boa constrictor care sheet (plus extra)
i’m going to be directing this care sheet for the boa constrictor imperator (bci) or the common boa. however much of what is said is applicable for other species of boa constrictor and i will mention several other boa subspecies and locals of bci
basic info: the boa constrictor imperator is the most commonly kept species of boa in the pet trade right now, there are 11 total subspecies of boa constrictor that range in size, temperament and patterning. many of which stay smaller with the exception of boa constrictor constrictor. they do however get to a large size and have a lengthy lifespan and can sometimes have an attitude which is why i recommend them as a moderate to semi advanced care requirement snake. boa’s are pretty readily available at any store or expo, ranging in price from normals (50-75 at shows and about 150-200 in stores) to high end morphs like moonglow, img, and luecistic that can be in excess of 4000$. the number one thing to make sure is the boa you’re going to buy is from a reputable source and is healthy, no retained sheds, no signs of respiratory infection (constant wheezing when breathing or foam around the mouth) no kinking and no mites.
size and lifespan: boa constrictor imperator is the second largest subspecies of boa constrictor specifically the Columbia local of the imperator subspecies. central american locals stay smaller. Colombians are usually between 6-9 feet and 35 pounds, with females being larger. central Americans are usually closer to 5-7 and 20ish pounds. there has been records of Colombians getting 10 feet but that is very rare. other locals of boas usually stay the same size and the centrals or even smaller with the exception being b.c. constrictor which have an average of 9-12 feet and 40-50 pounds. boas have been recorded of living 40 plus years in captivity but 20-30 years is the average. careful consideration must be taken into account before purchasing these animals.
housing requirements (tank): baby boas should be kept in 20-30 gallon long aquariums or the size equivalent. a tank about 30 inches long by 12 wide by 12 high. baby boas are semi arboreal and should be provided with several things to climb on. as boas grow them become less and less arboreal and of course get bigger. the minimum tank size should be a 4 foot by 2 foot by 1 foot enclosure, personally i prefer 5 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot so they have a little more room to roam around and a little bit of climbing space as adults will climb a bit. the length plus the width of the tank should be around the same as the boa (ie, a six-seven foot boa should be in a 4x2 foot enclosure, a nine foot should be in a 6x2) two hides should be provided in the tank, one on the hot end and one on the cool end so the snake can properly thermoregulate while still feeling safe. adult boas are hard to find hides for. trust me. the best thing to use is large cat litter pans with a hole cut into them and melted around the edge of the cut so it is smooth. baby boa tanks should be fairly busy with a few barren spots so the little ones can move freely throughout while still having some cover. make sure anything in the enclosure is free or parasites and harmful substances.
housing (temp): boas need a hot end, cool end and a basking spot so they can properly regulate their temps. the cool end should be at 75 degrees f. with the heat rising up to 85 f. in the hot end with a basking spot no higher than about 90-92 f. belly heat is a better option for boas rather than lighting, lighting drains humidity and belly heat aids in digestion far more than a light will. using both is definitely an option having the belly heat as a main source and a light to bring basking spot temps to the proper temp. belly heat can be achieved with heat pads, heat cable or heat tape, any of these things NEED a thermostat otherwise you risk damaging the tank, burning your animal or even burning your house in the worst case scenario. there has to be something to control the temps on the heat source. a low wattage fluorescent bulb can be provided to ensure a proper day and night cycle and to better observe your boa, you can use a full spectrum uvb light and it has been said it provides physical and psychological benefits but nothing is proven. the only thing i have noticed uvb lighting does is it brings out the animals colours more (there are several ways to make the colours come out more on the animals) not having it will not harm your boa in any way shape or form and most keepers don’t have it. feel free to add it however, it won’t hurt your boa and it may have some unproven benefits.
housing (humidity): boas come from a semi tropical environment so humidity is definitely necessary, humidity for boa’s should be between 60-70%. easy way to do this is just spay down the cage with a mister once a day or every other day. but don’t be concerned if it drops to 50% just give it a little spray. during shed periodically get the humidity up to 80% (once a day or every other day) to ensure your snake has a good shed cycle. for baby boa’s a water dish large enough for them to soak in is required as babies will often soak themselves before going into shed, this usually results in them defecating in the water, this means changing the water fairly often for babies. as boas grow it’s almost impossible to find dishes large enough for a 9 foot boa to soak in, so proving a dish with a 10-12 inch diameter is a perfect option. there are also large corner water dishes (my personal favorite cuz they’re almost impossible to tip over) are the best option because of the quantity of water they hold and they have more surface area so it’s harder to tip over. you can also provide a third hide with moss in it to have a humid hide that the boa can crawl into during it’s shed cycle. sometimes the tips of boa’s tails will stay on (the shed skin) especially for babies, this is not a sign of bad husbandry, boas have longer tails and alot of the time it just rips right before it finishes, if you catch it quickly you can pull the remainder off, if not, give it a quick spray with water and it should come off easy.
