Care Sheet for BoasAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.56 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 10/13/2005 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Boas |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Diablo |
Years Experience: | Under 1 Year |
Species: | Hog Island Boa |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | None |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Common boa constrictors are among the best snakes to keep in captivity. They are extraordinarily hardy creatures with longevity records in excess of 40 years. They are beautiful, boldly patterned and reasonably priced. VPI now maintains one of the largest collections of boa constrictors. We are one of the largest producers of albino boas and hypomelanistic boas. VPI was first to breed to successfully breed albino boas to albino boas. Additionally, we are working with the only t+ albino boas and patternless boa, both beautiful and unique mutations that we hope to produce in the next two years.
Common boas do not attain sufficiently large sizes to present a physical danger to adults, and, to our knowledge, the species has not ever been responsible for any human fatalities involving constriction. Boas are, none-the-less, relatively large snakes, and in many cities and towns, this species is included in the dangerous animal ordinances. The possession of boas within those municipalities is forbidden or restricted.
Keepers considering this species should carefully consider that the large adults do require relatively large and spacious cages.
Many common boas are remarkably tame snakes, very deliberate in their actions, very alert and aware of their keepers. While we would no longer even consider exposing ourselves to such liability, when we were younger, as part of educational demonstrations of snakes, we allowed thousands of strangers to handle trusted common boa constrictors, and they never let us down.
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Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Substrate: It has been our experience and observation that this species does extremely well on either aspen bedding or on newspaper. Both are easy to maintain at a satisfactory level of sanitation. Boas can be successfully maintained on a variety of substrates, including sand, potting soil, clean gravel, or cypress bark chips. HOWEVER, we do not recommend any of those substrates for the average keeper interested in an efficient and easy-to-maintain set-up. Using those substrates, it is difficult to maintain clean cage conditions without excessive diligence.
Boa constrictors of all ages will spend a lot of time climbing and resting up off the floor of the cage if provided with branches or fixed dowels. The laterally compressed body and strongly prehensile tail are physical evidence of arboreal tendencies in this species. However, most boa constrictors are quite happy in a cage set up for a terrestrial snake. Only rarely will some individuals require perches above the floor of the cage in order to feed.
When using newspaper as a cage substrate, it is a good maintenance practice, after papering the bottom, to crumple several pieces of newspaper in the cage, under which the snake can hide if desired.
Water: Clean water should be available in a glass or ceramic water bowl at all times. Young snakes are supplied with an 8 oz water bowl measuring about 2½" in diameter, 1" in depth. Older snakes have a 16 oz water bowl measuring about 4" in diameter and 2½" in depth.
Newborn and young pet boas may perch on their water bowls, with one side of their bodies dipped into the water. Even when given a variety of other perches, some snakes may prefer to perch on the water bowl.
Common boa constrictors are rarely observed to sit in their water bowls in conditions of normal health and security. Boas may sit in their water bowls if they are stressed or insecure in their cages (they are "hiding" in their water bowl,) or if they are plagued by an infestation of snake mites.
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Lighting and UVB: | Not required if you have a Heating pad but recommended.
Red ones at night. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | As a general starting point, common boa constrictors seem to do best if kept in the low-to-mid-80s 0F.
In fact, it’s a good maintenance practice to provide a temperature gradient for boas; in other words, one end of the cage is 5-8 0F warmer than the other end, with the cooler end of the cage averaging 77-79 0F. This will allow the individual to choose the temperature that best suits at any given time. Boas like to bask under warm lights or ceramic bulbs. Likewise, they will sit on a warm area of substrate, heated from below with some type of heating pad. Electrically-heated rocks can be very dangerous to boas, as occasionally the surface temperature of some of these hot rocks may exceed 130-140 0F and they can cause severe burns on the bellies of unsuspecting boas.
As is true for many snakes, boas can better tolerate temperature extremes if they do not have food in their digestive system. If recently fed, they should not be subjected to temperatures more than 90 0F or below 74 0F. When empty of food, common boa constrictors are tolerant of a wider range of temperatures.
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Heating and Equipment: | UTH, Water bowl big enough for the snake to submerge, good hiding place, some climbing, light(if you want). |
Caging Provided: | Common boa constrictors require a secure well-ventilated cage. A glass aquarium with a secure ventilated top (screen wire or perforated metal) can be a satisfactory cage to display these beautiful snakes. Plastic storage boxes, with numerous perforations for ventilation, can be satisfactorily used to maintain boa constrictors. We raise our young boas to breeding size in 3’ x 2’ Vision cages. We keep the largest specimens in 4’ x 3’ Habitat System cages.
