Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was considering getting a Brazilian Rainbow boa, and thought maybe you guys could help. I have kept various snakes, mostly kingsnakes, but i did have a red tail boa as well. I know that rainbows need high humidity levels, and are subject to easy dehydration, but I wanted to know overall if this is a good species which is relativly easy to care for with my experience. I also kept a Savannah Monitor for 3 years (very LOW humidity creature), and that was quite a task, had to give her away because she was becoming a monster. If i'm correct, brazils grow to the 6-10 ft. range, which seems managable. Any other info would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

well, my columbian rainbow was beautiful and cool and wonderful...for the 4 days i had her before she escaped

I also started out with colubrids (kings, corns, gophers), but I now have a Brazilian rainbow boa as well. While they do require moisture, I think this is overblown a bit. I simply keep a moisture box in the cage, clean it and re-moisten it once a week, and that's that.

My rainbow eats well, too, although he refuses mice that have been frozen--I have to buy live ones and "dispatch" them myself. But this is because the breeder started him on fresh-killed and never offered frozen/thawed.

One thing though...if you plan on seeing your rainbow boa out during the day, plan again. They are strictly nocturnal; mine doesn't come out until about 9 or 10 at night. Usually in time for Letterman though.

Good luck!

-Brandon

They only get 5-6 feet long. Humidity isn't that tough to deal with, you just can't use a screen lid. I covered mine with plastic wrap . I think she'll get a nice plastic tub when she's older, though.
Other than that, it's all basic snake stuff. They don't even like to climb. I've heard they can be nippy but mine isn't, even after she eats.

I replaced the screen in my lid with a sheet of clear acrylic, and I pump in humidified air with a couple of air pumps and two "TropicAire" canisters. The humidity usually sits at 88 to 90%. I keep one side of her tank at 84°, the other at 80°. There's a spot in the middle that reaches 76°. She more often prefers the 80° area to the warmer and cooler areas.

She has a tree-type thing to climb on, and above her "swimming pool" I put one of those "Repti-Hammocks," like you can buy at PetsMart. -- I see her climbing the tree only once every three weeks or so, but she uses the hammock weekly. I've seen her swim once, but she drinks from her pool frequently.

Mine's never been nippy either, although I am careful not to just reach in the tank and snatch her up.

She's about 26" long and eating rat pups (F/T). This is my first snake of any type, and she's been very easy to care for so far. Overall, I'm very pleased. I posted a picture in the Boa forum, if you care to see.

If you end up with a BRB, I hope you're as pleased as I am with mine.
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David Leary
Durham, NC