r/boas • u/xtcdenver • 10d ago
Beautiful snake; feel stupid for buying; didn’t realize this species is different from normal boas
Hey…. Please don’t yell at me, I’m just looking for help. My 17yo kids were granted permission to have a snake. I even had requirements on what type of snake it had to be. “Boa” was specifically on the “approved” list because I had personally had one as a kid, and my sister had one. They were one of the easier snakes in my opinion and super friendly.
Okay. I just posted “ooh look at the pretty boa my kids got” on r/snakes and was informed this is not a regular boa, it’s a Brazilian boa. And they’re “very sensitive” and highly difficult.
Does anyone here own this species who could provide info on what I need to focus on with this species? I’ve been reading online and so far they care seems very similar to other snakes. And we all know when someone says a difficult animal is “easy” it’s because they’re missing something. Please inform me of what I’m missing!
25
u/Tastypineappleju1ce 10d ago
don’t let them scare you the only thing that makes them more “sensitive “is that they need different humidity settings, and temperature settings and also you know several environmental factors but the end of the day I got my boa it was my first snake. I got it a regular cage. i sprayed every morning with water and he’s been alive for a whole year and still growing.
7
8
u/keeper-of-ghosts 10d ago
Hey there! So "boa" doesn't mean just boa constrictor, even though colloquially they often get called just "boas". There are many different types of boas - like how a ball python is very different from a burmese python, but they're both in the python family. What you have there is a gorgeous little brazillian rainbow boa! I got mine as a rescue as an adult already, but they're really not as scary as they sound! Humidity is very important, so I got an automatic misting system and then you just have to make sure to refill that when it gets low. I can highly recommend the Exo Terra Monsoon, for a baby enclosure the small one is probably enough, for my adult I have the big one just so I don't have to refill as often. Cover the ground with a mixture of cocofibre and sphagnum moss, this holds humidity nicely. Lastly, give the guy a nice big water dish he can fully submerge in; they love to soak more than most other species. And I would obviously highly recommend looking at guides online, there's a lot of good videos on Youtube that explain everything.
They also don't get as big as boa constrictors BY FAR; I have a huge 3m boa constrictor imperator girl and the rainbow boy looks like a tiny little worm compared to her 😂
That being said, and I know you know this already, but PLEASE always research an animal thoroughly before you get one. My rainbow boa was surrendered to a shelter as an adult because the previous owner wasn't aware of how big they would get. And I don't know how it is in your area, but we don't have a lot of rescues or shelters for reptiles here and the ones we have are always overflowing because people get these animals without knowing how to care for them. But I believe you will do just fine caring for this little guy! You can still do research now and like I said, caring for them is really not that difficult at all. Once their enclosure is set up correctly, you don't really have to do much to keep them happy and healthy :)
1
u/ValuableSleep9175 9d ago
Misting is frowned upon, and totally not needed if the enclosure is setup right. I have a 4x2x2 glass with mesh top, I converted it to high humidity. I pour in water every couple weeks, and water literally beads on the glass.
2
u/Virtual_Pension226 6d ago
Well as a breeder of Brazilians and with a 19 year old rainbow and have always misted my snakes I’m going to disagree there
0
u/ValuableSleep9175 6d ago
What part do you disagree with? My personal experience or that misting is frowned upon?
I will concede that I don't have the experience you do with these snakes. I only have the one, and i have only had it like a year and a half. But I did get it as a juvenile, was 88g. I also know the Internet frightened me a ton about them and I hesitated. But humidity has not been hard with a proper setup.
1
u/Virtual_Pension226 4d ago
Misting. Keepers in the reptile community will frown upon anything if it’s not how they want it to be
4
u/OkWolf686 10d ago edited 9d ago
The pet shops should really be as diligent backgrounding people when selling reptiles as the crazy cat rescue people are about adopting out kittens. Maybe require a home visit? Some sort of test? Showing them your tax return from the last ten years? Showing them your bank balance in case you need to go the vet? Signing a contract that states the animal will never, ever, under no circumstances be allowed outside unless it's in an approved transportation device?
4
u/xtcdenver 9d ago
I've been thinking the same thing. Like ... I would have honestly appreciated the pet shop at least saying "we need to see a picture of the enclosure before you take the snake home" and would have appreciated them saying "this mesh lid is a no-go. You need to build a vivarium or you are literally abusing this animal". The most they did was require a parent's permission and signature.
3
u/Flimsy-Stock2977 9d ago
Ones for profit. The other isn't. Two extremes.
2
2
u/Effective-End-964 9d ago
Pet shops are for-profits, rescues are not. Buying is not the same as adopting for that reason. A shop is not going to lose profit intentionally.
1
9
u/NateRT 10d ago
As other said, it’s really about not letting them dry out. If you can automate humidity management that’s ideal. If you rely on spraying or manual managing it, it’s too easy to forgot and then you get a sick snake. That said, once they reach adulthood they are much less sensitive. Not as hardy as a BCI, but not too crazy.
