General:
We chose to breed peruvian rainbow boa's for a few reasons. The main reasons
are there colors and the fact they are not bred in large numbers. There are
an estimated 9 to 12 subspecies of rainbow boas. They can be found from Costa
Rica through South America in forest, woodlands,swamps, and plains. They are
nocturnal, sleeping during the day and prowling for food at night. The rainbow
boas are so named for there iridescences when light hits them. There scales
act as a prism, letting off an array of colors. The peruvian rainbow is the
largest of the rainbow species. Even being the largest, they are still very
manageable. An adult rainbow boa is nothing compared to a common boa. They are
a slender animal that may grow to around 7 feet and only weigh around 15 pounds.
The most common rainbow is the Brazilian rainbow. There are allot of similarities
in the Peruvian and Brazilian. The Peruvians have a more distinct patter and
bulls eye shaped circle on there side. There is also a difference in scale count
with the Peruvian having 41to 45 scale rows at mid body and the Brazilian having
47 to 51 scale rows at mid body. Care of rainbows is very similar with a Temperature
variance between some species.
Selecting a Peruvian Rainbow
When choosing your peruvian rainbow look for clear skin, a well rounded body,
clean vent area, clear eyes and make sure it is flicking its tongue allot when
handled. The snake should grip you when being handled, gently but firmly. The
peruvian rainbow should be alert of its surroundings. A baby peruvian WILL be
nippy because it thinks you want to eat it. Being a bat eater in the wild gives
these snakes very sharp teeth to catch a flying bat better. So if you do get
bit don't pull away. It will be so fast it will probably be over before you
could react anyway. Remember, a baby snake is food for all kinds of animals
and out of instinct it is worried its going to be hurt. On average, males will
have larger spurs on either side of the vent. Other than that there isn't much
difference in a male and female peruvian rainbows as babies. A female rainbow,
on average, will grow larger than a male.
Housing:
Housing for a rainbow can get tricky but far from impossible. Its going to need
to be large enough for the snake to get exercise and retain heat and humidity.
Babies will feel safer in a smaller enclosure for the first few weeks. I keep
my rainbows in sterilite containers with holes drilled in the side with a smaller
sterilite container inside for a hide. Putting moss in the smaller hide box
for humidity and a water bowl large enough for the snake to completely submerge
itself. Besides the fact it helps keep the humidity up, they love it and it
acts as another hide to them. For some reason they feel like you cant see them
under the water. Its kinda funny but don't tell them you can see em. The water
dish should remain clean, very clean as your rainbow will also use this water
for drinking. Some people will tell you that you can put your rainbows in an
aquarium. I highly disagree with this as aquariums do not hold humidity very
well at all. The leading cause of death for rainbows, especially young rainbows,
is low humidity but we will get to that in a bit. An adult peruvian loves to
roam, so the larger enclosure you can get, the better.
Animal Plastics make some of the best cages out there.and aside from the
sterilite tubs they are all I use.
Substrate:
I like using paper towels for a substrate because its allot easier to change.
You can also use substrates such as newspaper, reptile bark, cyprus mulch, Castro
turf, or linoleum tiles. Mulch can be misted to retain humidity. No matter what
substrate you decide to go with, keep in mind that due to the hi humidity levels
required for a rainbow boa, mold will form if not careful. Keeping it simple
is best because it makes seeing the mold allot easier and you will be more willing
to work on the enclosure if it only takes 5 minutes rather than 15 minutes.
The substrate should be replaced or cleaned often.
Temperature:
Keeping the temperature range is very important to your peruvian rainbows health.
The ambient temperature throughout the enclosure should be 75-85 degrees during
the day.The ambient temperature at night can drop to mid 70's. In most case
and under tank heater will be enough for the temps needed. Anything 90 degrees
and over is a death sentence for a rainbow boa. Rainbows are the exceptions
in the snake world as far as heat goes. These are the temps I found work best
for Peruvian Rainbows. There may need to be a drop for breeding season and a
light change from 12 hours to 7 or 8 to replicate nature.
Lighting:
No special lighting is required for a rainbow boa. You can use incandescent
bulbs during the day and a suitable red, blue or nocturnal reptile light at
night. Snakes do not need ultraviolet B wavelengths. Make sure the snake can
not get in contact with any of these lights to avoid burns. Another reason to
use the incandescent bulb is to bring out the rainbow effect of the awesome
animals. They have "new" bulbs out now that replicate natural sunlight
and have a whiter appearance than a regular bulb. They cost a bit more but its
worth the money in the long run as far as showing off the colors of your rainbow
boa.
Feeding:
Allow your snake to acclimate for a week or two to its new home. Start your
hatchling off with pinky rats. I use 8 gram pinkies for my babies and work my
way up from there. I suggest F/T (frozen thawed) Introducing live prey is not
recommended because of the harm it can cause to the snake. A bored mouse or
rat may decide to chew on your snake with the possibility of killing it. Having
a $2.00 mouse kill your $200.00 snake will turn your stomach .These guys are
willing eaters and can become obese. If a rainbow does become obese there scales
will separate and due to the contrast in colors shows up very well and doesn't
look good. So do not over feed your rainbow boa. Remember, captive snakes only
eat as much as they do because we as humans feed them that much. This isn't
to say if they could catch and eat a mouse or rat a week they wouldn't but it
just doesn't happen that often in the wild.
Water:
Make sure your rainbow has plenty of fresh water all the time. A snake will
drink, soak, and defecate in the same water bowl. Make sure you have a large
enough water bowl for your snake to soak in. Rainbow boas seem to be resistant
to "Blister Disease" and will spend allot of time in the water. As
I stated above, they also seem feel safe when in there water bowl.
Handling:
After your rainbow boas has had some time to acclimate you will want to handle
it quite a bit. A baby rainbow will be nippy in most cases. This will fade in
time. Usually a short period of time. If your going to get bit now is the time.
Do not give up! If, no, when you get bit, if the little guy wants to hold on
DON"T pull your hand back. It will cause more damage to you and can cause harm
to your snake. Instead, go to the bathroom or nearest sink and run warm water
over the little guy. It will let go.
