This care guide is designed with the novice in mind. The following guidelines are comprised of information that I have found to be successful for me. You are commended for doing the research necessary in order to properly care for your new boa. I hope you find this guide useful. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via email or visit our forum "Boaddiction" where a wealth of fun and knowledge awaits you.

Choosing    Housing    Substrate    Hides    Temperature    Humidity    Feeding    Watering    Cleaning    Shedding    Quarantine    Handling    Vet Visits

This is your first important step in owning a boa. For many reasons a captive bred boa is an ideal choice. Find a boa constrictor breeder who has a reputation for delivering quality, healthy boas. Be sure to check his references to make certain that your transaction is a smooth one. A good breeder will guide you in the selection process and be happy to answer any and all of your questions.

Use caution when purchasing from a pet store. Many sell healthy animals, but many do not. Pet stores are in the business to make money and most boa breeders have a true passion for what they do. When considering a purchase from a pet store, first observe the condition of all the animals they offer for sale. If the enclosures are not clean of feces and fresh water is not available, then do not purchase from that store. Cleanliness is directly proportional to the level of care their charges are receiving. If everything looks good on the surface, then view their selection of boa constrictors.

Boas should have a healthy appearance and look alert. They should not be unduly thin nor have saggy skin. Pieces of shed skin should not be on them and they should have their mouths completely closed. If a boa is blowing bubbles through his nose or mouth, or you can hear him breathing, then he may have a respiratory infection. Look for any open wounds or scars. If any of the boas have these conditions, then it is time to look elsewhere for your new boa.

If things check out so far and you see one that is attractive, then ask to hold it. Some baby boas are a bit nippy when young, but should settle down when held. Inspect your choice. The eyes should be clear, unless he is about to shed, in which case they will have a bluish opaque cast to them. His mouth should be closed and his tongue should flick freely. Carefully lift his upper lip to reveal his gum line. It should be clean, pink and free of debris. He should move freely in your hands. Check his cloaca (vent). It should be clean, without redness and clear of any foreign material. His scales should be smooth and shiny, unless an upcoming shed is apparent. Make sure there are no kinks in his tail. Check for mites. Look for tiny black bugs crawling on the boa. If you see any mites on the boa or on your hands, then leave the store. Don't forget to wash your hands.

Ask the person helping you when he has eaten last and whether he is eating live prey or frozen/thawed (f/t) food items. (See Feeding) Is he captive bred or wild caught?

Follow these guidelines to aid you in your selection. If everything checks out and you have a warm fuzzy feeling, then feel free to make your purchase which is based on an informed decision. Congratulations!

There are many options that are good choices for housing your new boa. The enclosure should be appropriate for his size. A baby boa constrictor will be comfortable in a 10 gallon aquarium or caging of that approximate size. Plastic sweater boxes with air holes are a fine choice. There are also many enclosures specifically designed to house snakes that can be found online. Make sure that whatever you choose has a secure lid and is escape proof. Boas can be sneaky and if there is a weakness in your caging your boa will exploit it. It is much easier to keep your boa in its enclosure than it is to find one that has escaped.

I like to use newspaper in my boa cages. It is sanitary, inexpensive and easy to remove from the enclosure. If you are looking for something a little more pleasing to the eye, then I recommend aspen bedding. Do not use cedar shavings as a bedding for boas, ever. It is toxic to them.

Give your new boa a place to hide in his enclosure. Young boas in the wild are subject to predation and they will feel more secure if they have a place to hide. There are many hide options that you can provide for your boa. You can use something as simple as an upside down plastic bowl with an opening cut out of the side for an entrance. There are many good choices from your local pet store. Half logs or resin hides work great. Make sure that you place half on the heat source and half off. (See Temperature) Many boas will opt to stay in their hide whether they are too warm or cold. Some boas will choose security over comfort. As they grow they will become more confident and will use their hide less frequently.

Boa constrictors are tropical animals. This section is very important to the health and wellbeing of your boa. Use a reptile heating pad or flex watt heat tape to keep your boas temperature where it belongs. A boa should be able to thermoregulate in his enclosure. That means to have one side of the enclosure heated and the other side cooler. If he gets to warm then he can move to the cooler side and vice versa. Your boa is a cold blooded animal and is totally dependant on your care for proper conditions. I like to keep the warm side at approximately 87 to 88 degrees f. and the cooler side at approximately 79 to 80 degrees f. Regulate the heated side with a reptile thermostat to ensure your temperatures. The heat source should be under the enclosure and should cover between one third to one half of the floor space. The temps should be monitored on the bottom surface of the enclosure and not on its sides. A laser temperature gun is ideal for checking temperatures.

The humidity should be approximately in the 60% to 65% range to ensure proper health and shedding. A water dish with fresh water may provide enough moisture to maintain a good level of humidity. If you are using a screen type of lid then you may have to cover a portion of it with a towel to prevent excess moisture from escaping. Misting the enclosure periodically with fresh water will also raise the humidity. A hide box with dampened sphagnum moss is also a great way to give your boa a humid environment. If you are aware that your boa will be experiencing a shed (See Shedding), then be certain to maintain a proper level of humidity to promote healthy shedding.

