Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've got a friend that is looking into getting one of these and he needs some info. Any info on caging, feeding, water, etc. would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!

Amazon tree boas if you don't all ready know are highly aggressef and are best left as disply snakes. They do how ever make very cool disply animals, first off there cage. Neonats can be kept in a 10 gallon turned on its side with a very tight locking lid and a under tank heater for about 6-7 months to a year depending on growth and food intake. After this its best to move into a home made cage or buy somthing like the cages by desgean, glass slideing doors are best. For cage sizes on a adult would need to be about 3-4 feet tall, 3 feet long and at lest 1 foot deep. I keep my 6 foot female in a 4 foot tall, 3 foot long and a 1 foot deep. For cage fernishings, wild grape vine works the best, depending on were you live it is usaly readly avable in the woods. Go and get alot of pieces and cut them them to fit into the cage, then bake them at 350 degs for about 10 mins to kill parasites. After they have cooled screw them into place in the cage, but be extreamly care full that no screws stick out, and cut any sticking out screws off and back them slightly out. After this I put alot of fake vines in and raped them around the grape vine and have them draped on down to the floor of the cage. Also if you add alot of swinging things they love it and usaly will coiling up on them, I found a old bird feeder that you pour the seed on top, and she will spend most of her time on it. Also hide aways are very importent, I made one out of plywood, it is about 1 foot tall, 1 foot deep, and foot long, it has a 2 inch hole on the front and a 1 inch hole on top, I also made a hinged door on the front so I can get in easly. I then mounted this on the top part of the cool end of the cage, I allowed about 5 inchs from the top of the cage so she can sit on top of it as well. I also put some old broken pots (sharp ends filed off) and put them on the bottom of the cage, I also found some long slivers of oak bark that is about one foot wide, I also baked these and put them on the back of the cage, she will spend alot of time under these. For heating and humidty, amazons will thrive at about 70%, but they still need to be misted once aday, its best to do this with a pump of garden sprayer. For heating a basking spot of about 90-95 degs is about right, and a warm end of about 85 and a cool end of about 75. Its best to use a heat lamp for this and put it on a timer for a 12 hour cycle (in less your breeding, thats a aounter story for aounter day). There diet in the wild is birds,lizzards and bats, but in captivety most will take on roadents with no problem. Some new born babys how ever will only take lizzards so make sure you buy from a well knowen breeder and that it is takeing mice (also ask if it takes live or frozen) and how many meals it has had, and how many it has turned down, also ask for feeding records, a good breeder will have them. Over all amazons are not hard to keep, they are differnt then other easy snakes like corns, amazon requrie higher humidty and have to misted once a day, they are more picky on there food, but most of all there temperment will leave you with some bitter moments some times. How ever if you get some tools it will help alot, a snake hook and a tong will help alot, long tweesers, gloves, trap box, and other tools you would use on a venomous snake will keep you from screaming lol. Also a min/max thermometer and hydrometer will make your live alot easer, it will recorded the highest and lowest temp and humidty. They can be bought at radio shack for about 30 bucks. I feel like I am leaveing somthing out, but e-mail me if you need more help, and check out corallus.com.
Take care,
Philip

philip171@ethixs.com
www.junglereptiles.cjb.net
Check out my amazon care sheet!

Thanks for all the info, it's very much appreciated. I'll pass the info o nto my friend whom I'm sure will find it very usefull.
thanks!!

No problem, I love these snakes so much I could go on for days and day about them lol. Best of luck for your friend,
Philip

Basking spot of 90-95 is way too hot for any corallus ssp. These are nocturnal snakes, and are not out during the daylight hours to bask. Their temps should never go above 85 degrees. A temp drop to the high 70's at night is prefered. I have a human heat pad under a 30 gallon turned on end. A PVC pipe jungle gym inside. Amazons, unlike Emerald tree Boas, do not like straight pearches. They like to be in places that offer multiple points of body contact, forks, connections and such. Humidity needs to be higher and say a Boa Constrictor, plus they need very good ventilation. Too high of constant humidity will lead to skin blistering. I actually hooked up a computer fan to help ventilate my cages. www.corallus.com has a great amount of information on them.