my snake needs a mate!!

Question
QUESTION: I have a red tail boa who is roughly 8ft long and her behavior has suddenly changed... a friend says she is gravid but I'm not sure.
How do I tell?
If she is, then what size mate should I be looking for?
Also could you recommend a reputable breeder who could supply the stud so to speak?

ANSWER: Gravid means pregnant so if the snake has never been with a male then I would say probably not gravid.  When you breed boas you usually look for a smaller younger male around 1 and a half to two years.  Make certain you do have a female though before you make any plans.

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QUESTION: thank you for answering what must of seemed like a pretty stupid question to you!!!
before i go out and buy a new snake for her i'd like too make sure she even needs one...
she has suddenly become aggressive about her terarium... even when i'm feeding her she gets aggrievated if i go in. it hasn't always been like that she used to have no problem with it.
she also went through a period where she ate a lot and put on some weight then stopped eating altogether.
do these symptoms mean she's wanting to mate?
i know she's a female because i had her sexed by a vet about   2 yrs ago.
i love my snake and we've been pretty happy until now, but if my friend didn't know what gravid meant maybe he's wrong about this too...

Answer
Yeah, it does sound a bit like she's sexually mature.  Just because the snake is ready to breed doesn't mean she has to though.  Eventually her behavior will go back to normal even without a mate.  If you do decide to breed the snake you have to take into consideration the snake will have special needs while gravid and you risk injury to the snake during mating and complications that may arise during birthing.  I would weigh out my options if I were you and do a bit more research on the breeding process.  Like I said eventually your snake will go back to normal on her own.  The choice of whether or not to breed the snake in the end is pretty much yours.