Your new boa should be fed about once a week. A good rule of thumb is to feed your boa a meal after he passes the last one. Feed him appropriately sized mice or rat pups. A meal that is too large may cause him to regurgitate. A newborn boa will eat a hopper mouse and as the boa grows, so should its meal. A yearling boa should start to eat small rats. Adult boas can be maintained on a diet of rats their entire life.

Train your boa to feed on thawed mice. Many pet stores provide frozen rodents for this purpose. Be certain that the food item is completely thawed out and at room temperature. Do not microwave the rodent. You may thaw your frozen prey in lukewarm water. Frozen/thawed (f/t) rodents provide many benefits. Storage is simple and any parasites the rodent may have will be killed due to freezing. A thawed out mouse never bit a boa. This is a very real possibility while feeding live prey. A mouse or rat can kill, blind or scar a boa. Rodent bites are subject to infection and you may lose your boa.

The only time you should feed live prey to a boa is when you have no other choice. Never leave a live rodent with you boa for longer than 30 minutes. Make sure to stay close by in case there is any trouble.

Switching a boa from live prey to f/t can be done with a little patience. Assuming that your boa is healthy, let him get good and hungry. Do not let him go without food for longer than two weeks. Offer him a f/t meal from long tweezers. Wiggle the mouse near the boa to generate interest in the meal. If he does not take the rodent then leave it in the enclosure with him for a few hours. Give the boa some undisturbed private time and see how that works. If he refuses to take the f/t meal, then you should offer him a freshly killed mouse.

If you don't want to know how to kill a mouse for your boa, then skip this paragraph. This is considered a humane way to dispatch a mouse. Grasp the mouse by the base of the tail and place an object, such as a small dowel or pen, on the rodents neck behind his head. While pinning the mouse firmly to the ground, firmly jerk its tail. A broken neck will result in a quick death. If you are not absolutely comfortable with this process then do not attempt it. Do not do this with rats. It makes them angry.

At this time offer the freshly killed mouse to the boa in the above described manner. With luck your boa will accept a freshly killed meal. Continue to feed your boa freshly killed meals until he eats readily from the floor of his enclosure. Periodically offer f/t meals. If necessary, wait until he is good and hungry and then offer a f/t meal.

Most boas are not problematic feeders. If you are new to the hobby then you are experiencing a moderately leveled problem. If you work your boa through this and he finally accepts f/t prey, then relish in the satisfaction that comes with advancement in the hobby. Good job.

Boa constrictors need fresh water to remain healthy. Many boas like to soak and a large enough container to do so should be provided. Many boas take their calls of nature in their water dish. Be certain to readily clean the dish and give fresh water when this happens. Do not let his water stagnate. Fresh water should be given to your boa at least every two to three days. Do not put the water dish on the heated side of the enclosure as it will quickly evaporate.

Each time your boa soils his enclosure it will require cleaning. Remove the substrate and thoroughly clean all surfaces with soapy water, rinsing any soapy residue away. Line the enclosure with new substrate and fresh water. Once a week clean the entire enclosure, hide and water dish with a 10% bleach solution. That's 10% bleach and 90% water. After disinfecting with this solution, be sure to rinse or wash the enclosure of all traces of the cleaning solution. Allow to dry before lining with substrate and reintroducing your boa. Chlorhexidine is also a recommended cleaning agent that many hobbyists use.

Periodically your boa will shed his skin as he grows. His eyes will turn blue and his skin opaque for two or three days. After this period of time his eyes will clear. Five or six days after his eyes clear up he will shed his skin. Maintain proper humidity and leave him alone. Snakes have been shedding for a long time and they are very good at it. If you are giving him a proper environment then he should require no assistance from you.

If for some reason you boas has shed skin pieces all over him then soak him in a lukewarm tub of water for a while and gently assist him finish the process. If his eye caps are retained, then seek veterinary help. The removal of eye caps is not for the inexperienced owner.

If you have any other boas or reptiles it is very wise to keep your new boa separate from your collection. A different room is ideal. On the off chance that your new boa is not healthy you do not want any diseases to spread to your other herps.

While in quarantine be sure to always use the same water dish, hide and enclosure for you quarantines. Always maintain you collection first and then your quarantine room last. Avoid cross contamination. Always sanitize your hands with a quality hand sanitizer before and after maintenance and handling.

A quarantine period of three months is good, but six months is better. Why take unnecessary chances?

Most boas do not mind being handled. When handling your boa try to comfortably support as much of the boas body as possible. Never handle your boa after feeding. Give him a couple days to digest his meal. Do not handle your boa before or during the shedding process. Never allow his head near your face. Respect the fact that your boa is what it is. It is a snake. All snakes can bite. Never put large boas over six feet in length around your neck when by yourself. Boa constrictors are very powerful creatures. A large boa around your neck, trying to secure a perch, may restrict the blood supply to your head and cause you to pass out.

Never intentionally scare a person with your boa. This is very irresponsible behavior. Indeed, take every measure to prevent this from happening. Respect other peoples fear and choose to educate family members and friends to the many rewards of owning a boa constrictor. Bring them slowly into your world and they may actually come to understand an appreciation for our serpentine friends.

This section is not designed to scare you, but to make you aware of the responsibilities of owning a boa. It is a privilege to own one of these magnificent creatures and you should strive to bring credit upon the herp community.

If your boa is ever sick or injured then take him to a vet who has experience working with reptiles. Try to secure a good vet before you have the need for one.