This is the most popular boa subspecies, with a greater number of ventral scales (234–250) and blotches.

There are quite a few different color and pattern varieties created by breeders, one of the most popular being the scarlet Blood Phase Boa. Common boas don’t have speckled bellies, but if they do they are lightly speckled and the pattern on the tail appears to be smudged. The common boas have less than 253 ventral (belly surface) scales and at least 21 dorsal (top surface) blotches (the area between the vent and the neck). They typically have blotches on their tails and scale patterns that look like leaves, ovals, diamonds, or circles.ĭepending on the subspecies, your boa can take on a variety of looks.

Depending on the habitat they’re trying to blend into, boas can have a range of colors, including tan, green, red, and yellow. A boa’s small cloacal spurs on the sides of its vent (anus) are actually connected to said vestigial limbs!īoa constrictors have distinctive and varied markings. They have vestigial remnants of the pelvis and hind limbs of their lizard-like predecessors. Boa Constrictor Appearanceīoas are primitive snakes, just like pythons. In fact, the oldest recorded boa lived to be just over forty-three and lived at the Philadelphia Zoological Gardens. It’s quite normal for a boa constrictor to live for twenty to thirty years or more. Boa Constrictor Lifespanīoa constrictors are among the longest-lived snake species in the world. The largest boa constrictor on record is believed to have been 14 feet in length. Most captive-bred boa constrictors do not exceed a weight of 60 pounds, with most subspecies topping out at around 30 pounds. Male boa constrictors tend to be a little smaller than females. The average adult size ranges from 4 to 7 feet in length, with some individuals occasionally reaching 8 or 9 feet in length. Newborn boa constrictors range in length between 14 and 22 inches and weigh just 2 to 3 ounces. Boa Constrictor Sizeīoas are one of the few snakes that produce live births, versus eggs that need to be incubated. There are six subspecies currently recognized by all herpetologists, including the Common Boa Constrictor, Red-Tailed Boa Constrictor, Clouded Boa Constrictor, San Lucia Boa Constrictor, Short-Tailed Boa Constrictor, and Argentine Boa Constrictor. Not saying my method is the only way, but works a treat for me.This is one of the few instances where an animal’s scientific name is the same as its common name. Kept BRB's (and bred them) using that husbandry method, going on 6 yrs, never an issue, non- feeder or vet visit for all 22 of them. On a more specific note, I use Eco earth, which is very mould resistant and holds moisture. I always would say, look to the natural habitat and recreate, best advice I ever got from a very reputable breeder. My IJ carpets prefer a hot spot of 35c, they happily seek it out and sit in it, whereas that temperature could cause serious damage to a BRB. BRBs have specially adapted scales for living in a moist environment, another example would be anacondas, they have a similar tolerance to high humidity, not every snake will end up with scale rot or an RI down to excessive contact with water. Each to their own I guess, everyone finds their own husbandry way, but why would you think they'd get ill? No one goes out and turns the humidity down in the rainforest - admittedly it would fluctuate as seasons pass, but it is a pretty dominant feature of that environment.

Iris tubs for boa constrictor imperator