| There are a wide range of species kept by snake | | | | well known "Red tailed boas". Boa constrictor |
| enthusiasts today, from so called "beginners" snakes | | | | imperator is very similar in appearance to the red tail, |
| such as the colubrids (corn snakes, king snakes etc.) | | | | but the males tend to only reach around 6 feet in |
| to large pythons and everything in between. Few | | | | length (the females, as with most snakes are a little |
| however have the majesty and attraction of the | | | | larger). |
| boas. | | | | The Dumeril's boa is a protected species, listed on |
| Boas are a privative family of snakes, often | | | | CITES and as such requires paperwork to prove |
| confused with their cousins the pythons. In fact they | | | | origin, but they are a beautiful and generally docile |
| share many traits with the pythons, with the most | | | | snake. Captive bred Dumeril's boas are often available |
| notable difference often being geography. With a | | | | on the pet trade, though their CITES status makes |
| couple of exceptions, boas are from the Americas, | | | | them considerably more expensive than many other |
| while pythons are "old world" snakes. | | | | boa species. |
| Boa constrictor is without doubt the best known of | | | | Smaller again are a number of terrestrial and |
| the boas, and one of the few snake species that | | | | burrowing boa species. Snakes such as the rubber |
| many lay persons can identify. They are a large and | | | | boa, rosy boa, and Kenyan sand boa don't have the |
| powerful snake, with some subspecies capable of | | | | stature and markings of the boa constrictors, but |
| growing to lengths in excess of 12 feet. While they | | | | their small size makes them suitable for a beginner to |
| are often quite docile and wonderful to handle, their | | | | the hobby of snake keeping. |
| sheer size means that they are only suitable for | | | | Most boa keepers will agree that there is something |
| experienced snake keepers with the experience and | | | | about the boas which makes them special. After 25+ |
| room required to keep them. | | | | years of keeping a wide range of snakes and lizards, |
| There are however many smaller species of boa with | | | | it is still the boas which fascinate me the most. They |
| are more suited to newcomers to snake keeping. | | | | are wonderful snakes, and should certainly be |
| Firstly, there are several subspecies of boa | | | | considered by anyone interested in herpetoculture. |
| constrictor which are considerably smaller than the | | | | |