Brazilian Rainbow Boa????

So, I've got the green light to get another snake in January....and as the title states, I'm curious about BRBs.
First, a little back story: so I used to keep snakes years ago, but for personal reasons got out of the hobby. But, I never had any boas. My experience to this point is limited to BPs, Kings, corns and now a hognose. Well, a while back my girlfriend gave me the ok to get ONE snake (hahahahhaahhahahahaha) which was amazing since she WAS afraid of snakes until I begged her to get close enough to touch one. So then she said ONE more, but her stipulations were basically the snake had to be shorter than she is tall (barely 5 ft). So, to this point I've stuck to a King, hognose and a BP.
Well, as she has grown more comfortable around snakes, she says I can go bigger, but not BIG. So, BRBs have come into question.
Well, what are your thoughts and experiences with Brazilian Rainbow Boas???
Sorry to be long winded, but I'm obviously doing plenty of research on my own, and that includes feedback from our awesome members on the forum.
So, please share any thoughts. Thanks all!!!

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Fabulous !!!

Damn near perfect to be honest . There's more than one theory around as regards their upkeep but if you do adequate research you will be fine .,

Will you go for a tiny hatchling , a yearling or an adult ??


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Fabulous !!!

Damn near perfect to be honest . There's more than one theory around as regards their upkeep but if you do adequate research you will be fine .,

Will you go for a tiny hatchling , a yearling or an adult ??


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Thanks Zinc! Yeah, I've almost got my mind made up, but some more homework and member feedback is in order before I go for it.
I'm thinking hatching to yearling. I want to watch this baby grow.

Pm sent...:)

For what it's worth ... I had mine in glass vivs which enabled me to keep them in humid conditions - the general consensus seems to be that hatchling to yearlings need a fair amount of humidity but as they get to adults the humidity isn't as vital BUT I set mine up with a normal side and a more humid side and the adults never went near the normal side spending 100% of time on the humid side .
I ended up using a base mixture of Eco-earth and Orchid bark kept it 'damp' AND then I placed a nice lush layer of moss ( with roots) over the whole surface . Added a few branches and it looked wondrous. I have some photos on an old hard drive somewhere ..

Anyways they were always super healthy and very placid with a great appetite . They used to sleep under the moss during the day and climb and explore the viv in the evenings.



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I have one female BRB, a juvie (about 4.5' long at this point). The young need very humid conditions (close to 100%) and are usually best kept in a tub setup to achieve that and on a humid substrate. As they grow, they can tolerate less (around 75% ish is talked about a lot). The can and do climb, but also hide a lot (especially during the day). Mine is currently in a rack setup, but I've got her 4'x2'x15" AP cage waiting to be set up. I will be offering her a basking shelf and a couple branches to climb on also, in addition to your typical hides and water bowl.

IMO, it is very important to purchase from a good breeder. BRBs are known to be a little more sensitive to medications (i.e. PAM) and as such, trying to start off with a healthy one is very important. Rainbows R Us has a great reputation btw, if you're shopping for a breeder.

I'd suggest a size-appropriate tub setup with ventilation, a good layer of substrate like cochusk, coir, organic soil, etc. and a water bowl big enough to soak in if needed. Some fake plants to provide additional cover would also be appreciated. Temps need to be lower than BPs, I keep my hot spot at about 85f and cool end of the tub is around 76f. My girls spends most of her time on the cool side unless digesting. I add some water to my substrate a couple times a week to keep the humidity up (I just pour about 1/2 cup water into a few different areas in the substrate vs. misting). Although they like high humidity, they don't need to actual substrate to be wet.

Note that some rainbows can be very defensive as babies and some never tame out. Mine has been a dream and was easily handled even at a young age, so I'm assuming I got lucky. :) Mine has a good appetite, so no complaints there.

Rainbows R Us has a great reputation btw, if you're shopping for a breeder... I will probably try to get a high red male from them to go with my female in a few years and they have some striking morphs as well as line bred animals at very fair prices IMO.

As above ..

I'm also looking out for a hypo high red or Hypo high orange but they cost around FIVE times as much as the normals in the uk


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Thanks all!!!!

I'd you haven't already ... check out the thread on BRB progression.... there's about 80 photos in there .


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Wanted to add one more thing... They do go through a dramatic color change and don't usually look "stunning" as babies. That said, you can tell a difference when you have several to compare from. This is why it is crucial to get with a good breeder that has pics of the adult pair. Picking a baby with the least dark tones will generally mean a lighter adult.

