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Kazerella
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
721 Posts |
 Posted - 07/12/2008 : 10:51:33
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I'm challenging you lot to find out more stuff about the rarer types of Rainbow Boa. I've done the care sheets, but it's been hard work finding out about some of them.
The person who gets me to most info on Peruvian, Espirato Santo or Caatinga Rainbow Boas will receive a top quality plastic snake to play with, courtesy of Lewy Lewy and therainbowboa.co.uk team (that's me I think)  |
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matty18714
The wannabe 'Ranger of Rainbows'
United Kingdom
137 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2008 : 19:45:39
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| What sites have you used so far? |
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gingerpony
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
1442 Posts |
Posted - 08/12/2008 : 20:32:46
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| it came to me on the way home last night - Acanthrophis dumerili - though i might have to check the spelling, so no they're not that closely related Kaz |
Dumerils boas, BCO hybrids, Sinder hypo boas, ratsnakes, cornsnakes, Day geckos
LOCATION: Leeds/York area
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Kazerella
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
721 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2008 : 12:16:23
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I must have dreamt it then GP- I do that a lot when I've spent a long time on care sheets and research. Your mind fills with snakes and amphibians and then you have some really weird dreams about them.
Matty- done all the websites. Used google, ask and yahoo search engines asking for common and latin names for all the different species. Also bought a book, but it didn't have much in.
I think books are the way to go, but they are quite rare and expensive on RBs.  |
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saddleninja
Moderator
United Kingdom
44 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2008 : 09:51:42
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Peruvian Rainbow Care Sheet
epicrates cenchria gaigei
General:
We chose to breed peruvian rainbow boa's for a few reasons. The main reasons are there colors and the fact they are not bred in large numbers. There are an estimated 9 to 12 subspecies of rainbow boas. They can be found from Costa Rica through South America in forest, woodlands,swamps, and plains. They are nocturnal, sleeping during the day and prowling for food at night. The rainbow boas are so named for there iridescences when light hits them. There scales act as a prism, letting off an array of colors. The peruvian rainbow is the largest of the rainbow species. Even being the largest, they are still very manageable. An adult rainbow boa is nothing compared to a common boa. They are a slender animal that may grow to around 7 feet and only weigh around 15 pounds. The most common rainbow is the Brazilian rainbow. There are allot of similarities in the Peruvian and Brazilian. The Peruvians have a more distinct patter and bulls eye shaped circle on there side. There is also a difference in scale count with the Peruvian having 41to 45 scale rows at mid body and the Brazilian having 47 to 51 scale rows at mid body. Care of rainbows is very similar with a Temperature variance between some species.
Selecting a Peruvian Rainbow
When choosing your peruvian rainbow look for clear skin, a well rounded body, clean vent area, clear eyes and make sure it is flicking its tongue allot when handled. The snake should grip you when being handled, gently but firmly. The peruvian rainbow should be alert of its surroundings. A baby peruvian WILL be nippy because it thinks you want to eat it. Being a bat eater in the wild gives these snakes very sharp teeth to catch a flying bat better. So if you do get bit don't pull away. It will be so fast it will probably be over before you could react anyway. Remember, a baby snake is food for all kinds of animals and out of instinct it is worried its going to be hurt. On average, males will have larger spurs on either side of the vent. Other than that there isn't much difference in a male and female peruvian rainbows as babies. A female rainbow, on average, will grow larger than a male.
Housing:
Housing for a rainbow can get tricky but far from impossible. Its going to need to be large enough for the snake to get exercise and retain heat and humidity. Babies will feel safer in a smaller enclosure for the first few weeks. I keep my rainbows in sterilite containers with holes drilled in the side with a smaller sterilite container inside for a hide. Putting moss in the smaller hide box for humidity and a water bowl large enough for the snake to completely submerge itself. Besides the fact it helps keep the humidity up, they love it and it acts as another hide to them. For some reason they feel like you cant see them under the water. Its kinda funny but don't tell them you can see em. The water dish should remain clean, very clean as your rainbow will also use this water for drinking. Some people will tell you that you can put your rainbows in an aquarium. I highly disagree with this as aquariums do not hold humidity very well at all. The leading cause of death for rainbows, especially young rainbows, is low humidity but we will get to that in a bit. An adult peruvian loves to roam, so the larger enclosure you can get, the better. Animal Plastics make some of the best cages out there.and aside from the sterilite tubs they are all I use.
