I was thinking of maybe getting one but i can't find a care sheet about one and if anyone out there has one and could tell me about them that would be great, like how big and the conditions to keep them in? And if you have pictures it would be great as well.
Hey Sam, The best care sheet I have found for a Brazilian is from NERD. It covers most everything there is to know about them. As for size you should plan on having a snake around five and a half feet, but keep in mind that they can get as big as six and a half feet. The tank conditions are pretty tricky since they require a somewhat low temperature and fairly high humidity. The warm end should be 85 degrees maximum, and a temperature gradient to the mid to lower 70's on the cool side. Young snakes do well in smaller tanks, I have mine in a 10 gallon tank right now. I had to go to a hardware shop and have some plexiglas custom cut for the top of the tank to help keep the humidity up. It has been working well, but some other ideas would be to keep the snake in a small rubber maid container. When the snake is an adult I'll probably keep it in a 4'x2''17" boaphile tank. I spoil my pets . One thing I want to point out though is that they might not feed as easily as advertised. Most sites will tell you they have great apatites, but my girl will only eat brained mice and I know at least one other BRB on the forum will only eat live. Braining a mouse isn't that big of a deal for me, but something to keep in mind if you get it from a breeder. Speaking of breeders, mine came from www.expticsbynature.com . They recently updated their page and have a good number for sale, although some are hypo and het for hypo. I don't know about any other breeders online, if anyone else does, I love poking through websites looking at animals I'll never own Pictures? Sure. I'll show off my girl! They are very sweet snakes. If you are looking for a beautiful 'next step difficulty' snake you will be pleased.
BRB arent horribly bad on there requirements but wouldnt suggest for a beginner snake. They are very beautiful snake after they get past there ugly stage earlier in life. They do require higher humidity and lower temps. So I suggest a good substrate like a bark either bought at the pet store or buying a big bag at the local landscape store and really sanitizing it(must be careful with this though because threat of mites so make sure very well sanitized). This substrate will hold humidity. I keep a pretty big water dish on my warm side also and mist off and on when it seems dry. Not sure how accurate the digital humidity gauges are. For temps get a good heat mat and invest into a thermostat for sure to make sure those temps dont reach into the 90's. This is where the snake can get really stressed so temps in the lower 80's are the best. my enclosure consists of a plastic drawer that I picked up at Target that used for little storage. I had to escape proof it a little but it works for now until he gets bigger. You also want to make sure you have ventilation though otherwise it will be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. As for feeding if you can purchase from a breeder that has got them started out you will have no problems. BRB's are notorious for being very nippy and problem feeders as youngins. I have problem with neither. I can reach into my enclosure and pull him out and no problems. Not even a strike or getting into a strikin position. As for feeding. I feed F/T and has a strong feeding response even with them being dead. I just throw it in front of his hide and in matter of seconds he has hit the food(and when I say hit I mean it) So not quite sure on your experience but these are definitely a great snake. I went to check out some snakes at one of the local breeders with one of my buddies that was picking up a Jungle from him. I went with intentions of looking at a blood but fell in love with these guys. I ended up with a BRB and a one eyed Blood that he threw in with it sense he didnt think it was right to sell him. He is actually doing awesome even with the lacking eye so I am happy. Any more questions feel free to ask and if you want I can PM you the breeders site where I got my guy from. He doesnt have any right now but will next year. He has produced some really nice BRB's though along with many other species
yeah i have an albino burm, and a blood python right now so keeping high humidity isn't a problem, as for temps ther's one corner of my room (where all my snakes are) that stays at like 80 ALL DAY LONG lol. Brado, yours is a beauty. I was thinking of using a rubbermaid container with small holes at the top sides. They are beautiful, and the guy who i was planning on buying one from, i have been going to this guy for a while, has about 5 right now, he may be a pet store owner, but he is also a breeder and is pretty cool. and brado, is it eating while on your hand?
Thanks, I love her. She's a JD orange so she will be orangeish as an adult... I really have no idea what she will do since I've only seen some low quality JD pictures on the web. She was the best looking baby so I got her. Yeah, in that pic she was eating while coiled around my arm. I didn't want her too, it just kind of happened. I've been trying to switch her to small hoppers from fuzzies and when she had that meal she had gone 20+ days without eating. She crawled up my arm while i was doing the zombie rat dance and then decided to eat from a perch... I figured I'd just let her go. Every single other meal including her previous has been inside a tub.
