As soon as you move into a vivarium where your bulb can be attached to the ceiling, please use a Ceramic Heater.
You have two main options of heating but due to the size of the enclosure, a heat mat is only suitable for a small starter setup. At night you can allow this cooler temperature to be steady throughout the tank. On the unheated cool side of the tank your ambient temperature should be around 75 – 80F. All your heating should be on one side of the tank, and this should provide an ambient of 90F which is 32c. This is so they can thermoregulate – choose between hot areas and cold areas depending on their body temperature. You need to create a hot and a cold end of your tank for your Brazilian Rainbow Boa. This is a species that can be a little shy, but with a well decorated vivarium can usually move into their permanent enclosure at a young age.īrazilian Rainbow Boa Heating and Temperature In short, 4 x 2 x 2 is the minimum, and you can go as large as you have space for.īabies can be kept in a starter setup until well established feeding and are big enough not to be escape risks. For a very large female or a pair, you might even want to consider going up to 6 foot in length, or 3 foot in depth. Housing for Brazilian Rainbow Boasįor a single adult Brazilian Rainbow Boa we would recommend a tank of 4 foot by 2 foot by 2 foot, but if you are interested in creating a stunning display vivarium and add more height, with plenty of climbing branches then it will be well used! In addition to branches and foliage you should provide a large water bowl and several secure hides, on both the hot and cold end of the tank. These have been bred in captivity for decades and you should be able to find a captive bred Brazilian Rainbow Boa fairly easily. They are not listed as endangered, but are becoming increasingly at risk to habitat loss. The lifespan of a correctly cared for rainbow boa can exceed 25 years, so it’s important to be prepared for the commitment of such a long lived snake.īRBs originate in South America with a very large habitat range, including Peru, Brazil, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam and French Guiana. They enjoy some degree of climbing and as such are a fairly slender bodied snake and easily handleable even as adults. The size range on average is four to six feet, with some females occasionally exceeding this and some males being slightly smaller. Younger specimens will often bite because of natural defensive instincts, but tend to calm down as they become used to handling.14.4 Other Brazilian Rainbow Boa Morphs Meet the Brazilian Rainbow Boa Curled up Brazilian Rainbow Boaīrazilian rainbow boas are moderately sized, with males usually being a fair amount smaller than females. Due to their need for high humidity in a captive environment, they should be considered of intermediate difficulty for snake owners, but as long as that is provided they can thrive in captivity. Today, however, far fewer are exported, and most offered for sale are captive bred. During the 1980s and early 1990s, substantial numbers were exported from Suriname.
Genus: Epicrates - Species: Epicrate cenchriaĭespite requiring very specific humidity and heat, this species is commonly found in the pet trade. Nine subspecies are currently recognized. A terrestrial species, it is known for its attractive iridescent/holographic sheen caused by structural coloration. Common names include the rainbow boa, and slender boa. I am not sure which type of Rainbow Boa this is as there are nine types, the most common subspecies are: Marajo Island rainbow boa, The Brazilian rainbow boa, Peruvian rainbow boa, Espirito Santo rainbow boa and Central highland rainbow boa.Īll Rainbow Boas are constrictors, they can bite if they get scared and need to protect themselves, but they are not venomous snakes (venomous , they can still give you a very tight hug if it thinks you are food!!!Įpicrates cenchria is a boa species endemic to Central and South America. While working as a volunteer at Drusillas Park Zoo I was invited to visit the education department and take some photos of this beautiful snake, a Rainbow Boa! This amazing snake gets it's name from rainbow iridescent shine that it has, you can see it in these photos, but it is even more incredible when you see it in person.