We maintain newborn boa constrictors in an enclosure with about 40 square inches of floor space until they are about six months of age.
Young adult boa constrictors are given 2-4 square feet of floor space. Given space and lots of food, common boas grow very quickly to six feet in length, and then their rate of growth begins to slow. By four to six years of age, most adult females will require an enclosure with 10-12 square feet of floor space.
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Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | In captivity, young boas readily eat mice; most readily accept freshly-killed prey offered to them on forceps. That is typically how we feed boas all their lives. Some specimens may eat dead prey left in their cages, but generally this species is not as willing consume dead prey just left in the cage as are some other boas and pythons. Large specimens readily feed on rats. One appropriately-sized rodent per week is an adequate feeding schedule. Adults typically do not feed during the winter months.
Large boas may be fed rabbits. Many boas love to eat chickens, and often boas that refuse to eat rodents will willingly accept an appropriate-sized chicken. Most boas will eat hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, and ducks. We know of several iguanas that have been eaten by their boa cagemates. Households with avian pets should be particularly certain that any pet boas do not escape. According to a 1998 news story, an escaped boa ate the neighbor’s small dog in California. In spite of this, we have seen several households where the dog and boa lived in some harmony.
An "appropriate-sized" meal is one that makes just a slight lump inside the snake. Snakes that are distended from too-large meals should not be handled.
For their first meals, many newborns will begin feeding on live large fuzzy mice or live pink rats that are simply left in the cages. We feed baby boas only one food item weekly. We do not handle them for two days after they have fed them, if we can avoid it. We make certain to not get them too warm after they have eaten, maintaining them at daily temperature fluctuations of 80-85 0F. Once they have begun to feed, most boas subsequently readily accept dead mice as food, either thawed or fresh-killed, but until they are three or four months old, we feed them small prey items.
REMEMBER! A hungry live mouse may attack and damage or even kill a boa if left unsupervised. Don’t leave live rodents unsupervised in the cage of any boas. ALWAYS put food for the rodent in the cage.
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Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Supplement found at your local pet store is essential for a healty snake. |
Maintenance: | Depend of what substrate you use.
Newspaper: Frequently
Aspen shaving: Bi-Monthly
Carpet: As soon as the snake... you know! |
Some Words on this Species: | Cayo de los Cachinos, or "Island of the Hogs" consists of two small islands off the coast of Honduras. Hog Island Boa constrictors (Boa constrictor imperator) are a brightly colored, "Dwarf", insular (island) boa, found only in captivity. Due to over-collection, habitat destruction, and relentless killing of Hog Island boas by the locals of the island, these snakes are extinct in their natural habitat.
Considered almost "Hypomelanistic", Hog Island boas have the ability to change contrast from light to dark very quickly. One minute the Hog Island boa can be bright orange and pink; and another, dark gray and burnt orange. Some are more heavily speckled; however, this is not a valued trait. The most valuable Hog island Bci are practically speckle less, and often shades of blue and pink are preferred.
Most true Hog Islands reach a size of 5-6 feet in captivity, however, it appears that some cases of 7-8 foot Hogs have been reported. Whether or not these are crossbreeds or pure Hogs, is unknown. All of the adult specimens imported from Hog Island were around 4-5 feet.
Unfortunately, due to its naturally hypomelanistic nature, most Hog island boas have been crossed with other Bci species to create very beautiful morphs; but unfortunately, this has also caused the locality some harm, as some of these have been passed off as Hogs and are essentially mutts.
Hog Island boas have one of the best temperaments of the insular boas. They have been described as docile and easy to handle compared to other Bci. The small size, graceful temperament and unsurpassed beauty combined make the Hog island boa one of the most wanted boas in the pet trade.
Special Considerations For Hatchlings & Juveniles: When it comes time to get them to feed, newborn boas generally present their keepers with few problems. Youngsters usually shed at 7-10 days of age. We typically wait 2-3 weeks before we feed them, allowing them to utilize the yolk in their bodies. We then offer them live fuzzy mice for their first few meals, simply placing the prey in the cages and letting the babies follow their instincts.
Most common boas are very docile and reluctant to bite. Occasional babies can be snappy, but they are small and the bites are harmless. But when calmly and consistently handled, the youngsters grow to very docile and trusting adults. A lot of biting can be avoided if the babies are not picked up with the hand, but instead are lifted with a small hook (or bent piece of coat-hanger wire) and set in the hand.
Boas undergo an ontogenetic color change as they mature. Newborns typically are grayish-brown. With age the snakes begin to develop more yellow and brown pigment. As boas approach adult size, their colors become more saturated and intense; pink, orange or yellow highlights or iridescence may become visible on the sides of the head and body.
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