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Atlas / Library / Boidae / Red-tailed Boa
CITES I/II
Boidae

Red-tailed Boa

Boa constrictor constrictorงูโบอาหางแดง

Photograph: Willianderson Lima · CC BY

Photographed by an observer on iNaturalist and published under a Creative Commons licence; the photographer and the licence are named under the image. It is not an animal of ours, and no animal was handled by us to produce it.

CITES I/II is a global listing and holds in every country. National law is not global, and we hold no national wildlife law for any country, Thailand included. Check your own authority before buying or selling.

Back to the globe My keep

https://keepr.pet/husbandry/en/boa-constrictor-constrictor

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warm end32 °C
cool end24–27 °C
Humidity55–75 %
Enclosure244×122×122
Diet14–21 days

The numbers

Thermal gradient

152025303540 °C
24–27°Cool side
32°Warm side

A real gradient, 32°C warm against 24–27°C cool, so the animal chooses. The sheet states no separate night figure.

Why

Same scale on every sheet here, so two species compare by eye.

The sheet stateswarm 32 °C / cool 24-27 °C

Humidity

55–75%Target RH

The sheet states55-75%

UVB

T5 6%required

The sheet statesZoo Med T5 HO ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia Forest 6% in a reflective T5 HO fluorescent fixture

Identity

Enclosure and conditions

Enclosure

32 °C55–75 % RHUVB tube8 ft4 ft
warm sideUVB tube
50100150200 cm
8 × 4 × 4 ft · 244 × 122 × 122 cmWidth × depth × height
298dm² of floor
Substrate: not in our dataWater: not in our dataHides: not in our data

Drawn from the stated numbers. Only what the sheet states is drawn inside.

Why

The rectangle carries the exact width-to-height ratio of the figures above it, and the ruler under it places that width on the 0–250 cm scale every sheet here shares, so two species still compare at a glance. Nothing is added that the sheet does not name: a lamp drawn on a sheet that never mentions one would be invented equipment. What the sheet leaves out is listed rather than left blank, because an empty tank reads as « none needed ».

The sheet statesat least 8'L x 4'W x 4'H

Temperature
warm 32 °C / cool 24–27 °C
Humidity
55–75%

What your climate adds

This sheet states a range to hold. Your local climate decides how much work holding it is. Pick the nearest city: nothing is sent anywhere, the choice stays in this browser.

Diet

Feeding rhythm

every 14–21 dAs the sheet states
2Meals in 28 days

Twenty-eight days, one row. Each band is a meal window.

Why

The windows widen as they go because the interval is a range: four meals after a 10–14 day cycle land anywhere between day 40 and day 56.

The sheet statesmice and rats, African soft-furred rats, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, young rabbits, chicks, quail, and Reptilinks; Newborn-18 months: once a week; 18 months to 4 years: every 2-3 weeks; 4+ years: every 4-8 weeks

Common questions

How big does it get?

A true red-tail female commonly reaches around three metres and becomes very heavy. This is a big powerful animal, not a starter snake.

Is it safe to handle?

Juveniles are fine for one person. Once it is large we insist on a second adult present, because a big constrictor can overwhelm one pair of hands.

What is its temperament like?

Most captive-bred boas are calm and tolerant, which is why they are so popular. The risk is size, not attitude.

How much does it cost per month?

An adult eats a large rodent every week or two, so figure a few hundred baht a month for food plus the electricity to heat a large enclosure.

What it needs

Enclosure at least 244 × 122 × 122 cmbecause enclosureat least 8'L x 4'W x 4'H
A heat sourcebecause tempwarm 32 °C / cool 24-27 °C
A thermostat to regulate itbecause tempwarm 32 °C / cool 24-27 °C
A thermometerbecause tempwarm 32 °C / cool 24-27 °C
A hygrometerbecause humidity55-75%
UVB 6-6% (T5), stated as requiredbecause uvbZoo Med T5 HO ReptiSun 5.0 or Arcadia Forest 6% in a reflective T5 HO fluorescent fixture

Every line above is deduced from a value this sheet states, and names which one. Nothing here is a general recommendation.

Sources

Others in this group

What this sheet states

77%
TemperatureHumidityEnclosure sizeActivityOriginDietSourcesUVB

This sheet states 5 of 7 of the fields this product runs on. What is missing turns something off: day/night engine and awake count on the globe, the diet section. We show the gap rather than fill it with a plausible number.

UVB is measured but does not count: it is absent from 421 of 678 sheets, and on most of them that is not a gap, since a nocturnal snake's sheet has no reason to state a UV index. Counting it would call the library incomplete without cause.