Pros and Cons of Owning a Boa Constrictor

Owning a boa constrictor has been such an enjoyable experience that it only makes sense for my first blog post to be about having one! The common boa is one of the most popular pet snakes to keep, and for good reason. Its beautiful coloration and docile nature make it a wonderful pet for both viewing and interaction.

A boa is a serious commitment. All pets, dogs and cats included, require some sort of specialty care to give them a quality life. However, if you are willing to research your boa’s needs and commit to caring for it for the entirety of its life, it will make a wonderful family pet for even novice owners. 

Why Choose a Boa?

Jason and I wanted an interactive pet, but one that wouldn’t require a lot of maintenance. We had our cat, Screech, and didn’t want another animal that would contribute to more allergens in the home or require daily care. After a few months of research, we decided on a snake, specifically a boa constrictor imperator (BCI). I had some experience with them as a kid, but otherwise, we were first-time snake owners.

We purchased Olivia 3 years ago from Pet Paradise in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where we had the chance to handle and interact with multiple snakes, including ball pythons, kingsnakes, bull snakes, and finally, the boa constrictors. As soon as we held our curious little worm, we were in love. 

Olivia isn’t any special color morph, but I like that she closely resembles the look of a wild boa. She is also very inquisitive and easy to handle.

I must stress that she’s not a true Colombian red-tailed boa (boa constrictor constrictor or BCC), which is why I don’t refer to her as such. There are other species and subspecies of boa constrictors, but my experience with them is limited, so for the purposes of this post, I am only focusing on the common boa (BCI). 

The Joys of the Common Boa

A piece of the wild…

Were you that kid chasing frogs and catching bugs? For people who like nature, having a boa is like keeping a little bit of the outdoors in. We enjoy being creative and attempting to mimic Olivia’s natural environment within the confines of our home. There is a lot of fun in experimenting with better husbandry like cage lighting, water features, live plants, etc, and it satisfies our childhood scientific curiosities.

Boa constrictors are a pet you can observe AND easily handle. Fish are beautiful and all, but for the most part, strictly observational. We wanted something that we could handle and hangout with, but that wouldn’t need our attention on the daily. You can watch your boa climb on a branch in her enclosure or you can pick her up and let her climb on you. Fish, not so much.

A wide variety

When it comes to patterns and colors, ball pythons take the cake, but boas come in at a close 2nd thanks to all the beautiful morphs that have emerged on the market in recent years. Olivia is simply a wild-type common boa, meaning she closely resembles the look of a boa you’d see in its native habitat. For those who want something a little different, and can spend more money, there are dozens of other options. There are also other species of boas, including dwarf varieties, but that is an extensive subject on its own that I won’t dive into here. 

Life-long Friend

It’s really difficult to say goodbye to a beloved pet, but with boa constrictors, you won’t have to for decades! 

When taken care of properly, boa constrictors can live for 20-30 years in captivity, so you’ll have a friend through all the ups and downs.

They’re not as long-lived as tortoises or macaws though, so you don’t have to worry about including them in your will. 

No daily care or destructive boredom

Unlike a dog, your boa doesn’t need to be walked or fed everyday. If, like us, you have a busy schedule, you won’t have to worry about finding a dog walker or paying for doggie daycare. No more 4 am wakeup calls to let Fido out or launching yourself out of bed because Whiskers is retching on the couch. 

They don’t have claws, so you don’t have to worry about hearing your security deposit go down the drain as your cat digs her claws into the carpet for the millionth time, because she doesn’t want to use any of the scratching posts cluttering up your place 😒. 

They also don’t bark. That incessant barking from a neighbor’s dog stuck home alone all day? Not in your house. 

Liv spends most of her time in her enclosure either coiled up or quietly stretched out and relaxing.

You should pretty much never hear noise from your snake, because that means they’re either very sick or very angry…or farting, like Olivia occasionally does. 

boa snugglesss

Unlike some species of pet snakes, the common boa remains docile and tame even with infrequent handling. When work is super busy, I may only take Liv out once a week, if that. I’m still able to reach in and gently pull her out without issue no matter how long it’s been.

Let me take a moment to dispel the myth that snakes are mindless, soulless creatures. Olivia recognizes when we are home, and frequently comes to her cage door to let me know she’d like it opened, even just to rest her head and watch us go about our day. 

They don’t show obvious affection like a dog, but they are capable of recognizing and enjoying the comfort of their people. Olivia is noticeably more calm when Jason and I are handling her than when a stranger holds her, and will actively seek one of us out if she’s uncomfortable. 

As Liv’s gotten bigger, I’ve found comfort in the weight of her, and love observing her scales shift as she slithers along, tongue flicking wildly. There is something cathartic about the repetitive motion of this beautiful, smooth creature gliding through your fingers…or face, as boas are apt to do. 

These are the simple joys of boa ownership that you’re not going to find in a book or a blog post, and just have to experience for yourself. 

Smarter than you think

There is growing research about the intelligence of snakes. Check out this video from animal behaviorist Lori Torrini, who does extensive work in snake behavior and training. With repetition and consistency, you can get your snake to respond well to target training with the potential for other reinforced behaviors. 

Handling your snake is really more for your enjoyment than theirs, but boas are extremely curious and love to explore when they’re out of their enclosures. It’s fun to watch their tongues flick as they sniff the world around them. You do want to watch them closely because they will find ways to get into any and everything. So just like a child or dog, you need to ensure their activity area is “snake-proof.”

No hair = no allergies = no snoring from your partner. 

Jason is incredibly allergic to animal hair and dander, so we wanted a pet he could handle that wouldn’t send him into an asthma attack. A boa proved to be the perfect match. In general, snakes make great pets for people who don’t want animal mess all over the house. 

