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Nicaraguan boas dangerous?

Optreptiles

Optreptiles

New member
Hi everyone, I have a question about Nicaraguan boas (Boa c. imperator). Are they as dangerous as their larger counterparts, the common boa? As in, being capable of killing/overpowering their owner? To my understanding they do not get nearly as large as normal boa constrictors, and are supposed to be more docile. Has anyone on here ever heard of actual death/serious injury resulting from a Nic boa in particular?
 
I've got a little 4.5-5 foot rat snake that could kill me if I let him get around my neck and somehow made him start constricting real hard for some reason. Besides the extremely low chance of something like that happening, next up is an infection from a bite, which is also very unlikely, especially if you clean it.

So it's probably safe to say "no". Kokopelli keeps a bunch of boas (not sure on the sub species), so he should be able to help a bit more than me.
 
I've never heard of anyone being killed by their boas in general... I have a BCI male and just like any snake he can be temperamental at times, but he's usually super docile. As long as you handle them at least twice a week they'll be as friendly as can be. I had a nic boa for a few weeks over the summer and he was nice, but since his last owner had a heat lamp on him, he burned his nostrils shut and was a heavy mouth breather which scared me. But I would say that I didn't notice any temperamental difference between him and my BCI, or any other BCI, BCC I've ever handled.
 
Optreptiles said:
Hi everyone, I have a question about Nicaraguan boas (Boa c. imperator). Are they as dangerous as their larger counterparts, the common boa? As in, being capable of killing/overpowering their owner? To my understanding they do not get nearly as large as normal boa constrictors, and are supposed to be more docile. Has anyone on here ever heard of actual death/serious injury resulting from a Nic boa in particular?
Click to expand...

There has never been a death contributed to Boa constrictor ssp.. They are only dangerous if you put yourself in a situation that allows them to have power over you. I've personally dealt with 10 foot boas and I've never had an issue. I'm 5'10. Just don't be a moron and wrap it around your neck or handle it whilst inebriated.
 
Optreptiles said:
Hi everyone, I have a question about Nicaraguan boas (Boa c. imperator). Are they as dangerous as their larger counterparts, the common boa? As in, being capable of killing/overpowering their owner? To my understanding they do not get nearly as large as normal boa constrictors, and are supposed to be more docile. Has anyone on here ever heard of actual death/serious injury resulting from a Nic boa in particular?
Click to expand...

Out of the Boa Constrictor Imperator sub-species, the Nicaragua locality are considered true dwarfs. In adulthood they can reach up to 5-5.5 feet and -very- slender.
They present a -deal- less danger than Colombian locality boas because they are way thinner and with much less mass. Heck, I have a couple of 2-2.5 year olds that are at the size of an adult Cornsnake.

There has been no report of a death or severe injury caused by a Boa Constrictor Imperator though... so I wouldn't worry that much even about Colombian Boas, let alone Nicaraguan.

A few things to note- they get way smaller, they can be nippy(they are actually a bit more prone to that as babies than Colombian Boas because they are less removed from the original wild population- less generations passed), they can be picky eaters and need an understanding keeper- they are a -bit- like Ball pythons, just a bit less so... You need to know not to get worked up about them skipping a meal or two without trying to force-feed them.

Read up about them, they are awesome.
 
Carinata said:
There has never been a death contributed to Boa constrictor ssp.. They are only dangerous if you put yourself in a situation that allows them to have power over you. I've personally dealt with 10 foot boas and I've never had an issue. I'm 5'10. Just don't be a moron and wrap it around your neck or handle it whilst inebriated.
Click to expand...

Eh, I beg to differ. http://www.omaha.com/article/20100609/NEWS01/100609654 (yes, the guy was being dumb about how he handled his snake, but still)
 
Kokopelli said:
Out of the Boa Constrictor Imperator sub-species, the Nicaragua locality are considered true dwarfs. In adulthood they can reach up to 5-5.5 feet and -very- slender.
They present a -deal- less danger than Colombian locality boas because they are way thinner and with much less mass. Heck, I have a couple of 2-2.5 year olds that are at the size of an adult Cornsnake.

There has been no report of a death or severe injury caused by a Boa Constrictor Imperator though... so I wouldn't worry that much even about Colombian Boas, let alone Nicaraguan.

A few things to note- they get way smaller, they can be nippy(they are actually a bit more prone to that as babies than Colombian Boas because they are less removed from the original wild population- less generations passed), they can be picky eaters and need an understanding keeper- they are a -bit- like Ball pythons, just a bit less so... You need to know not to get worked up about them skipping a meal or two without trying to force-feed them.

Read up about them, they are awesome.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I don't think i will be buying a boa constrictor imperator any time soon, but if I did I wouldn't want a snake that will reach lengths greater than 6 feet, which is why I was interested in the Nicaraguan locality.
 
I am familiar with some adult male Nicaraguas which are around the size of an adult cornsnake... I(not exaggerating).
Good luck, regardless :)
 
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