Brazilian Rainbow Boa
(Epicates cenchria cenchria)

Brazilian rainbow boas are widespread throughout rain forests of South America, especially Brazil. Rainbow boas are ground dwelling snakes and are usually found close to water. Brazilian Rainbow Boas are most active at dusk and dawn and have beautiful coloration ranging from a deep red to orange or brown, with dark rings down their back, and several rows of dark spots along their sides, the first row that is highlighted by bright, light-colored crescents. They get their name from their incredible iridescence caused by microscopic ridges on their scales that act like prisms to turn light into rainbows. Rainbow boas are usually 16 to 24 inches when hatched and can grow to six to seven feet in length.

Difficulty

NOVICE to MODERATE: Becuase of their medium size and larger caging requirements, you may not want to keep the Brazilian rainbow boa if you are new to keeping reptiles and amphibians.

Requirements

An enclosure, such as:

• Glass or acrylic aquarium (40 gallons or larger, depending on the size of the rainbow boa) with a secure lid with clamps
• Custom constructed enclosure

Substrate, such as:

• Aspen wood shavings
• Indoor/outdoor carpeting
• Newspaper

A heating element, such as:

• Under the tank heater
• Incandescent heat bulb
• Ceramic infrared heat emitters

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Enclosure

The size of the enclosure you will need for your rainbow boa depends on the size of the snake. Young hatchling rainbow boas will often be timid and scared in too large of an enclosure while adult rainbow boas will need a larger enclosure to move around in and feel more comfortable. Four to six square feet of floor space is the recommended for adult Brazilian rainbow boas. Glass aquariums are not recommended, but a 40 to 50 gallon aquarium with branches to increase usable space is adequate for a single animal. A larger, custom cage would be preferable. Rainbow boas are an arboreal boa and enjoy climbing and hanging on to branches. When designing your enclosure be sure to provide plenty of places for your rainbow boa to climb and explore. If you are constructing your own enclosure, try not to use unfinished wood as it is harder to clean and can harbour disease. Pressure treated lumber should also be avoided due to the chemicals used. Many hobbyists also like to decorate their enclosure with drift wood and other decoration. The choices are limitless and you can make your enclosure as sparse or as ornate as you wish, depending on your own desires.

It is also important to provide your rainbow boa with an area to hide. There are many comercially available caves that can be purchased from your favorite pet supply store, or you can use things like flower pots, plastic containers, or just about anything that is big enough for your rainbow boa to completely crawl into and can provide a dark place to hide.

Always remember that rainbow boas, like all snakes are escape artists. They will always test your enclosure to see if they can get out. For this reason, you will always want to make sure that your enclosure has a secure lid that the snake can not push open. If using an aquarium, be sure to use a screen top with enough clamps to prevent the rainbow boa from pushing open the top. If making your own enclosure, be sure that all access doors are secured with some kind of latch and can not be pushed open easily from the inside.

Substrate

The substrate or bedding that you use is one of the most important parts of your rainbow boa's home, since your snake will be spending much of its time on it. Some of the best substrate is folded newspaper. While it is not the most visually appealing option, it is one of the easiest and cleanest. Indoor/Outdoor carpeting can also be used as an effective substrate for your snake. Be sure to have at least two identical pieces so that you can simply place the clean piece of carpeting in the enclosure while you rinse and disenfect the soiled piece. You can then allow the newly cleaned piece of carpeting to dry for the next days use. It's important to note that it is important to completely rinse the carpet after cleaning it to be sure there is no residual chemicals remaining on the carpet that could irritate your rainbow boa. Aspen wood shavings provide an excellent, absorbent choice for your rainbow boa as well. Be sure to stay away from cedar or pine shavings as these can cause health problems for your rainbow boa.

Heating and Light

Rainbow boas like an ambient daytime temperature of 75°F to 80°F with nighttime temperatures of 70°F to 75°F. A basking spot of 85°F to 90°F should be provided during the day. These temperatures can be achieved by using under the tank heaters, incadescent basking bulbs, or ceramic emitters. We recommend using a timer to automatically turn off your daytime heating and lighting elements at night. It's important to check these temperatures regularly with a thermometer. Many hobbyists will install thermometers or thermostats in the enclsosure to be able to accurately maintain these temperatures. We do not recommend the use of any kind of heat rocks as they can often lead to burns on your rainbow boa.

Brazilian rainbow boas require a high relative humidity. Cages should be misted several times a day and a humidity chamber should be provided. The humidity chamber can be a plastic box with a hole at one end containing moist sphagnum moss. Water dishes large enough for the rainbow boa to soak its entire body in should be provided on both the cooler and the warmer sides of the enclosure. If the cage has a screen lid it should be partially covered with Plexiglas or a damp towel to help retain humidity. A relative humidity of 75% to 80% is ideal for rainbow boas. Humidity levels lower than 50% for extended periods can cause regurgitation and death by dehydration may result. Because high relative humidity can encourage mold growth, rainbow boa cages must be kept clean. The substrate and moss should be changed on a regular basis (about weekly or whenever soiled). Water dishes should be washed and refilled with fresh water at least twice a week or as needed.

Diet

Rainbow boas can be fed rodents their entire lives. Hatchling rainbow boas will need to be fed fuzzie mice, while adult rainbow boas can be fed adult mice or rats. It's important that you feed the appropriate sized prey to your rainbow boa. If the prey is too small, it may not be getting all the nutrtion that it needs, if it is too large it may spit the prey back up. A good rule to follow is to feed prey that is about 1½ times the size of the largest portion of your rainbow boa's body. Generally your snake will only need to eat about once a week, but younger rainbow boas may need to be fed more often. Fresh water should be provided at all times.

When feeding your rainbow boa, it is important that you feed it seperately from other snakes and in an area of the enclosure that is free from smaller wood shavings or other small items that could be inadvertently ingested with the food. We also find that thawed, pre-killed frozen rodents to provide the safest food source. Live prey can injur your rainbow boa during feeding. The freezing process will also kill most parasites that the prey may be carrying. Most rainbow boas will easily take to the thawed prey with little effort.