Substrate:
I like using paper towels for a substrate because its allot easier to change. You can also use substrates such as newspaper, reptile bark, cyprus mulch, Castro turf, or linoleum tiles. Mulch can be misted to retain humidity. No matter what substrate you decide to go with, keep in mind that due to the hi humidity levels required for a rainbow boa, mold will form if not careful. Keeping it simple is best because it makes seeing the mold allot easier and you will be more willing to work on the enclosure if it only takes 5 minutes rather than 15 minutes. The substrate should be replaced or cleaned often.
Temperature:
Keeping the temperature range is very important to your peruvian rainbows health. The ambient temperature throughout the enclosure should be 75-85 degrees during the day.The ambient temperature at night can drop to mid 70's. In most case and under tank heater will be enough for the temps needed. Anything 90 degrees and over is a death sentence for a rainbow boa. Rainbows are the exceptions in the snake world as far as heat goes. These are the temps I found work best for Peruvian Rainbows. There may need to be a drop for breeding season and a light change from 12 hours to 7 or 8 to replicate nature.
Lighting:
No special lighting is required for a rainbow boa. You can use incandescent bulbs during the day and a suitable red, blue or nocturnal reptile light at night. Snakes do not need ultraviolet B wavelengths. Make sure the snake can not get in contact with any of these lights to avoid burns. Another reason to use the incandescent bulb is to bring out the rainbow effect of the awesome animals. They have "new" bulbs out now that replicate natural sunlight and have a whiter appearance than a regular bulb. They cost a bit more but its worth the money in the long run as far as showing off the colors of your rainbow boa.
Feeding:
Allow your snake to acclimate for a week or two to its new home. Start your hatchling off with pinky rats. I use 8 gram pinkies for my babies and work my way up from there. I suggest F/T (frozen thawed) Introducing live prey is not recommended because of the harm it can cause to the snake. A bored mouse or rat may decide to chew on your snake with the possibility of killing it. Having a $2.00 mouse kill your $200.00 snake will turn your stomach .These guys are willing eaters and can become obese. If a rainbow does become obese there scales will separate and due to the contrast in colors shows up very well and doesn't look good. So do not over feed your rainbow boa. Remember, captive snakes only eat as much as they do because we as humans feed them that much. This isn't to say if they could catch and eat a mouse or rat a week they wouldn't but it just doesn't happen that often in the wild.
Water:
Make sure your rainbow has plenty of fresh water all the time. A snake will drink, soak, and defecate in the same water bowl. Make sure you have a large enough water bowl for your snake to soak in. Rainbow boas seem to be resistant to "Blister Disease" and will spend allot of time in the water. As I stated above, they also seem feel safe when in there water bowl.
Handling:
After your rainbow boas has had some time to acclimate you will want to handle it quite a bit. A baby rainbow will be nippy in most cases. This will fade in time. Usually a short period of time. If your going to get bit now is the time. Do not give up! If, no, when you get bit, if the little guy wants to hold on DON"T pull your hand back. It will cause more damage to you and can cause harm to your snake. Instead, go to the bathroom or nearest sink and run warm water over the little guy. It will let go.
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Kazerella
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
721 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2008 : 12:16:45
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Whoo hoo! That's good SN 
The Challenge is on!  |
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Kazerella
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
721 Posts |
Posted - 20/12/2008 : 15:04:22
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Looks like no one else dare challenge you Saddleninja!
Send me your address via email and I'll post you out your prize |
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Challenge
