It is important to become familiar with your snake’s normal appearance, movement and behaviour, in order that signs of illness can be noticed at an early stage. Your snake should also be keen to eat and pass faeces regularly.
SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR BOA CONSTRICTOR SKIN
Skin should be undamaged with no sign of parasites, and shedding should occur regularly. It is illegal and unethical to offer snakes live vertebrate food.įresh water should be supplied once daily in a shallow bowl.īoa constrictors can often live between 25-30 years.Ī healthy snake will be bright and alert with clear open eyes and nostrils and a clean vent. In captivity, they should be offered pre-killed whole food starting off with pinkies for hatchlings and progressing to adult mice, rats, rabbits and chickens for adult snakes. Bulbs will need replacing every 6 months.īoa constrictors are carnivores and in the wild their diet would naturally be a variety of amphibians, lizards, other snakes, birds and mammals. However, captivity can never simulate a totally natural environment and Metabolic Bone Disease is seen in snakes, so it is a good idea to provide UV light for 12 hours daily, but using a bulb with a lower output (2% should be sufficient) than that used for most other reptiles. It is controversial whether snakes actually require UV light or not, as naturally these reptiles are only active at evening and night times. Without this, lizards are at risk of developing Metabolic Bone Disease, which can often be fatal. UVB rays are very important to allow a reptile to produce Vitamin D, which is essential for the absorption and use of calcium. Most reptiles need to have access to both UVA and UVB rays, which many supposedly “full spectrum” reptile bulbs do not supply, so it is important to check this before purchasing a bulb.
This should ideally be measured with a hygrometer and kept moderate (50-80%) for these snakes that are used to a rainforest environment. The ideal temperature range at which to keep a boa constrictor would be 28-30☌ (82-86✯) in the daytime, with a basking spot of 31-32☌ (88-90✯), and temperatures falling no lower than 26☌ (80✯) at night. Heat sources should also be protected with a wire mesh guard or similar safety device if they are within a snake’s reach. It is important whichever form of heating is chosen, to always monitor it carefully with a thermometer, and use some form of thermostat so that temperature can be accurately controlled. Incandescent spot lights will provide the ideal basking spot for your snake, but should not be used as the sole heating source whereas heat mats are more useful in providing a background heat for the whole vivarium. There are several types of heat sources available for vivariums including ceramic heaters (infra red light bulbs), tube heaters, reflector bulbs (incandescent spot lights) and heat mats. A temperature gradient should therefore be provided, giving your reptile a hot end where they can bask and a cooler end to which they can retreat. Reptiles are not capable of regulating their own temperature so it is very important to keep their environment at an appropriate temperature at all times. Newspaper therefore makes the ideal substrate, but another alternative would be certain types of shavings or wood chips. It is important to use a substrate that is easy to keep clean and replace, and is not going to cause a problem if accidentally eaten.
It is important to always wash your hands thoroughly after handling reptiles as they can carry Salmonella. Once a week, the whole vivarium can be cleaned with a disinfectant suitable for reptiles (further details of suitable disinfectants can be obtained from your vet). Branches can also be placed for climbing but should be at least one and a half times the diameter of your snake’s body.Ī vivarium should be “spot-cleaned” daily to remove any droppings, or uneaten food. Inside the vivarium, a hiding place should be provided which may be half a log, a purpose built cave or even just an empty box with a hole cut in the side. The minimum recommended size for an adult Boa Constrictor would be 1.5m long x 1.2m deep x 1.2m high, but obviously these snakes will enjoy as large an enclosure as it is practical to keep. Anyone thinking of owning a boa should carefully consider the size of an adult snake (at least 2.5-3m), and the time, commitment, space and expense which owning one will entail.īoa constrictors belong to the Order Squamata, Suborder Serpentes/Ophidia, Family Boidae, Genus Boa.Ī wooden/chipboard vivarium with good ventilation and sliding glass doors makes the most appopriate setup for snakes, being easy to clean, insulate and keep secure. The Common or Red-tailed Boa (Boa constrictor constrictor) originates from the rainforests of Southern America, where it can be found in a variety of places from the forest floor to trees, and even in water at times.
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