# boa growth rate



## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

how fast do they grow and how long would one last perticularly a hog island in a 15 gallon (from 2ft in size) (tank is about 2ftx1ft)

i know i will have to upgrade eventually but how soon? 
i will be upgrading to a 65 gallon with 75 gal footprint that my BD lives in (building her a new bigger tank eventually)


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## TimmyTeam (Jun 20, 2003)

ive had my boa in a 4'x2'x2' tank since i got her as a hatchling (aprox. 1 foot long) and she is about 4 times as fat and more than twice as long when i got her, and that was about 4-6 months ago.


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Something like a hog island would stay a bit smaller... But you're not going to be able to use that 15 gallon for very long. The snake will more than double in size in just a couple of months with proper feeding if you go for a red tail.

Keep in mind as well that the 65 you're talking about won't be sufficient for the snake for life, especially if you go for a larger growing species and definitely with any females. (Males stay smaller.) Ideally you want an enclosure that is 2 feet deep for boas. Allows them to turn properly, etc. The minimum size for an enclosure for a red tail is 4x2x2 like Timmy listed. I'm likely going to build mine an enclosure that is 6 or 5x2x3. Not sure on the length yet as mine is a male and won't get THAT larger. I'm adding some height because I want to create some climbing structures. Believe it or not these big snakes do like to climb and perch when given the opportunity.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

well it seems that it would quickly woutgrow the 15 so i think i will wait unlitt i have the 65 open to start in and then upgrade again when it needs it

what would be good in a 15? like i said i dont midde upgrading but i dont wat to upgrade only a month from getting it
snake, invert or lizard it doesnt matter i just want something cool (im fine with more of a display that doesnt need to be handeled

heres a couple things i was thinking

lepord gecko (dont think it would have enough time for it though
scorpion (somethign like desert hairy)
kenyan sand boa (since there buried all day how often would i see it? and how handleable are they?)
corn snake 
ball python 
any other suggestions?

i would like somthing that is also low matnince since dont really have tons of time so thaks why i am thinking of mayby a snake or invert
also something that is active (well for a snake or invert)


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## skool_uo (Jul 28, 2006)

get some Tarantulas. very low maintenance for the most part. You said you wanted a "show pet" some very nice Ts out there. I dont know whats involved with keeping some of the "cooler" looking ones. but there are some with almost a skeleton design on their carapace very pretty.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

actually thatwas one of my other thoughts along with amazon tree boa
but for the tarantulas doesnt it take a long time for them to grow from 1inch to a 10 incher 
(i could get tons of types since there is a tarantuala distributor (and inverts) that i think is only a couple hours from me
if i got one it would be something like a red knee


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

I keep my red tail in a 6'x2'x2' enclosure I built


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

Not a ton of reptiles or inverts are all that active, to be honest. A lot of them spend a lot of time sitting around, soaking up heat and looking around every so often to see if there's prey items anywhere.


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## skool_uo (Jul 28, 2006)

If by red-knee you mean Mexican red knee you have to be careful because it is a New world T. And NW tarantulas are notorious for kicking urticulating hairs (sp?). Some people are bothered by them others are not.

It is true they can take awhile to reach adult size. It is just you get to see them change so much it is almost worth it. With each molt adds a new chapter to the stor. You can keep the molts and see the progression.

Sorry to jack this thread from snakes but tarantulas rock


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

by saying active i mean moving a bit not just burowed in sand all day and something that is visible (amazon tree boa... that doesnt hide that could be a display
like i said it doesnt have to be handleable or that active because i have a bearded dragon that can be handled and piranhas that are active

urticulating hairs-what are these?-
whats the old world and new world thing?-

what about an amazon tree boa? how fast do they grow?

any sites with good info on them because every site i find doesnt have growth rate and things like that just says what tank size you need


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## Mettle (Dec 29, 2003)

An atb would likely be too big for your tank from the get-go. Plus, they require more specialized care than the other snakes we have been talking about and tend to be more agressive/nippy to begin with - so be prepared for that.


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## CLUSTER ONE (Aug 2, 2006)

around me there is a store that sellscaptive born exotic repties ... that carries atb boa so they would sell them at around a foot or 2

how long till i would need to upgrade?

and getting taged doenst really matter since it would be more for show but it would be great if it was handleable and not nippy but it wouldnt matter if it is


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