Care Sheet for Red Tail BoasAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 3.57 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 05/10/2005 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Red Tail Boas |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Emperor_Boa |
Years Experience: | 5 to 10 Years |
Species: | Colombian Red Tailed Boas |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Sexing snakes should only be done by a QUALIFIED veterinarian. When a veterinarian sexes a snake they use a probe. On a female the probe will go up about 3 to 5 scale counts. On a male the probe should count between 8 to 10. If you insist on doing it yourself, then a gentle palpitation of the thumb directly above the cloaca should cause the sex organs to pop out. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | There are many varieties of substrates available. You can use an indoor/outdoor carpet(make sure to have a spare while you was the other), mulch(coconut or aspen)(DO NOT USE CEDAR! It is toxic and can prove to be fatal.), or newspaper. I use newspaper due to its availability and its cheap. |
Lighting and UVB: | Snakes require no UVB. They also do not require lightning. They get their Vitamin D3 form the livers of their prey. Using any kind of lighting is strictly a preference of the owner. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Red Tailed Boas require medium humidity. I keep mine between 50 and 60 percent humidity and they thrive. Be wary that the humidity get too high. If it does, they’ll turn extremely dark and could get ill. Temperatures are fairly easy. I keep mine between 80 and 90 degrees and they thrive extremely well. |
Heating and Equipment: | The Best thing to use is an under the tank heating pad. It should be half the size of the tank, and placed on one side so the animal can thermoregulate themselves. Place one hid box on both sides so the animal can hid on the cool side, or the warm side. Place a deep water dish(large enough for the whole snake to fit in) for drinking and soaking. Normally RTB’s don’t soak unless they are shedding or have mites. The water dish should also aid in humidity requirements if maintaining humidity is difficult. |
Caging Provided: | A hatchling can be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium. At 6 months you should upgrade to a 20. After about 2 years, place in a 55. That should be good enough for the rest of it’s life. Remember they get large, so be prepared to compensate. The cage should be TWICE as long as the snake, and half as long as the snake is deep. I use rope as jungle vines which should take care of exercise and the climbing issue. But you can use shelves, or driftwood(NOT CEDAR). |
Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Hatchling should be fed on pinkie mice(yes, that’s right pinkie MICE). Due to the fact it could be difficult to feed, start out small. If you can, feed them 2 or 3 pinkies at one meal. Due this tills it’s 3 months old, making sure to feed every week. If you just bought it, leave it in it’s cake for 2 weeks to give it time to adjust. After 3 months, feed it adult mice. Once it’s about a year start with small rats. Feed once every 2 weeks. What this does is it causes a growth spirt for about 6 months. Once it gets large enough to fee on jumbo rats, keeping feeding every 2 weeks. When it can feed on rabbits, feed once a month. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Dust with a calcium supplement. |
Maintenance: | Mist at least once a week. And mist while shedding. |
Some Words on this Species: | Typically boas reach up to 12 feet(If properly cared for)If you follow the feeding program above(optimal)they’ll reach full potential. Males adult sizes are 6 to 9 feet, and for females it’s 9 to 12. If you want to keep their size down, then feed only once a month once they start feeding on rabbits. They are quite tame if captive breed. Best to start with a hatchling. Be careful of their strength. They get big and may not mean to, but could hurt you. And remember DO NOT LEAVE UNSUPERVISED!!!. (IF YOU WANT BREEDING TIPS OR OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION , E-MAIL ME AT Boa_Constrictor_Imperator@yahoo.com) |
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