Gia the Hog Island Boa

This is Gia. She's a bit on the timid side but I'm confident that when she's fully grown she'll be a really great snake to handle. Unfortunately, I don't have as much time as I'd like to spend with all my snakes at the moment since at the time of this video my much loved furball kid (my dog) went blind from an illness 7 months ago and is still not coping well.

Hog island boas are a great snake to keep for anyone with some reptile keeping experience because they are so fascinating to look at. The color along the sides of her body goes from very orange to pink and purple tones. Her head will have a greyish look when she's in her dark phase to almost paper white in her light phase.

Hog's can be very moody when they are babies but do grow out of that phase with respectful and consistent handling. When Gia was a baby I needed to wear protection just to take her out of her cage because she'd try biting me and showing lots of attitude. Now I can take her out without having to worry about getting bit.

Thanks for watching!

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Hog
• Island
• Boa

[Lamsam123]

whats the minimum enclosure for these type of snake? thinking of getting one if they are as clam (not aggressive) as what i have in my mind

[lololinguine]

@Lamsam123

The standard calculation for determining enclosure size is the width and depth should equal the length of the snake (ie: for a 5' snake the length should be a minimum of 3' wide by 2' deep), but bigger is better - more room for them to stretch out if they want. The calm/agressive personality is also individual - just as any animal. You may get lucky and have a calm one, but the big key for me is respect their comfort level. I don't push my boa more than what she is comfortable with.

[Lamsam123]

@lololinguine its almost time for me to get Hog Island Boa but i cant really choose between male or female b/c of their size.. ive heard male is around 4-4.5ft long and i want it to be a lil bigger than that.. but ive seem some female that they are huge.. that that is too big.. what are ur suggestion? =)

Thank you so much!

[lololinguine]

@Lamsam123

If you're unsure I'd suggest going with a male hog. Males can get bigger than 4.5ft but they won't get as thick around as a female would, so in the long run - 3 or 4 years down the road your boa boy will still be easy to manage instead of a heavy bodied female. Even better if the boa you get turns out to be flighty - it may not be the case but better to think in terms of how it will be when they grow up. My girl is turning into a handful but I won't give her up for the world.

[lololinguine]

Thanks for the comments :)

If we weren't on opposite ends of the continent....and didn't have a border to cross I would love it if Buddy and Gia got together too! Nice to know another snake mommy forces her kid to play.

I love all your video's of Buddy. It shows that you take really good care of him :)

[Lamsam123]

@lololinguine Getting Hog Island Boa next month. i hope mine is as tame as i thought it be like.. very calm.. dosnt hiss or try to strike me =P

[reptileswagger]

wow shes beautiful!!!

[cutegayjason]

She is Beautiful!  Very captivating sweet girl!

[xmealfedlersosad]

That is a beautiful snake, I'm getting one soon but people keep telling me different sizes they get. I was told they rarely get over 4 foot, and then someone told me they can get all the way to 5.5 So I don't know who to believe.

[am1068]

She's a beauty! Buddy would love to meet her ...Thanks for posting and sorry I didn't see your comment on Buddy's video until just now...bit of a Farmville addict and kinda forgot about youtube...lol....she's so lovely though and very sweet....Buddy's incredibly shy and skittish too....I think they're all like that...but that's ok ...I make him be social with me...poor kid...lol