General Boa Constrictor care for Bcc (True-Red Tail) & Bci (Common) Boas
Intro to Boas
Boa Constrictors have been known to make great pets though they do get fairly large. They are more active than ball pythons and handle completely different. Colombian Boas (Boa constrictor imperator) are usually the common boa you see with a variety of color and pattern mutations. These are usually the ones that grow 6-9 feet.
Did you know there are larger and smaller Boa Constrictors? People usually want a Boa because of their size, but only True Red-Tail Boas (like Suriname, Guyana, and Peruvian) get 12 feet+. Whereas Central American Boas (like Nicaraguan, Crawl Cay, Sonoran, and Hog Island) max out at roughly 6 feet.
Boas will use all the space you give them, vertical and horizontal as they are very good climbers. Though breeders keep some animals in rack systems, we do not recommend them for long term enclosures. Babies can start in a 20 gallon tank and will grow into 6x2 enclosures (minimum) as adults. These boas need a solid hiding spot, water dish, and a basking spot. They need a basking temperature of 88-92 degrees with an ambient temperature of 78-85 and ~70% humidity. You may use either an Under Tank Heater or basking lights to achieve proper heating. You may decorate their enclosure as you please, decorations like foliage help with enrichment. For Boas we recommend Coco Mulch as a substrate.
Baby boas start to feed on fuzzy mice for their first couple meals and move to hopper mice after that. You may change the size of their meal as they age from hopper to large mice, then moving into rats. We recommend feeding these every 7-14 days. Boas feed well on either live or frozen thawed prey!
Boas For Sale in the Pet Trade
Boas are bred readily in captivity, though they are not as prolific as Ball Pythons. You can find boas at almost any reptile show or reptile shop for sale in a variety of color morphs like Albino, Sunglow, Hypo, Motley, Anery, and Snow. Boa Constrictors are viviparous, which means they give LIVE birth as opposed to laying eggs. When bred properly they can give birth ONCE per breeding season. Some may think that breeding live bearing reptiles is easier because you do not have to incubate eggs, but the birthing process can take a lot out of your females. Breeding boas is best kept for experienced keepers.
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