Keeping a Brazilian Rainbow Boa
By Jessica Spinner

A Brazilian Rainbow Boa will thrive in captivity as long as you keep it clean, safe and well fed. The typical size of an adult on this variety of snake is from four to seven feet although there have been some that grew to a length of twenty feet. For this reason, this snake needs lots of space in which it can move about freely. Along with a large cage, you need to keep the humidity in the cage quite high and always have a bowl of fresh water inside. During the day, these snakes need an average temperature of 26 to 29 and even though you can lower the temperature at night you shouldn’t have it any lower than 24. An aquarium intended to hold 40 – 60 gallons of water should be quite sufficient.

The substrate you use in the cage should be one that holds the humidity quite well. Canadian peat moss is one that most herpers use with this subspecies of rainbow snake. The diet can be entirely made up of mice that are equal to the size of the snake girth. You can also feed your snake small rats. You should never feed live food to the snake because of the possibility of danger to your pet. If you find that you pet seems to be off its food and is not eating as it regularly did, try taking it outdoors. Experts will tell you that the fresh air seems to revive the boa appetite.

If you intend to breed the snake, you do have to make sure it is at least four or five feet long. Both snakes need a slightly lower temperature in the weeks preceding the breeding period, which means you should lower the temperature of the cage to about 20. Then you can introduce the male into the cage of the female. Male boas are very territorial and it is not a good practice to put a female into a male cage because he will see this as an invasion of his territory rather than an opportunity to mate.

You can use newspaper or paper liners are good as coverings for the bottom of the cage. They are easy to remove when wet and you just throw them in the trash. It is important to clean the cage on a regular basis and you should change the bedding at least once a week. Since there is a high level of humidity in the cage, this is the prime breeding grounds for mold. However, if you do not have enough humidity, it could prove fatal for your pet.

Even though rainbow boas do not have a problem living in wet areas, you should have an area of the cage that is always dry for them to use when they choose. These pets are quite active and the babies tend to nip at your fingers if you put them into the cage or when you handle them. With proper handling, they are one of the easiest snakes to train.

For more information on Brazilian Rainbow Boas, pet snakes, Emerald Tree Boass and related topics visit http://www.BoaTips.com

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Corn Snake Information
By Lorraine H O’connor

Corn Snakes (Elaphe guttata), also known as the Red Rat Snake, are native only to North America. They kill their small prey using constriction. There is a maize-like pattern on their underside, and they were commonly found in corn fields, hence the name “Corn Snake”.

Corn Snakes are popular pet snakes due to their calm and docile nature, unwillingness to bite, small adult size, colorful and intricate patterns, and they are very simple to take care of. They live about 15-20 years in the wild, however may live up to 23 years in captivity. Similar to other rat snakes, the Corn Snake is not venomous.

The Common Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) comes from the southeastern United States, and is notably easily distinguished by its orange/brown appearance with a mix of orange/red bands. These bands have black borders, and commonly have an underside which is black and white. Being one of the first snakes to be kept in captivity by people, the Corn Snake continues to be one of the most popular snakes used as pets. Annually, large numbers of Corn Snakes are bred to make sure that there is a large supply of captive-bred Corn Snakes. Keeping 2 of these Snakes together is inadvisable, as they are solitary animals.

These snakes are a very good choice of pet for those wanting to have an exotic/reptilian pet. They still need a large amount of care and looking after, but not as much as other species. Make sure their diet is supplemented and that you have a good insurance provider in case anything goes wrong.

Here is a site I recommend:- http://www.pet-insurance4you.co.uk/exotic-pet-insurance/

Here is some more information on MBD:- http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/reptilesgeneral/a/metabolicbd.htm

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Dwarf Burmese Python Care (Python molurus bivittatus)
By Chris M Jones

For lovers of the huge Burmese pythons we all know and care about, who cannot afford the space that they need, a fantastic alternative has arrived. Dwarf Burmese Pythons were imported into the UK and USA for the first time in 2003. They occur from a small off-shore Island in South East Asia and grow to a maximum of 7 feet. Adult males have bred at just 4feet, and females at 5feet. They have an almost identical appearance to their larger cousins, and youngsters will tame easily. The unfortunate side however, is their current price range. This has become the leading project in Python molurus for many breeders, aiming to breed this Dwarf into colour and pattern variants of its larger cousin, to ultimately achieve Dwarf Burmese Pythons in a wide array of colours and patterns.

Housing

When keeping any snake as a pet, you generally want to be able to view the snake from the outside of its enclosure, in the most natural surroundings you can offer. This will be more aesthetically pleasing and also aid in the general condition of the snake. If the snake likes its surroundings, it will have a better feeding response and generally grow quicker. A larger vivarium also offers more interest to the snake