Brazilian rainbow boas

[midgard]

I'd like to hear from some owners of brbs. I read caresheets on them for several weeks because my dad's friend suggest my dad to get one. My dad doesn't care about temperament and humidity shouldn't be an issue. If you have pics plz send them and how often do you hold your snake?

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[midgard]

What substrate do you recommend?

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[bcr229]

All of my snakes get held several times a week, usually when their enclosures need cleaning but occasionally I'll pull one out just to hold it for a while.

BRB's are often nippy and defensive when young but they grow out of it with gentle handling. It just takes them a while to learn that we are not big snake-eating predators.

Caring for them is relatively easy if you use the appropriate equipment - a proper reptile enclosure or tub that can retain humidity, a heat pad for a basking spot, and a good-quality thermostat to regulate the heat are all essential.

[hazzaram]

I have a 2015 female that I think is wonderful. We had kind of a rough start because she's really shy but we've learned to work together, lol. She has never bitten or hissed and has a wonderful temperament. She doesn't like being taken out of her bin but once I started using a hook I've had no issues with defensive posturing. She's so easy to handle and I do so every couple of days (giving her ample time to digest her little mousies). She's very explorative and will go over my hands and through my fingers over and over again. I adore my balls but she is just great. Her colouring and her eyes are stunning.

I have her in a bin with holes I made with a soldering iron. I've had no issues with humidity. I keep her on paper towel with a humid hide, a large water bowl and a regular hide. She eats once every 2 weeks on a mouse fuzzy and she sheds like a dream. I'll see if I can find some pics. Her name is Willow

If you have any other questions, let me know! I'm by no means an expert but I'll try!

[midgard]

Thanks for responding and I see that hatchlings tend to be nippy but that should not hurt much and anyways my dad said he is willing to take time to tame the snake down. It's not his first snake and right now he has a bp.

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[hazzaram]

Thanks for responding and I see that hatchlings tend to be nippy but that should not hurt much and anyways my dad said he is willing to take time to tame the snake down. It's not his first snake and right now he has a bp.

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I think it depends on the individual snake. She has never nipped me. Never struck at me. Never hissed at me. She's curled up defensively in her tub but that's about it. Nothing came of it. But from what I hear the majority of them are nippy. Maybe you'll get lucky like me

[midgard]

Thank you and your snake is gorgeous!, that is one reason why my dad's friend suggested a brb.

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[JimJam]

I just got mine about a month ago and it's been great so far. She's about 4 years old and 4.5'. Never once bitten or any problems at all. She's a total sweetheart and loves to explore when she's out of her cage. In fact, she is a bit of a handful to keep up with and not at all like a BP and happy to sit and wrap. She like to crawl all over me and nearby tables or anything she sees. Great snake though.

[nightrainfalls]

After we switched him to frozen thawed, he started to regurge or vomit unless left alone for a full three days before and after feeding, so he is only held about once a week. This has become a concern for us, since the regurges and fasting afterwards have retarded his growth. We have had him checked by a vet, stool and blood samples run. Everything came back good. In our case as long as we keep handling down to a minimum, he is doing quite well. He is the picture of health, eating and shedding regularly, but he doesn't do well with a lot of handling. This doesn't seems to be to common, among BRB's though. I suspect mine is unusual.

Altogether BRB's are not hard to keep, though they do require high humidity and a narrower range of temps than most snakes. This means constant cage maintenance. We clean the cage three times a week. To avoid handling him, we generally lift his hide out in one piece with him in it to change substrate and water.

He is a gorgeous snake though and well worth the extra trouble. We hope as he gets larger he will become less sensitive to handling.

Also, until you see it you can't actually believe it, BRB's can change color over about a five minute period. This tends to happen around night time. The sides start to turn white near the ventral margin, and the white moves progressively higher until only the dorsal margin is red. It is really cool to see. Ours has done this trick both while being held, and while in the tank.

I had read about it, but seeing it is a whole lot different. It is a real wow type of thing.

We have three other snakes, and I will say the BRB is the only one that has ever worried me, and is much more work than any of the other three, but he is also the coolest. I highly recommend one.

Dave Colling at Rainbows R Us is a great source of information and snakes.

David

[midgard]

Thanks for responding everyone.

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