Common boa (Boa Imperator) hobby breeding in Tallinn, Estonia.
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The length of the boa depends on its gender and genetics. Male boas are smaller than females and are on average 1-1.8 meters long. The average length of females is 1.2-2.4 meters. You can also find boas that are 3 meters long. In terms of genetics, Leopard and Blood boas, for example, are smaller, with an average length of 1.5 meters.
Any pet can injure a person if they are scared. Boas can also bite if they smell food. If your boa is trained from a young age to be used to handling, you watch his body language and do not frighten him and do not handle your animal while there are rats in the room, it is unlikely that he will bite you. Although the boa is a constrictor, it will not deliberately strangle you. However, it is wiser not to let your boa wrap around your neck - unraveling the boa from a convenient place is a job in itself :)
The dull-looking skin and blue color of the eyes indicate that it is time for shedding. During this time, boas may be more moody and you may not want to bother them. Let them be in a calm environment, raise the humidity to 80% and make sure you have clean water at all times. You will soon see that your boa is back to its old self and in a new bright-coloured suit.
Boas mainly eat pre-killed and deep-frozen rats or mice that are warmed up before a meal. The size of the meal and the frequency of feeding depend on the age and size of the animal (read more in the "About boas" section). It is important to feed quality food and not to handle your snakes for at least 24 hours after feeding - you reduce the risk of regurgitation. As boas eat maximum once a week, the frequency of defecation and urination is much lower. They can only pass stools once a week, even once a month as adults. As a rule one meal = one poop.
Yes. Boa is a living being. If the living environment is not suitable, the boa will get ill. Too high or low temperatures and humidity levels, too much or too little food can all have a detrimental effect on boas, which can be fatal to the animal.
Boas can live 20-30 years in good conditions. A 40-year old boa is also not rare. It is a friend for a lifetime :)
The easy answer is NO. Boas are territorial. They only get together in the wild to mate. Your boa doesn't want a "friend" to fight for food, water and hiding places. She is the happiest alone. You definitely need two separate terrariums.
There is much debate about whether boas recognize their owners. Many boa owners talk about how their animal starts crawling in the terrarium every night and wants to get out to sleep comfortably on the owner's shoulders. In addition, due to their good sense of smell, they could be expected to distinguish their owner's odor from that of other people. On the other hand, scientists say that snakes do not have a "center of emotion" in their brains that would allow them to enjoy sleeping on a particular person's lap. There is a high probability that your boa likes to sleep on your lap because it is warm, safe and comfortable, but she would sleep the same way in the lap of another person.