Rainbow boa3/17/2023 ![]() ![]() Things to ConsiderĪ rainbow boa can live up to twenty-five years in captivity so it is a long-term commitment. It will not hang limply when you hold it in your hands. If possible, take the snake to a vet for a check-up before purchase or if you order online, as soon as your snake arrives.Ī healthy snake has smooth skin, clear eyes, and no discharge around the eyes or vent. ![]() It’s important to check out your snake carefully before you purchase. Since they like to curl up in their water dish and sometimes defecate in the dish, the water needs to be changed often. Your snake should always have access to fresh water. Leave your snake alone after feeding so it can peacefully digest its dinner. The prey should never be larger than the mid-section of your snake.Īlways wash your hands before and after feeding. When your snake is young it will need to be fed weekly but as it grows every two weeks or once a month will be enough. These can be purchased frozen from companies who raise the animals for this purpose. Your rainbow boa will need to be fed a diet of small rodents. High grade cypress mulch makes a good flooring because it holds humidity without getting moldy. The enclosure needs to be large enough for him to move around comfortably.Ī half log or box is good for a hiding spot. When full grown a rainbow boa averages five feet. Use a thermostat to accurately determine temperatures, do not guess. Temperature in the enclosure should be mid to high 80s during the day and 70s at night. Without this they will dehydrate which is a serious health issue. The rainbow boa needs a high humidity environment to survive, usually 70%. These enclosures will also have a place to house the heat lighting your snake will need in an area that the snake cannot access. It’s best to purchase or build an enclosure that is designed to keep your snake safely inside. Snakes are well-known for their ability to escape any tank and the rainbow boa is no exception. They are known to be docile pets who adapt to regular handling by their owners. The most popular sub-species of Rainbow boas for pets are the Columbian Rainbow Boa and the Brazilian Rainbow Boa. It needs a high heat and high humidity environment to survive. The rainbow boa has specific requirements so it’s not recommended for new snake owners. The young snakes strike out and bite at almost anything. Newborn snakes are eight to twelve inches long and can survive on their own from the moment of their birth. They usually have eleven to sixteen young at one time. They give birth to live young, as opposed to many other snakes who lay eggs. Mating season for Rainbow boas takes place between October and January. They do not interact with other snakes except during mating season.Īs with most snakes, their skin does not grow, so they shed their skin as they grow larger and produce new skin. They are also more activity when young because they need to eat more often. ![]() As they get older and heavier they tend to stay on the ground, hiding in holes or under leaves. ![]() When young they climb in trees, possibly as protection from predators. They use their tongue to smell which is one way they find prey in the night. It hides and sleeps most of the day and hunts for prey at night. Like most snakes, the rainbow boa is nocturnal. Females are generally larger in length and weight than males. This is caused by the snake’s scales which have small ridges which act as tiny prisms causing a rainbow like effect.Īs adults they reach four to six feet in length. They have an iridescent shine with a spectrum of colors. The rainbow boa earned its name due to the unique coloring of its skin. They eat weekly when young and then every two weeks when they get older. It then consumes the prey head first and it slowly moves down the snake’s body and to the digestive track. Like other boas, the rainbow boa catches its food with a bite and then constricts it until it dies. The labial pits on their head allow them to determine the size of their prey due to the amount of heat the prey produces. Their eyesight is not very good so they depend on their sense of smell and their ability to sense heat to locate their prey. Rainbow Boas are carnivores and eat rodents, lizards, reptiles and sometimes fish. They live an average of ten years in the wild. They also enjoy the undercover offered in these environments. Rainbow boas need heat and high humidity so they are found mostly in rain forests and tropical environments. It is found indigenous to Central and South America.ĭue to its unique coloring it’s considered one of the most beautiful snakes. It is also known as the slender boa since their bodies are not as heavy as other boas. The rainbow boa is from the boidae family of snakes and the Epicrates genus. ![]()
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