Post by Lee on Mar 18, 2007 9:38:37 GMT 1
Introduction
The common boa (boa constrictor imperator) is a large sized snake which are part of a group of snakes called boas which are a group of non venomous snakes…they are increasingly popular as pets due to their general calm nature with exceptions to some individuals and nervous animals and feed well in captivity usually being quite greedy feeders too which is a plus sign for the beginner keeper in which can be a worrying time for any keeper when a snakes showing reluctance to eat particularly when it’s a young individual and are available at many petshops and bred with regularity so sourcing a boa is quite simple and really make fantastic captives.
Being constrictors their prey is overpowered by constriction in which all non venomous do to dispatch of prey and the animal soon slips away due to asphyxiation(lack of oxygen) before it is eaten by the snake but being opportunist feeders in the wild they will eat large mammals,birds and even other reptiles such as large lizards and caiman.
There are other speices of boas that are also good captives to consider :
Red tail boas(boa constrictor constrictor)
These boas are harder to find than the commons and the localities include guayuan,Surinam and Peruvian and they all look different with regards to colouration and are very highly desired but are mostly WC to keep up with demand and mainly the BCIs are confused with the BCCs but there is a lot of difference in appearance etc so it is better getting one from a reputable reptile supplier or breeder for a true red tail
They get larger than the BCI at 9-14ft which is a consideration for its future care and care is same as the BCI
Dwarf boas
If the eventual size of the boa constrictors puts you off keeping them,theres alternatives in the dwarf boas, they are sonoran,crawl cay, Nicaraguan and other boas and their eventual size varies between 3-5ft in length and they have the most amazing patterning and are getting increasingly popular due to their smaller size.
They can live in a 4ft vivarium their whole adult life and are usually very tame snakes to keep much like the bigger boas but you do get exceptions in temperament.
Hog Island Boa
This is a boa that for many years has been said to be extinct from the wild but they are bred on occasions and are beautiful looking boas with light colouration and speckling on the skin and are highly desirable to keepers and boa collectors alike
They get to 5-7ft in length and their care is the same as the other boa constrictors.
Distribution
the common boa originate in Columbia but generally boas are widespread throughout south and central America where they inhabit tropical and semiarid areas where they seek refuge in burrows and crevices during times of inactivity to keep away from predators and to keep out the sun with them being crespular animals(active only when light levels are low) and seek heat from rocks, being cold blooded which means they are unable to regulate their own body they have to find other means of warming up they do this by basking on warm rocks that have been warmed by the sun .
Appearance and size
The common boa is a thick bodied snake with a large robust head
Its scalation is unkeeled so is smooth to the touch and markings and patterning are variable to type and speices.
Common boas attain lengths of 6ft -10ft but larger specimens are heard of quite occasionally so are a very easily managed species for people looking for a challenging speices but are aware that they will get to a large size
The common boas come in many different patterning and colours which adds to their popularity
They include
Albino
These type lack any dark colouration(melanin) so are white in colour with yellow markings around its body and red/pink eyes
Anerythristic
Sometimes shortened to anery, this recessive gene causes an absence in light pigmentation, making them darker in appearance.
Snow
snow is a combination of anery and amelanistic which results in a snake that lacks dark and light pigments leaving a snake of an overall white colour with red eyes.
Striped
These snake have a vertical stripe going all the way down their body
Many of these can be sourced through breeders if you have any difficulty finding the boa you are after
housing in captivity
Boa housing is relatively easy to get and set up and a large range of housing is available for snakes in many pet shops today….security is one of the most important things when considering your snakes housing as neonate boas are very good escape artists and very clever/inquisitive to the slightest hole/gap left and is amazing how little they are able to squeeze through.
Wooden vivariums are a good cage for adult boas being very securely built and with only the front viewable it has a calming effect on nervous/new snakes as it gives them a sense of security and with vents fitted allows good air circulation as well as coming in many different sizes and are the best type as boas are very powerful creatures so needs to withstand a lot of wear and tear with boas being very rough and active within the cage.
Plastic housing such as geoflats,conticos,large boxes are also used with high success with keeping neonates as they also have the advantage of variety of sizes and secure fitting lids many of which are clipped from the outside which means the snake cannot open it from inside the cage or try and squeeze out
Glass tanks used in fish keeping are very ill fitting with regards to lids and don’t really allow much air circulation but there are ranges that are suitable for reptiles like the perfecto range so worth looking out for as would suit the smaller boas.
