Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, Is there any kind of reptile that I would be able to house with my 5 foot boa constrictor? I'v fed him prekilled rats every time, and never a lizard. I've made a display cage in my house 2x4 and almost 5 feet high. I have many hiding spots on many different height levels. The temperature on the bottom is at about 79 F and at the top at about 86. Boa seems to stay on the lover level all the time. I would like to add some kind of a small reptile that would make the cage look more lively. Is there any kind of lizard or a snake i would be able to house with my boa. If anyone has any experiance in this PLEASE share. Thanks.

another boa maybe. you would need to seperate them during feeding. the snakes natural food is small mammals and lizards so that wouldnt work out well.

The ONLY semi safe cage partner would be another boa of approximately the same size.

most people are against housing more than one animal per cage. Snakes are not social animals, and have no need to be together unless for breeding.

a lizard would have claws and teeth, and it is likely that either the snake would eat the lizard, or the lizard would harm the snake.

Large snakes are capable of eating smaller snakes, including those of the same species...it is rare, but it often causes the death of both snakes.

Finally, you should probably raise your temps... do you have a hot spot? you should have a hot spot in the cage that should be appx. 92 degrees. the cool end should be in the low to mid 80's.

most boas are not arboreal, so having a 5 ft tall cage isn't really practical... most large boas are content with a 1 to 2 ft tall cage.
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Lizards get real panicky and stressed when in the proximity of snakes --- when they see a snake.
You might try an inexpensive Amazon Tree Boa. If the Boa constrictor spends most of its time at the lower end of the vivarium and the Tree Boa spends its time on a branch at the top, they will in effect be occupying separate micro niches within the vivarium and may not stress one another. A visual barrier is a good thing if possible.
jsc

ATBs, even though they are 'aboreal' do spend quite a bit of time on the floor of the cage. Both of the ones I have spend about 50/50, sleep on the floor during the day usually and then go up and hang out in the perches at night.
Just FYI...

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'There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."' -Rainshadow

I keep my boas in colonies of up to a dozen snakes in one cage, and although it is some peoples opinion that they are not social animals, they really seem to like lying together. They look like animal art. Enjoy !

It's OK to keep two boas together. Here's exactly why it's absolutely NOT OK. This is a boa that is about to die from eating it's sibling:

These photos are not mine, but I am sure they won't mind. After losing a boa to cannibalism I am sure the owner would want to show other peoples these pics in the hopes of saving lives. Boas don't eat each other as a rule, but accidents do happen. It's always taking an unnecessary risk. The other reasons are if one gets sick, you have two sick boa, and the other reason is you can't tell who did what.
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com
http://slitheringserpents.com

One animal per cage. If you don't have enough cages or space, don't get another animal. It is not worth the risk and stress on the snake.

When boas are "cuddling," it is usually because they all want to be in the same spot for heating reasons, NOT that they like each other. They are solitary animals in the wild and polygamous (not monogamous) from breeding season to breeding season.

Display cages are very cool and hard work to build nicely and then keep clean. So good work! However, as mentioned earlier, the boa needs a heat gradient in order to properly digest food. Staying in the 70s all the time is not good. As babies they may climb, in the wild an adult will climb a sturdy branch, but in captivity not so much. Now when given an actual tree, sure they climb it. Mine are perfectly content in 4x2x1 cages with a cool side of about 82 and a hot side of about 91. I can almost assure you if I gave any of them a 5' tall cage with stuff to climb on, they would maybe use the first 1-2 feet, but mostly stick to the bottom.

Thank you guys for all the replies. I've heard somewhere that if domestic boas are never exposed to lizard feeding, it is possible that their feeding responce will not turn on in contact with one in later stages. I might try to put some kind of really small lizard and see the reaction of my boa. I think i will be able to see any kind of reaction right away. If he seems at least a tiny bit interested i will separate them and forget about a house mate.

I'd be really careful. I had a baby corn snake last year that went after my cat, clearly wouldn't have been a fair fight, haha. Obviously, he'd never been fed a cat, but the movement of the cat surely enticed him.