Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone, I've been thinking about getting one of the Candoia, but I know very little about them, so I was hoping you all could help me out. Firstly, what is their general despositon? I've only seen a few in the pet shops, and they have always been highly aggressive (more than any snake I've seen). Are they generally more aggressive? Also, I've read that they feed on frogs and lizards in the wild; can they be changed over to rodents, and if not, how easy is it to obtain prekilled lizards? I would like to get a very light colored one, so which species or subspecies usually stay the lightest? I've read several care sheets and websites about them, but I'd rather hear from those out there that own them.
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-David

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 nornal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay)
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
1.0 dog (Luke)

Hello,

The only candoia species I have experience with is Candoia c. paulsoni (Solomon Island Ground Boa).

As far as temperament goes, it can go either way (as with any animal). I have a couple that are great....yet I have one that is the most "evil" snake I have ever worked with. I would recommend buying a younger candoia (that feeds on mice!!) and hold it often to help "calm" it down.

Feeding- Yes they can be switched to mice. All 4 of my C.c. paulsoni take mice. Two of them even take F/T. I definitely recommend buying a snake that is already switched. It was (for me anyways) a long, and tough process. When they are babies (4-7g) they can only take hour old pinkies, or tadpoles/ just metamorphed frogs. I have heard of Candoia taking anoles, geckos, fish, amphibians and mice. I have only ever been successful getting babies to eat Green tree frogs (and mice). So unless you have the ability to collect tons of tree frogs and freeze them so you have small enough frogs for the whole year I would stay clear of herp eating candoia.

It is getting more and more common to find candoia for sale that take mice. C.c. paulsoni, C.c. carinata, and C. aspera are all available regularly.

As far as a light colored candoia goes you are probably referring to the Isabel Island Boa (Candoia c. paulsoni). Keep in mind they come in other cool colors too. Check out the White/cream/yellowish one a couple posts below.

Here is my High Orange Candoia c. paulsoni.

Here are a couple sites to check out if you have not already.

http://www.candoia.s5.com/
http://www.kingsnake.com/candoia/

Good luck,

Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps

Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it! That one you're holding is absolutely beautiful!
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-David

1.0 ball python (Pandora - don't ask)
1.0 argentine boa (Prometheus)
0.1 hogg island boa (Andromeda)
0.0.1 brazilian rainbow boa (Inara)
1.0 kenyan sand boa (Diablo)
1.0 nornal corn snake(Cypress)
0.1 amery. corn snake (Morgan LaFay)
0.0.1 banded cali. kingsnake (Cain)
1.0 tangerine honduran milksnake (Narcissus)
0.0.1 snow corn snake (Valkyrie)
0.0.1 sandfish skink (Slick)
1.0 dog (Luke)