![]() ![]() Place a quarter-inch of warm water in an appropriately sized plastic container and place your boa inside with a secure lid in place. A soak or two during the shed cycle will greatly help if you are experiencing low-humidity issues. Shedding issues are usually a result of insufficient humidity. Skin retention does not necessarily mean husbandry issues, but if you notice retained skin on other areas of your boa’s body, you may need to adjust the humidity levels. If it’s sticking dip it in warm water and will make removal easy. Once shed check the tip the tail as young boas sometimes retain a small piece of skin there, if caught soon after the shed it will usually be easy to remove by gently pulling the skin off. A boa that is constantly in the water bowl can indicate the humidity is too low, the temperature is too high, or the boa could have mites. Young boas will often soak before or during shedding, this aids in shedding their skin, but can occur when the humidity level is not being met. The water must always be clean and should be changed as needed, the boa can defecate or urinate in the water which must be cleaned immediately. The humidity in the cage should be 60 to 70 percent use a hygrometer (humidity gauge) to check. Boa Constrictor Water and HumidityĪ water bowl is a necessity as it allows your boa to drink and help provide humidity for your boa. ![]() Be sure to monitor weight so the boa does not become obese or underweight. Once boas near adulthood, they will thrive while being fed every 10 to 14 days. Boas 2 years old and younger should be fed one appropriately sized rodent every seven to 10 days. They need no additional food or supplementation. Never feed a new boa constrictor a meal that is larger than the snake’s mid-body girth, a meal that is too large may lead to regurgitation. If this occurs, be sure your temperatures are correct, and do not attempt to feed the boa again for two weeks. If you feed it too soon, while it may still be stressed from the move to your home, the snake may regurgitate. It is very important to allow your new boa to acclimate to its new surroundings before feeding. UVB bulbs are not essential for boa constrictors but they can be used (or LEDS) to mimic daylight, so they can be on for 12 hours and off for 12 hours, but also allow you to see they animal during the day. If the belly heat being provided from the heat mat is not warm enough, overhead lighting will assist in maintaining a proper hot spot, but always ensure that the heat bulb (or ceramic bulb) is covered with a heat guard and controlled by a thermostat. The warm side should be 85 degrees, with a hot spot of 90 degrees provided by a heat mat that will provide “belly heat.” Boa constrictors greatly prefer this, so they can coil over the rising heat.Īny heating device should be controlled with a thermostat as the enclosure can get too hot and they must be regulated not just for the boa’s safety but yours too as glass enclosure can crack the glass or cause other caging materials to melt or overheat. The temperatures in the cool end your boa cage should not drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. ![]() Then if the boa gets too warm, it will move toward the cooler side, and if it is too cool, it will move to the warmer side (thermoregulating). Do not place the heat source in the centre of the cage, place it at one end. Boa Constrictor Temperatureīoas control their body temperature through thermoregulation, and the cage should have a warm side and a cool side. A stressed baby boa may stay on one side of the cage if only one hide is provided, which may discourage the snake from thermoregulating properly. Typical full-grown adult boas should be housed in cages no smaller than 4 feet long by 2 feet wide.Ī hide should also be provided which will allow the boa to feel safe and secure, it is best to offer two hides, one on the warm side of the enclosure and one on the cool side. Young boas may climb but do not so much as they grow. Boa constrictors are terrestrial therefore meaning floor space is more important than height. When purchasing a young boa constrictor they do not need a big enclosure straight away, a simple 2-3ft enclosure will be suitable.Īs the boa grows a larger enclosure will be required. There are documented cases of captive boas living longer than 40 years however, the average captive lifespan is 20 to 30 years. Boa Constrictor Life Spanīoas are very long-lived reptiles. Males are smaller, usually 5 to 7 feet in length. Female Colombian boa constrictors may reach 10 feet in length but the average adult size for females is usually 6 to 8 feet. ![]()
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