BOA CONSTRICTOR CARE SHEET

BOA CONSTRICTOR CARE SHEET

In General

Boas are a great snake to have in your collection. However serious thought must be given to the fact that the cute little fella you first handle will reach an adult size of 8 feet plus and require a large vivarium and regular feeding of large frozen rats and even rabbits. As well as the obvious feeding costs, the costs of heating and lighting your vivarium should be taken into consideration, and even those costly vet bills should your boa fall ill - hopefully this of course will not happen.

However, if you do make an intelligent decision to acquire a boa, they make great pets and will add to the quality of your life, hopefully in the same way that they have added to mine.

Size and Gowth

Newborn boa constrictors usually range from 14 - 22 inches in length. With the average adult size being an average 8 feet in length. This is quite a general estimation of sizes, adult female boas tend to be longer, reaching maybe 10 feet with the males generally 1 - 2 feet shorter and not as thickly muscled.

The ulimate size that your boas will reach will depend on a number of factors, primarily genetics, vivarium size, temperature and the amount of food eaten by your boa.

Feeding

A good general feeding schedule is detailed below and would suit all boas under normal circumstance. Please do not overfeed your boas at anytime as this will lead to severe constipation and bloating and even pre-mature death.

Size Amount to feed

From hatchling to 3 feet in length
One to two appropriate* sized mice every 5 to 7 days

From 3 to 6 feet in length
One to two appropriate sized rats every 5 to 7 days

From 6 feet up in length
One to two rabbits every 10 to 14 days


appropriate should be no bigger than the widest part of the snake's girth.
If you keep more than one boa in the same vivarium please remember to feed them separately, in order that more than one snake siezes the same prey item, which would cause major problems - use your imagination !

A friend of mine fed his female boa in the same vivarium as his male boa, and one day he threw it's defrosted rat into the vivarium and the rat happened to land by where the male was resting. The female snapped at the rat and started to constrict it, however she began to constrict the male boa at the sam time, and as the male started to move the female constricted him and the rat even more, the female of course thinking that the moving male was the rat trying to get away. This sad story resulted in the death of the male being constricted to death. Therefore PLEASE feed your any snake separate to other snakes.

Captive bred boa constrictors will normally always take defrosted frozen mice, rats amd rabbits and this should be adhered to as the sight of a live mouse being constricted to death, let alone a live rabbit is not a nice experience to witness.

A problem feeder can be one that will only take live food, and this is usually because the boa has been wild caught and imported. In order to avoid this happening to you please try and purchase any snake from a private breeder who will be able to inform you of your snake's age, sex, feeding regimen and so on. If you do not have access to a private breeder please use a reputable specialist reptile provider.

The Vivarium

Size

The minimum size for a single baby boa constrictor should be 24 inches long, 18 inches high and 18 inches wide. The height will allow your boa to climb on to branches placed inside the vivarium. Young boas in particular enjoy climbing and can be seen resting on elevated branches inside the vivarium.

An adult boa constrictor of approximately 8 feet in length should be housed in a vivarium 72 inches long, 36 inches high and 36 inches wide.

Obviously these recommended vivarium sizes are minimum sizing requirements, and keeping more than one boa in the same vivarium should increase the vivarium's dimensions.

Substrate

Wood shavings can be used, these are the type found in most pet shops which are used for small mammals. However, it is not a good idea to feed your boa in the vivarium if this is the substrate chosen, as they may ingest the shavings along with their food which could lead to digestive problems.

Newspaper is used by a lot of people for it's cheapness and of course it is readily available. However, if the downside is that it is not very pleasing to the eye.

In my personal opinion, paper towels, that is, those generally used in the kitchen is my preferred substrate, it is more aesthetically pleasing, (if you obtain a plain variety) than newspaper and even more absorbent.

Heating and Lighting

The ambient air temperature in a boa's vivarium should be between 80 and 85 degrees fahrenheit. With the night time temperature dropping to 78 degrees. The hot spot of the vivarium, which will allow the boa to properly thermoregulate should be 95 to 100 degrees fahrenheit. In order to monitor temperatures properly it is important to use thermometers inside the vivarium. The plastic strip variety that can adhere to the vivarium wall are a good option and inexpensive.

Provison of heat can be supplied by using either undertank heat mats or ceramic light bulbs or both. Natural daylight is sufficient for lighting the vivarium, however general light bulbs can be used if desired. Please remember to enclose light bulbs and ceramic heat bulbs in a metal type gauze to prevent your boa from burning itself.

My preferred method of heating and lighting all my snake enclousures is to use an under tank heat pad and and incandescent light bulb, which also provides heat and helps provide a hot spot within the vivarium.

The choice is yours, the main point is to provide heat and light which allows the optimal temperatures detailed above to be maintained.

Water

Water is a very important component for your snakes well being and a suitable water container should be supplied which is large enough for your boa to fully emerse itself in and obviously drink from.

Fresh water should be supplied every couple of days, unless your boa has defacated in it, in which case the water should be replace immediately. Some boas do love to soak in their water, and in the wild boas are never found too far from water.

Health Issues

Health related issues such as common diseases are beyond the scope of this document. However, in the first instance it is recommened you take your boa to a qualified vet, preferably one that specialises in the treatment of reptiles.

This care sheet was supplied by Alan Bell.