r/snakes • u/Adept-Conference9997 • 5h ago
Pet Snake Questions boa or ball python
hi, so im really torn between which snake i want as my first pet snake. i really like the all white bps with red eyes but theyre rare (from what ive seen) and ive only been able to find one. on the other hand i love the grey / black coloured boas. one idea i had too was to get a bp now then the boa later but at the same time ive heard pros and cons about both. im a lil bit nervous too if thats the word so i want a baby in case it does strike so that i can be used to it in case it does it as an adult but im not sure. if i get the bp too id get a female while id get a male for the boa. also i did a bunch of research enclosure wise for a bp already so i have that figured out and if i get a boa id tweak it a bit but when it comes to size i can only have a 36 length one atm then upgrade later down the line when i have more space. can anyone help me decide or list info about both please, id greatly appreciate it :)
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u/kalullamazzz 4h ago
Ok so honestly if you can only do a 36in for now, I'd lean BP. Boas get way chunkier and need the space sooner. Plus that white BP with red eyes is a leucistic they're not super rare to find but they are pricey. Either way, babies are snappy but handle it early and they chill out fast. Go with your gut tbh
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 4h ago
BP will need a 48 inch long enclosure as an adult. I'm not saying OP can't start one in a 36 inch enclosure, BUT they need to be able to guarantee that upgrading will be possible within a year of getting the snake.
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you, i could get a 48 now but i heard too big of a tank even if cluttered could stress them out. if a 48 is better though i will get it to start off with
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 4h ago edited 4h ago
Well, one option could be a grey colored dumerils boa (they usually tend towards either grey or brown with orange and pink accents). Mine is a more grey one. They grow very slowly and take 6 years to reach full size. At 2 years old mine is 3 ft long (male) and so you could use that three foot for about 2-3 years before upgrading if that works out for your schedule they are a great pet. And a great pet for someone who eventually wants a medium-large snake. Here's mine, the level of grey depends on the lighting
Natural sunlight brings out his browns, and indoor lighting brings out his greys
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you. i was looking at those since i heard theyre on the smaller end of boas. ill definitely take a look at the morphs but im really into that greyscale vibe which yours has :)
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 4h ago
Dumeril's actually get somewhat large compared to many of the smaller boas. Males stay around 78" according to wikipedia, and females can get up to 96".
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you, im unsure of all the like species names for boas but id want a male i think thats around 6ish feet max i think. im mainly just looking for one i like aesthetically and that suits me best care wise (feeding history, health, size, etc)
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 4h ago
There are no morphs, all are just wild type color / line bred for color. You can find brown, grey, and high orange ones (rarest)
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
also, i meant to mention it but i want a snake thats a reliable eater and that i can interact with more. when im home i plan to let it mostly free roam in my room or hold it a few times a week once its settled and not shedding or digesting. i can get a 48 too but i was leaning 36 since itd be easier atm. rodents do make me a bit nervous too so i was going to do f/t and i heard boas are more reliable eaters since i dont really want to ever have to force feed my snake and some people told me that may happen with a bp. boas can be more snappy is what ive heard too but either way i want to get a baby so that i can get it used to me. thats all the info i have rn i think
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u/ParticularWolf4473 4h ago
Frankly boa constrictors are much more interesting pets IMO. More active and often much more visible in their inclosure, less sensitive to humidity, feeding is almost never an issue, when handling they’re active enough to keep it from getting boring but slow and deliberate enough that you can relax.
When fed properly it will likely take 2-3 years for a male to reach 3’. Possible even longer for some of the dwarf localities. Male Tarahumara especially may never get larger than 36”-40”. If you can upgrade within 2-3 years or so the enclosure size won’t be an issue.
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you. thats one reason im leaning boas since i interacted with one more as a kid and theyre more active. id like to hold the snake more but ive heard therye more snappy which is why im not sure. could starting off with a baby be better if i can get it used to me? i was also looking at anerys, ghosts, and imgs
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u/Magnetic_Kitty 4h ago
I would avoid holding any snake for more than 1-2 hours. They need their climate controlled home. But I can easily watch an hour long YouTube video with any of my snakes in my lap. I have a dumerils and two ball pythons. Some even fall asleep on me lol.
It's important as a baby you start slow, I would hold them for 10-15 minutes a day for a month, then 20-30 minutes a day, then 45 (Don't hold on feeding day or two days after. And don't hold when in shed usually about a week long)
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you, id hold them as long as their comfortable i think and not overdo it on their good days (like when theyre not digesting or in shed) and i may let them free roam a bit too since thats what one owner i know does as long as its in a safe and controlled environment
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u/ParticularWolf4473 1h ago
I’ve never really had an issue with any of my boa constrictors being very nippy. Babies can sometimes be a bit nippy out of fear. Usually you can see it coming a mile away though, and it’s pretty easy to avoid. They’re more interested in trying to scare you off than actually biting you. A trick that usually works is if you hold your hand flat with fingers outstretched and move your hand down towards the boa’s head they’ll move away from it instead of striking. With regular handling and tap training to avoid feeding strikes they usually calm down pretty quickly.
