This Brazilian Rainbow Boa care sheet should be used for guidance only. If you have decided to keep a pet snake please gather as much information as possible from other reliable sources about the species you intend to keep.
Brazilian Rainbow Boa
Epicrates cenchria cenchria
DESCRIPTION
Brazilian Rainbow Boas are one of the worlds most beautiful snakes. Living in the humid tropical forests of South America, this nocturnal snake feeds on small mammals and birds.
The Brazilian Rainbow Boa reaches an average length of about 5 feet and is a beautiful snake to keep as a pet. The Brazilian Rainbow Boa isn't really recommended for a complete novice to snake keeping, due to its high humidity requirements and more variable temperament.
HOUSING
An
enclosure measuring 36”x15”x18” is the minimum suitable for housing an
adult Brazilian Rainbow Boa. Your pets enclosure or vivarium can be a
wooden vivarium with sliding glass doors or a glass aquarium with a well
ventilated lid. Glass or plastic enclosures are usually better as they
are better at retaining the humidity needed for this Boa. Whichever type
of enclosure you choose you must ensure it is secure and escape proof. If using a wooden vivarium ensure that it is coated in something waterproof like melamine, and that any joins are sealed with aquarium sealant to prevent the wood from rotting due to high humidity.
Juvenile snakes of this species can be kept in an enclosure measuring 24”x12”x12” until they exceed about 3 feet in length. This helps them feel more safe and secure as they grow.
Humidity should be kept at 65 to 75%. This can be achieved by regular mist spraying or the use of a second shallow water bowl placed in the warmest part of your Brazilian Rainbow Boas vivarium. Juvenile Brazilian Rainbow Boas seem to do better slightly higher humidity. (75 - 85%)
A
layer of dry substrate should line the floor of your Brazilian Rainbow Boas
enclosure. Orchid bark and coconut bark chips are both good choices of
substrate as they help maintain humidity in your Boas enclosure.
1 or 2 hiding spots should be provided in your Brazilian Rainbow Boas enclosure. These hides can be bought or home-made (from ice-cream tubs, cereal boxes, cork bark, plastic piping etc.) and should be just large enough for your snake to squeeze in to. Cork bark makes an ideal hide that adds a more natural look to your Brazilian Rainbows' enclosure.
A sturdy water bowl should be available in the coolest part of the enclosure, and should be just large enough for your BRB to bathe in.
The vivarium can be decorated with a few plastic plants and climbing branches to make the vivarium more attractive and to give your snake areas to climb and explore. Brazilian Rainbow Boas are good climbers.
HEATING, LIGHTING AND TEMPERATURE
Brazilian Rainbow Boas should be kept at daytime temperatures varying from 30 to 32 degrees centigrade at one end of the enclosure and 23 to 25 degrees centigrade at the other. Overall temperatures can be allowed to drop 4 or 5 degrees at night
A thermal gradient for your snake can be achieved by fixing a heat mat under or on the floor of only half of the enclosure, leaving the other half cool. Heat mats must be controlled by a thermostat to maintain the correct temperatures for your snake. The thermostat probe should be placed just above the substrate on the heated side. Always follow the instructions that come with your heating equipment as these occasionally vary between manufacturers.
If you find that extra heating is necessary for your Brazilian Rainbow Boa, a low wattage bulb fitted to the ceiling of the enclosure can be used to increase the ambient temperature. Bulbs over 15 watts must be covered with a bulb guard to protect your snake from getting burned.
Lighting should be turned off at night. An inexpensive timer can be used to do the job for you. These can be purchased from the majority of hardware stores.
FEEDING
Brazilian Rainbow Boas should be fed roughly every 7-10 days or after defecation. 1 or 2 food items roughly the same diameter as the snake at mid body can be offered to your Boa with forceps or simply left on the floor in the warm end of the vivarium.
At feeding time, food items for the Brazilian Rainbow Boa can include appropriately sized rats, mice, gerbils or chicks. These nocturnal snakes are more likely to take food at dusk.
Mice, rats and chicks can be bought frozen from pet shops that deal in reptiles and can be thawed out for feeding when required.
SEX
To be sure of the sex of your Brazilian Rainbow Boa it will need to be 'popped' at a young age or 'probed' when it is older. If you are unfamiliar with these methods of sexing you should take your pet snake to a vet to be sexed rather than attempting it yourself. It could be worth asking your local vet if you could do it yourself under his/her guidance so that you are familiar with the technique and can do it yourself in the future.
There are only minor visible differences between male and female Brazilian Rainbow Boas. Males tend to have larger spurs at the base of their tail, although this isn't obvious until they are 2 or 3 years old.
HANDLING
Brazilian Rainbow Boas often grow in to tame and manageable pet snakes to handle, providing they are handled regularly and gently from a young age. Juveniles are often nippy at first. Adults are strong and should only be handled by small children under supervision. Handling for regular short intervals will help your Brazilian Rainbow Boa to gain trust. It is best not to handle your pet snake for at least 24 hours after feeding to avoid regurgitation.
Your Brazilian Rainbow Boas enclosure should be spot checked for faeces on a daily basis and cleaned out completely with a reptile-safe disinfectant fortnightly as mold grows quickly in a humid environment. All cage furniture should also be disinfected at this time and the substrate should be changed.
A good cheap disinfectant is a solution of household bleach and water at a ratio of 4% bleach and 96% water. This can be sprayed and then wiped off the vivarium and cage furniture. It is very important that everything is then rinsed thoroughly with water and then allowed to dry before returning your snake to its enclosure.
Your snake should be given fresh water at least twice weekly.
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