Hi,

Well I have been a member here for quiet some time, but now ill post some things

I have had a corn-snake for 2 years now, and everything has been goin good, so now id like to try out a boa, as they look really cool, and I think will be a fun challenge to up-grade a little.

My corn snake is only 3 feet, and I recently transfered him into a bigger tank, so now I have some spare room. From what I have heard and been told, boas need like a 6' by 4' tank, and a pritty humid tank as they are from the tropical region.

Now id like to know what are some basics that I need, and what other things I may want to add. Also what kind of heat source is recommended. Also im not very familiar with humidity, so how do you increase that. Id also like to know what materials are recomended for the tank its-self.

im sorry for soo many questions, but I like to know everything before I get a new pet into my life.

also,

i was also wondering if there are any better boa's out there that are more sutable for beginners.

Check out our caresheet,,it should answer most of your questions

http://www.herpcenter.com/showthread.php?t=2740

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Anyone know about Amazon tree boas?

your best bet as a beginner is a regular boa, or even one of the smaller regional ones such as a Hog Island Boa

__________________
Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

And Amazon Tree Boa's are really not recommended for beginers

__________________
Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I recommend reading "Boas: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual" by Doug Wagner. It's a very thin paperback book but PACKED cover to cover with great information about boa care in general and a species guide with lots of color photos.
To quote part of the info on ETBs and ATBs: "Maintaining either phase (ATBs or ETBs) is best left to serious and experienced herpetoculturists. Athough exceptionally beautiful disply animals, emeralds can exhibit nasty dispositions and cannot be considered good pets. This is not to say that they can't become docile with regular handling, but this entails an almost daily struggle urging or prying them off their perch, with it's inherent risk of getting bitten and of stress or injury to the snake. One look at an emeralds huge teeth is enough tot convince most hobbyist that being bitten is going to hurt, and hurt a lot!"
He goes on to give good info for keeping ETBs if you still want one, so the book is very useful.
I guess the questions you have to answer before deciding on a boa species are: what do you want to do with your boa? (If you want a large species snake that you can handle often and interact with, a boa constrictor imperator is probably your best choice.) There are several other species that don't get as big, or are more beautiful with different care requirements. Rainbow boas will tolerate quiet handling but require more tropical conditions.
I, personally, think the markings on Dumeril's Boas are stunning and they don't get quite as big as common boas.

Of course, for looks, you almost can't beat an Emerald Tree Boa, but you need to be aware of the risks of handling. Most arboreal species shouldn't be handled much as juveniles because of their fragile spines. Pulling them off a perch can cause permanent damage. If you get one, you'll want to set up a terrarium with easily removable perches, so if you need to take out the snake, you can just take the whole perch out that it's sitting on.
Watch out when it's out though: they are FAST and can unwrap and take off VERY quickly.
I keep chondro-pythons which are arboreal pythons that often get confused with ATBs and ETBs. The care requirements are very similar but their temperments are often better and their teeth are much, much smaller!

One of our members,"Dogboa", keeps ATBs/ETBs so you might want to read some of his posts for more info.

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Andrea