Care Sheet for BoasAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 0 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 05/16/2007 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Boas |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Sully |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Boa constrictor imerator |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Boa constrictor constrictor when not otherwise noted. |
Sexing and Characteristics: | As with all snakes the only 100 % way to tell the sex of a snake would be to have it probed by experienced personal. But females generally grow larger and faster. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Aspen, fir bark, cypress, care fresh, newspaper, paper towels, just try to stay away from sand, gravel cedar and pine. Cedar and pine are toxic to all snakes. |
Lighting and UVB: | No lighting is needed, or UVB. You can use just a heating mat ( under tank heater ) since most people will say belly heat is the most important. But you can also red bulbs at night, and regular bulbs during the day. And no research indicates that UVB is bad for snakes, So you can use it, but you don’t have to. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | A hot side of 88-92 degrees Fahrenheit, a cool side of 80-85.
Some true red tails will prefer higher temps. |
Heating and Equipment: | You can just use a under tank heater, belly heat really is the most important thing, but if you want to use lamps make sure you don’t have lights on for more than 12 hours a day, you can use red or purple bulbs at night since snakes can’t see red or purple. |
Caging Provided: | Hatchlings can be housed in a 10 gallon tank for a little while, soon you will have to upgrade to a 20 gallon long for some time. a 40 gallon breeder will last a BCI ( common boa ) at least a year,most likely 18 months to two years, depending on the gender of the snake.
The Guyana red tail I have ( true red tail i.e. BCC ) is around 3 years old and still in a 40 gallon breeder, and will be for quite some time. This is due to the fact that true red tails grow much much slower than a BCI, but will ultimately outgrow a BCI, usually. Plenty of hides, at least one on each side, multiple water dishes if you can, some foliage is great!
A full grown bci will need a cage at least 4 feet long 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall. |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Hatchlings can take rat pups, once they get a little more girth on them you can start feeding adult mice, or rat fuzzies. soon they will be on small rats, a BCI will probably be on small rats inside 9 months to a year. eventually a fully grown BCI and BCC will be on xxl rats to rabbits, pigs even. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | None are needed. |
Maintenance: | Both BCI and BCC are very hardy easy to care for snakes. Just be prepared for a large snake in the long run. most females will get 8 feet easy, most males wont pass 7 feet. but that’s still a lot of snake! make sure you know what you are in for. spot clean as needed, i.e. look for fecal matter, regurgitated items, spilled water dishes, etc clean up accordingly. disinfect the entire cage at least once a month, this includes changing the substrate, and wiping down everything with antiseptic. When your snake goes blue ( its eyes, getting ready to shed ) you can let it swim in water deep enough they can still touch the bottom of the tub, for about 20 minutes each bath. or you can just mist their cage daily when they are in shed. and a couple times a week when they aren’t. |
Some Words on this Species: | Most BCI and BCC are quite docile, even from birth. But if you get a young one and its a little nippy frequent handling should solve that problem. They are great and beautiful animals, which even a novice can take care of. |
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