My girl came from an expo. There were several siblings from the same clutch available and she was markedly brighter than the others. She has turned out to be a pretty good looking adult BRB, but nothing like a high red or high orange line-bred animal.

Zincubus is right that the hypos look very cool too... I'm not sure if they are as iridescent as the normals though.

There is a good BRB group on FB that I'm a member of. The breeder of Rainbows R Us often posts on it as well as other well-known breeders. You might want to try there if you decide to start shopping.

Here are a couple pics of my female taken about 5 months ago. She has gotten a bit darker than this now, but still has excellent color. I'm really loving the contrast between the oranges / red and the purplish tones on her sides.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/3-17%202.jpg

http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/3-17%201.jpg

It may have already been mentioned but they can also change colours quite dramatically in the evenings ....
their sides go WHITE !!

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I've read they are subject to a quick decline if humidity drops, but am wondering how quick is "quick"? For an established adult, could you leave town for a week without worry, or would you need someone to check daily to ensure humidity is in the appropriate range?

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

I've read they are subject to a quick decline if humidity drops, but am wondering how quick is "quick"? For an established adult, could you leave town for a week without worry, or would you need someone to check daily to ensure humidity is in the appropriate range?

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In my experience they were practically bombproof especially as adults.

I'm sure giving the viv a good spray beforehand would like allow a week or so break - you could also include a very damp hide as well . Eve a big bowl of water with handfuls of moss in there ...


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

In my experience they were practically bombproof especially as adults.

I'm sure giving the viv a good spray beforehand would like allow a week or so break - you could also include a very damp hide as well . Eve a big bowl of water with handfuls of moss in there ...


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Ah, thank you Zinc. They are sooooooo on my wish list.

I was trying to find some pics of the adult BRB I used to have. While doing so I found this old post I made on KS in 2003 describing his behavior: http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch...21109&key=2003

BRBs are really neat, as adults they can be rather hardy and quite docile. When I'd take mine out, he'd enjoy crawling around and climbing up branches and dowels I'd set up for him. Their heads are quite small and dainty.
They may soak for over 24 hrs which is totally normal, especially when coming up to a shed. Mine would completely submerge and just his little nostrils would be sticking out. Fed great on f/t small rats. As mentioned, they have a really cool color change on the laterals that may be cream/dingy during the day and then bright white at night time. I really enjoyed the time I kept mine and would say go for it if you like them, they are stunning snakes and not very large.
Also agreed that Dave at Rainbows R Us is top notch, I've been in his snake room before and he has some awesome snakes and takes great care of them.

Here are some old pics, these were from 2001 and 2002 so they were scanned from actual photos years ago, sorry they are so small!
Irontal hanging out showing the 'dark' sides during the day:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/OoFiZBk.jpg
Irontail with bright white sides at night:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/L1djkLZ.jpg

One of my favorite photos, outdoor photo shoot:
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/HsgFsPV.jpg
http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch...21109&key=2003http://forums.kingsnake.com/viewarch...21109&key=2003

Oh and another recommendation - Cliff at Living Gem Reptiles. He takes really detailed records and seems like a great guy

Thank you!!!

Ok, so this Expo isn't til Jan 28th.....time can't go fast enough!!

I have also reached out to a few breeders who were suggested by our awesome members. Looking forward to hearing back from them and possibly not working til the expo.

The wait is already killing me....

The expo should have a vendor list on their website. Check it out and look up the vendors on fauna classifieds BOI (board of inquiry). You can also post asking about them in our feedback sub-forum. I did this with the expos I've been to and it has been helpful.

Good luck in your search!

FWIW I spoke to Cliff at Living Gems, just to pick his brain a little - and holy cow, that guy is awesome. His breeding standards sound incredibly impressive and he gave me a wealth of information. Answered questions I didn't even know I had. As breeders go, he seems top notch. I would totally hit him up if you haven't already.

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Originally Posted by hilabeans

FWIW I spoke to Cliff at Living Gems, just to pick his brain a little - and holy cow, that guy is awesome. His breeding standards sound incredibly impressive and he gave me a wealth of information. Answered questions I didn't even know I had. As breeders go, he seems top notch. I would totally hit him up if you haven't already.

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Yeah, his name is at the top of my list, heard nothing but good about him.

My male has been extremely docile since day 1 and I got him as a hatchling. He turned 1 mid December. He just stays still on my arm and chills a bit, then will gradually started exploring. He is a very aggressive and consistent eater, but has never snapped at me when I reach in the cage or any other time. Fabulous animals!


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