Brazilian Rainbow Boa

This page is educational reference material for preparing questions. A licensed veterinarian examines the animal, makes the diagnosis, and sets the treatment.

The color is a humidity gauge

Brazilian rainbow boas are Epicrates cenchria. Adults are about 5 to 7 feet. They often live 20 to 25 years, care is intermediate, and adults are generally calm. The look people buy is the structural color that flashes when light hits a healthy scale. That flash disappears in a dry tank with a bad shed.

Keep the cage around 75 to 85°F, with a warmer basking spot if you use one, and humidity in the 75 to 90 percent range listed. Ventilation still matters. Wet slime and no airflow grow mold and scale rot. A 4 by 2 by 2 foot cage is the adult minimum. Branches are used. A large water bowl is used. Substrate that holds moisture, changed before it smells, is the weekly chore.

Mice, then rats

They eat thawed rodents. Babies may nip. Adults of calm lines usually stop if handling is boring and predictable. Do not house them with other snakes. Buy captive-bred. The iridescence is not a separate morph you have to pay a premium for. It is the species, when the shed comes off in one piece.

A shed that sticks across the eye, or a snake that breathes with its mouth open, needs a reptile vet. ARAV is the place to look.

Brazilian rainbow boa questions

Why is my rainbow boa dull?

The rainbow effect needs clean scales and decent humidity. A chronically dry cage produces a stuck shed and a flat brown snake. Aim for 75 to 90 percent.

Are babies nippy?

Often. Juveniles defend themselves. Most captive-bred adults calm down. Feed with tongs so the habit stays on the mouse.

How long do they live?

About 20 to 25 years, longer for some. That 20 to 25 years is the usual band.