Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have always kept ball pythons, but I was browsing the classifieds and saw a rainbow boa, and thought it was beautiful. I want one. But I want to know some info first.

What size do they get when fully grown?

What is a fair price on a captive bred male/female?

Do they have good temperament?

Are their different "types" of rainbow boas?

Any other useful information?

Thanks

Hi, well I don't know too much about them but here's some general. But double check all I've told you, these fellows aren't my specialty. Also if you click onto the boa forum they have a rainbow boa subforum. You can get more specific help there.

>>What size do they get when fully grown?

I think 5-6 ft

>>What is a fair price on a captive bred male/female?

I've seen them from 100-300 (though I once saw a jerk offer a normal yearling for 2000)

>>Do they have good temperament?

From what I understand they're not as mellow as balls but still manageable.

>>Are their different "types" of rainbow boas?

Different localities. Columbian and Brazilian. Brazilian (I think) retains more color as it ages.

>>Any other useful information?

I've heard they need an unusual combination of (relatively) low temps and very high humidity. And good luck.
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0.2 dog mutts (half ownership, only mine when they misbehave, Lucy & Amy)
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Still searching for 1.0 WC human

As far as I know there are around 11 types of rainbow boas. . weither or not all 11 are avaliable in the traid or not is a differnt question. As for size I've read anywhere from 5 to 10 dont quote me thow I'm not pisitive. Price I've been seeing them go for between 100 to 400 depends on size and snake(on of the differnt kinds). I personaly recomend the Brazilian like was said before they normaly stay more colorful threw life. Other info. . I had one once. . .long story short I didnt know proper care so it died. They have to have HIGH humidity, mine was a very picky eater. I recomend you read as much as you can about them, talk to breeders, if you can pick up a book on them even. Just learn as much as you can about it before geting it. I'm not trying to say its hard to keep them but like any new snake or lizard just take a indepth look at what your geting before you get it.
Hope this helps,
Blake

Definitely check the Rainbow Boa forum to get some more info, but here's my take on things to get you started! Please keep in mind that this info is for Brazilian rainbow boas - I don't know anything about the other subspecies.

"What size do they get when fully grown?"

Females, about 6 feet, males about 5 feet (average). They are a slender snake, much thinner than your ball pythons.

"What is a fair price on a captive bred male/female?"

I've never seen them go for more than $175 at local shows, but I'd say that anything up to $200 would be reasonable. Rare patterns such as stripe or full crescents would be more.

"Do they have good temperament?"

Mine is a total sweetheart and has never attempted to strike, but then again, I've only had her since January and have handled her frequently. She does like to bluff a little when I reach in to take her out of her cage (hissing and curling up), but she's never backed up her bluffs, and I wouldn't expect her to. I'd feel comfortable letting my friends handle her, with careful supervision, of course.

"Are their different "types" of rainbow boas?"

There are many subspecies such as Brazilian, Peruvian, etc., as well as different pattern and color morphs within the Brazilian group - stripe, full crescent, red, and orange varieties.

"Any other useful information?"

Keep the humidity high and the temperature cool. You should be aiming for 70% humidity or more for young BRBs, and temperature in the low 70's to the high 70's or very low 80's (not above 85 degrees).

Rainbow boas act much like ball pythons, in my experience - they are very secretive and inactive during the day and will sometimes come out to cruise at night.

I love my rainbow boa - she was my first snake, and I'm really happy I decided on one. You won't be disappointed!!
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::i believe in joy > http://www.winds.org/nekomi/hope.html

::my homepage > http://www.winds.org/nekomi

My Growing Zoo:

1.0 Husband (Byron) ^_^
0.1 black cat (Shade)
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (Zia)
1.2 Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides yellow-gold)
1.1 WC Cockatoo cichlids (A. cacatuoides blue Peru)
3.3 Pygmy corydoras (C. pygmaeus)
2.0 Endlers' Livebearers (P. sp. Endlers)

There is actually a rainbow boa forum with lots of pics and people with more experience than I with rainbows (I've only ever kept a few of them). Go to the boa forum and click on the Rainbow boa subforum at the middle of the page before the posts.

>>What size do they get when fully grown?

Varies with subspecies I believe. I had one for over 10 years that never got over 4 feet (subspecies and locality unknown) and ate adult mice. I have also seen Brazilians get up to almost 6 feet in 3 years and eat large rats.

>>What is a fair price on a captive bred male/female?

Again, it depends on the subspecies. Brazilians are midpriced, ranging $100-$200 each as babies, I believe. Some of the other "rarer" subspecies are more expensive.

>>Do they have good temperament?

This is where I think you might want to do some research. My experience is that they aren't trustworthy snakes. The ones I have worked with were "docile" and could be freely handled 99% of the time. But they are occasionally prone to just strike out at your face when you approach them or even when you are handling them.
It isn't the kind of snake you would hand to a small child. I just don't trust most Rainbows. I have seen this behavior in my boas, heard about it from two other people who bred Brazilians and was first taught it by a zoo keeper who was maintaining a colony of 6-8 at a major zoo. You may hear from a keeper who has a boa that is "tame as a kitten" and totally trustworthy. That hasn't been my experience nor that of others I know well. All my sources were very experienced snake keepers.

>>Are their different "types" of rainbow boas?

There are over 10 subspecies of Rainbow Boa (I forget exactly how many). Most are very rare, with small ranges, and are unknown in captivity. The most common forms in captivity are probably
- E.c.cenchria - "Brazilian" Rainbow (although they aren't retricted to Brazil
- E. c. maurus - "Colombian" Rainbow (used to be common and cheap, now less common)
- E. c. alvarezi - Argentine Rainbow (have a bad reputation temperament wise)
- E. c. crassus - Guyanan ? Rainbow (now more common in captivity than they were 15 years ago)

I think there are probably a few other species in captivity but the first 3 make up 99% of the captive population.

>>Any other useful information?

Try these pages
http://www.corallus.com/cenchria/
http://www.rainbowboas.com/
http://www.kingsnake.com/boapage/caresheets/rainbowboacare.html
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Chris Harrison