Rainbow boas are NOT beginner snakes. Babies are particularly picky when it comes to temperatures and humidity. They need at LEAST 90% humidity, and they really don't need more than 78-80 degrees on the HOT side of the tank. They get dehydrated VERY easily, and they can be pretty nippy if they haven't been regularly handled. I keep my juvie in a 28qt sterilite tub with 4 very small ventilation holes drilled on the cool side. Her tub is opened every other day, so she still has good airflow, but maintaining the proper humidity is CRUCIAL to their health. With adults you can be a little more lax, but really, really watch that humidity with the babies. Use something that holds humidity well, but isn't prone to molding... cypress mulch is PERFECT for these guys. Make it 3" deep and keep it nice and moist. Not soggy, but you want it damp.
and yes, they can be very picky eaters... mine won't take thawed no matter WHAT is done to it, she will only accept fresh-killed or stunned rat pups. Not ideal, considering she is the only one of my snakes that refuses thawed, but you do what you gotta do...
yeah i have been hearing that from those with them, while the care sheets say they are mot picky. 90% humidity though? that is huge, but can be done. Plastic cage, so do you use UTH's or what to get the temp right in a plastic container?
Heat Tape probably. I've had a hard time getting some of my snakes to eat f/t :/ It's because 2 are wild caught though. There's nothing wrong with feeding live or fresh killed as long as you are there 100% of the time when the rodent is in the cage with the snake.
I use FlexWatt for all of my terrestrial snakes. As long as you have a good thermostat and digital probe thermometer, there is no danger. 80-90 degree temps are nowhere NEAR high enough to compromise the plastic. 90% humidity is high, but it's not impossible to maintain, just don't punch 30 holes in the tub. 4 or 5 is adequate, and keep them on the cool side. Having a LARGE water bowl on the warm side will help keep the ambient humidity up, and using the right kind of substrate will help. I also keep a lot of fake plants in the tub with mine, she doesn't use 'normal' hides, but prefers to burrow into the substrate under the leaves.
I pretty much just scanned over the posts and it seems pretty much all has been said and there are some beautiful snakes in the pictures. So I will just add a few things, sorry if they have been said already. I didn't realize they were such picky eaters. Mine wouldn't eat the thawed mouse I tried to feed her for the first time, so I am going to have to go back to prekilled. So just keep that in mind. Also, they don't come out much. I had mine on those ground walnut shells until I realized that they REALLY suck for keeping the humidity up, but I could always find her. Now I have some mulch stuff, and not only does she blend in, but she is always burried so that sucks. I usually have to move the stuff around with a stick so I don't accidentally stick my finger in her mouth (she's bit me enough already) They are really an awesome snake though, anyone you tell that you have one that is only a little familiar with snakes is always sooo interested. I have shown her off to several people in Petco and I even introduced her to my entire zoology class. So keep in mind, that you want to keep them somewhat people friendly when they are young, because you are going to be showing it off like crazy! Hope you have fun with your new Rainbow boa! They are worth every penny and minute spent on them.
i have heard that, but my pride and joy is my albino burmese, so friendly, when she was only i think a month old or something, she is a july baby, i took her to my senior pictures and she was lovely, never bit anyone and she is getting pretty big already, comes up to my waist so about 3 feet or something like that. I also have a blood, who never comes out, except at night when there is nothing around and no sound. Very shy girl, but i have never been bitten by her. I don't know if i will get a rainbow or not, do you know of any other cool boa breeds?
Dumeril's Ground Boas are a cool boa breed. they average out at 6-7ft but have been known to get 8-9ft in length they a somewhat shy breed of boa and can be nippy as babies but are sweet and docile as adults. They've got goregous pattern and color as well. They also can be hard to start feeding regularly as babies as well http://www.dumerils.com/dumerils_care.html << is a good care sheet for Dumeril's Ground Boas ^^ is a picture of my Dumeril's
only that long? i have always been under the impression they got much longer. But then i never really loked inot them that much either. cool snake too. how much do they normally go for anyways?
well mine cost $189.00(US) but i've seen some go for less and some go for more...it depends who you buy one from...haven't seen one go over $275.00 though yet..but for average i'd say $125.00 - $250.00(US) although it varies from breeder to breeder as for length i always thought they got lots bigger to but as it turned out they only get 6-7ft and some ocassionaly get 8-9ft...and except for being a bit shy they have great temperaments...though mine gets moody when shes hungry and tends to strike at things that even remotely smells like food..cause she struck at a girl once who had just been holding a ferret...and i think she smelled the ferret and she struck towards the smell
yeah, i know a guy who is selling them for i think like $100 or somehting around there. And the things about size varies, as this guy has like 10ft red tails. his red tails are giants. But i'll look into them more. I am still decidiing over what to get, but i want a boa as i have 2 pythons, one burm and one blood.
red tails are cool snakes but heard they can end up eating rabbits and snakes that eat rabbits aren't allowed in my house(parent rule). My cousin has two red tails Lieukreen & Admirayne both female and both about 5ft in length..Lieukreen has the best temperament...don't know about Admirayne haven't seen her yet
