The common boa constrictors are one of the most popular snakes in the hobby and are today being bred in a variety of color phases. They are very undemanding captives and easy to care for. The ease of care and calm dispositions make them a suitable species for a novice, but I wouldn't recommend one as a first snake just due to the potential adult size.
Common boas normally average 8 or 9 feet with the females being the larger of the sexes. Some males won't grow much past 7 feet. These snakes can reach or even break 10 feet but it is more common for the true redtails (Boa c. constrictor) to attain these sizes.
Common boas are found from Mexico through Central America and into South America. The northern populations normally posses a darker coloration than their southern counterparts.
They are still imported with some frequency but they are so commonly bred there is no reason to consider buying anything but a captive bred specimen to keep as a pet.
The boas are one of my favorite species just to keep. They are large enough to be impressive snakes without reaching the immense sizes of the retics and burms. Their calm temperments makes working with them a joy and generally keeps the adrenaline levels low.
Thus far breeding this species has been an elusive goal for me. I'll admit that I haven't given it my full effort but I'll continue to work on producing them and in the meantime I'll just enjoy having them as part of my collection.
Boas require a suitably large enclosure as adults. I keep my adults in 4'x 2' cages.
Temperatures are maintained much as with other tropical boid species, ambient temps are kept in the low 80s with the warmest part of the cage reaching 90-92F. The temperature is allowed to drop 5-10 degrees at night.
They have no special humidity requirements, but as with all my snakes I normally mist them lightly once per day through the shed cycles. They have no problems shedding, but a little extra humidity during this time is always helpful, particularly during the winter.
I advocate a conservative feeding regimen for boas, as they do not respond well to power feeding. I raise neonates on a weekly feeding of an appropriatly sized mouse, then move on to rats when they are ready for them. Large adults may require rabbits, but most can do fine on a diet of large to jumbo rats.
As they grow I skip a feeding every few weeks and finally as adults they have no set feeding schedule. I may feed weekly for a month then skip a couple of weeks and feed bi weekly for a while. I let the size and condition of the snake determine the feeding regimen.
It's safe to say that in nature a boa is not going to find a nice big rat at 7:30 every Saturday evening, so mixing up the feeding schedule is just fine and I feel giving time every so often for the snake to completely clean out so to speak is good for the health as well.
One note I would offer to would be first time boa owners concerning handling. I suggest you handle your boa every few days from the time it is young. In between feedings you should reach into the cage periodically just to keep the snake aware of your presence.
The point is not to condition your snake to expect food whenever you open the cage door. Some people never handle their snakes, which with most species is perfectly fine, and they spot clean and change the water while the snake is coiled around a rat. This basically translates into getting into the cage only at feeding time. While this is effecient, it's not a good idea with boas. You don't want an 8 foot powerful snake to always expect food whenever the cage door opens.
I don't advocate the "you must feed in a seperate container" philosophy, you just need to do routine maintenance throughout the week, and keep your boa used to your coming into its cage.
