Is A Snake The Pet For You?

Pet snake care is not as simple as one might think. There are several things to consider before purchasing a snake, including determining whether or not a snake is right for you or your family. You must also bear in mind that snakes have certain dietary needs, and they also require a special facility in which the environment can be regularly heated. It is important that you do plenty of research so that you can prepare yourself and your family for the responsibilities of pet snake care.

First it is good to know what type of snake you are buying to know what the best care for the snake is. You wouldn

Keeping a Brazilian Rainbow Boa

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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