A good sized vivarium for a large sized boa of up to 10ft in length would be a 6 ft long cage which a good substrate needs to be used and is really up to personal preference to what to use but substrates such as newspaper, aspen and shop bought bark are very popular but is worth looking out for with particle substrate such as small wood chips as they are very easily swallowed while feeding and can cause real problems to the snake even fatally injuring it so putting newspaper on top of the substrate during feeding days or even putting the food item on a plate or tray are good preventive measures
Heating the cage is either by heat mat for young neonates or CHE (ceramic heater) for older animals and adults of which must be controlled by a thermostat that is designed to control such equipment(pulse is best as high load and perfect for controlling non light emitting equipment and can be used to heat multiple cages dependant on wattage output) and if using ceramics a guard must be fitted….both of which will stop your snake sustaining injuries or overheating both of which are extremely fatal and with heat mats make sure there is an air gap to allow efficient heating and use of the heat mat and to prevent malfunctioning of equipment….common boas do well at a temperature of 85-88f and room humidity is fine as well as the water bowl being put nearer the hot end of your cage..
The interior of the cage is up to personal preference with regards to decoration but good additions include secure branches as although boas mainly are ground dwelling as wild animals they do enjoy the occasional climb if provided and cork bark and bits of wood make good hiding places for snakes but make sure all are free from sharp edges which could injure the snake and stable enough to hold the snakes weight comfortably and treated with miltons or any reptile disinfectants prior to be put back in the cage after thorough washing afterwards to kill germs and to keep your snake healthy and a good sized water bowl that is big enough for a snake to submerge is another good addition to the terrarium (large storage boxes are good for adult snakes as difficult to tip and very easy to clean)
Food and feeding
boas are easily got into feeding on defrosted rats at neonate stage and are greedy feeders so are generally not a problem and feeding from frozen is cheaper to buy as are available in many sizes and theres no danger of injury or suffering to the rodent if it was alive.
Defrosting before feeding can be done in many ways like defrosting them in a warm place naturally or submerging them in warm water until defrosted then dried which also has an advantage of raising the body heat of the prey
most snakes will take the food item if you wiggle it with a pair of forceps(you can risk being bitten if using your fingers and with larger animals be very dangerous) until the snake grabs it which is called ‘’strike feeding’’ whereas others prefer to feed off the ground of in the privacy of their hide box.
In some cases you get the odd reluctant feeder which will not take the mice/rats easily so hers a few pointers:
*braining the rodent which involves splitting the rodents skull and exposing the brain and the snake upon smelling this should take it with no problems
*splitting the stomach which involves splitting it and it does the same purpose as skull splitting
*washing the rodent and handling it as little as possible could be another way to get it feeding as it might smell you on there
*scenting it with chick or mouse in the case of rats could trigger a feeding response or rubbing lizard skin on there as snakes are opportunist feeders in the wild so worth a try to the captives
Once these methods have been exhausted pre killed is another option with the above methods used then and after this has been exhausted assist feeding and should only be attempted as a last resort as can cause added stress to the snake may be an option but all the above methods have proved successful so you should have no problems.
Take extra precautions with larger boas as a hungry adult boa can be extremely dangerous and can cause you serious injuries if not careful and they are extremely powerful snakes.
Handling your snake
When first acquiring a young boa try and resist the temptation of handling the snake until it is feeding regular and it has fully settled into its new environment, some boas can be a little nervous when you handle them for the first time and shake their tail and strike but take things slowly and they calm down to accept handling very well but like everything you do the odd exception which is down to the individual really(like people)which can be aggressive and not take to handling as well as you’d hoped
Its best not to handle snakes 48 hours after a feed too as to not risk regurgitation or not being confident in handling the snake as you can risk injuring the snake even a fall from a small height can still hurt a snake
The best way to handle a snake of their size is to support the snakes body at two places and gently restrain it and have two people present when handling large adults in case of difficulties and wash your hands and change clothes if you have been in contact with anything mammalian like dog/cat as a boa could easily mistake owner as potential food and will be very difficult to restrain if only one person is there so the little precautions will prevent injuries and the boas will be good snakes to handle.
Sexing your boa
Some breeders and experienced keepers can tell the snakes sex by tail length or popping the tails when they are a few days old or more but this should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets because in the wrong hands or done after that period you risk harming your snake and damaging the hermiphene in male snakes but the almost 100% way to definitely sex your snake is probing, this also should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets as again can cause serious injury or damage which ultimately could kill your snake in which involves a blunt steel rod being inserted into the cloaca/vent of your snake and depending how many sub caudal scales it goes up will determine the sex of your snake.
