthy Boas, thank you, they definitely looks similiar. And your boas are soo beaufitul too!

Nightflight, I'm looking for any pics of your boas, as some are as stunning as this one for me, haha! :D

bigsnakegirl, wow, I didn't know that. I mean, 15lbs isn't much more than I can lift, so I would be fine with snake that size. I guess most of the boas I saw were really overweight then...



So now we know that we have to find you a nice small bloodline male BCI ;)

[Sylphie]

It'll be hard, as in my country boas are not too popular. And if there are any breeders they are mostly having "normal" red tails with no documented origin, like the ones in pet stores... I guess the only way would be to find european or even american breeder that does international shipping.

But I would certainly love to find a smaller male that would look similiar to the one I tried to identify :D

[bigsnakegirl785]

McCarthy Boas, thank you, they definitely looks similiar. And your boas are soo beaufitul too!

Nightflight, I'm looking for any pics of your boas, as some are as stunning as this one for me, haha! :D

bigsnakegirl, wow, I didn't know that. I mean, 15lbs isn't much more than I can lift, so I would be fine with snake that size. I guess most of the boas I saw were really overweight then...

Yeah, it's likely. I've seen people with 20 lb 6' boas. I would classify a 6' boa at 20 lbs as grossly overweight, and a 30 lb 6' boa as morbidly obese. They can be a bit heavier than those weights I gave, but as long as they aren't too much over it, they're good.

My boa is just shy of 6.5' and he's only just now exceeded 9 lbs. Before, when I was feeding him a large rat weekly, and gave him 2 rabbits 2 weeks apart, he was closing in on 10 lbs. Once I spaced his feedings out, after a year he was holding steady at around 8.5 lbs.

[McCarthy Boas]

Yeah, it's likely. I've seen people with 20 lb 6' boas. I would classify a 6' boa at 20 lbs as grossly overweight, and a 30 lb 6' boa as morbidly obese. They can be a bit heavier than those weights I gave, but as long as they aren't too much over it, they're good.

My boa is just shy of 6.5' and he's only just now exceeded 9 lbs. Before, when I was feeding him a large rat weekly, and gave him 2 rabbits 2 weeks apart, he was closing in on 10 lbs. Once I spaced his feedings out, after a year he was holding steady at around 8.5 lbs.

Hi bigsnakegirl785

You are right about the size of the boa if it’s a Central American BCI type boa. Also all of your boa morphs are crosses so most of them will be smaller but not all of them. But you are wrong about the size of BCI Colombian and BCC locality boas as most of these boas will be larger and more robust than CA BCI boas. My Northern Brazilian BCA boas will get 6 to 7 feet and 30 + lbs. and they will not be over weight for there locality. I also have Southern Brazilian BCA boas that will get 5 to 6 + feet and will also be around 30 lbs. and they will not be over weight for there locality. Don’t forget all boas will keep growing until the day they die. However once at there adult locality size it’s a very miner amount they will grow.

Here are some pictures to show some healthy boas that are 20 to 30 lbs.

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Apollo_7_3_15_08.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Apollo_7_3_15_09.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Blondie_3_2007_02.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Blondie_3_2007_06.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/6_2009_Powder_07.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/6_2009_Powder_04.jpg

This is not my boa but is the parent to my SB BCA boas.
http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Mike_Eckert_Kitchi_Yellow_Brazilians_Adult_male_02 .jpg

[McCarthy Boas]

Now all these boas below are over 15 years old and it show you that some locality's will get very big if it’s in there genetics and not be overweight.
As you can see this BCC Suriname boa has a very good body tone to her and she was 9’ 8” long and 46 lbs.
http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Cynthia_3_2007_04.jpg

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Cynthia_3_2007_03.jpg

This is not my boa. It’s a BCC Guyana boa that is 9 foot and around 35 to 40 lbs. and it’s not overweight for it’s size.
http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/BS_4_2007_Zack_Greenberg__of_his_9_foot_Female_Guy ana.jpg

Now this BCI Colombian boa was overweight and I did put her on a diet when I owned her. I bought her as an adult when she was 9’ 6” and over 60 lbs. When she passed away she was 10’ and 50 lbs.
http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Xena_Tom12.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Xena_2005Tail01.jpg

Take care
Tom

[Sylphie]

Well, these would be definitely too big and heavy for me... but they are really beautiful, congratulations McCarthy!

[dross9615]

Have you looked into any morphs sylphie? There are some beautiful dwarf morphs out there and if you were to get a male they stay in the 4-5 foot range and if fed properly won't get over 10 pounds

[Sylphie]

dross, I must look into them then :D I'm really bad with knowledge about boas in general as I'm mostly colubrid fan, but well, I guess there is always time to learn more.

[McCarthy Boas]

Thank you! And I would love to try find a similiar one, but as I can't lift anything heavier than 11lbs I'm pretty sure that a full adult would be too much for me.

Hi Sylphie,

Just wondering why you can’t lift anything heavier than 11 lbs.? Most boas are very tame and easy to handle even when they are big. Some of my bigger boas and retic I just have to point them in the direction I want them to go. I can even get them to go back into there cage on there own.

Take care
Tom

[dross9615]

actually i wouldnt even be worried about getting a dwarf because a health male should only be in the 4-5 foot range and when you had morphs in you could really getting a stunning looking snake. but hogg island boas are a good dwarf to look into. but honestly i think you would be a happy with an arabesque or motley boa just some to throw out based on you liking surinames. jungles are also a very nice morph to look into

[Sylphie]

Hi Sylphie,

Just wondering why you can’t lift anything heavier than 11 lbs.? Most boas are very tame and easy to handle even when they are big. Some of my bigger boas and retic I just have to point them in the direction I want them to go. I can even get them to go back into there cage on there own.

