They do have a slow metabolism. I feed mine every two weeks and that seems to work fairly well. Others say 10-14 days. Viper boa's though have a slow enough metabolism as not to worry if they go off feed for several months, some say even up to 6 months without feed.

The biggest downside of these snakes is usually the feeding. Once they seem to be eating they are hearty eaters and will eat like clockwork. The one's that won't take food can be a real nuisance to get back on food and sometimes it will take months of different things before you get them back on. They are beautiful snakes and they have really nice keeled scales. Very dragon like and if you hold them routinely they get very docile, which is contrary to their reputation of being somewhat bitey.

They don't seem to grow as fast as other boas which many powerfeed into fast growing snake. When people do this to viper boa's they can make them obese and their scales will start lifting up a little bit because they are getting overly sausage like, so it's important to not over feed them which could be rather rough on their digestive system as well as overall health.

I think the picky juviniles and feeding troubles have scared many away. But the look of these guys is what brought many of us to own these snakes, love them, and promote the keeping of them. They make great pets, very easy to maintain, easy to hold.

Viper Boas/Candoia Aspera are called "The Lazy Snake" in Papua New Guinea because they essentially lay and wait for prey to come to them. Viper Boa's in captivity don't move much. They are either found soaking in their bowls or lying under substrate. In my mind they are not much for a viewing snake if your looking for something that moves around it's aquarium a lot, but they are fun to hold because they are really ... well... lazy.. and they don't have that 'gone mental' hyperness that many boa's have. I usually hold my Female Viper Boa "Nyx" when I watch movies because she will curl up in my lap and stay totally still for 2hrs. She may even be sleeping. So they are a rather easy going snake.

[ Reply To This Message ] [ Subscribe to this Thread ] [ Show Entire Thread ]