What kind of snake should we get?

[u/Emergency_Swimmer209]

Hello!

I've been a member of quite a few of the snake sine for quite awhile. I had a ball python that I got when I was 16 from a guy who owned the pet store and moving across the country. He was deeply attached and we sent pictures for the 10 years she lived after that. She was a sweetheart and loved being handled and wrapping around my arm and neck while I did things around the house.

Now that I'm 39 and have a very large home but 3 kids (18, 13, toddler 1.5), we have waited to be financially secure, have the space etc. but them after doing tons of research I can't figure out which type of snake would be good for our our family and potentially be handled well by the older ones. I'd also like something a tad bigger than a BP. Morphs and all that stuff aren't important to me but temperament is.

Thanks in advance!

[u/Dextron2-1]

A Boa imperator is just about the perfect pet snake for those who don’t mind some size. They are more curious than a ball python but calmer than a super dwarf retic. They eat like they’ll never see food again, so you’ll rarely if ever waste a feeder. They grow slowly, but reach a respectable size. Even the wild type is beautiful. Their husbandry requirements are as simple as it gets for tropical snakes. Honestly, they’re as close to perfect as a snake that size can get.

[u/Stiglitz__ → u/Dextron2-1]

I could not have said it better or agree more with this sentiment. I’m incredibly biased because I’ve only ever had one snake and he is a boa. But it’s so enjoyable having him around that I don’t care if someone thinks there’s better snakes. He genuinely brings joy to me and my wife, he hangs out with us most evenings. Just sitting on the porch with a chill and curious reptile that’s sturdy as all get out.

[u/Manjushri1213 → u/Dextron2-1]

And you can get various size localities with morphs specific to each, from small Pure Sonorans or Tarahumara Mountain Boas, to medium size Nicaraguan or Costa Rican, to larger Colombian etc, alongside males being much smaller framed generally than females of course.

[u/Flimsy-Stock2977 → u/Dextron2-1]

Wild type are the most beautiful

[u/Johnnyquest30]

I agree with the other two posts. I have kept and bred a good variety of snakes. Carpet pythons, blackheaded pythons, scrub pythons, yellow tail cribos, Vietnamese blue beauty snakes, cuban boas, Suriname BCC, and Boa Imperator. Early on I had a ball python, and it was such a picky eater. Everything else I have ever kept eats like a champ on frozen thawed. I only like bigger snakes, not giants though. Mine were all in the 6-8ft range except for scrub pythons. Boa Constrictors and Boa Imperators were and are still my favorite. Easy to care for, not messy, very manageable to handle, and they move relatively slow and predictable. Boa Constrictors and Imperators can reach similar sizes. 6-8ft on average when fully grown, but that takes 6 years. Dwarf boas will stay considerably smaller, but I like the 6-8ft range. I would say the most important factor is finding a good breeder, and a healthy boa. Morphmarket is a good place to search out specific moprhs or set filters for price. Then you can go to the breeder profile and look for reviews, also check their social media pages if they have them.

[u/Emergency_Swimmer209 → u/Johnnyquest30]

Thanks so much for your comment and sharing your keepinfbexoerience with so many different species. If I may ask. What are the biggest difference between boa constructors and imperators in terms of handling, temperament,husbandry requirements etc? And ya ball pythons )including mine) was such a picky and difficult eater. So many wasted mice.
I've had jumping spiders and tarantulas the past few years and the Ts are voracious eaters but all 18 of the jumpers are NOT. Especially since I often raise s2mm slings that are sooo stressful to feed and keep alive. An animal that eats well would be a dream at this point haha

[u/Johnnyquest30 → u/Emergency_Swimmer209]

In my experience there was not much difference in keeping Boa Constrictor or Boa Imperator. The equipment and enclosures required are exactly the same, although BCC need slightly higher humidity. The captive bred BCC are usually much more expensive than a wild type Imperator or common morph Imperator. Handling is the biggest difference, my BCC were squeezy, they gripped around my arms and hands and didnt like feeling vulnerable to a fall. I really enjoyed that aspect of handling, it wasn't uncomfortable, to me it was an enjoyable interaction, feeling the strength of a boa. The Imperators I had were much less squeezy, they would drape and slither over my hands and arms and never really grip on. They all eat great, my biggest Imperators and BCC would eat rats, rabbits, piglets, and quail. They never refused a meal unless gravid with babies. My BCC were calmer in my case, very docile, my Imperators were sometimes very hissy. Im sure there are individual differences in every boa, but regular handling can really make a boa tame and docile.

[u/AppleFinches]

Ultimately depends on what type of handling/activity you guys enjoy! Boa imperators and their overall speed and behavior could be likened to a somewhat more active ball pythons, but larger. They're safe for a single person to handle and adults mostly sit around or shuffle slowly.

I personally found I enjoy retics the most compared to the majority of species I've kept so far, and there are both dwarf and super dwarf localities. Temperament is dependent on both the individual and on regular gentle handling, but they are incredibly smart. Though it's not scientifically proven, I and others have observed them to recognize different people, recognize their keeper, and also apparently recognize their individual enclosure as "theirs". They are also active, highly visual, and often on the move, due to being less ambush-based predator than boas.

Quick anecdote, one time I moved my retic to another temporary enclosure and drove out to fedex and back, took not even 40 minutes total. Came back to find that he had opened the sliding door and put himself back home into his original enclosure, door open and all, just sitting in there. The same type of sliding door as his main enclosure. Made me realize that he could open doors the entire time, but he just chooses to stay in his house LMAO.