Brazilian
Rainbow Boas
Caring for Brazilian Rainbow Boas
John Wiseman at Rainbows By Design
Brazilian Rainbow Boas (BRBs) make excellent pets. However, they do require husbandry conditions that are unlike most snakes on the pet market. They are hardy, generally well-tempered, typically grow to around 6
feet in length, and can live as long as 20 years if properly maintained. This
makes BRBs ideal for anyone wanting a beautiful unique pet snake. Their size is much more
manageable and practical than many of the other Boas and Pythons which can push
up to 10+ feet in length. The caveat
to this is that BRBs do require a little more attention than other common pet
snakes and thus I would not recommend them for first time snake owners. But, with a few precautions anyone
can enjoy these amazing animals.
Humidity
First and most
importantly is that BRBs require high humidity, especially when they are
small. If kept too dry they will
dehydrate. Dehydration is the number one killer of baby BRBs. Minor dehydration may only present shedding problems, but serious dehydration will kill them. Baby BRBs should be maintained with
close to 100% humidity in their cages.
I like to maintain this high level of humidity until they are at least
one year old, then maintain humidity at
approximately 70% for adults. Proper humidity can be accomplished a number of ways. You could use damp substrate or frequent
misting, as well as limiting the ventilation. Because of the large number of BRBs in my collection I use newspaper as a substrate for easy cleaning so I prefer to frequently mist my animals, at least once a day in mildly ventilated cages. Keep in mind that excessively damp substrate
and poor ventilation can lead to stagnant condition inside your enclosure. In addition cages with large
screen sides or screen tops will lose humidity rapidly; these two points will be discussed later.
Substrate
It is important to note that damp
substrate can quickly grow mold and cause problems. Substrate should be changed often whether or not it appears
soiled. You can’t always see the mold spores. In addition, BRBs drink more water and thus urinate more than
most other snakes. On substrate
other than newspaper and paper towels urine spots are not as obvious, making it necessary to clean the cages out more than you would otherwise to ensure a healthy environment.
Remember substrate that is kept in the cage too long will become
contaminated with urates. These
urates are very acidic and this will harm the snake's scales and skin. Avoid using substrates from the garden
section of home improvement stores.
These products were meant for outside gardening and may contain parasites
or even snake mites. (Snake mites
can be a huge problem and difficult to fully cure, please read the section on
mites.) It is extremely important
to not use cedar substrate. Cedar
and similar woods contain oils that are toxic to BRBs and other species of
snakes. This is also important when feeding your BRBs; try not to feed them rodents that have been kept on Cedar or similar wood shavings. Pine shavings and aspen shavings are also not suitable for BRBs because as they are very dry and dusty and will pull humidity out of the air causing the enclosure to dry out rapidly. If asked, I recommend cypress mulch, bark chips, sphagnum or peat moss as substrate. These types of bedding are very efficient at holding in lots of humidity.
Temperature
BRBs thrive in temperatures a
little cooler than you would expect. Baby BRBs prefer the cool end in the low 70s and the warm end in the high 70s
to very low 80s. Maintaining a good temperature gradient is vital to the health and happiness of all snake species.
Maintaining cage temperatures higher than 85 oF can quickly
cause dehydration and leads to poor feeding habits, incomplete sheds, and in
extreme cases even death for baby BRBs. For adult BRBs (especially gravid females), I will keep a hot spot of 85 oF. Most
reptile heating products are too hot for any of the Rainbow Boa species, and because of that I always recommend a good thermostat. I use RANCO thermostats because I can wire them myself and put as many outlets as I choose. BRBs, like many other species are
nocturnal and secretive, thus using bright overhead lights to heat your cages
will create stress for a BRB and may cause problems. Also, heat lamps will quickly dry out the air in your enclosure and drastically reduce the humidity. Cage temperatures should always be
controlled with a thermostat, don’t play the guessing game. In addition, if a thermostat does not
control the cage temperature, then room temperature fluctuations can have a
dramatic effect on the cage temperature.
