Due to lack of good information on the net and because this is asked alot by people interested in Boas I thought I would take some time to explain the factors that make up the size difference in boas.

How big will your boa get? On average Boa constrictors will be between 1.7 - 2.2 meters or 5-7 feet. This is determined by three very important factors that affect breeding and size.

Factor one: Sub species.
On average you can expect True red tails (Boa constrictor constrictor) to be larger than their smaller Central American cousins Boa constrictor imperator who most in all grow to only 1.5 meters or 5 feet in length.

Factor two: Locality.
Locality plays a large role in the Size and Coloration of Boas. While the Central American Boa constrictor imperator are normally smaller in size the Colombian Boa constrictor imperator can grow to lengths even larger than any true red tail. In true red tail boas B. c. constrictor the Peruvian locality is normally larger growing.

The last factor in the size of Boas is Genetic disposition. There is one line of small growing Surnam red tails that only grow to a length of about 1.7 meters or 5.5 feet that have been line bred from smaller boas. The size of the breeding line determines how large the boa could grow.

I hope this short explanation is helpful to some.

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What have you, or others here heard about the Tarahumara Boas. Supposedly they stay rather small, but seem hard to find. Thought id ask.

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I have heard of them; they are related to the Mexican Boas and are found around the same region, so they tend to stay around the size of mainland Boa constrictor imperator.

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"Tonights forcast..... Dark." Al Sleet, the hippy dippy weather man, George Carlin. You will be missed.
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We have an article that may help add some to the boa constrictor imperator vs. boa constrictor constrictor discussion.

For your reading pleasure, follow this link:

BCI vs. BCC - Reptile Information - Caresheets Database

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.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

I'm really thinking about getting a hogg island boa, they seem very interesting, and correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems a 75 gallon long tank would provide adequete space for one.
Thanks for that article rich.
Is a Colombian Red Tail Boa really actually a common boa, not a red tail at all?

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Rich- Thanks for the link to the article, I've read it before. Over all it's informative but some information has changed with research papers that have been published since the date the article was written.

ryanpb- I'm really unfamiliar with US tank sizing but a hog island boa should average about 5 feet so you would need at at least a 4' x 2.5' footprint on the cage, though I would go for something somewhat larger.

Is a Colombian Red Tail Boa really actually a common boa, not a red tail at all?

This depends on what your term of "red tail boa" is. Colombia has both Boa constrictor imperator and Boa constrictor constrictor their distribution area is separated by a mountain range. If you consider red tail boas to be Boa constrictor constrictor then yes there are Colombian red tails. Though your more likely to come across a Colombian Boa constrictor imperator than a Boa constrictor constrictor in a pet shop or from most sellers.

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"Tonights forcast..... Dark." Al Sleet, the hippy dippy weather man, George Carlin. You will be missed.
http://schlange-titus.de
http://dght.de

Okay, thanks.
My 75 gallon tank is 4' by 1' 6", and 20" tall. The caresheet said that was adequete, but caresheets are not always the most accurate things in the world.

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