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Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care (Epicrates cenchria)

Erica Mede, CVT

Description

Perhaps one of the most stunning snakes in the reptile hobby.  The iridescent sheen given off during the day light hours is breath taking on these nocturnal snakes.  Rainbows typically grow between 3.5 and 6 feet in length and live 20-25 years with good husbandry.  There are 9 different subspecies of this snake known today.  This slender bodied snake is generally a maroon or light red color with brightly colored patterns surrounded by dark borders.  An excellent boa for those who want the length of a big snake without the overwhelming girth.

Natural History

Rainbows are found  throughout Costa Rica down through central South America .  Generally, these snakes are found in the forests, grass lands, and swamps of this region both in the trees and on the ground.

Sexing

Females are generally longer than the males.  Probing is an excellent way to determine gender but should be done by a confident snake keeper or veterinarian as damage to the snake can occur.

Enclosure

There are many different ways to keep Rainbow boas, as with any snake.  These semi-arboreal snakes require vertical space in the cages as well as large amounts of floor space to suit their active lifestyles.  Adults can be housed in Neodesha, large plastic containers, and vision cages.  Vision cages are the best for monitoring, humidity support, and ample room for maneuvering.  Adults can also be kept in a minimum 50 gallon tank but larger is always better with these snakes.  Custom enclosures are encouraged and should be at least 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 2 feet high.  Hatchlings and very young snakes tend to do better in smaller areas such as 10 gallon tanks or plastic shoe/sweater boxes with appropriate ventilation.  Ventilation can be added to plastic enclosures via a soldering iron or a drill. 

Substrate

Rainbow boas can be housed on newspaper, butcher paper, paper towel, or reptile carpet for ease of cleaning.  Aspen and Care Fresh can also be used as long as the aspen is agitated daily and bedding is changed weekly.  Never use pine or cedar shavings as the aromatic oils are irritating to snakes. 

Temperature and Humidity

The ambient temperature in the enclosure is more consistent with what people believe to be a temperate snake than a tropical snake.  The temperatures should range from 72 to 80F° with a basking spot maintained at 85F°.  Any higher than 90F° and these snakes develop serious health issues and can die.  These temperatures should be maintained with a thermostat and monitored with two thermometers ideally.  One thermometer should be placed on the warm end an inch above the substrate and the other an inch above the substrate on the cool end of the enclosure.  Under tank heaters, heat cable (outside the enclosure not in the enclosure), heat tape, and ceramic heat emitters can all be utilized to maintain air temperature.

Humidity should be maintained at 70-80% to keep this species healthy as they do poorly in low humidity.  Prolonged periods of low humidity (under 50%) results in death. 

Accessories

Cage accessories should consist of at least one hide box in the enclosure.  Hides can be as simple as a half a flower pot, half log, or as complicated as a rock structure (make sure it’s well anchored).  Branches for climbing are encouraged and necessary for this species and are wonderful for enrichment.  The addition of hay or dried leaves offers new scents for the snake to explore.  Also, adjusting the cage furnishings once in a while is recommended for enrichment as well.

Lighting

Rainbow boas are nocturnal by nature and do not require intense lighting despite their desert habitats.  However, it is recommended that a 5.0 ReptiSun UVB bulb be offered during the day light portion of the light cycle.  All snakes can absorb the calcium from their whole prey for their own use but a UVB bulb still offers some health benefits as well as promotion of natural behaviors from the UVA being emitted.
Feeding

In the wild, these snakes feed primarily on birds, lizards, and rodents.  In captivity however, most are fed mice and small rats although the largest of them have been known to eat large rats.  It is highly recommended to feed only pre-killed prey as live prey can severely injure or kill a snake.  Chicago Exotics recommends feeding properly thawed frozen rodents. 

Young snakes are generally fed mice to small young rats every 7-10 days.  Adults are fed small to large rats every 14-21 days to maintain a healthy weight.  These snakes can become obese!
 
Sources and Recommended Reading

The Art of Keeping Snakes, Philippe De Vosjoli
Boas, Doug Wagner
The New Encyclopedia of Snakes, Christopher Mattison
Living Snakes of the World, John M. Merirtens

