Tips & Tricks for the Boa Imperator – Do’s & Don’ts for Care and Housing
Everyone keeps their boas in their own way. On this page, we’ll show you how we house, feed, care for, and breed our animals.
Preparation:
You’ve been thinking about getting a Boa for some time now? That’s great!
Boa Imperators are not dangerous to humans and are commonly kept as pets. They are larger and heavier than, for example, a Ball Python and generally have a more spirited character.
They are relatively easy to handle (if trained from a young age) and come in many different color variations.
TIP: Educate yourself thoroughly before deciding to make a purchase!
However, it’s essential to consider the following points before making a purchase:
• Boas, like many other reptiles, are not very active and don’t like to be taken out of their terrarium or rack daily. (This can lead to stress and other health risks, as the temperature difference inside the enclosure and outside can be quite significant.)
So, it’s important to realize that most of the time, you’ll be looking at an empty terrarium (if they’re in one of their hiding spots) or a motionless snake.
• Boas, like many other reptiles, can live for a long time, so think carefully about whether you will still be able to care for the animal in 5, 10, or 20 years.
Boas are relatively large snakes that need a spacious terrarium and regularly eat a medium to large rat (depending on the snake’s size and whether breeding is involved).
Think carefully about whether you have enough financial means and space at home to provide proper housing and nutrition. Also, consider unexpected costs for things like veterinary care or broken equipment (terrarium, heating mat, etc.).
Housing and Care:
If the above points have not caused any doubts, you can start thinking about the type of housing you want to use for your Boa.
Boas, like all other reptiles, are cold-blooded. This means they cannot regulate their body temperature and rely on external heat sources to warm up or cool down.
We keep our adult Boas in terrariums, and the young ones in a rack system.
TIP: We recommend ensuring that the enclosure is fully set up and has been running for some time before acquiring the Boa. This way, you can address any heating or lighting problems before the snake is affected.
A large, lushly decorated enclosure is a delight to the eyes and a real ornament in any room!
Try to ensure that the terrarium matches the size of the purchased animal. In an excessively large terrarium, a young snake may not feel comfortable and is likely to hide as much as possible.
Young animals prefer a small enclosure where they feel safe. For example, opt for a small terrarium that grows with the snake (keeping in mind that this can be costly) or keep the baby in a curverbox for the first period (of course, with air holes 😊) placed on a heating mat.
To heat the enclosure, you can choose a heat lamp (shield it well so the snake cannot come into direct contact with the hot bulb), a heating mat/cable, or a combination of both. It is comfortable for the snake if one side of the enclosure is heated to around 32 degrees and the other side between 24 and 28 degrees.
This way, the snake can choose the best temperature for itself at that moment. At night, the temperature can drop to between 18 and 24 degrees
TIP: Boas (and many other snakes/reptiles) are solitary animals. This means they naturally live alone and only seek out their own kind during the mating season.
Try to create a day and night rhythm, for example, by putting the heat lamp on a timer. Our lamps (for terrariums and the TL lighting in the room) burn for 12 hours by default.
It is crucial that the conditions within the enclosure are as optimal as possible and remain so. We always recommend connecting a thermostat to a heating mat/cable and installing it so that it never comes into direct contact with the snake. This is to prevent overheating, burns, or worse.
Further furnish the enclosure with many hiding places, climbing branches, stones, (artificial) plants, and if possible, a side + back wall. Ensure that everything is securely fastened so it cannot be knocked over or dug under.
Avoid large temperature differences and drafts, as this can lead to health problems such as pneumonia.
We use reptiblock as bedding. This is based on coconut flakes and is available in various sizes. The advantage of this bedding is that it absorbs and retains moisture very well, maintaining the humidity at an optimal level.
The humidity for Boas should be around 65%. During spraying, it can temporarily rise to around 80%.
If the humidity is too low, the snake may struggle with shedding. This often manifests as small pieces of shed skin scattered throughout the enclosure.
With too high humidity, skin problems (scale rot) can eventually occur. This often happens when the substrate is too wet, and the snake has no proper place to stay dry.
Regular spraying with a plant mister and a reasonably sized water bowl often resolves the major humidity issues.
It goes without saying that feces should be removed as soon as possible, and the water bowl should be provided with fresh water daily.
Feeding:
Boas are constrictor snakes. This means they kill their prey by strangulation.
We exclusively feed our Boas rats and mice, depending on the size of the snake to be fed.
We start young animals with pinky mice (mice around 2 weeks old), and as the snake grows, the feeding progresses until the snake is fully grown and eats medium to large rats.
We feed young animals every 5-7 days, and adult animals generally every 14-21 days, depending on whether they are used for breeding or not.
You can purchase feeder animals at local pet stores, at expos, or, like us, breed them yourself. In addition to lab pellets, we feed our rodents leftovers from the kitchen, such as old bread, leftover vegetables (without salt!), and pasta leftovers, etc.
Feeder animals are changed at least once a week. We use hemp fiber as bedding because it absorbs moisture very well and is less dusty than sawdust. Rats can’t tolerate overly dusty bedding, and despite being feeder animals, they deserve proper care! After all, the better the health of the feeder animal, the more nutritious it will be for your snake.
Feel free to contact us!
If anything is unclear, if you need help, or if you just want more information about keeping the Boa Constrictor, contact us via the contact form, and we’ll be happy to assist you further