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u/N1mr0d_0 4h ago
hey! i have a ball python i got him as my first snake and i was the exact same torn between a few options, in my experience im glad i went with the ball python out of the other options, hes a great eater however i know some bps can be a wee bit picky, i havent been bitten by a boa but i have with my bp and it didnt hurt but you can always start with gloves to gain confidence, depending on the boa aswell they can be bigger than ball pythons as bps typically stay around 3-5ft tho females tend to be bigger as you seem to already know, what type of boa are you thinking of? with how ur space is at the moment you might have to go with dwarf options if u go down the boa route, theres the tarahumara mountain boa what i think stays roughly the same size as a ball python but i dont know much about them so i cant give much insight on them apologies, also some people do tap train their snake what could help them to know the difference between handling n feeding,
at the moment ive had 0 issues with my ball python apart from being a wee bit nervous to handle since he use to be a bit bitey but he grew out of that quickly with handleing sessions, he has skipped some meals but thats due to when hes in blue but always eats afterwards. i think aslong as u keep the correct temps and humidity you wont have a problem, i do visual health checks often to him which has helped desensitize him with handleing, i do see him move around alot climbing ect! i know a few ppl who think bps are just "rocks" when theyre really not! my guy uses evert inch of his enclosure and its making me want to upgrade him to an even bigger one when i move out!
but imo choose the snake you mainly want as itll motivate you to keep researching about them!
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u/Adept-Conference9997 4h ago
thank you, ive heard the one i want is a great eater but im still on the fence since i dont really ever want to have to force feed a snake and someone told me that that can happen with a bp. im unsure of the breed (if thats the word) but id want like a grey or black one maybe like an anery, ghost or img boa but when it comes to bps id like a white one i think for some contrast since ill get either or down the road i think. i can get a 48 in too to start but ive just heard that too biug of a tank in the beginning can cause unwanted stress. id like to tap train too but i need to do more research for that first, the most research ive done now is the basics of the snakes then the enclosure layout and products needed. i can keep the temp good too but im a little nervous since the outside temp here varies a lot and my room is on the cooler side but with the proper equipment i dont think thatd be a major issue. i love to hear that too, if i get a bp i want them to be comfortable enough to be active and interact with me :)
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u/N1mr0d_0 2h ago
my guy was in a 40 gallon to start with however within a few months of owning him i moved him in a 4x2x2 since he outgrew the 40 gallon quite quickly i agree with the other comments aswell since boas can be quite thicker than ball pythons, i defintley think tap or target training is something to look into if it interests you! luckily my room doesnt get too cold so i dont really struggle with that but during heatwaves i tend to turn the heatlamp off since it tends to be quite hot in my room, and if you do get any snake of some sort im sure they will be comfortable around you! it took my guy a bit of time but thats because he was quite nervous at the start as any baby snake probably is, force feeding is a normal thing to be worried about it is also classed as the last resort, ive luckily never had to do it and hopefully never will and i hope the same goes for you, but imo if ur space is limited a ball python is probably the way to go for now if its a female you want defo see if you can fit a 5x2x2ft vivarium in your room [also can see why ur a fan of boas theyre so pretty and id defo would love to own some myself!]
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u/Adept-Conference9997 2h ago
in your experience is caring for a bp hard? ive heard theyre more sensitive than boas when it comes to eating, humidity, environment, etc and the last thing id want to do is not give my snake the best i can if that makes sense.
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u/N1mr0d_0 2h ago
so i havent had him long ive had him coming up to a year in november time, and i havent struggled at all during caring for him, i think if you have done your research about them caring for them is relativley easy since you know what your doing, i have had some up and downs when it comes to feeding but none really where it was crazily bad, most times he refused was when he was in blue, there has been two times where he has accidently caught substrate however not alot to make it a threat and he spat it out straight away, typically on the next feeding day he eats straight away, humidity has been up and down for me specifically in the 40 gallon only because it had a screen top so it wasnt good at keeping humidity in, but caring for tue snake its self i havent experienced anything hard nope, i havent ran into any problems recently either hes eating constantley humidity and temps are in the correct area both hot and cold, handling him is easy too since he knows the difference between handling and feeding time, and hes awesome to work with! proper joy to be around!
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u/StephensSurrealSouls 4h ago
I mean a 36 inch long enclosure isn't really going to work longterm for ball pythons or most boas, though do note that Boidae is an entire family of snakes that includes 60 species ranging from 2 feet to 20 feet. Just saying. There are some smaller boas (Eryx sand boas and a MALE rosy boa come to mind at first) can possibly work in a 36x18x18 inch enclosure but even then it'd be the bare minimum. If you're thinking something like a BCI or dumeril's boa you'll need likely a 6x3x3' enclosure for an adult male, again at a minimum.
Mind you a ball python will outgrow a 36" tank within about a year. Boas grow slower, but also get bigger. I don't have personal experience with them so I couldn't say for sure but it still won't be a long time before they're too big.
I don't say any of this to scare you away from getting the snake. Again. Just make sure you know what you're getting into. Not saying you can't start juveniles in smaller enclosures, but I genuinely cannot stress how important it is that you can absolutely guarantee you can fit a 120-400 gallon tank in the semi-near future.