housing (substrate): the most commonly used substrate for boa’s by breeders is newspaper, paper towel or butcher paper, all of those are acceptable and economically smart, but don’t hold humidity to well. i find plantation soil, coco husk or melelucha mulch to be the best because they hold humidity well, you can also use a mixture of plantation soil and cypress or plantation soil and reptibark. having the bark in with the soil really aids in shedding, you can use regular carefresh or shredded aspen as well and i have heard good things about them, but i find those to substrates mold and get to much water too easy for my liking. if you are using something loose like the soil mixtures you can spot clean twice a week, if you see fecal matter grab it and handful or dirt in the surrounding area and throw it out, top up when necessary and every 2-4 months change out the entire substrate completely. if you are using the paper bedding’s mentioned first you should change out the entire substrate whenever you are doing a cleaning.
feeding: it is important to give any new boa a “grace period” which means, giving any new boa you bring at least 5 days before offering a meal. i promise they’ll be fine. if you feed to soon they can not eat or regurgitate their food. a re-gurge is worse than any poop. ever. if this occurs be sure your temp and humidity are correct than wait 2 weeks before offering again (for already food depraved and starving animals i do ten days). the biggest reason for regurgitation is improper temps and excessive handling, don’t handle your snake for at least 2-3 hours before a feeding and leave them alone for the rest of that day plus the next. This assures proper digestion and no added stress during the most crucial stages of meal digestion. do not feed a new boa (baby or new addition of any size) something bigger than the girth of their largest part, you DO NOT want a bulge for any new snakes until they are established. once they have been established (4-5 consistent meals in a row) than you can offer them meals large enough for it to make a small bulge in their stomachs. make sure you are buying quality mice or rats for your snake that are parasite and disease free. they need no additional supplements (you can provide certain things to make colours pop more as i mentioned earlier) boa’s that are one year old and younger should be fed every 7-10 days the appropriate sized meals, between the ages of 1-2 you should switch them over to 10-14 days. from 2-4 years 14-30 days is recommended (as they age increase time between feeding, a two year old should be every 14 days while a 3.4 year old should be closer to 30). 4 plus years of age they should be fed every 3-6 weeks depending on age, sex and if they are breeding or not. feeding more or less is okay (to a point) just make sure you monitor their size and weight so they don’t become obese or underweight. boa’s should naturally have an almost bread loaf like shape, a little bit of girth is not a problem so long as they aren’t overweight. (my boa is a little more girthy than some others if you’ve seen him but still fit as a fiddle!) you can switch most boa’s over to frozen super easy, just skip one feeding and then the next feeding offer it a frozen thawed and it’ll usually take it without question. rabbits are another good option for older boa’s, they are a leaner meat so make sure they are not loosing any weight when they switch to rabbits. when feeding rabbits over rats you want to have longer periods of time between feeding as rabbits are much larger and more packed with proteins, fats, nutrients ect. frozen thawed or prekilled is always recommended as any live feeder bigger than a mouse fuzzy or rat pup can seriously harm or even kill your snake. if you do feed live never leave the boa unattended with a live prey item in with it and have a pen or tongs on hand to put in the feeders mouth in case it does try to bite your snake.
feeding newborn boa’s: newborn boa’s take best to hopper mice, fuzzies don’t seem to move around enough to get their instincts to kick in enough and most take 2-3 weeks longer when offered fuzzies or hoppers. newborns should be offered a meal 2-4 days after they have hair their first shed and poop or on day 14 after birth either way. i’ve had baby boas eat 5 times before they even shed once. Mice hoppers are the best prey item for newborns as they move around more, have denser bones, more muscle and less fat than a rat pinkie. you want to feed your boas mice of appropriate size until they are on larger rat pups or weaned rats for the same reason. switching to frozen thawed is recommended as soon as you can. some start their babies on frozen. i make sure mine have eaten 3 times before i switch them to frozen to get them established.
handling and temperament: boa constrictor imperator tends to be a very well behaved boa and usually are very tolerant of handling. they are very curious snakes and tend to want to explore, eventually they will find a cozy spot near you (you’re warm) usually near the armpit or some nook and hunker down so get some heat from you. most boa’s aren’t even all that head shy once they get used to you and will activity try to wedge their heads against you and try to “shovel” you out of the way (ie, mine will push my fingers apart with his nose and just sit there once he pushes his head through) they seem to like to use their face to examine their surroundings which makes for some pretty entertaining situations.. certain locals of b.c.imperator can have a bit of a temperament, central Americans and Nicaraguans can be a little more on edge than the Colombians and nip quite a bit more as babies.
personally, boa’s are my favorite species of snake and will always hold a spot on top in my heart. if you do have any questions or concerns about boa’s please feel free to send me an ask. if there is anything you think i missed let me know (i spent 3.5 fucking hours on this i better not have missed a god damn thing lol)
special mentions. xxxkyrareaperxxx fattynoodles crispysnakes snoots-and-boops butthurtherpetologist reptiliaherps
turnnoffyourmind
snowghoul
blakekathryn
areudirty
origamiaround
tangentwithtanner
gracieabrams