Take care
Tom

It's because few years ago I was having spine correction surgery and I'm having a titan rods along all my spine so it won't twist again. I'll have it for the rest of my life, and 11lbs is the safe limit that doctors ordered. Ofc I'm sometimes lifting something heavier than that, but well, it's not what I should do on a daily basis. And anything much heavier than that can break the rods, and well, it won't be good for me for sure, as it can easily result in my death :o

But B.constrictors sound like a lot of fun, so I'll try to look at the smaller ones like dross suggested :)

[trailblazer295]

I think if you find a reputable breeder where you the genetics and parents size a male will stay under you 11lbs.

[SnoopySnake]

Check out this site Sylphie. Vin Russo is a US breeder, but his site is very informational on the different locale sizes and has pictures and its a great place to start researching. Some of these boas only get 3-4 ft.
Locality & Color Morph Boa constrictors & selectively Bred Ball Pythons Color & Pattern Morphs, Cutting Edge Herpetological Inc. Home (http://www.cuttingedgeherp.com/)

[Sylphie]

trailblazer, that's why I plan to do :D

SnoopySnake, thank you, I'll check it out!

[trailblazer295]

trailblazer, that's why I plan to do :D

!

I knew we could bring you over to the dark side, resistance is futile MUAHAHAHAHAHAA

[Sylphie]

I knew we could bring you over to the dark side, resistance is futile MUAHAHAHAHAHAA

Hahaha, there is soo many snakes I would want... but as I'm having at least few months before buying anything I can do some research about all the different species I like :D

[bigsnakegirl785]

Huh McCarthy Boas, I've seen people with 8' pure Surinames that still were barely over 20 lbs with exactly the same body tone as your healthy ones before, so I just assumed they were all the same.

I can't say I've ever heard of a boa 5'-8' that was over 25 lbs that wasn't overweight in the past.

My BCI was obviously overweight, fairly rounded with barely any muscle definition, and he still didn't quite reach 10 lbs, I can't imagine a snake of the same size reaching 30 lbs, even heavy-bodied, they must be insane. o.o

[McCarthy Boas]

It's because few years ago I was having spine correction surgery and I'm having a titan rods along all my spine so it won't twist again. I'll have it for the rest of my life, and 11lbs is the safe limit that doctors ordered. Ofc I'm sometimes lifting something heavier than that, but well, it's not what I should do on a daily basis. And anything much heavier than that can break the rods, and well, it won't be good for me for sure, as it can easily result in my death :o

But B.constrictors sound like a lot of fun, so I'll try to look at the smaller ones like dross suggested :)

Hi Sylphie,

Sorry to hear about your medical problems, now I understand your request. Your health must come first so I am very glad to see you are looking for info on boas. Like some of the other have said check out so of the cool morph boas that are out there and get the one you like best. Also get a male as they will be smaller than most females. In my opinion most dwarf / Central American boas do have more of a aggressive behavior so keep that in mind when trying to figure out what you want. I like both pure locality's and boa morphs so I do have both for pets. My favorite morph is the sunglow chain link jungle. I do have some jungles and I am working on producing some sunglow chain link jungle in the future. If you like nice bold patters you may want to check them out.


Here are my hypo jungles all het for albino. So hopefully in about 4 years I should have my sunglow chain link jungle.

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Het_Albino_Hypo_Jungle_05_2015_Keeper_09.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Het_Albino_Hypo_Jungle_05_2015_Keeper_03.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/Het_Albino_Hypo_Jungle_05_2015_Keeper_01.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/1_21_16_Jungle_Female_02.JPG

http://www.mccarthyboas.com/1_21_16_Jungle_Male_02.JPG

Take care
Tom

[dross9615]

Tom, I don't know about sylphie but I'll take 1 or 2

[Sylphie]

Tom, they are really nice! I did some looking into dwarfs yesterday but there are sooo many of them that at this moment I'm lost and can't figure out what I want, hahaha! I guess that I'll need some time to properly research about them all and then decide what I like :D

[Andy_G]

This girl was my biggest BCI, a big het albino right close to the 8 foot mark. This is her beside a 2L pop bottle. Her weight was 38 pounds and some change and she was not obese, although in this picture she had eaten a guinea pig a week before so she was looking a BIT plump.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/Andy_G/Common%20BCIs/DSC02226.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Andy_G/media/Common%20BCIs/DSC02226.jpg.html)

And here she is posted with a 3.5 year old 4.5 foot coral albino male of "normal" size just to show you the comparison. He looks like a baby compared to her.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/Andy_G/Common%20BCIs/DSC02692.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Andy_G/media/Common%20BCIs/DSC02692.jpg.html)
Most of my BCI girls however were around the 6 to 6.5 mark and under or around 20 pounds, with a nice rectangular body and excellent muscle tone. This would have included pastels, albinos, and a jungle at the time. Almost all bloodlines have some history of central bloodlines introduced into the lineage these days (ALL hypos originated from central american lineage, so ANYTHING that has ever bred to any type of hypo will have some kind of central lineage present) so generally speaking your female BCIs will not normally exceed 6-7 feet/20 pounds, but clearly there are exceptions. As previously stated, the boa originally posted looks VERY much like a north brazilian BCC, and they have the potential to get quite big. It sounds like there are in fact a lot of boas that would meet your criteria though Sylphie, and there are a lot of smaller boas with multiple options as far as colours go, including the stellar examples posted by Tom. Don't rule 'em out yet!