Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Have had my suri for about 2 years. He's doing great. He's a Miller suri, purple. Have only been using red light for heat, but was told he needs full spectrum light. Did a google, and found differing opinions. What say you all?

Thanks

Boas do not need "full spectrum" lighting. Depending what you read, some consider full spectrum lighting as lighting with UVA, others UVA and UVB. Most reptile incandescent bulbs will provide UVA. The only bulbs that realease UVA and UVB are compact fuorescent, fluorescent, and mercury vapor bulbs. Many lizards and tortoises benefit from UVB. It allows their bones to develop properly by allowing them to metabolize calcium properly. UVA is a spectrum of light that allows some reptiles to see more effectively.

There is some research that suggest full spectrum (UVA and UVB) lighting may help boas recover from respiratory infections. Other than this, if it proves to be true, boas have no need for full spectrum lighting. While full spectrum lighting may provide benefits for boas, the vast majority of boa keepers and breeders do not use it.
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Phil Goss
www.gossreptiles.com

info@gossreptiles.com

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

boas cant break down hair, it is the only thing that they cant break down.

Thanks everyone!!!