Petco Boa

[iWant1000sofSnakes]

Re: Petco Boa

thats pretty much what i figured. and as it turns out i actually ran into an ex-coworker about a week ago that i hadnt talked to in a few years and hes been breeding for a couple seasons now. i dont know if id try to take it on with internet research alone but since i already have a relationship with a breeder close by i may give it a go. i can swing the food and housing cost but the sheer number of babies has made me nervous for a while. maybe ill try a BP clutch, the numbers seem more manageable.

and yea ill definitely post some pictures my normal is awesome, lots of pink! I've wanted one since i was about 8 and finally had to "settle" for a BP about 10 years later even though it too was great.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback!

[Zaphod42]

Re: Petco Boa

There's no way to know if he's het for anything. The most common morph to be het for is albino but honestly it's doubtful he's het for anything. There really isn't much you could breed a normal to that would give you an immediate visual morph. Also keep in mind that boas can have litters with anyone from 10 to 30+ babies. It's a lot of mouths to feed and it's difficult to sell even the higher end morphs quickly. If you're really interested in breeding I would suggest doing more research on what morphs you like and work in building a breeding project around that. True you could potentially use the normal and produce a bunch of hets and then get a mate for one of those babies to pair with latter on but you'll spend more money on feeding and housing that initial litter than you would on just purchasing the morphs that you really want. Normals are great, I have several in my collection that I absolutely love. But they're pets only : )

You should post some pictures of your boa. We love pictures here!


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[iWant1000sofSnakes]

Ok, a short background. I've had a few BPs in the past but always wanted a boa. I shopped online for a week or so looking for something in my price range that I liked when i happened to walk into Petco the day they marked down a year old boa from $169 to $45 so i bought him right then and there because, why be patient and have to wait for FedEx AND pay like 5x that much?. Now i know the stigma attached to Petco and honestly he (i assume he) was nippy and was pretty wrinkly. Anyway, i got him home and over the past few months ive got him nice and hydrated again and hes doing fine now that hes in a cage alone.

Now that I've got a few years of experience under my belt with snakes and have a bit of extra room, money, and most of the materials for a rack system, I want to breed him next year some time. Being a Petco snake hes of course normal but from what i understand alot of these "pet shop normals" are randomly Het. for some fairly cheap morph simply because they come from huge breeders that have way to many Het. [insert $150 snake] listed and sell these in bulk to the bigger pet stores.

My questions are: Are Petco/petstore normals common to have unknown Het. traits at all? If so, what are they most common for? (cheap common morphs? or just the luck of the draw?)

I ask because, either way over the next few months im going to be looking for a 100% het. female around 3ish years old and if i could narrow down the possibilities of my normal male it could guide my search and increase my chances of producing something the first go around.

if not ill likely just produce some Het. babies i find interesting my first season and try to produce something visible down the road.