Boa Imperator
General Care Guide
The information that follows is a small collection of husbandry advice that I feel is important to pass along. I can really only scratch the surface here. The advice is pretty standard and well regarded amongst keepers in the boa community, but we realize as time goes on new information will arise. This information focuses on Boa Imperators, while much of the information remains relevant please research specific care in regards to subspecies and localities. Please use it as a general guide and do not substitute any information within for regular vet care.
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Boa Imperators or BI are by far the most common and include most morphs including color and pattern mutations. Many BI are normals and vary from pink to dark brown and everything in between.
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Size, generally female BI are larger than males. Females average 6-8 feet with some exceptions both larger and smaller. Males in at 5-7 feet, with the same exceptions. Boas should look lean and box shaped, not round or oval. They have slower metabolisms than pythons or colubrids, and are often overfed. Size brings us to feeding.
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Feeding, I start all our litters on hopper mice every 7-10 days. I prefer feeding boas thawed, frozen feeders. I keep boas on appropriately sized mice every 10 days or so until they can eat weaned rats. Once boas are on rats I space out feeding a bit more, for females every 2-3 weeks, and males every 3-4 weeks. I spread out feeding more the larger the prey item. If the rat is small for the boa, I feed more often. If it's a tad large, I'll wait an extra week. We allow for some natural temperature drops through the winter, so feeding gets spread even further. I try not to feed rat or mice pinks, pups,or fuzzies. They often have milk in their bellies, which can cause diarrhea and regurgitation in boas. Lean muscle and bone is healthier than fat.
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Habitat, BI come from tropical, warm, and humid locations. I've found glass tanks to be difficult to maintain proper levels, but with a little dedication and ingenuity it can be done. Personally I prefer plastic tubs for young boas and pvc enclosures for adults. An often asked question is, what size enclosure will my adult boa need. The bigger the better, especially if you only have 1 or 2. Males should be good in at least a 4'x2 and females would be happier in 5 or 6'x 2. Boas thermoregulate so a temperature gradient is necessary. 78 on the cool side to 85 on the warm with a hot spot for basking of around 90. There are many methods of heating enclosures with UTH or under tank heating and RHP radiant heat panels topping the list. Thermostats are vital at controlling any method you choose. Humidity inside the enclosure should be between 60 and 80%. occasional misting and multiple water sources can help raise humidity levels. I keep a humidifier going in the snake room. A temperature gun and humidity gauge help keep you and your boas habitat on point. Make sure what ever enclosure you choose is full of clutter and multiple hides, especially for young defensive boas.
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Lighting, BI don't need special UV lighting, they get what little they need from their food and any bleed through sunlight. If you want to add lights LED or a low wattage daylight bulb are fine. Do not use red light bulbs at night for heating, the constant light is stressful for reptiles.
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Bedding, there are tons of options out there and none are necessary better than the rest. I line the enclosures with newspaper and then add a layer of aspen. Some other choices are just paper, Aspen, coco choir, cypress mulch, and even carefresh. I think peoples preferences depend on the humidity levels where they live.
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