Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

I have recently purchased a couple of candoia aspera. One male and 1 female.

I have heard that they can be housed together without problems. I have also heard that they are not climbers. Could you be so kind as to give me info on an ideal terrarium setup ?

I would like to add some climbing branches. do they climb at all ?

What is the avarage life span for this species ?

I have housed pairs together before with no problems, but there's always a first time. My concern would be at feeding time if they both went after the same prey.

I've never seen one climb, true to their other common name "New Guinea Ground Boa".

I kept mine on moist cypress mulch with a large water bowl. They don't need a lot of room as they are VERY sedentary. It once took my big female more than 24 hrs to go from the water bowl to the hide box. They will use a hide box or bury themselves in the mulch.

I don't think anyone really knows the lifespan for this species. They are rarely bred in captivity and I have heard that it is hard to keep the babies alive very long. I lost all of the my babies. If I were to venture a guess, judging by their metabolism and lifestyle I would say they could potentially be long lived.

I hope this answered your questions.

Thank you for the reply!

I have noticed that the male spends most of its time in the waterbowl while the female hardly ever uses it !

Would that indicate a problem ?

Would a square foot space be adequate (40 cm x 40 cm) ?

I keep my female in a sweater box that is about 20 inches long and only 6 inches high. There is very damp cypress mulch and a large waterbowl. She spends a lot of time in the waterbowl as well. I think that's pretty characteristic of the snake. I haven't kept them together before but that isn't saying its not possible.