I've always wanted boa constrictors and I started with a pair of Sharp albinos - Crush and Blizzard - but I also love the VPI T+ Albino gene so I have a pair of boas that are VPI T+ as well. I want to say that's enough boas but have you seen a VPI T+ IMG Aztec? Soooo hot!

Husbandry

See how to read the husbandry charts.

Temperatures, Humidity, and Light

Colombian boa husbandry is relatively straightforward. I keep my boas in the mid-80s°F during the day for most of the year, allowing temperatures to drop into the mid- to upper 70s°F at night.

The climate where I live in the U.S. is quite dry, so maintaining appropriate humidity requires a little extra effort. I aim for a humidity range of approximately 50–70%, which has worked well for my animals. I use large water bowls positioned beneath the radiant heat panels along one side of each enclosure to encourage evaporation. I also provide about 4 inches of coconut bark substrate, which I lightly dampen once or twice a week. Together, these measures help maintain suitable humidity levels without requiring constant misting.

Feeding

As shown in the chart, I feed my adult Boa imperator every 3–4 weeks throughout the year. These boas can be surprisingly easy to overfeed, which can lead to obesity and other health issues. A good rule of thumb is to maintain a healthy body condition, with a cross-sectional shape resembling a loaf of bread—rounded but not overly wide or bulging. Adjust prey size and feeding frequency as needed to keep your boa in good condition.

Breeding

Back in the early 90s a guy in a pet store told me that breeding boa constrictors was next to impossible. So I didn't even think I'd give it a try. But now that I have a better idea how to keep and breed snakes generally, I've found that either they aren't that tricky or I have had some beginner's luck.

As the chart shows, for breeding, I drop the daytime and nighttime temperatures by about 6-8 degrees for 3 months of the year - Nov, Dec, and Jan. There is also a month on each side of that cool-down which I use to gradually lower or raise the temps.

I cut the light down to just 8 hours a day during that time and I pair the males and females togther. You can see that I manipulate their food a bit before and during the breeding period. In August and September I feed both the males and females more food than they were getting during the rest of the year. Then in October and November I shrink the food item down to something small.

I was successful doing everything that I described in the paragraphs before this one, but as you can see in the chart, I am considering a change to adopt a practice that Jeff Ronne uses, which is to continue feeding the male and the female occasionally during the rest of the breeding period from Dec - Feb. I'll give it a try and update the chart accordingly.