Description and origin of the reptile, varieties of boas, characteristic features, tips for home care, buying an extraordinary snake. The population of our large planet consists of many people, all of them are completely different in nature. Each person is a unique individual who has not only a distinctive outer shell, but also completely different tastes, morals, requirements, and the schedule and richness of the working day.
Some people have a lot of free time or are not particularly busy at work, these people can quite afford to walk an hour or two with their dog or play with a kitten that meets him at the entrance to the apartment. Cats and dogs require a lot of attention and not so little time.
If you have the thought that you also have an irresistible desire to acquire some kind of animal that will truly and impatiently wait for you from work, but due to some circumstances you cannot afford to bring your favorite and familiar kittens into the house.
The reason for this may be that you are a person with a busy work schedule and you simply do not have enough time for your pet to live comfortably and be content with the necessary attention from your side. Or there is another sub-basis: you tend to look at the world around you, from a completely different angle of view, and you also approach the choice of a pet in a very extraordinary way.
In the event that this characterizes you, and you are seriously thinking about who to bring this to your house, you should turn your attention to such a non-trivial creature as a boa constrictor.
We are all used to admiring or just meeting this original exotic in terrariums or circus arenas, but today everything has changed. To have a boa constrictor in your apartment may be unusual and unusual, but it is not at all problematic. In addition, this is a miracle of nature and it will become an unusually appropriate interior item for your apartment, home and even office.
Looking at this living creature, everyone experiences different feelings and emotions. Someone wonders how it is possible that a snake exists in the same territory with a person - it's not safe, someone thinks that boas are not quite cute and beautiful animals, and they scare away one with their appearance. But there is another category of people. These "outcasts" find a lot of positive sides in these exotic animals, many say that looking at snakes is a pleasure, while they gain some kind of harmony and tranquility. Indeed, the gracefulness, smoothness and elegance of these reptiles are simply mesmerizing, and a kind of sense of danger that involuntarily covers any person at the sight of a snake, for some individuals, a kind of training for the nervous system.
Pedigree and natural habitats of the boa constrictor
Boas (lat. Boinae) are a small group of reptiles that belong to the class of reptiles, the order of scaly and to the family of pseudopods. The most famous of these is the common boa constrictor, or constrictor as it is sometimes called, but there are other species of these reptiles that do well as pets.
In the open nature of this original "reptile" it seems possible to meet in different parts of the world, namely in countries such as Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, eastern Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, also this representative of the animal world the planet lives in Florida and the Lesser Antilles.
As for the area in which this living creature lives, then these may be distinctive locations. Neither desert places nor wetlands are an exception for the boa constrictor's place of residence. The main thing is that it should not be difficult for this eccentric to get his own food, and where he will do it is his purely personal affair.
Varieties of boas and their characteristic features
In the wildlife of our planet, there are not so few different species of these mysterious animals, but not all are suitable for keeping in the conditions of your home or office. Some representatives of this amazing genus are not very friendly and get along with people, in a bad mood or with inappropriate care they can show anger and aggression. Although this does not frighten people, these specimens are also very popular.
The most studied types of boas are presented to your attention, which can be classified as "pets".
Sandy boa
Eryx miliaris. This delightful pseudopod reveres its homeland in the western part of Kazakhstan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan; in Russia, its habitat is the territory of the Eastern Ciscaucasia and the southern part of the Lower Volga region. As for the habitat, his favorite areas are sandy deserts, although he does not crush clay deserts either.
This eccentric is not particularly large in size, it is considered one of the smallest representatives of its kind. In length, it can grow to about 70–80 cm. Its body is solid, which means that the head is not separated from the body itself by some cervical interception. This reptile is often dubbed by the locals as a two-headed snake, for the reason that its short, blunt tail is sometimes very difficult to distinguish from the head. This feature often preserves the life of this sandy snake, since predators also confuse its front and tail ends.
Another feature of this reptile is the location of its eyes and nostrils. The peculiar shape of the nostrils prevents sand from getting into them during "swimming" in it, and the visual organs are located high, help to inspect the surrounding area, without giving away the reptile itself from the sand. The color of the body of the sandy "reptile" varies slightly depending on the location. The upper side of the body is represented by brownish-yellow tones or light brown; also against the background of the main color, it is possible to discern rows of spots of brown shades, which are transversely elongated and tend to merge with each other, forming an uneven strip. The sides of the slender body are painted with dark brown or coal-black blotches. The abdominal part is also decorated with specks and spots of various shapes, which continue to the light sides of the body.
If we talk about their way of life, then in every season of the year, the boa behave differently. In the spring and autumn, this "sandy diver" gets food during the daytime, and in the summer months it leads a nocturnal or twilight lifestyle. These snakes are excellent hunters, showing extraordinary attentiveness, endurance and dexterity in the process of finding food. Their prey is most often small lizards, various rodents and small birds.
Reproduction in these attentive creatures begins almost immediately after the end of winter. In the middle of a hot summer, a female's pregnancy ends with the birth of 5 to 15 babies, the number of snakes depends on the size of their mother. Newborn baby snakes feed on insects and small lizards. Reaching the age of four, these boa constrictors become independent and sexually mature.
Despite their secrecy and caution, these cute creatures often fall into the clutches of dangerous predators and people who take them to terrariums or simply use them as medicines for many ailments, while earning their fortunes. The miraculousness of drugs based on boa meat has no scientific confirmation, so people get nothing more than a placebo effect, and innocent animals suffer from this.
Madagascar boa constrictor
Sanzinia madagascariensis. This native of Madagascar lives in forested areas with varying humidity.
This Madagascar natural wonder is rather large. Its body length is approximately 2, 2–2, 8 meters. The weight of males and females varies greatly, an adult male weighs about 3 kg, while a boa girl can have a body weight twice as large.
