Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello, i'm new to BRBs and snakes in general, still trying decide on my first snake. At the moment, I'm kind of deciding between Rosy Boas and the BRB.

I'm wondering how they are as pets, are they difficult to maintain? How would they be for a first time snake owner?

I appreciate all responses given, thanks in advance!

Well, we're probably biased here but I'll try to give an objective answer.

As far as looks go, I think BRBs are a little flashier but there are some nice looking rosys out there as well. I've seen some that have pastel peach colors that are especially attractive.

BRB's get bigger. Adult BRBs = 5-6 feet. Adult rosys = 2.5 - 3 feet. A full grown BRB will eat a good sized rat once a week or every other week. Rosys never need to eat anything larger than an adult mouse. The cage will have to be bigger for a brazilian. Adults require a cage that's roughly 3 feet long by 2 feet wide. I believe you could keep a full-grown rosy in a 20-gallon tank for it's whole life.

Temperament will be the same over time. However there are some differences in the beginning. I've never met a tame baby BRB. They're very defensive when they're born and take a little patience and comittment if you want to make a nice pet out of them. Most of my adult BRBs are very handleable. I've never encountered a rosy boa that was interested in biting. I even found one in the Mojave desert one time. I picked it up and played with it for a while just like it had been in captivity all it's life (after I was done I let it go). They are just very calm snakes from the beginning.

While I like BRB's better (they get to be big, beautiful impressive animals without getting into the giant snake range), a rosy might be a better pet for a first-time owner.
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I appreciate the honest answer. Rainbow Boas are amazing looking, I love the look. But I think you may be right as far as getting a Rosy to start, and the possibility of a BRB as a 2nd snake down the like. But, I may be up for the challenge right away.

Sakrafyce,
....Welcome to the forum. I think the personality of the keeper is actually more important than the differences between these two species of Boas. Rosy Boas are nice snakes and pretty easy to keep but when I had them they bored me. They were slow growing and as adults just seemed too small to me to be impressive snakes. I should mention that I have kept Reticulated and Burmese Pythons and have owned lots of Boa Constrictors so you know I like big snakes. Brazilian Rainbow Boas seem like the perfect size snakes to me. Big enough to be impressive looking but not so big that they have to be handled using a safety back/up person so large that they require jumbo size cages. Brazilian Rainbow Boas are easy to care for if you are extremely detail oriented and willing to read and learn before you get one. People who cannot pay attention to the little details of temperature and humidity in caging have trouble keeping Brazilian Rainbow Boas.
Jeff

>>I appreciate the honest answer. Rainbow Boas are amazing looking, I love the look. But I think you may be right as far as getting a Rosy to start, and the possibility of a BRB as a 2nd snake down the like. But, I may be up for the challenge right away.

Thanks Jeff!

I think i'm up for the challenge, I don't really want to get a starter snake. I'm doing some research on alot of their needs. I was looking at herpcages.com, I really like their cages. I was wondering what size cage/tank you guys suggest for a baby brb? and how big should it get before I upgrade? Or...is it better to just buy a big one that I won't need to upgrade?

Also, I notice people use thermo-stats for their snakes. I'm curious as to what would be a good one for a single cage/snake.

Sorry for all the questions, I do appreciate all the help and i'm looking foward to becomming a BRB owner.

Good luck with whichever you pick. If you do decide to go with a brazilian, know that you can get any advice you need right here.
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Many will tell you too large a cage will stress out a baby....I believe that's wrong, what will stress out a baby is not finding a suitable hide. The hides need to be small enough so the baby feels the sides and feels secure inside. That said, since I have so many, I do have various sized cages for them, more to save space then to give a smaller cage.

An adult BRB will need a minimum of 4 square feet of floor space, better would be 6 square feet.

Thermostats are really handy to control the temps, with them the changes in the seasons (snake room temps) are compensated for. I use Helix 1000,s and am happy with them. If you have several similar cages with similar heat sources, one thermostat can be used to control all of them. I recommend a temp gun to check temps, very handy and a lot of fun to play with.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

How long do you think a 24x12x12 sized tank would last a BRB? Should I get one with a vent on top? or no?

Sorry about all the questions, I just really want to get this right. I do appreciate all the help you folks give.

A 24x12 could easily last to around 2 years old, unless you over feed. I have 7 BRB's from 2004 right now and few would already be to big for that size, a couple (slower eaters) would still be fine and the others right on the border. They are all in 24 x 24's because I had a available cage stack ready for them and you use what you have.

IMO top venting, for that matter ALL venting, should be MINIMAL for BRB's. They don't really need a lot of fresh air and too much venting will cause difficulties maintaining the necessary humidity. My 2' x 2' x 18" cage sections each have one 2" round vent. That has worked good for me for the last 10 plus years.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

I think with a brb the hardest thing (which isnt that hard to fix) is just keeping up the humidity, and a good cage would help a great deal.I use boaphile cages. I keep mine in the 421D model, and I have to say is I love it. Humidity is much easier to keep up in those than the tanks that have screens or big vents.
Also with brbs you have to not mind being bit once in awhile. My are pretty tame and I can handle them without incident. Iv'e actually brought them to my school when I was in high school and showed them to a class I was an aide for. It was a class with kids who had down,autism,seizure disorder, ect. I was confident enough to allow them to hold my snakes (with my supervision of course) but once in awhile, one snake isn't in the mood for me to pick it up, and I get bit.
But I also have a 1.1 pair of rosy boas, and I have been bit many times by the female. Shes even prey bitten me when I didn't even handle any food items for over a week! but on the other hand the male is sweet, so I guess it depends on the animal

How tall is that one you have from Boaphile? I was looking it and the picture makes it look short height wise.