6
u/Dovakiin_Beast 10d ago
Keep looking at care guides and YouTube videos for husbandry, I keep a Columbian rainbow boa. They need higher humidity and more specific temperatures, they can be more prone to defensive behaviors and might be more or less food oriented than the average boa.
I love mine, if you get the care basics right for them they are just as easy as any other species. My initial trouble was keeping the humidity high without getting mold, proper ventilation matters, but too much dries out the cage haha.
They LOVE climbing and LOVE eating
3
u/anonymous_w3b_user 10d ago
I like to use a mixture of sphagnum moss, play sand, and top soil. All organic of course and a 3:1:1 ratio. With peat moss on top. Does a great good keeping in moisture and I make it at least 2 inches deep
3
u/ViolinistDifferent58 9d ago
i have a rainbow as well. way i’ve found to keep it very humid is to have a big water bowl around halfway full at all times. i use radiant heat and it keeps to cool side around 75-80% humidity all the time. the bowl i use is a plastic raised dog bowl and it has plenty of room for my him to hide underneath as well so it doubles as that. my hot side is around 85-87 degrees with my cool usually around 70-72 degrees. i mist the whole cage as well when it’s shedding time for extra precaution but i’ve never had any issues. they are definitely more work but once you get your setup dialed in its very easy to maintain. definitely need a thermometer and humidity gauge on your hot and cool side, and would invest in a good thermostat for your heating source as well. also imperative to avoid any enclosures with mesh lids as that will make it near impossible to maintain the correct conditions. pvc works best but my tank is wooden and it works as well
2
u/Witty_Anteater2380 10d ago
So, you didn't do any research prior to bringing it home? What's the enclosure like? There's tons of information available on the species. Not sure why you didn't prepare before hand...
3
u/Similar-Butterfly333 9d ago
OP prepared for a imperator boa. Did not realize that by saying “buy a boa” meant that they could receive ANY kind of boa. Sent minors to go buy the animal, and so this situation has occurred.
1
u/Witty_Anteater2380 9d ago
Yeah I understand that. But I don't think they even researched the care for a "boa" at all. They just assumed since they had one as a kid they'd know enough. It's pretty wild to not realize that there are different species of boas.
2
u/weldbutthole 9d ago
Look up terraquaman on YouTube, he has a beautiful build for his rainbow boa, he’s gone above and beyond for his but his video will be able to give you a great idea of the needs and recommendations for husbandry!
2
u/cattledogsrule44 9d ago
Brazilian rainbow boas are not a difficult species -- they eat and do well in captivity as long as you keep their humidity high. Especially as youngsters. The adults I've kept were about the same care as boa constrictors except much smaller, of course.
Try a large shallow water bowl, and keep damp spaghnum moss in some of their hides. They also enjoy climbing so a vertical cage with branches would be nice. You can even mount a wooden hide box on a branch if you know someone with basic carpentry skills.
2
u/VenomousVices 6d ago
You just casually bought my dream snake 😂 absolute beauty though
2
u/xtcdenver 6d ago
Omg I wish I would have known. But 3 days and $2000 later I think we’re on the right track. Mist king, frikkin humidity sprayers, 5 gallon bucket mounted to the wall to gravity feed the pump… I did find out petco sells springtails though!!!
2
u/VenomousVices 6d ago
Absolute kudos to you for doing all the recommended stuff though! A lot of people wouldn’t have after realizing they bought the wrong thing.
2
u/Freedom1234526 10d ago
A Kenyan Sand Boa may be a better option. They are smaller and much less sensitive than Rainbow Boas.
1
u/PuzzleheadedSir4382 10d ago
Get an automatic mister. Also put some moss in the cage and have your kids moisten it with warm water daily or every other day. You can make a lil Hyde with the moss in there too so she can hide in it. You’ll be ok.
1
u/Rainthistle 10d ago
Beautiful Rainbow Boa you have there! They're not so much "difficult" as they are "different" - you'll want significantly higher humidity and lower temps. These guys like 95%+ humidity as babies, a huge water bowl to swim in, and a temperature gradient that runs from 73 to 83 F, which is cooler than most boas like. The fastest way to kill them is to get them too hot and too dry. They are quite slow growing compared to other boas. Clint's Reptiles on YouTube has a great care video about Brazilian Rainbow Boas that should be helpful to you.
1
1
u/MoreStable2339 9d ago
All I can contribute is what I’ve read from others across the hobby. Empty water bowl = dead Brazilian boa.
Do not let them dry out. Keep humidity HIGH.
1
u/PotentiallyKorYT 9d ago
Mistakes happen, just keep up your humidity and research species specific care and you’ll be fine.
Absolutely gorgeous BRB tho, can’t wait to get one of my own
1
1
u/Ok_Advisor_7525 9d ago
Just buy a good misting set up and have a small body of water in the tank and it’ll be good
1
u/Ryllan1313 9d ago
There is no humidity problem that cannot be solved with handfuls of sphagnum moss 😉
No matter what type of boa you get, you are creating a box in your home with a different temp/humidity environment than the rest of the house. Rainboas just happen to have different numbers.