The common boa (boa constrictor imperator) is a large sized snake which are part of a group of snakes called boas which are a group of non venomous snakes…they are increasingly popular as pets due to their general calm nature with exceptions to some individuals and nervous animals and feed well in captivity usually being quite greedy feeders too which is a plus sign for the beginner keeper in which can be a worrying time for any keeper when a snakes showing reluctance to eat particularly when it’s a young individual and are available at many petshops and bred with regularity so sourcing a boa is quite simple and really make fantastic captives.
Being constrictors their prey is overpowered by constriction in which all non venomous do to dispatch of prey and the animal soon slips away due to asphyxiation(lack of oxygen) before it is eaten by the snake but being opportunist feeders in the wild they will eat large mammals,birds and even other reptiles such as large lizards and caiman.
There are other speices of boas that are also good captives to consider :
Red tail boas(boa constrictor constrictor)
These boas are harder to find than the commons and the localities include guayuan,Surinam and Peruvian and they all look different with regards to colouration and are very highly desired but are mostly WC to keep up with demand and mainly the BCIs are confused with the BCCs but there is a lot of difference in appearance etc so it is better getting one from a reputable reptile supplier or breeder for a true red tail
They get larger than the BCI at 9-14ft which is a consideration for its future care and care is same as the BCI
Dwarf boas
If the eventual size of the boa constrictors puts you off keeping them,theres alternatives in the dwarf boas, they are sonoran,crawl cay, Nicaraguan and other boas and their eventual size varies between 3-5ft in length and they have the most amazing patterning and are getting increasingly popular due to their smaller size.
They can live in a 4ft vivarium their whole adult life and are usually very tame snakes to keep much like the bigger boas but you do get exceptions in temperament.
Hog Island Boa
This is a boa that for many years has been said to be extinct from the wild but they are bred on occasions and are beautiful looking boas with light colouration and speckling on the skin and are highly desirable to keepers and boa collectors alike
They get to 5-7ft in length and their care is the same as the other boa constrictors.
Distribution
the common boa originate in Columbia but generally boas are widespread throughout south and central America where they inhabit tropical and semiarid areas where they seek refuge in burrows and crevices during times of inactivity to keep away from predators and to keep out the sun with them being crespular animals(active only when light levels are low) and seek heat from rocks, being cold blooded which means they are unable to regulate their own body they have to find other means of warming up they do this by basking on warm rocks that have been warmed by the sun .
Appearance and size
The common boa is a thick bodied snake with a large robust head
Its scalation is unkeeled so is smooth to the touch and markings and patterning are variable to type and speices.
Common boas attain lengths of 6ft -10ft but larger specimens are heard of quite occasionally so are a very easily managed species for people looking for a challenging speices but are aware that they will get to a large size
The common boas come in many different patterning and colours which adds to their popularity
They include
Albino
These type lack any dark colouration(melanin) so are white in colour with yellow markings around its body and red/pink eyes
Anerythristic
Sometimes shortened to anery, this recessive gene causes an absence in light pigmentation, making them darker in appearance.
Snow
snow is a combination of anery and amelanistic which results in a snake that lacks dark and light pigments leaving a snake of an overall white colour with red eyes.
Striped
These snake have a vertical stripe going all the way down their body
Many of these can be sourced through breeders if you have any difficulty finding the boa you are after
housing in captivity
Boa housing is relatively easy to get and set up and a large range of housing is available for snakes in many pet shops today….security is one of the most important things when considering your snakes housing as neonate boas are very good escape artists and very clever/inquisitive to the slightest hole/gap left and is amazing how little they are able to squeeze through.
Wooden vivariums are a good cage for adult boas being very securely built and with only the front viewable it has a calming effect on nervous/new snakes as it gives them a sense of security and with vents fitted allows good air circulation as well as coming in many different sizes and are the best type as boas are very powerful creatures so needs to withstand a lot of wear and tear with boas being very rough and active within the cage.
Plastic housing such as geoflats,conticos,large boxes are also used with high success with keeping neonates as they also have the advantage of variety of sizes and secure fitting lids many of which are clipped from the outside which means the snake cannot open it from inside the cage or try and squeeze out
Glass tanks used in fish keeping are very ill fitting with regards to lids and don’t really allow much air circulation but there are ranges that are suitable for reptiles like the perfecto range so worth looking out for as would suit the smaller boas.
