Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello!

Happily, I found this lovely forum several days ago and have been reading through it. It's so nice that there's a discussion place just for Candoia!

I don't keep any Candoia, but I have been interested in them for a year+ now. I'm particularly interested in the Solomon Island ground boa (c. paulsoni), and the viper boa (aspera). I've read through care sheets and visited Jerry Conway's wonderfully informative website, and I'm becoming more and more interested in possibly keeping a Candoia.

I'm curious: for those of you who keep a SI ground boa and/or a viper boa, what has your experience been like with them? How are their temperaments? (I've read that viper boas can be quite cranky!) Are your pets wild caught or captive bred? Do you handle them often, or simply enjoy them in a hands-off viewing way?

I'm not looking for care info per se (I've found a decent amount), but more about what your personal interaction and experience has been like with these snakes, why you like to keep them, that sort of thing....if that makes any sense!

Thank you so much for your time!

Hi, and welcome to the club. I have 2 SIBs that I purchsed at the White Plains show as neonates. They are still only a few months old, but I can tell you what they are like so far, and of others I have had experience with.
I agree that the Viper Boas can be cranky at times, but I have also met some with wonderful personalities. I still think temperment in just about any snake is a handling issue, and given time can be overcome. The 2 I have are Paulsoni, and they are great little snakes!! They don't mind a small amount of handling so far. I've been cautious because they are SO small right now (4 grams each) and I had some issues getting them feeding. Mine are only taking house geckos right now. Not anoles, frogs, pinks, or any other of the multitude of things I tried. When they are small, they play dead! They can stay still for a rediculous amount of time. Their metabolisms seem to be much slower than the other snakes I have, including a BP and a corn. I feed these babies every 10 days or so.
I have handled adults at the local store, and at Expos. All of them have been VERY easy going, calm snakes (Paulsoni). The vipers I have handled have all been snippy, but they also were young. I haven't had the opportunity to handle an adult.
Hope this helps! Post pics when you get our new snake!
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1.1 Ball Python 0.0.1 corn snake 1.0 Bearded Dragon
0.0.2 fish 1.2 cats 3.1 kids 1.0 husband and now...
0.0.1 Pink Zebra Beauty Tarantula
2.0 Solomon Island Boas

Hi!

Thanks for answering!
hahah the thing about playing dead is wild! Candoia seem like such interesting snakes!
It would be so nice if a viper boa could be tamed down if worked with... hmmm...
If I decide to end up going for it and getting one, I would love to meet a SIB or a viper boa in person, but sadly I haven't seen any around at local shops or the little local reptile show. So frustrating!

Thanks again for your time!

Welcome!

I don't have any experience with the Viper boas, but have five of the C. Paulsoni paulsoni - 4 Solomon Island ground boas and 1 Santa Isabel ground boa. Of the five, two are wild caught and the rest captive bred. My wc male was my first and though he was difficult to get feeding on his own, he's thrived once he did. He was probably a couple of years old when I got him and he's a gentle but shy snake though he seems to acclimate to handling pretty well. The wc female I purchased after him was older (over two years, maybe three, as she was roughly 2' long when I got her). She is still wild and handling isn't really an option. We've developed a truce in the year and a half I've had her and I'm allowed to move her out of her tub into another for cleaning and back again...anything more results in numerous bleeding wounds for me. The next I got was my Santa Isabel (as just a neonate) and she's been a great eater and easy to handle. My latest two I just got a month ago, both captive bred - the male is about 2 yrs old and handles well, the female is this years baby and still a bit skittish so I don't really handle her yet (she just ate her first meal for me yesterday). All in all they're great snakes as pets. I love the look, the small size and general easy temperament (excepting some wild caught animals). Plus their husbandry requirements are pretty basic, making keeping them relatively simple. Basically, I just love the little critters.

Raven

Thanks a bunch for responding!

The ground boas sound like great creatures... It's really cool that you have a variety of personalities among them too! The range of color is also amazing. Those Isabel snakes are ridiculously pretty!

That's great that your newest baby just ate... it's exciting and a relief when they eat for the first time!

Thanks again!

Hello and welcome to the forum. My name is Joe and I am an addict.

No, really though. I have kept Candoia boas for about ten years now and never once was I disappointed with any of them. Frustrated with some for sure, but never truly disappointed. They are some of the coolest snakes I have ever kept (and I have kept many). I like them because of thier robust, yet not fat build, thier uniquely-keeled scales, pointed head, and variance in color and pattern. I also like the challange of keeping something so hard to acclimate sometimes (although I only keep captive-bred now, though even some of those ones as neonates are tricky to feed). Generally, the Candoia I have worked with were docile animals, with the exception of a couple wild-caught viper boas I purchased years ago. As far as handling goes, they are great, as long as they aren't handled for prolonged periods of time (remember, these aren't boa constrictors). All of my ground boas I have now are voracious feeders and possess an incredible feeding response. They will rise to the tops of thier enclosures like little cobras in preperation to eat. Just keep the temps consistent (my gradients range from 78-85), humidity moderate to high (depending on the circumstances, I keep mine at 75-90, and never below 50 or 60). If you have any other particular questions, feel free to ask.

Joe

Hello!

hahah Confessions of a Candoia addict!

The first thing that attracted me to these snakes was their look too. I'm very fond of stout bodied snakes, and their keeled scales are so interesting! I also like the dynamic shape of their head.
I'm glad that there are some people out there breeding them... I hope the species becomes more commonly available! They really are such lovely creatures.

Thanks for responding!