Raccoonone,
I was born in Oakland and roamed Dimond Canyon south of Park Blvd. and in the hills in the Montclair District up until my parent moved the family to Corvallis, Oregon.

Never saw a boa on my own but our scout master showed our scout troop a juvenile boa captured in Tilden Park. I presently am maintaining a pair from that region with the male from Alameda county (Skyline Blvd. I believe) and the female from Contra Costa county and the greater Tilden area. Both are excellent feeders on lab mice and have produce one litter thus far. The offspring are reasonably good feeders as well.

The individual at the vivarium is giving you incorrect information. Your boa will not produce a litter until she attains a relatively robust condition by this time of year.

I used to routinely catch California voles and their nestling under artificial cover objects in the Oakland hills and use them to feed my gopher snakes and Kestrel. There were at least two species of Peromyscus in the area as well. You can use the nests of such native mammals and place pre-killed and washed lab mice in such material which might elicit a feeding response from your boa next spring.

Keep it as cool as possibly this winter. The species does not need any external heat source to carry on all life function expect that gravid females need higher temperatures during gestation.

Richard F. Hoyer.

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