Questions: Brazilian Rainbow Boa

[sarah22992]

So I have found a Brazilian Rainbow Boa for sale that I have become quite attatched to. He seems good tempered and his color is beautiful. He seems to be around two and a half feet.

I have done some research and as far as size goes i see they are around ball python size or a.little biggerand their.humidity needs about the same as the bp maybe a tad bit higher but.I wanted input from people who have had them.

I havent had a boa before. What are their temperments like ? How big have yours gotten? What sort of set up do you have? Is ypur snake reclusive or is.it out and about?

I just want to have an ideal set up and be 100 percent on what to expect if I am to purchase him. As I said this would be my first boa. I have ball pythons and corn snakes but not boas.

[JimH]

Hi Sarah,
I don't have a ton of experience with this species but what I do have about them is that they need to be kept warm, 85F or so, and must have high humidity,75-85%. I had some back a few years ago at the zoo that I work at and some of them got respiratory disease if humidity levels got below 50% consistently. Once we raised the humidity, it all went away.

[CK SandBoas]

These guys can get quite a bit bigger than a ball python, my adult male can be quite a handful when i'm handling him. As for temps, 82-83 is what i keep mine at, and he does quite well with those temps, Warmer is definitely not better for these guys, especially when they are babies. My males temperament is really calm, though they can be nippy as babies, as most baby snakes can be.

They are reclusive, so having enough hides in your setup is a must. Mine does sometimes comes out for a bit around dusk, but not all the time.

Here is my male, pedro, enjoying a nice spring day last year :)

[SnakeyJay]

They max out at 7 but most females are 6ft ish.. Very reclusive but are fine to handle.. Surprisingly strong aswell so I advise handling an adult if you haven't done that before to make sure your comfortable..

83-85f and humidity of about 70-80% is fine.. Higher for babies.

For substrate I use orchid bark mixed with sphagnum moss and spray the viv once a day with water.

An adult will want a 4x2x2ft viv and clean out regular as with high humidity comes a risk of mould.

Here's a pic of my female so have an idea of size.

Goodluck

[SnakeyJay]

And here's her viv.

[SnakeyJay]

And the inside of the viv.. Sorry for the multiple posts.. On my phone n can't post more than 1 photo at a time. :)

[sarah22992]

Thank you guys for your prompt responses. I knew theyd be a little more delicate than my two ball python. I try to keep my two bps humidity at about sixty five. Idprefer higher whic willbe.much easier to do once I get them in a rack as I plan to do. The brb wouldnt be in the rack because it wouldnt beel ly plan to breed it like the pythons. So i would need to get him a seperate enclosure. I have my bps amd corns in tanks and its such a hassle and has required extensive modification to get the environment correct. So i will look at other types.
I dont know the gender of this particular snake though I wouldnt be suprised if he hass been sold by the time I am fully ready.for him.
I am torn between wanting a male because of their tendency to stay smaller or a larger female because I dont expect my big bp to get very big considering how malnourished she.was.when I.got her. I think I would love a bigger snake.

Snakey, I dont have access to an adult to hold one.or I would. I have held almost.full grown columbian boa before, are they.comparable?

[SnakeyJay]

You've held a Colombian bci? Then yeah you'll be fine mate.

Although I will say that holding one and dealing with one when its angry is totally different.. I found that out the hard way :)

I'd stay away from glass tanks as they're for fish not reptiles and high humidity animals don't "usually" do well due to the mesh tops.

[Aaron_S]

Thank you guys for your prompt responses. I knew theyd be a little more delicate than my two ball python. I try to keep my two bps humidity at about sixty five. Idprefer higher whic willbe.much easier to do once I get them in a rack as I plan to do. The brb wouldnt be in the rack because it wouldnt beel ly plan to breed it like the pythons. So i would need to get him a seperate enclosure. I have my bps amd corns in tanks and its such a hassle and has required extensive modification to get the environment correct. So i will look at other types.
I dont know the gender of this particular snake though I wouldnt be suprised if he hass been sold by the time I am fully ready.for him.
I am torn between wanting a male because of their tendency to stay smaller or a larger female because I dont expect my big bp to get very big considering how malnourished she.was.when I.got her. I think I would love a bigger snake.

Snakey, I dont have access to an adult to hold one.or I would. I have held almost.full grown columbian boa before, are they.comparable?


Just a word of warning, I wouldn't keep ball pythons at consistent humidity levels of over 65%.

[sarah22992]

See Ive heard about a million things as far as the humidity of ball pythons. the breeder down the street keeps his much higher than that regularly in his racks. We live in super dry country and i struggle.to keep it 65%. What would you recommend. My snakes seem happy enough. I mean they hide all day and one in particular is extremely active at night.

As far as the brb goes Im not afraid of being bitten. I can handle that. Id rather it happen while young but if not oh well. I am curious as to what an ideal size enclosure for a.juvenile is. I know some snakes get stressed if.something is too big for them.

[RBD]

Sarah,

You should check out a care sheet from someone specializing in BRBs. Rainbowsbydesign, Rainbows-r-us or one of the others has great information about caring for babies and adults.

Thank you for your time, John Wiseman

[Snakesitter]

Sarah, I keep and breed the species. Here is my advice on climate, enclosures, and temperment:

Temps: range of 72F low end to 82F high end...temps over 85F can be fatal if there is no escape.

Humidity: adults 80%+, babies 90%+. There are several tricks to this we can discuss if you decide to proceed.

Enclosure: adults need at least six square feet of floor space. Plastic vivs are best due to the humidity advantages and usually opaque walls. This species likes its privacy, another strike against glass tanks.

Lighting: skip it; this species detests bright light.

Temperment: newborns can be biting machines, but this passes quickly. It decrease in direct proportion, in fact, to age and handling: the older and more handed the animal, the less nippy it will be. My babies (past a few months) nip every now and then, my juveniles rarely, and my adults almost never.

Please let me know if you have any further questions!

[Aaron_S]

See Ive heard about a million things as far as the humidity of ball pythons. the breeder down the street keeps his much higher than that regularly in his racks. We live in super dry country and i struggle.to keep it 65%. What would you recommend. My snakes seem happy enough. I mean they hide all day and one in particular is extremely active at night.

As far as the brb goes Im not afraid of being bitten. I can handle that. Id rather it happen while young but if not oh well. I am curious as to what an ideal size enclosure for a.juvenile is. I know some snakes get stressed if.something is too big for them.

You can PM because I don't want to take away the topic at hand.