The Snake Guru
02-14-2008, 02:51 AM
(Common) Boa Constrictor, BOA CONSTRICTOR IMPERATOR
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 5-9 FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ADVANCED BEGINNER
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-90 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT / 50-60%
BCI ranges from the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, throughout Central America to northern Peru. Boa constrictors, typically are tan colored with 20 or so dorsal saddles down the length of the body. The boa constrictor has redish blotches on it's tail. The color of these blotches range from brick red, to rust, or even brownish. Normal boas are very variable in their coloration, ranging from light pinkish-tan to dark brown. Some of the boas from mexico and central america are generally darker in appearance than those from South America.
Hatchling boas are approximately 12-16 inches. Mature females generally range from 7-9 feet in length, while males average 5-8 feet. Their maximum size is 12 feet and over 50 pounds, but they rarely reach over 10 feet. Females, typically,are much larger than the males.
Boa constrictors, as with most snakes, should be housed in an enclosure that offers one square foot of space per foot of snake. Boa constrictors, and most reptiles, should be housed individually. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your boa an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be the same to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. This is especially important with juveniles. If fed a prey item that is too large, it will most likely regurgitate the meal. This can lead to chronic regurgitation if it is not corrected. We recommend switching your boa to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. Most boas have a strong feed response and should be easy to switch them over. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and then the dinner becomes the diner. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Boa constrictors reach sexual maturity from 18 month (males) to 3 years (females). The typical breeding size is 3 feet for males and 6 feet for females. Females should be well established and well muscled before breeding. She should be beyond the lanky body of the subadult. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage about one-two weeks after feeding has been stopped.. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Ovulation in the female boa is typically quite obvious. During ovulation she will have swell mid-body that will look like she has eaten a huge meal. The post ovulation shed is typically 14-20 days or more after ovulation. A basking spot of 90-92 degrees should be provided for gravid females. After ovulation, females can be offered small food items every two weeks, if interested. Boas may give birth to more than 50 babies. Their gestation period is 120-150 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!
Quick FAQs
SIZE: 5-9 FEET
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ADVANCED BEGINNER
TEMPS/HUMIDITY: 88-90 HIGH, 80-82 AMBIENT / 50-60%
BCI ranges from the Sonoran Desert of Mexico, throughout Central America to northern Peru. Boa constrictors, typically are tan colored with 20 or so dorsal saddles down the length of the body. The boa constrictor has redish blotches on it's tail. The color of these blotches range from brick red, to rust, or even brownish. Normal boas are very variable in their coloration, ranging from light pinkish-tan to dark brown. Some of the boas from mexico and central america are generally darker in appearance than those from South America.
Hatchling boas are approximately 12-16 inches. Mature females generally range from 7-9 feet in length, while males average 5-8 feet. Their maximum size is 12 feet and over 50 pounds, but they rarely reach over 10 feet. Females, typically,are much larger than the males.
Boa constrictors, as with most snakes, should be housed in an enclosure that offers one square foot of space per foot of snake. Boa constrictors, and most reptiles, should be housed individually. Your enclosure can be a custom built cage or any of the widely available commercial cages. If you choose to use an aquarium for your cage, take into consideration you may have a difficult time maintaining the proper humidity.
Proper heat can be optained by an under tank heater, heat cable, heat tape, or overhead bulb. Make sure your snake cannot come into direct contact with the heat source, as they may get burns. Also, NEVER NEVER NEVER use a heat rock! EVER! Your reptile can get very serious burns from this, not to mention it is not an effective means to heat your enclosure, as it only heats around the rock, one-two inches. The only safe heat rock is one with the cord cut off!
Substrate is variable. What works well for one person, may not for another. Some options are newspaper, craft paper, paper towels, aspen chips or shavings, or cypress mulch. You should NEVER keep your reptile on pine or cedar chips/shavings.
You should feed your boa an appropriately sized rodent weekly. We recommend starting them out on rats as soon as possible. Appropriately sized means the rodent should be the same to 1.5 times bigger in girth than the largest part of your snake. This is especially important with juveniles. If fed a prey item that is too large, it will most likely regurgitate the meal. This can lead to chronic regurgitation if it is not corrected. We recommend switching your boa to frozen/thawed rats as soon as you can. Most boas have a strong feed response and should be easy to switch them over. You should never leave a live rodent with your snake unattended. The rodent could turn on the snake and then the dinner becomes the diner. There is much debate over this, but we believe feeding frozen/thawed is the safest for your snake.
Boa constrictors reach sexual maturity from 18 month (males) to 3 years (females). The typical breeding size is 3 feet for males and 6 feet for females. Females should be well established and well muscled before breeding. She should be beyond the lanky body of the subadult. The captive breeding season ranges from November through March. Feeding should be stopped at this time and a cooling period should be started. Your animals should be in top condition before any breeding is attempted. Breeding can be "suggested" by reducing the photo period to 8-10 hours of daytime and cooling the overnight temperatures to the mid 70s. You should introduce the female into the male's cage about one-two weeks after feeding has been stopped.. Breeding in the wild also takes place during the rainy season. Many breeders mist their animals to emulate this. Ovulation in the female boa is typically quite obvious. During ovulation she will have swell mid-body that will look like she has eaten a huge meal. The post ovulation shed is typically 14-20 days or more after ovulation. A basking spot of 90-92 degrees should be provided for gravid females. After ovulation, females can be offered small food items every two weeks, if interested. Boas may give birth to more than 50 babies. Their gestation period is 120-150 days.
*This is by no means a complete caresheet, just an informational article. Please do your research before purchasing your animal!