A little help with snakes please? (someone that actually knows about snakes...)

I've wanted a pet snake since I was old enough to know what a snake is. I'm hoping to get one within a year, two at most.

But my girl is scared to death it will eat one of us if i get one thats big enough to do so. So I'm looking for a type of boa that can twist around and arm and squeeze, the full length of the arm, but not big enough to squeeze and swallow a full person. Maybe ranging at 3 - 5 feet long and no more big around than 6 inches, maybe a little bit more.

So does anyone know a type of boa that gets around that big? sumwhere between 3 - 5 feet long and around 6 inches in girth? I dont necessarily need a boa if no one knows of a type that is that size, I'm open to any snake around that size. Perferably one that squeezes instead of poisons its prey tho. idk if the boa is the only type that does this, as I dont know alot about snakes, I just think their REALLY cool. But i would really like "snake hugs" as Ive held one at the circus tht wrapped around my neck and arm, but not in an aggressive way and it was really neat and I'd like to have a pet that can do this all of the time. (It was just a "young" boa tho is y i dont want this type, the guy said when it was full grown it'd be twice tht size and thats just to much!).

I've seen picture of "emerald tree" boas and I think they are GORGEOUS creatures. much more so than the brownish colored boas you normally see. But as their just pictures of them wrapped around tree branches, I have no clue how big they get. So if anyone could tell me how big an Emerald tree boa gets that would also be much appreciated.


Edit: I've been surfing the net since i posted this and hoped to come back with an answer or two, but either way I've read now that it depends on where the snake comes from. But the only info I could find was this:

"Sizes like patterns vary with locality. Amazon River Basin specimens are the largest, attaining lengths between seven to ten feet (2 to 3 m). The Peruvian specimens seem to be second largest a boas attaining lengths of four to six feet."

If 4 - 6 is the 2nd largest emerald tree boa and its from Peru, does anyone know what the 3rd largest would be as if 4 -6 is 2nd, then the 3rd would most likely be the perfect size, but it does not list any further details past the Peruvian breed. As it also says patterns differ with locality, if you know where the 3rd longest emerald tree boa comes from, please post a picture of it if you can. As my favorite design I've seen would have to be this:



The actual design on its body is very similar to all of them, but its eyes are what stand out. I perfer its eyes over the "grey" eyes I see in most pictures like this:

 

so no one on this site knows any of the info im asking for? :\

 

Google will provide a plethora of knowledge. This site isn't really tailored to snakes, it's more of a gaming forum.

 

This.

I'm not sure where you live, but I know there are restrictions in the U.S. and in certain states about owning snakes..

I'd say don't get a BOA because next thing you know.. your cat/dog is gone..

Get a rat snake or something of the sort

 

I'm shit scared of snakes but that green one looked pretty cool. I'm pretty sure boa's can rape the shit out of you though I remember learning a thing or two about them in elementary school.

 

Google is where i found the information given and thats all I could find within the first 5 pages.

THeres a reason I posted this in the off topic section instead of the "runescape" section. And I know the risks of owning a snake and cats/dogs at the same time, still perfer a bigger snake than a little one.

 

So you're just trying to find a boa that is a specific size and doesn't get any bigger?

 

go and talk to the guy at your closest reptile shop if you haven't already., they'll know what you want. And they will tell you how much it's going to cost you.

When I bough my girlfriend a turtle the reptile shop helped with everything.

 

yes. around 4 feet long wud b perfect, a little bigger or a little smaller, not under 3 feet long at its fully grown size.

 

I dont know if theres a reptile shop around here. Ill prolly have to drive about 4 hours to the nearest "big city" to find a shop with snakes, the nearest pet shop is petco and the biggest snakes they have i cud fit inside my fist. And even pet co is 45 miles away. So I really just get an idea of the breed of boa I'm hoping to get b4 spending an entire day driving to place just to browse.

 

The things you're looking for are extremely specific and might not even exist. Are you dead set on that snake with the yellow eyes?

 

Call them instead of driving

 

Snakes, or reptiles in general for that matter, given the perfect conditions and care can easily continue to grow and grow. So you're not going to get a snake that is just going to stop growing when you want it to, especially a Boa. I wanted a Boa for a long time and then I started reading up on it and they can easily hit 6 feet and can even go up to 8 or more. Snakes aren't something to be played with. They are exotic animals and have to be treated with the utmost respect because no matter how tame they seem they're wild.

 

Thank you for this info, it hasnt changed my mind about getting one, but I do atleast understand why the info I found said boa's in the amazon can be 10 feet while ones in Peru only get up to 6 feet (the conditions you mentioned) I'll just look up more info on these things and if the snake gets to big for my ol lady to feel comfortable I'll just have to sell it. I dont mind the "wild" or "aggressive" traits of snakes as I plan to get the snake defanged (I believe in the state I live it is REQUIRED to have a snake defanged so it this info is correct it'll be defanged at the pet store before I even buy it) however I do plan to handle the snake often, but as I said above, if it gets big enough to where its "squeezing" can seriously injure me or my girl, it'll have to be sold to someone better educated in raising dangerous reptiles.

It will be kept away from other animals. Only taken out of it's tank when other pets are put away behind shut doors or in their own tanks/cages, And the snake will be carefully watched while it is loose in the house. So if this thread isn't closed before anyone decides to comment about not doing such things, I wont listen so dont bother. ^_^

 

why not buy something simple for your first snake like a ball python?? they are good for first time snake owners and there are millions of morphs with different colors and patterns. do a google search and search Ball Python Morphs you will see there is a website called world of ball pythons morph list check it out. they grow between 3-5 feet and are very docile and easy to handle you dont want an aggressive or wild snake for your first especially since your girl sounds scared to death already.Ball Pythons do not really get big enough to worry about squeezing to hard. All snakes are exotic yes but a ball python is the most common snake for a first time snake owner for a reason.... because they are very calm and docile. They get their name from when they feel scared or threatened instead of instantly trying to strike they curl up into a ball and tuck their head inside the ball to hide. Would be a perfect first snake.

 

this, ball pythons grow 4-5 long and 8-10 inches girth full size i had one for 2 years but had to give it to a friend due to living conditions and me moving and stuff. very cool and good first snake to own isuckathalo got it pretty spot on.