Some owners save their boa’s shed to record their growth, create beautiful art or exotic jewelry. So instead of collecting wet hairballs for your trash bin, you can create a unique display piece for your home or one-of-a-kind earrings to sell.  

Hassle-Free travel

Do you work long hours or love to travel? There are very few pets that provide interaction yet flexibility for people with a busy schedule. Boa constrictors are perfect for frequent travelers thanks to how infrequently they eat and defecate, with adult boas being able to go a month or more on a single meal.

Just make sure you have a clean source of water; I’m still figuring out how to incorporate a fountain in Liv’s enclosure for when we take longer trips. No more worrying about who is going to feed the dog or change the cat box while you’re gone.

As long as you have a good enclosure setup you can reasonably go a couple weeks without having to tend to your boa constrictor. COVID’s over, so take that trip and enjoy yourself; your boa will be just how you left her.

Won’t Break the Bank

The overall cost of owning a boa constrictor is much less than that of typical house pets like dogs and cats. 

Many normally patterned common boas are available from breeders, pet shops, and expos for under $100, but the price of morphs can creep into the hundreds or even thousands. Do not ever buy a wild-caught boa constrictor! There are many great breeders on the market selling high-quality, healthy, captive-bred boa constrictors.

Like any other pet, you will need to find a good vet in your area. Obviously one who specializes in exotic pets is the best choice. You don’t need to take your boa to the vet for yearly shots or even an annual exam, although I recommend you do.

Boas are relatively healthy animals, but improper care commonly results in respiratory infections. These are often easily treated at home, but serious cases will require a vet visit. 

Otherwise, the majority of expenses will go into the purchase and setup of their enclosure, but maintenance is very affordable. You can also save a lot of money by building the enclosure yourself. If you’re worried about a spike in your electric bill, don’t. You will see minimal change in your electricity usage, especially if you only have one or two snakes.  

The Flip side

They are not fuzzy. 

They aren’t dogs or cats, so they’re not a warm companion to snuggle up in bed with at night. Then again, when you’re trying to get peaceful sleep after a stressful day, maybe the last thing you want is a big dog with boundary issues or a cat that wants to chew on your ears at 3 am. Your boa won’t leave hair all over your blankets or clothes either. 

They seek you out for warmth, and are still happy to cuddle under a blanket with you while you watch a show, or hang out on a chair and quietly observe whatever you have going on. 

BUT they eat fuzzy things…

The biggest pitfall to having a boa, or almost any pet snake, is feeding them. It can be emotionally tough to feed small mammals or birds to your boa, and was the hardest thing for me to get used to doing. Thankfully, boas are opportunistic and reliable eaters, and will enthusiastically take frozen thawed meals. 

The benefit to this is that frozen feeders are readily available online, and you can store many months worth of food in your freezer. I found that having Olivia from a young age, when her prey was very small, has allowed me to get comfortable over time with feeding her larger meals. 

They don’t (usually) bite.

I’ve been bitten by dogs, and I’ve been bitten by snakes. I’ll let you guess which one gave me scars. In the 3 years we’ve owned our snakes, I’ve only been bitten once, and it was actually by our ball python Jasper, not Olivia. 

The best way to avoid a bite, especially from an adult snake, is to pay attention to your snake’s body language and only handle your pet when you’re both comfortable. In my case, I was spot cleaning Jasper’s enclosure while he was shedding. During shed, and within 24-48 hours of feeding, are definitive no-touch times for your pet snake. 

Baby boas can be a bit hissy and sometimes even nippy (although I’ve never been bit by mine). However, they mellow out quickly as they get larger and less fearful. 

But they do get big.

Although I have this listed under cons, this was actually a major pro and why we chose a common boa. 

Common boas start off as teeny 18” babies, but full grown males will be roughly 5-7 feet, while adult females will get upwards of 8-10 feet and over 25 pounds. 

I personally believe that boa constrictors are the largest pet snake anyone can safely handle alone. 

Big Boa Mansion

Due to their large size and native tropical habitat, boas require a lot of space and an interest in meeting their special needs. If you live in a tiny city studio, it’s still possible to have one if you can find a spot for a minimum 6’ x 2’ adult enclosure. Unfortunately it’s all too common to see boas kept in poor conditions, most often lacking space and incorrect humidity or temperatures. 

There are many great and easily accessible resources on boa care and housing. Check out a great article about boa husbandry needs here. 

On the plus side, you don’t have to clean a boa cage as often as other caged pets. They don’t go to the bathroom everyday, and they eat every part of their food all at once. 

Side note, their crap is pretty big, and pretty stinky. And the bigger the boa, the bigger the poo; an adult boa’s feces rivals that of a medium-sized dog. Thankfully they typically go in their water dish or their shed skin, which makes for relatively easy cleanup. I can tell when Olivia is ready to do the doo because her tail is less defined, and she gets a little gassy. No, it doesn’t smell when she farts, but it does sound oddly human.

The point is, you are able to travel without worrying about having to get a pet sitter for feeding or cleanup. If you have a bioactive setup, you can let your “cleanup crew” assist, then you might be cleaning even less. 

In Conclusion

All pets come with sacrifice. For boas, it’s most notably space and the absence of warm cuddles (although cold-blooded hugs are pretty great). In all seriousness, they’re not for everyone, but for someone who’s constantly on the move and dedicates a lot of time to work or other hobbies, a boa makes for the best of both worlds. Anyone willing to take the time to learn to properly care for their boa constrictor will find them to be rewarding and lifelong companions.