Its 11" deep 48"long and 24" wide. I had taller cages with branches in them, but my snake never used them, they mostly stayed on the ground, but other people might have different experiences with their snakes

Thy are ground dwellers, for the most part....tall cages IMO are a waste.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Also I forgot to add, although brbs get 5-6 ft long they don't get very thick like the redtails. They stay pretty slender (for a boa)

redtails = up to jumbo rats and maybe even small rabbits if large enough, I've heard of some being anywhere from 35lbs to 50 lbs

Rainbow boas = small - med rats (although mine aren't exactly adults yet, I'm guessing that they don't get over 10 lbs and probably most weigh a bit less than that)

So the Height = 11"? That cage/tank is too large for a baby BRB though right?

the 11" height is fine. My 18" tall sections are kinda a waste except I get to stack a hide.damp tub and a large water bowl so in effect get more then the 2' x 2' floor space.

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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

If I were starting from scratch on caging, I'd get the boaphile 421 townhouse. It's a 421 cage with two doors and a removable divider. Then you could keep two in it. Make a blockable passthru for breeding and poof, there ya go.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Sounds like a cool idea. Thank you for that.

Last question guys until I purchase my cage. I plan to get the 322D from Boaphile. I inted to take the under heating option for sure. Someone from these forums didn't recommend the Incandescent lights as they can burn the snake. I really do want lighting within the enclosure though for my own enjoyment and so visitors who happen to come over to my apartment can look inside.

Would the Florescent Lights they have be ok?

I don't think it would hurt. Also I dont think those lights get very hot, but it would be good to have it a little distance away for the snakes comfort. and make sure they have a lot of hides so that light isn't always bothering them. My suggestion is that if you do get the light, go to home depot or another hardware store and buy a cheap timer for the light, it will make it much easier, so if you're not home at the same time or whatever else comes up and you can't shut the light off, the time will shut off the light. you can get one for about $4. I have one for my iguana.

Thanks for the reply, definitely a good idea and i'll make sure to pick one of those timers up.

Will this overhead light effect the thermostat in anyway? I plan to get a Helix 1000, and i'm not quite sure how they work.

Im not totally sure but if it does make a difference, it wouldn't be much of a difference. The only light I have like that is on my iguana, all the rest either have red heat lamps or heating pads. But I do know I can touch the bulb and not get burned, actually its not very hot at all.

One more thing:
Since they are snakes and they get everything that they need from the prey they eat, they dont need the expensive UVB lights that they sell in stores (run upto $40 just for the bulb). You could just probably use a normal flourescent light for them. If you decide on a boaphile cage, call them and ask Jeff what he thinks, or if he could just install a normal light in there.

Cool, thanks again for the suggestions. Going to call him this weekend for sure. I already know exactly what I want. Thanks everyone who responded to all my questions in the thread. I'll let it die now as it's getting pretty large...hehe

Congrats on your decision to go with a BRB (or 2) !

I think if you pay attention to what is going on in a fairly detailed manner you will do just fine with one, afterall you are a choosing an enclosure with the snake's needs in mind and that is already a plus in my mind. Even I didn't do this....close, but not the best way. I have mine in BARRS cages and the Boaphiles will be an excellent choice. You mentioned the desire to view them....just keep in mind that they are nocturnal and while lighting from an appropriate source will not harm them (unless they get burned) it won't benefit anyone but yourself. Being a night-time creature, it is most likely (IMO) that while lights are on they will be under their hides or in another secure, dark refuse until 30 to 45 minutes after their "dusk" if not longer. Just keep that in mind....I love Rainbows....for me they have 2 major drawbacks or cons if you will.
1) none of mine will just sit quietly around my neck for 30 minutes
2) they are most active when I should be sleeping
I do enjoy very much and they are beautiful and the perfect size for me.

Thank you!

Yeah, the light thing is mainly for me. I guess it's silly, but I do want to be able to see inside the enclosure as I plan to really make it look nice.

I'm wondering, since they are night time creatures. Would one of those moonlight lights be cool for it?

I think with a heating pad, you wont need any lights for it at night. Also with some of the boaphile cages, they won't make it to put in a heat bulb as it would be too close to the snakes, and could burn them. The one reason I wish I got a light for my cage is that in my room its dark so I can't really see the inside of the cage...so as I kinda feel around for them,and once in awhile I'll startle one and I'll get bit from it.Its not a problem if you room has enough light though. Just one thing though...if you ever get bit weather its a prey bite or defensive DO NOT pull away, you could injure or even kill your snake. also it doesn't hurt that much as they aren't very big snakes, but it can be startling.

Don't pull away, it took me some time to train myself that with my hatchlings. A couple of times I flung one accross the room....it had struck, I defensively pulled away, it let go after I started to pull away and it just kept on going.

I keep a flashlight in my snake room for checking cages. The BRB's don't need any light at all. The light coming in the from outside is plenty. My room does not get direct sun on the window except for a half hour or so around 10AM. but the room does brighten up from difused light and that light also goes into the cages. More than enough for the BRB's, they like it dark.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
10.22 BRB
10.15 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats