Good afternoon,

My name is Kyle and I'm a new member with a question...

The b/f and I recently purchased our first snake together, which turned into his, despite me paying for it, lol.

So, what ive done is - ive struck a deal I'm aloud to purchase ANY snake I want, as long as the snake isn't venomous nor will it eat his dog (7 pound ****-zhu).

After long hours of searching ive narrowed my search to two snake - Columbian Red Tail or the Hog Island Boa.

In everybody's experience which is preferred? Im rather new to the Heep world; I use to have a Corn but got rid of him due to moving back home with mom and dad, therefore my experience isn't Pro, nor is it Novice.

A few things to consider:
- The viv is a 150 gallon terrarium - housing large breed isn't an issue.
- I have a very good job - up-keep costs won't be an issue.
- We don't have kids in the house.
- I want something that isn't aggresive by nature.
- Last but not least - I want a snake with girth and length... but not Burm length, I want manageable length.

Any advice/experience is greatly appreciated.

Also, if there are any reputable Columbian or Hog Island breeders that are willing to ship to Quebec I would be interested in viewing your selection and potentially purchasing.

Cheers,
Kyle

Congrats on the recent purchase, and on the soon to be next. Your post opens up a whole new line of questions:

Are you only looking for boas? Are you purchase price limited? Are the color schemes of the boas mentioned the main factor, or is it the size, or temperament? There are a lot of snakes in the same size class of the Columbian or Hog Island Boas. Have you given any thought to pythons? Do you plan on handling the animal a lot? Was the other snake you purchased a boa, and do you plan on breeding them?

The reason I ask is, it is difficult to make a recommendation based on your questions alone. I am not being critical, but there are a lot of great snakes out there. I have had both boas and pythons, although neither boa mentioned. I like them both for different reasons. If you wish to have a snake that moves around a lot, handles well and eats great, carpet pythons are similar in length but thinner, and much more active. I'm not recommending them (although I do have 2 Bredli Pythons and think they are great), just giving an example.

As far as breeders go, I'd guess that any reputable breeders can ship from the States to Canada with few issues. You would need to order soon though, because once it starts getting cold up there it limits shipping opportunities. I'd start by recommending a good internet search and learn about both snakes you mentioned. Also, look up any others you might consider. Looking at breeders' web sites will also help narrow down your search. That followed by a few phone calls will help narrow it down further.

Kingsnake.com is a good market place for animals of all types. It doesn't guarantee a good breeder, but shows you what's out there this time of year, and general prices. It is a great place to start. After getting a better idea of what you want, and maybe a few breeder names, do a search of the breeders. You'd be surprised how many people post comments about bad experiences on the many different forums out there. Better learn about the people you might be doing business with before tying up your money.

Good luck with your looking. It can be as busy or not as you want it to be. Living in a place that has a large reptile show would help, as it allows you to go meet the people, and see their animals. Shy of that, you have some online research to do.

Jeff