Island pythons and boas

A curious mind would like to know: how many people around here are keeping insular pythons and boas (Candoia, Savu pythons, Chilabothrus, etc.)?

The Pacific island pythons and boas have always interested me, and I've done a fair bit of fun-time reading into them. I'm curious as to whether any people around here actually keep them and what your experiences might have been. They don't seem to be particularly popular in the hobby -- a dietary preference for lizards and such may have something to do with it -- so you don't hear or see much about them. It sounds like most species aren't being bred in captivity, either.

Part of me is tempted to leave space in the snake room for one or more in the future, once my snake husbandry is up to snuff. They sound like they may be fun species to keep in a naturalistic setup provided you can get them established.

I have Savu pythons. They are fun, very active, easy to keep. Think of them as a corn snake in a python body.

Very nice!

Have to admit, Savus are one of the island species that tempt me the most. It's a shame that so few people are breeding them and that they're generally not available or accessible. The few I've seen for sale are typically four-figure pairs...

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Originally Posted by bcr229

I have Savu pythons. They are fun, very active, easy to keep. Think of them as a corn snake in a python body.

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May I assume that you don't house them together? -I was shocked to see Reptiles magazine* say: "A 40-gallon terrarium will easily house a pair of adults." :confusd:

*https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/listings/snake-species/savu-python/

They do seem like a wonderful & uncommon option that remains a nice pet size. I hope you produce some c/b offspring one of these years. :snake:

They are only together for breeding. I paired them last year but they were still a bit young - the female was 5, the male 6. I'm hoping for better results this year.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

They are only together for breeding. I paired them last year but they were still a bit young - the female was 5, the male 6. I'm hoping for better results this year.

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That's what I figured, & good luck this time around! :gj:

I've been drooling over people's viper and solomon island ground boas lately, they seem to be more popular now and with success being bred and switched to rodents. I have no access to lizard feeders here or even live feeders of any sort without breeding my own so I steer clear of anything more difficult or specialized.

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Originally Posted by GoingPostal

I've been drooling over people's viper and solomon island ground boas lately, they seem to be more popular now and with success being bred and switched to rodents. I have no access to lizard feeders here or even live feeders of any sort without breeding my own so I steer clear of anything more difficult or specialized.

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I've admired viper boas for a while too. I'm glad some people are finally working with them.

Gary Schiavino, a breeder I trust (I got my Rough-scaled Sand Boas from him, and he's been fantastic to deal with) breeds Savu Pythons. I've been tempted by them for a few years now, as I definitely have a thing for the smaller pythons. But I really am content with my current group of snakes and want to just focus on giving them the best possible enclosures and husbandry. Still, those Savus are fantastic little pythons.

I have Tarahumara Boas, which (to my mind at least) are similar in that even though they aren't island snakes, their natural habitat isolates them in much the same way an island does. It's really fascinating to learn about these species that have developed within their own unique niches.

I admin a couple of beginner snake groups on Facebook and have noticed a disturbing trend in the last few months of total beginners buying neonate Solomon Island Boas and then having no idea how to feed them properly. I've been seeing disturbing photos of skinny babies with worried owners posting about how they won't eat mice (nope, they want lizards). It's really frustrating, and I would love to see some of the more experienced folks here take on some of these little beauties, as I am tired of seeing them starve to death in the FB groups. Yes. I'm bitter about it.

Viper boas caught my attention recently (as in, I flat out learned they existed) and their small size for a boa is tempting. But of all things, the name is what gets to me. All I can think of is the CONSTANT headache of having to explain to people that the snake isn't venomous just because the word "viper" is involved and that it really does look like one to the average Joe. :sigh2:

Best of luck with your Savus, bcr229!

Gary's name rings a bell. I feel like I've heard of him through arboreal/GTP talk? Nice to know he's working with Savus as well. Thanks for the recommendation!

Candoia-wise: The lizard-based diet of Candoia is what gives me the most pause with them. It's something that's a little bit more in reach now that Reptilinks are a thing (and I've personally had some early success with them), but there's no guarantee they'll be around forever. Frog and fowl could potentially provide similarly lean alternative prey. Rodents would make a nice energy-rich treat for a Candoia every once in a while, but I wouldn't offer them too often. I think the hobby's wizening up to the consequences of more or less forcing rodent-based diets on snakes that weren't designed to handle them.

Not surprised the baby Solomon Island boa issue is a thing, Caitlin. I've seen a lot of adverts from importers and wholesalers for Solomon Island boas and the (cheap) neonates gravid females have dropped in the last few months. The outcome is disappointing, but not surprising. I feel like I'm approaching the point in my herp keeping experience that I'd be ready to take one of those little babies on (given some of those micro Reptilinks and a keeper friend willing to part with some feeder geckos in an emergency), but I'm not ready to run out an buy another snake at the moment. (And I should make a yes/no decision on that rehome Lampropeltis first :P)

If anyone's interested in viper boas, Vin Russo's actually had good luck with them. He's got CBB babies at this point that he's line-breeding for red. Pretty sure he has Solomon Island boas as well, though I'm not sure if he's breeding those right now.

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Originally Posted by WrongPython

Best of luck with your Savus, bcr229!

Gary's name rings a bell. I feel like I've heard of him through arboreal/GTP talk? Nice to know he's working with Savus as well. Thanks for the recommendation!

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Yes, that's the same Gary. He is mainly a GTP/Emerald Tree Boa/Sanzinia guy, but he has a couple of small breeding projects he enjoys - one of those being Savus, another being the Rough-scaled Sand Boas I got from him.

I like your idea about using ReptiLinks. That absolutely sounds like it's worth a shot. As you probably know, the ReptiLinks people also produce scents that can be used to inspire picky snakes to eat. I'm pretty sure that Anole is one of those scents. which maybe could be helpful with a Solomon Islands baby. They are really beautiful little Boas - they remind me a lot of Dumeril's. I'd love to hear about them doing well for someone.

Ah, Sanzinia. Another species I'd be interested in keeping if it wasn't for their large size. I'm interested in all of the Malagasy boas as well, but they all seem to reach a size that's just this side of too large for me. The dwarf Dumeril's are tempting, though, assuming they really stay that small and don't cost an arm and a leg...

Yeah, Reptilinks carries an anole scent. They also carry gecko, frog, fish, and ASF scents. I'd personally try the gecko scent first if I was trying to entice a baby Candoia to eat -- last I checked, there are more geckos in their native range, and anoles aren't actually native to the Pacific (though there are lizards similarly shaped to them).

I recall seeing someone selling baby Solomon Island boas that were feeding reliably on feeder guppies at one point. Perhaps very small feeder fish in a water bowl could be a solution? The movement of fish in the bowl may be a good stimulant, and they're a good, lean protein with some calcium and healthy oils to boot. Given how small Candoia babies are, feeder insects may also be a viable solution. My only worry there would be proper gut loading and making sure that the insects are actually dead when the babies ingest them (ie. you don't want crickets trying to chew their way out).

Guppies are actually not a good food source due to thiaminase. They're not as bad as goldfish but they do have it.