An educational handout concerning reptiles and Salmonella is available through the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians.  Please ask your veterinarian for a copy.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 847-329-8709.
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  • Home
  • Emergency Care
  • Care Sheets
    • General Care >
      • Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)
      • Heating Reptile Enclosures
      • Health Veggie Shopping for Reptiles
      • Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
      • Metabolic Bone Disease Care
      • Vaccines in Exotic Animals
    • Birds >
      • Amazon Care
      • Avian Influenza Fact Sheet
      • Avian Influenza for Poultry Fact Sheet
      • Avian Bornavirus Testing
      • Budgie Care
      • Canaries
      • Chicken Care
      • Chronic Egg Laying
      • Cleaning and Disinfecting
      • Cockatiels (and other small Psittacines)
      • Cockatoo Care
      • ​Converting Your Bird to a Pelleted Diet
      • Feather Picking
      • General Parrot Care
      • Handfeeding Baby Parrots
      • Healthy Shopping for your Birds
      • Infectious Diseases of Parrots
      • Instructions for Physical Therapy in Birds
      • Lead Poisoning
      • McWatters Diet (Homemade Mash)
      • Macaw Care
      • Parrot Precautions
      • Polyoma Virus
      • Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease
      • Proventricular Dilatation Disease
      • Spiroform Pharangitis (Spirochetes)
      • Baby Starling and Sparrow guidelines
      • Can smoke affect my bird?
      • Territorial Aggression
      • Unsafe Plants for Birds
      • Weaning Baby Birds
      • What to Feed Your Pet Bird
      • Wing Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Wing Trims
      • Your Overly Reproductive Female Bird
      • Zinc Toxicity
    • Caiman Care
    • Ferret and Fox Care >
      • Your Ferret’s First Visit to the Vet
      • An Overview of Ferret Adrenal Disease
      • Chronic Diarrhea in Ferrets
      • Ferret Dentistry
      • Heart Disease in Ferrets
      • Heartworm Disease in Ferrets
      • Insulinoma in Ferrets
      • Lymphoma In Ferrets
      • Bob’s Chicken Gravy
      • Fennec Foxes
      • Red Foxes
    • Fish >
      • Algae in your Freshwater Aquarium
      • Eel Care
      • Freshwater Tropical Fish Care
      • Beginning a Freshwater Aquarium
      • Cleaning your Freshwater Aquarium
      • How to Feed your Fish
      • Aquarium Corals
      • Koi Care
      • General Goldfish Care
    • Invertebrate Care >
      • Blue Death Feigning Beetle Care
      • Giant Vinegaroon Care
      • Asian Forest Scorpion
      • Hairy Desert Scorpion
      • Hermit Crab Care
      • Tarantula Care - Basic
      • Millipede care
    • Frogs, Toads, and Other Amphibians >
      • Argentine Horned Frogs
      • Bullfrog Care
      • Dart Frog Care
      • Feeding Pet Frogs and Toads
      • Fire Bellied Toad Care
      • Pixie Frog Care
      • Red Eyed Tree Frog Care
      • Short Tongue Syndrome
      • Tiger Salamander Care
      • Axolotl Care
      • White Lipped Tree Frog Care
      • White's Tree Frog Care
      • Ranavirus
    • Guinea Pigs and Rodents >
      • Chinchilla Care
      • Cuy Criollo (Giant Guinea Pig)
      • Health Problems with Guinea Pigs
      • Degu Care
      • Gerbil Care
      • Guinea Pig Care
      • Hamster Care
      • Diabetic Hamster Diet
      • Mice Care
      • Rat Care
      • Health Problems with Rats
      • Prairie Dog Care
      • Odontoma
      • Veggies For Guinea Pigs
      • Visible Tumors in Rodents
      • Vitamin C Deficiency In Guinea Pigs
    • Hedgehog Care >
      • Baby Hedgehog (Hoglet) Care
    • Kinkajoos and Armadillos >
      • Kinkajou Care
      • Nine Banded Armadillo Care
    • Lizards >
      • Anole Care
      • Bearded Dragon Care
      • Blue Tongued Skink Care
      • Crested Gecko Care
      • Geckos of New Caledonia
      • Crocodile Monitor Care
      • Frilled Lizard Care
      • Green Iguana Care
      • Jackson's Chameleon Care
      • Leopard Gecko Care
      • Nile Monitor Care
      • Old World Chameleon Care
      • Panther Chameleon Care
      • Red-Eyed Crocodile Skink Care
      • Savannah Monitor Care
      • Tegu Care
      • Thai Water Dragon Care
      • Uromastyx Care
      • Veiled Chameleon Care
    • Potbellied Pigs >
      • Pot Belly Pigs
      • Diamond Skin Disease
    • Rabbits >
      • Bonding Rabbits Bullet Point Checklist
      • Healthy Shopping for Rabbits
      • Complete Rabbit Care
      • Getting To Know Your New Bunny
      • Training Your Bunny
      • What To Feed Your Rabbit
      • Learning to Use the Litter Box
      • What To Expect From Your New Rabbit
      • Dental Disease in Rabbits
      • Heart Disease in Rabbits
      • Healthy Stool in Rabbits
      • Gastrointestinal Stasis in Rabbits
      • RHDV2 Fact Sheet
      • Parasites of Rabbits
      • Sore Hocks in Rabbits
      • Pasteurella in Rabbits
      • Medicating Your Rabbit or Guinea Pig
    • Snakes >
      • Amazon Tree Boa Care
      • Ball Python Care
      • Black Rat Snake Care
      • Boa Constrictor Care
      • Brazilian Rainbow Boa Care
      • Burmese Python Care
      • California Kingsnake Care
      • Cornsnake Care
      • Dumeril's Boa Care
      • Eastern Kingsnake Care
      • Emerald Tree Boa Care
      • Garter Snake Care
      • Green Tree Python Care
      • Western Hognose Care
      • Mexican Black Kingsnake Care
      • Rosy Boa Care
      • Sand Boa Care
      • Western Fox Snake Care
      • Inclusion Body Disease
    • Sugar Gliders and Marsupials
    • Turtles and Tortoises >
      • Alligator Snapping Turtle Care
      • Bell's Hingeback Care
      • Box Turtle Care
      • Chinese Box Turtle Care
      • Common Snapping Turtle Care
      • General Tortoise Husbandry
      • Leopard Tortoise Care
      • Mud Turtle Care
      • Musk Turtle Care
      • Painted Turtle Care
      • Red Eared Slider Care
      • Russian Tortoise Care
      • Soft Shelled Turtle Care
      • Sulcata Care >
        • Diet For Sulcata Tortoises
      • Common Health Problems
      • General Care of Aquatic Turtles
      • Redfoot tortoise Care
  • Contact
    • Referrals
  • Vets, Externs & Shelters
    • Xoran CT
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    • Vet Day Camp >
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    • Shelters
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  • Products
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  • About Us
  • Chicago Exotics Blog
    • About Us April Fools Page
  • Happy Turtle Stories
  • Tour
  • ADV Testing Information
  • Lacy Act Summary
  • Preparing for your pet's end of life