Davy Smyth (pikeyguy)

[pikeyguy]

I have joined the site to learn, get help with my two boa constrictors.I was given a female colombian/common boa about 18 months or so ago she is now 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 10 lb. she has very very little red on her tail and I dont have a clue exactly where she originates from. I was told colombian red tail boa or common boa. I think she is about 3 years old ! .I then bought a "hogg Island boa (male) with the intention of breeding them .However I dont know this snakes age (I think it may be two years old) it measures 5 feet 4 inches! and weighs in at 7 lb 4oz .I say it because when I took it to jubilee vet to have it sexed they informed me that they are 85% sure it is a female.When I explained this to the pet shop where I had bought the Hoggy he said the ""dmn vet is wrong its a MALE ! if I say its a male"" They have both been housed together since November 2014 when I bought him/her? .they are in an 1.375 mtr vivexocit vivairium with hot end at 29.8 and cool at 25.4 Degrees Celsius .humidity is usually kept between 40 and 70% a little higher when they come into blue. I Am glad to say they eat, shed skins, ect ect as healthy snakes should .
I think he is a she as they show no sign of mating at all. I am afraid to probe him by myself in case I will injure him.

[Noelle7206]

Re: Davy Smyth (pikeyguy)

Welcome to the site- I would advise against housing them together, first off...and against breeding them. You are right not to probe snakes without proper training, you can injure them for sure.

First off, IMO she is too young and too small to breed...it's better to wait than risk a female that still needs to grow, and breeding early will stunt that growth. At least 4 years old is preferable, IMO.

Housing snakes together (except for intentional breeding) is never a good idea. It stresses the snakes (they compete for the proper places for heat or security, and there are often subtle dominance issues that you may
not see but which affect their health negatively, ie. make them prone to illness or infections. And, if either one does get sick, they probably both will (doubling your vet costs) and it's very difficult to tell, for example,
exactly WHICH snake did the nasty stool or regurged, when neither one is talking. (yours don't talk, do they? LOL)

Another good reason to house them separately is feeding issues: as they grow, so does their feeding response. Accidents happen...they are predators, ya? Snakes sometimes kill their partners..."oops!"
You also should be feeding them IN their cages (for reasons of YOUR safety) and you should NEVER be feeding them in the same cage (-back to "accidents happening"). This is where the old saying comes in:
"A ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Only in this case it might be worth a ton of cure... And if they ARE the same gender, they may be increasingly hostile to one another...

As far as ever breeding them together: I see that you're in N. Ireland, so maybe there's a market for "mixed-breed" boas there, but here there really isn't. Not when you consider the actual cost to you of breeding
(increased likelihood of needing vet care comes to mind...snakes can have issues & need help just like all other animals) and the fact that when these are your pets, you are often shortening their lifespan as well.

Keep in mind that natural selection mostly favors the plainer snakes (better camoflage in the wild): so many people can't wait to see the awesome offspring that their 2 very attractive snakes might produce, and are
usually disappointed when they are mostly very plain...especially if the idea was to sell them. So please consider all this before you get in too deep with breeding these two...it's an awful lot of work feeding & keeping
numerous neonate snakes while waiting for others to buy them. As I said, around here there is a LOT of competition for pets...and when you end up selling them too cheaply, just to get them finally out of your house,
they typically don't get good long-term homes where people actually value them for their lifespan. Nature favors the mundane colors that blend in well, but unfortunately, humans choose the opposite.

I don't mean to sound overly negative...I want you to enjoy your snakes with the least number of complications...and if/when you are ready to breed any boas, do it for the right reasons and knowing what
you're getting into. Again, welcome!

[bebowebb]

Re: Davy Smyth (pikeyguy)

Welcome to RTB!

Noelle has provided you with some great advice.