I think in general most burrow-dwelling or forest-dwelling snakes do not need UVA/B light in captivity. The theory is that boas usually hunt in tropical locations, on the forest floor. Even if they are up in trees, tropical forest canopies are so thick that not much direct sunlight ever reaches the ground, so they don't get the opportunities to bask that desert species do. Ball pythons, in contrast, spend almost all of their time in burrows, or exploring at night, so even though they probably have more of an opportunity to bask in their environment, they usually don't.



Most reptiles need UVA/B lighting because sunlight helps them to process vitamin D and calcium. For example, if green iguanas, which feed on fruit and vegetables, are kept without proper lighting can develop metabolic bone disease because they don't have enough available calcium in their systems, and their bones get soft and deform. Even if powdered vitamins and calcium are provided, iguanas need UVA/B light in order to process the calcium properly.



However, boas obtain calcium easily from the bones of the rodents and other animals they eat, and are very efficient at processing it (which is why you don't see bones or hair in your boa's poop).



That's why I love keeping snakes! So much less "equipment" involved than with many other types of reptiles.
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Lauren Madar - OphidiaGems.com | CageMakers

1.0 Ball Python, 1.0 Hog Island Boa (RIP DeeDee), 1.1 Hypo BCI, 1.1 Surinam BCC, 0.1 Green Tree Python

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