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Boa Care sheet

Selecting Your Boa

Choose an animal that has clear firm skin, rounded body shape, clean vent, clear eyes, and who actively flicks its tongue around when handled. All boas are naturally shy about having their heads touched or handled by strangers. When held, the snake should grip you gently but firmly when moving around. All young snakes are food for other, larger snakes, birds, lizards and mammalian predators so your hatchling may be a bit nervous at first but should settle down quickly.

Young snakes may be a little snappy, but quickly grow out of this when handled on a regular basis.    
   

Your new baby –When the babies are born here at Boas and Balls, they are placed in a plastic shoe box on paper towels with a small water dish, and a small hid. They usually shed in 7-10 days and we will start offering food the next week. Depending on the species, we offer live fuzzy or hopper mice for their first few meals. We simply placing the prey in the cages and letting the babies follow their instincts. Once a week you will need to change the bedding and water, clean everything and give fresh bedding and water.
Most common boas are very docile and reluctant to bite. Occasional babies can be snappy, but they are small and the bites are harmless. But when calmly and consistently handled, the youngsters grow into very docile and trusting adults. A lot of biting can be avoided if the babies are not picked up with the hand, but instead are lifted with a small hook (or bent piece of coat-hanger wire) and set in the hand.
Boas undergo an ontogenetic color change as they mature. Newborns typically are grayish-brown. With age the snakes begin to develop more yellow and brown pigment. As boas approach adult size, their colors become more saturated and intense; pink, orange or yellow highlights or iridescence may become visible on the sides of the head and body.
       
   
   

Enclosure-- If you are just maintaining one or two animals, your most economical option will be a traditional enclosure like an aquarium. Enclosures can be made as simple or elaborate as you are capable of caring for, but remember that the more “stuff” you put in a cage, the more “stuff” you have to clean and disinfect on a regular basis. If you choose an aquarium with a screen top, I recommend covering all but about 1/3 of the top with foil tape, or a piece of plexi glass, to help maintain a higher humidity. Juvenile boas seem to do well in smaller enclosures this makes them feel more secure, a small snake in a big cage can become overwhelmed and stressed.

Make sure you get an escape-proof enclosure.
Select an enclosure especially designed for housing snakes, such as the glass tanks with the locking screen lids. All snakes are escape artists; boas are especially powerful and cunning when it comes to breaking out. A good starter tank for a hatchling is a 20-gallon tank. Offspring are very nervous and need smaller spaces for the first six months. As the snake grows you will need to house it in something suitable for its size. The habitat width and length should not equal less than the length of the snake. For example, if you have a 3ft snake, then the width can be 12” and the length can be 24”. It is ok to house an adult snake in an enclosure larger than its length.