A good sized vivarium for a large sized boa of up to 10ft in length would be a 6 ft long cage which a good substrate needs to be used and is really up to personal preference to what to use but substrates such as newspaper, aspen and shop bought bark are very popular but is worth looking out for with particle substrate such as small wood chips as they are very easily swallowed while feeding and can cause real problems to the snake even fatally injuring it so putting newspaper on top of the substrate during feeding days or even putting the food item on a plate or tray are good preventive measures
Heating the cage is either by heat mat for young neonates or CHE (ceramic heater) for older animals and adults of which must be controlled by a thermostat that is designed to control such equipment(pulse is best as high load and perfect for controlling non light emitting equipment and can be used to heat multiple cages dependant on wattage output) and if using ceramics a guard must be fitted….both of which will stop your snake sustaining injuries or overheating both of which are extremely fatal and with heat mats make sure there is an air gap to allow efficient heating and use of the heat mat and to prevent malfunctioning of equipment….common boas do well at a temperature of 85-88f and room humidity is fine as well as the water bowl being put nearer the hot end of your cage..
The interior of the cage is up to personal preference with regards to decoration but good additions include secure branches as although boas mainly are ground dwelling as wild animals they do enjoy the occasional climb if provided and cork bark and bits of wood make good hiding places for snakes but make sure all are free from sharp edges which could injure the snake and stable enough to hold the snakes weight comfortably and treated with miltons or any reptile disinfectants prior to be put back in the cage after thorough washing afterwards to kill germs and to keep your snake healthy and a good sized water bowl that is big enough for a snake to submerge is another good addition to the terrarium (large storage boxes are good for adult snakes as difficult to tip and very easy to clean)
Food and feeding
boas are easily got into feeding on defrosted rats at neonate stage and are greedy feeders so are generally not a problem and feeding from frozen is cheaper to buy as are available in many sizes and theres no danger of injury or suffering to the rodent if it was alive.
Defrosting before feeding can be done in many ways like defrosting them in a warm place naturally or submerging them in warm water until defrosted then dried which also has an advantage of raising the body heat of the prey
most snakes will take the food item if you wiggle it with a pair of forceps(you can risk being bitten if using your fingers and with larger animals be very dangerous) until the snake grabs it which is called ‘’strike feeding’’ whereas others prefer to feed off the ground of in the privacy of their hide box.
In some cases you get the odd reluctant feeder which will not take the mice/rats easily so hers a few pointers:
*braining the rodent which involves splitting the rodents skull and exposing the brain and the snake upon smelling this should take it with no problems
*splitting the stomach which involves splitting it and it does the same purpose as skull splitting
*washing the rodent and handling it as little as possible could be another way to get it feeding as it might smell you on there
*scenting it with chick or mouse in the case of rats could trigger a feeding response or rubbing lizard skin on there as snakes are opportunist feeders in the wild so worth a try to the captives
Once these methods have been exhausted pre killed is another option with the above methods used then and after this has been exhausted assist feeding and should only be attempted as a last resort as can cause added stress to the snake may be an option but all the above methods have proved successful so you should have no problems.
Take extra precautions with larger boas as a hungry adult boa can be extremely dangerous and can cause you serious injuries if not careful and they are extremely powerful snakes.
Handling your snake
When first acquiring a young boa try and resist the temptation of handling the snake until it is feeding regular and it has fully settled into its new environment, some boas can be a little nervous when you handle them for the first time and shake their tail and strike but take things slowly and they calm down to accept handling very well but like everything you do the odd exception which is down to the individual really(like people)which can be aggressive and not take to handling as well as you’d hoped
Its best not to handle snakes 48 hours after a feed too as to not risk regurgitation or not being confident in handling the snake as you can risk injuring the snake even a fall from a small height can still hurt a snake
The best way to handle a snake of their size is to support the snakes body at two places and gently restrain it and have two people present when handling large adults in case of difficulties and wash your hands and change clothes if you have been in contact with anything mammalian like dog/cat as a boa could easily mistake owner as potential food and will be very difficult to restrain if only one person is there so the little precautions will prevent injuries and the boas will be good snakes to handle.
Sexing your boa
Some breeders and experienced keepers can tell the snakes sex by tail length or popping the tails when they are a few days old or more but this should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets because in the wrong hands or done after that period you risk harming your snake and damaging the hermiphene in male snakes but the almost 100% way to definitely sex your snake is probing, this also should only be carried out by experienced keepers or reptile vets as again can cause serious injury or damage which ultimately could kill your snake in which involves a blunt steel rod being inserted into the cloaca/vent of your snake and depending how many sub caudal scales it goes up will determine the sex of your snake.