Invest in quality temperature measuring equipment and use it!!! BRBs require temperatures about 5 to 10 degrees
cooler than what is required for many other boids including Ball Pythons, Boa
Constrictors, Burmese and Reticulated Pythons. Very often, vendors not specializing in BRBs may not be giving
accurate information. As a general
rule, always read up on every new species you plan on keeping to be sure they
are properly taken care of. Keep
in mind that the temperature requirements extend past caging BRBs; care should
be taken when transporting them as well.
Don’t foolishly leave your BRBs in closed cars in the sun where the temperature
will rapidly rise, becausethis could easily kill them. As with other species, BRBs should be provided hiding
spots to avoid light and activity that will cause stress. I suggest placing substrate material
such as damp moss or damp paper towels in the hiding container. This will ensure a cooler and more humid
environment for your snake.
Water Bowls and Cages
BRBs need a water bowl that
is large enough for them to completely submerge in. They will often soak in the water for several days before
shedding. Because BRB sometimes spend a lot of time soaking in their water bowl, it is very important to
frequently change the water out to avoid them soaking in soiled water. Elaborate cages look nice but I suggest
that new BRBs are kept in simple cages so that it is easy to monitor their health. When you are comfortable keeping your
BRB and it is happy and healthy, then a more elaborate cage can be used. Keep in mind that BRBs will hide most
of the day so your elaborate enclosure will be more for your enjoyment than
your snake's. However, if you choose
to decorate, start by making small changes to the cage and always monitor your
snake's health and mannerisms as you introduce new variables. I always encourage using enclosures like those found at boaphile plastics or similar products (all of my cages are from boaphile plastics) for several reasons. These types of enclosures are great for maintaining humid conditions. Traditional glass aquariums with screen tops make it extremely difficult to maintain high humidity. I discourage cages made out of any kind of wood. This is because wood is porous and can both absorb waste (making cleaning difficult) and it offers an excellent hiding place for parasites like snake mites. If you most use a wooden cage I strongly suggest a non-porous coating/finish applied before use.
Feeding
Newborn BRBs should be fed
small live mice fuzzies at first; though I have seen bigger newborns take live
pinky rats for their first meals. I don’t suggest trying a pinky rat for the first feeding. BRBs along with other species will feed
much more readily on a live meal than a dead meal. However, I feel that it is very important to move your BRBs
onto pre-killed or frozen/thawed rodents as soon as possible, this goes for any
species of snakes. I don’t advise
feeding live meals because rodents can fight back and I have personally seen
many beautiful snakes with horrible scars from rodents. A baby BRB can handle extremely large
prey but are more likely to regurgitate and once a snake begins to regurgitate the
problem is difficult to resolve. I
have found that once a BRB is accustomed to eating live prey they almost always
easily switch to eating pre-killed and then frozen/thawed rodents. BRBs are always more likely to eat at
night when undisturbed than when being closely watched in bright daylight. Once they begin to eat BRBs are generally ravenous feeders. Do not force-feed a BRB!!! Force-feeding
is very stressful and stress is often the reason that a snake wasn't eating in the first place. I have had a lot of babies
in my years of breeding BRBs (hundreds if not thousands), and I have never had to force a baby
to eat. I have seen some babies go
as long as a month before eating, but they all eventually start feeding. These snakes are eating machines, and if
your BRB is not eating it is likely due to stress caused by improper husbandry. The most common husbandry problems are keeping
the snake too hot and/or too dry.
Aggression
When first born baby BRBs will
often strike and bite, and have thus acquired a reputation for being aggressive. However, a bite from a baby BRB is not
painful, it’s mostly just startling to people. If you handle the snake for
several minutes every day it will quickly become tame. If your BRB is biting or striking it is either afraid or it
thinks you are something to eat.
Man (or woman) up, just let it bite and hold on and chew if that’s what
it takes. By allowing the behavior
when it is young, your BRB will learn that you are too big to eat and most
importantly that you are not going to harm it. This will usually take care of any striking and biting
problems. However, if you retreat when
your BRB strikes or bites you will reinforce this behavior. This will be a problem
when the snake becomes an adult. When handling your BRB always make sure
you have not been messing around with rodents first, if so thoroughly wash your
hands and forearms!!!