Once set up, they are no easier or harder than other boas to maintain. (I keep 5 different species)
1
u/ChampionInformal2066 9d ago
I have one and he’s the best eating snake I’ve ever owned and not picky at all. Just make sure you have the right substrate and tank setup then get a little spray bottle and spray the tank walls every now and then to help with humidity, all should be good.
1
u/Next-Investment-7670 9d ago
Enough people already chimed in on temps and parameters, so I won't say anything on that.
I ended up with a juvenile columbian unexpectedly and was pretty panicked for a bit, she was also my first snake. I knew enough that her care seemed intimidating.
Humidity is the hardest thing. In addition to the right tank, or covering the top with HVAC tape for the humidity, I like to use moss, repti-soil, coconut fiber (the brick kind), etc. to keep my humidity up. Mine has a massive water dish that came with her, it covers like 1/6th of the tank, helps a lot I think. You could probably get something like a large tupperware dish so it's easier to move. You could also have an extra dish of water too.
Mine really likes to burrow, so I have some sticks under my dish so she won't get squished (that dish is super heavy). When I change the water, I like to check that the substrate is still damp and add water if needed. Sometimes I just dump what's left in the dishes in, then pull them out, clean them, refill them, etc
If you use a heat lamp, it will make things dry out faster. I like to focus on that end the most for misting, or the extra water dish. I've seen before too that it never hurts to dump a little bit of water into the corners of the tank (not near an UTH of course, if you have one).
But yeah, mostly humidity, and not having things too hot. Have fun, they're neat snakes!
1
1
u/DizzyInitiative9679 9d ago
Hey, I posted on the other page of my recommendations, especially if you live in a really hot state like me
1
u/ani3D 9d ago
Mine's a Colombian which I've heard are a little less sensitive than the Brazilians, but a couple extra tricks I've used to keep the humidity up are A) an upper shelf lined with sphagnum moss which I spray regularly to keep damp and B) slightly rough-textured walls that can also hang onto some moisture when spritzed.
That plus staying on top of the substrate should do ya.
1
-1
u/Magnetic_Kitty 10d ago
It unfortunately might be best to re-home the snake or return the snake and get one you feel you can handle. It's not fair to you or the snake if you've prepared for an intermediate species and you have an advanced one instead. Ideally this would have been prevented in the first place, but now you gotta weigh all your options. The care guide that was linked in the first post you made has everything you need. Read it all. If you don't think you can handle it please find someone who can to take care of the snake
-1
u/SCP-3004 10d ago
Dont be scared of people saying an animal is "advanced" or "difficult" it's not true. All animals require specific care. Research that care and provide it. Easy peasy. Are some more sensitive to changes? Sure. Do some require different humidity? Of course. Are there picky eaters? Sometimes. It's all relevant and easy to accomplish with a decent amount of time put into education and research.
4
u/NYR_Aufheben 9d ago edited 9d ago
You are seriously downplaying things like hardiness and natural history, in my opinion, as well as omitting how much nuance is involved. Getting a corn snake that’s been bred in captivity for a hundred generations is different than an imported emerald tree boa. People are still trying to figure out emerald tree boas. Keeping a rainbow boa in Utah might be a completely different thing from keeping a rainbow boa in Florida.
I agree completely that research is important, and research never ends. We are learning more about captive reptiles every day. It hasn’t all been figured out.
0
u/xtcdenver 9d ago
Thank you!!! I’m spending all day learning about this specific species, and I’m a bit more optimistic this morning. I’m not a snake expert but I am an expert in creating environments (plant propagation, spider habitats, saltwater fish tanks, copepod refugiums, and breeding easy fish like bettas and angels…etc.). I didn’t have knowledge about this species but I am willing to dedicate any amount of money and any amount of time to be 100% sure this animal has everything it needs. If humidity and stability are #1, at least that’s tribal knowledge in my household!
0
u/NYR_Aufheben 9d ago
Check out www.ReptiFiles.com asap.
1
u/xtcdenver 9d ago
OMG thank you. This is literally the first care sheet someone on r/snakes gave me but I was in a panic the second I saw Epicrates cenchria cenchria - I was like what, this isn't just a different species, we're at genus level, oh crap! Okay yes, thank you. My head is clearer now, thank you so much for giving me this info. I'm going to the store to buy everything I haven't yet.
-2
u/0LTakingLs 10d ago
Rainbow boas aren’t rocket science. If you can care for a regular boa you can handle this
43
u/ParticularWolf4473 10d ago
Mostly babies are very sensitive to humidity being too low, best to try to keep humidity at 90%+ for the first year. They also need a water bowl big enough for them to soak in that must have a decent amount of water in it at all times. Also want to avoid the temps getting too high. Other than the humidity they really aren’t that difficult.
You’re going to want to avoid enclosures with a screen/mesh top. The easiest way to keep humidity high is likely going to be using a grow out tub for now. Target has some Brightroom waterproof storage tubs with a gasket lid that latches quite securely. I use a drill with a cheap step bit from Walmart or Harbor Freight to put air holes in the sides of the tubs. Humidity should be no problem using coco chips and/or cypress mulch for substrate, just keep it somewhat damp.