Care Sheet for BoasAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.00 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 05/29/2008 |
Main Category: | Snakes |
Sub Category: | Boas |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Anonymous |
Years Experience: | 3 to 5 Years |
Species: | Amazon Tree Boa |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | N/A |
Sexing and Characteristics: | These animals are far too delicate to probe or pop, so sexing is very difficult. However if a very experienced hobbyist can be found then probing is the most accurate way.
These snakes are very slender bodied, seeming compressed as well. Their heads are very large and contain very long "fang like" teeth used to catch birds on the wing. They are usually very aggressive snakes but many hatchlings will calm down if worked with gently and consistently. A bite from an adult is very painful and is best avoided, as it will most likely require stitches! They are naturally polymorphic (different colors occur). They can be red, yellow, orange, brown, gray and any color combination in between. Some have very vibrant patterning and are often termed "garden phase".
Their tails are prehensile and their bodies are very strong and will wrap around most objects during handling.
These animals are adult at around 4-5 feet, but can do 6 feet. They are live bearers and babies are born in the branches or on the the floor of the cage. |
Mostly Active During: | Night |
Substrate and Water Needs: | Provide these snakes with a water bowl large enough for them to soak in. They may soak when shedding.
The best substrate to use with Amazon tree Boas is by far orchid bark. It does not rot under high humidity like many other substrates, and as high humidity is crucial to Tree Boas this would seem the first criterion to fill. Newspaper is safer, as it cannot be ingested, but it must be changed weekly otherwise it will rot and smell!! |
Lighting and UVB: | UV is not required, as with all snakes. These are nocturnal hunters so lighting of any kind could be deemed unnecessary. Tree Boas have heat sensitive pits on their labials and have been known to strike at light bulbs during feeding.
If you wish to use a light bulb then it MUST be protected by a cage of some sort. also, any lighting must be turned off at night, to allow the snakes complete darkness for most of the night. this makes them feel more secure. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Humidity is very important for amazon tree boas. They need 80-100% humidity in order to stay healthy. However, they also need good ventilation. This presents a problem for the potential keeper. It is best to try and achieve very high humidity for a few hours a day and then allow the substrate to dry out completely so as the air does not become stagnant. Skin infections and respiratory infections can occur when humidity is not correct. Using a large water bowl will help keep humidity fairly high, if it is placed near to the warmer end of the vivarium.
Temperatures should be in the range of 80-85 F with a basking spot created at around 90 F. This is best achieved using a branch underneath your heat source where the animal can perch whilst basking. At night it is best to drop temperatures to around 75F and have a basking spot of 80F.
It is always best to give the snake the choice of body temperatures (thermoregulation). this an be achieved by having any heating on one end of the tank and allowing the other end to stay unheated. This will let the snake decide how warm to be. If your snake stays at the cooler end too much it is an indication that your basking spot is too hot. Changing the temperature slightly until you notice a change is usually enough to rectify. |
Heating and Equipment: | A ceramic heat emitter is the most efficient way to heat a tree boa enclosure. They do not produce light and so can be used day or night to heat your boas. However they do produce immense amounts of heat and should always be thermostatically controlled. They must not be able to come in contact with your snake either as they can cause serious burns.
Another way to provide heat is a heat mat/pad/tape. These only heat contact points though, not the air around them. So perhaps only use them at night, and place them under the tank. Your snake will quickly learn where the heat is and will use it to thermoregulate.
As mentioned earlier incandescent light bulbs can be used but have been known to stress animals, because they produce bright light and have been struck at during feeding. |
Caging Provided: | The cage provided must cater to the arboreal needs of the snakes. They grow quite large, and so must be housed accordingly. A vivarium of around 2 feet L, 3 feet H and 18-24 inches D should suffice for a single adult. This will last the snake its whole life and provides enough room for you to work around the snakes without being bitten by unruly adults.
Within the cage there should be many branches and vines, which cross at various points to allow the snakes to perch comfortably. It has been found that they will perch better on 2 crossing branches than one single limb. Provide foliage (real will help with humidity) and hiding places using cork bark tubes and slabs, placed around the vivarium.
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Diet: | Carnivorous |
Description of Diet: | They will eat almost anything placed before them, because of their aggressive tendencies they will strike and then hold on. This makes feeding quite easy and also quite dangerous with adults, because they go on strike first ask later, policies! Adult mice and weaned rats are usually as large as you should offer, because of the slender build of the snake. Be very careful to watch how many times the snake defecates. If it goes more than 2-3 weeks without passing then you should cease feeding and place the snake in a container filled with warm water. The swimming motion will move things along. Once the snake has defecated, wait a week and then resume feeding. It is perfectly natural for the snake not to defecate every week, but monitor closely for signs of ill health and unusual behavior.
Feeding fish and birds is unnecessary because of the availability of rodents. Amazon tree boas will eat frozen thawed without issue usually, but if a reluctant feeder is found, then try scenting with lizards. This often helps young snakes start feeding and may encourage an adult. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | None are required unless prescribed by a vet. |
Maintenance: | Spot cleaning is the day to day cleaning. Remove soiled substrate, clean the water bowl thoroughly and give fresh cool water. if attempting to tame your specimen, then handle it for 5 minutes each day, best to do this in the morning and never on the day it is fed.
Once a week change any newspaper or once monthly strip the whole cage and change substrate and scrub everything in the cage. Placing the snakes in a safe container whilst doing so. |
Some Words on this Species: | They are notoriously hard to breed in captivity and so it will not be discussed here. They an become handlable animals but they are certainly not pets. They will bite even once tamed down. They are usually nervous of fast movement, and have very good aim when striking. They should not be bought by children, they are delicate animals that are not very forgiving when mistakes of husbandry are made. They are even less forgiving when handled roughly.
However their beauty and striking colors are more than enough to keep them in the pet market.
Thank you. |
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