The peculiarity of the external appearance of this specimen of the reptile world is represented by its rather large wide head. The vertical shields of the upper lip are separated by some grooves.
Perhaps the hallmark of this snake is its extraordinary-looking color, which is represented by a complex pattern. The color scheme of the main tone can vary in brown, green, yellow and even red shades. On the back, a beautiful ornament of large spotted elements with a rhomboid shape is visualized. Sometimes in the center of the rhombus there may be light blotches, or it is often decorated with a marginal edging of light shades.
These pseudopods lead both arboreal and terrestrial life. Sometimes they go in search of prey on the ground, and sometimes they can hunt on tree branches, where they can also spend their leisure time, resting and bathing in the sunlight.
The continuation of the genus among these boas is a very difficult matter. The female must accumulate a sufficient supply of energy before thinking about the babies, for this reason, they do not become pregnant more often than once every two to three years. One litter gives birth to about 10–12 baby snakes, up to 35–38 cm in size.
Rainbow boa
Epicrates cenchria. The distribution of this reptile in the wild is quite wide; it lives in areas from Central America to the northern part of Argentina. Feels very comfortable in dense forests with high levels of humidity and other wetlands.
Looking at this reptile, the question immediately arises in my head: "Why is it rainbow?" After all, the word "rainbow" is associated with something unusually bright and cheerful, and the color of this creature is far from unique. The color of this reptile itself is nondescript, as for a rainbow. The main tone is represented by a brownish-reddish color, over which small spots and rings are scattered. The lateral and abdominal parts of the body of this boa constrictor are colored brown with a smooth transition to a grayish shade.
But as soon as this wonderful scaly one meets the sunbeam, the whole mystery of his name is explained at this very moment. In the sun, its modest color begins to sparkle with small sparks of green and golden colors, with every movement of the snake in the sun, the surface of its body acquires a unique shine and shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow.
The lifestyle of these "multi-colored" snakes is semi-arboreal. Younger representatives of their species spend most of their time traveling through the branches of trees, while mature boas prefer terrestrial habitats. They tend to burrow into loose soil or foliage. They also like to be in the water.
The mating process in these reptiles takes approximately 5-7 weeks, and the gestation lasts approximately 5 months. The life span of these fabulous creatures is about 20 years.
Such popular species as the boa constrictor and the dog-headed boa are not particularly friendly, for this reason, you should be extremely careful when bringing them to your home.
Some species of boas exist under the status of "critically endangered" and are listed in the International Red Book.
Features of keeping a boa constrictor at home
Before looking for and buying a living creature you are interested in, you should familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of keeping it at home, because with improper care you can easily cripple life, although it looks frightening, but still quite fragile and vulnerable animal.
The guarantee that the snake will feel "at home" will be a sufficiently large area of the terrarium. The dimensions must correspond to the parameters of the inhabitant himself. It must be remembered that the height of its dwelling should be at least half the length of the boa constrictor living in it.
Young boa constrictors should be kept in completely transparent terrariums. The apartment of an older pet can be made of drywall, polystyrene and a transparent glass wall is required.
It is necessary that his room be well ventilated; for this, small holes can be made on the back wall of his house and small gaps between the glasses can be left.
By their nature, these pets are thermophilic, so the base temperature in the terrarium should be between 21-23 degrees at night and 27-30 during the day, and in the place where the heater is located - at least 40 degrees. For lighting and maintaining the desired thermal regime, you can use incandescent lamps, only you need to protect your pet from contact with them, as it can get burned.
Coconut shavings or peat flooring can serve as a floor mat in a reptile's housing, only it is necessary to ensure that the litter does not contain too small elements, as they can enter the boa constrictor's respiratory tract and cause health problems.
The terrarium for the snake must be equipped with shelters and various branches so that the reptile can provide itself with physical activity. In no case should you use stones and branches with sharp fragments, they can easily damage the delicate covers of your boa constrictor. You can use cardboard boxes as cover.
Also, in the house of this original reptile, the constant availability of clean drinking water and a small swimming pool is mandatory.
- Cleaning. You need to change the water daily and remove food debris. The dwelling itself should be cleaned as it gets dirty, the litter is usually changed every 3-4 days, and all interior elements are disinfected at least once a month. We must not forget about the humidity in his personal room, so that the air does not dry out, it is necessary to carry out daily spraying. Only it is not recommended to splash on the owner of the dwelling, he will definitely not like it, and you should not wet the soil too much.
- Diet. If we talk about the procedure for feeding this beautiful snake, then we can say that this procedure is not the most pleasant. The favorite dish of boas are rodents, and in a live form. You can just run his food to him, he will catch it himself: it is easier for you and it is more fun for him. You can also include birds, frogs, pieces of fish in the menu, some will not refuse to eat quail or chicken eggs. The amount of food must be controlled, because the obesity of a false-legged person can lead not only to infertility, but also to his death. The process of digesting the absorbed food takes from 7 to 15 days. During molting, reptiles usually do not eat. Depending on the age and sex of the boa constrictor, the regularity and amount of food required varies. Newborn boa constrictors are fed once every 7–12 days, and one-year-olds every 12–14 days. Adults need to be offered food every three weeks, only the amount of food for the female should be twice the male's portion.
- Additional dressing. If you feed your long friend correctly, then he does not need additional substances, only complex vitamins can be given during pregnancy.
The price when buying a boa constrictor and the possibility of acquiring it
For the reason that today it is already difficult to surprise the owners of pet shops by buying a boa constrictor, this process is not much different from acquiring a kitten or a puppy, the only question is the presence of the reptile you are interested in.
Prices for snakes vary depending on the specific species, the average price for a boa constrictor ranges from 4,000 to 40,000 rubles.
For more information on the Colombian rainbow boa, see here:
