Your boa should have access to a basking spot at around 90☏. The cool side of the enclosure should be around 75-77☏, and the hot side should be around 83-85☏. Placing the heating elements on one side of the enclosure is an easy way to achieve a cool side, a warm side, and a basking spot. To ensure that your common boa can regulate their body temperature how it needs to, you should provide a temperature gradient in their enclosure. The goal of keeping any reptile should be to replicate its natural environment as closely as possible to keep the animal comfortable, happy, and healthy. Many species will bask to absorb lots of heat, and then move into burrows or shady areas to cool down. Reptiles frequently move between warm and cool parts of their environment in order to keep their body temperature where it needs to be. Cold-blooded animals are completely reliant on the temperature in their environment to regulate their internal body temperature. Keep in mind that boas are a heavy-bodied snake - a recipe for plant destruction - with a slow metabolism and infrequent bowel movements, so you will need to supplement the clean-up crew’s food.Ĭommon boas, like all other snakes, are cold-blooded. On the surface, a naturalistic and bioactive enclosure may look the same - the difference lies in the presence of a clean-up crew and requiring live plants in bioactive enclosures. The distinction between naturalistic and bioactive substrates is that bioactive substrates include a living clean-up crew and create a self-sustaining environment. Adding some sphagnum moss and leaf litter on top of the substrate will help lock in moisture.Īvoid pine and cedar shavings, as the fumes are toxic to snakes.īioactive substrates are an option for common boas, but a full bioactive guide would be too lengthy to include in this guide. Misting the enclosure tends to create spikes of humidity rather than a consistent level. This allows you to pour water on the substrate instead of misting, which is much better for maintaining constant humidity. Two reliable examples include:Ī 60/20/20 mixture of organic topsoil/peat moss/play sandīoth of these options hold moisture very well without molding too quickly. Substrate is a huge factor in humidity maintenance, and there are several options for substrate. Common boas are a moderately high-humidity species and require stable, constant humidity in the 60-75% range. It lessens the possibility of a defensive strike when you get them out of their enclosure.Īn appropriate substrate for common boas is readily available both to mix yourself or to purchase. For this reason, we recommend a front-opening enclosure for common boas. Snakes are often predated on by birds in the wild, so it is never advisable to approach them from above. There are several manufacturers of large PVC enclosures, or you can build your own! PVC is also very durable, and lasts a long time if properly maintained. PVC is the preferred material for common boas because it maintains humidity very well. Common boas grow slowly and take an average of three years to reach their full size, so having smaller enclosures that you upgrade accordingly is an acceptable way to keep common boas in captivity. Adult common boas exceeding 8ft in length should be housed in a 8x4x4ft enclosure, while smaller adults can be housed in a 6x3x3ft enclosure. Male common boas usually reach 5-6ft long, so their enclosure requirements aren’t as demanding. Females typically reach 7-8ft long, but sometimes larger. Females are longer and bulkier than males. Ideally, the enclosure will be long enough for them to completely stretch out.
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