Solomon Island Tree Boa

[AviculariaLover]

Anyone have one of these? I have one that was sold to me as a wild caught solomon island ground boa, which I now know is not the case. We wanted the big fat ground snake, but we got the skinny little thing that hides in her fake plant all day. At least I had her sexed and they said it was female, we know that much!

Here she is:

I was just wondering about other people's experiences and opinions on care, conditions, feeding, etc. And also size... how long do these generally get? There doesnt seem to be too much information out there on them. She doesnt seem to have grown in the two years I've had her. But we also don't feed her too often, she only eats treefrogs. We tried every method we could think of, and I mean everything, for the first 8 months we had her, until I threw in a spring peeper I had caught. This summer I'll work on switching her over but for now, she's picky.

I'm happy we got her though, she's a fascinating snake, she'll wrap around your wrist and stay there for hours, or tie herself in knots, and her face is just precious. She also gets lighter/darker depending on her mood or the time of day or temp, not entirely sure.

I would love to hear from anyone who has had/currently has one of these

 

[Mistwalker]

That is a really amazing looking snake. I love the shape of the head. It looks like it evolved to mimic tree branches. I've got no useful information for you, though, as I've never kept one. Lots of luck with it.

 

[Pimperator]

Awesome.

That's an awesome looking snake. I'm curious to find out what kind it is. :?

 

[AviculariaLover]

Thanks, yeah she's definitely beautiful, but I'd like to know what species she could be, and just any general info other people may have from experience. They aren't very common, I got her at the New York Reptile Expo two years ago. Only one breeder had them, and there were about five... there was a pretty red one I kinda wish I had chosen, but oh well. They were $60 each so I could only pick one.

Does anyone here have the solomon island ground boa, or a viper boa? Because that's what we intended on getting... and I might think about it for the future.

 

[Tommyboy]

Solomon Island Tree Boa Care Sheet

Solomon Island Tree Boa Care Sheet (Candoia bibroni australis)

Introduction

The Solomon Island Tree Boa is one of the smaller boas and is extremely beautiful and captive bred specimens are very docile with sweet, friendly personalities. They have triangular, flat heads and often are described as having a venomous or prehistoric appearance. Their scales are keeled. They are found in the Pacific Solomon Island, where they live in trees and will occasionally come to the ground. They generally live in forests near rivers, but will stray close to human dwellings.

These little known boas are the favorite snakes of many that are fortunate enough to own them. Male Solomon Island Tree Boas grow to be about two to three feet while females are usually four to five feet in length, The colouration varies alot from black, orange, yellow or even chocolate coloured, some specimens show blotches (green, grey, pink or red).


Sexing and Breeding


Sexing the snake is very simple. There is no probing or popping. Just turn the snake over and look near the tail area. If it is a male there are some large anal spurs and if not the snake is a female.

Breeding is Relatively Difficult for the novice breeder, Keep the Boas at 80 degrees in the day but drop the nighttime temperature to 70 degrees for six to eight weeks when you wish your Solomon Island Tree Boas to breed. Drop the temperature from November to December and then in January introduce your breeding pairs to each other. If the snakes breed from December to April, neonates will be born from September to January. Usually two females to several males work best, but multiple males are always required. Placing up to ten Solomon Island Tree Boas in one cage seems to work very well; as the snakes pair off, move them into a private enclosure so they may copulate. Some Solomon Island Tree Boa males will mate with all the females; others will choose only one with which to copulate. Solomon Island Tree Boas will usually bear from 5 to 15 neonates. The neonates are often difficult feeders but do need to eat every seven to ten days. If they will not accept pinkie mice try scenting this food with tree frogs. If the neonate Solomon Island Tree Boas, persist in stubbornness, allow them to eat tree frogs for five or six meals and then do not feed them for about three weeks. Reintroduce the scented pinkies; at this point the neonate will be extremely hungry and more likely to accept it.


Housing and General care.

Peat moss Aspen Mulch or Cypress Mulch make good substrate but Thick Shredded Newspaper makes great substrates for these snakes as it mimics Leaf littler form a forest floor. The enclosure should be as tall as it is long and as long as your snake Minimum, Solomon Island Tree Boa are exactly what their name says tree boa so provide them with lots of stick/branches to climb on. (You can use sticks/branches from your back yard but you must treat them for pests first, the simplest way to do this is to place the sticks in a bucket of water for a couple hrs then place in an oven or a BBQ set at 200f or 98c for 30-45 minuets this will kill any thing living in the stick/branches)

For water have a large water dish as most snakes love to bathe and hang out in the water. Keep in mind they also may poop in the water so you might want to check it every day. They may also mate in the water so it is important to have a large water dish with fresh clean water. Try to keep the water warm you can accomplish this buy placing half the water dish over the area where you have your under tank heater, this will not only keep the water warm but will help keep the humidity fairly high cutting back on how often you have to mist the tank. The temperatures should stay 78-84 year round. In the winter season keep the temp at 80 during the day and drop to 75 at night. This stimulates mating. Humidity should range from 50-70 percent year round a way to achieve higher humidity is to cover the ¾ of the screen lid typically used in snake and reptile enclosures this can be done with nice piece of Plexiglas or something as simple as a pillow case.

Provide a hide box it can be a simple cardboard box with a hole cut in the side, but I recommend something more along the lines of a large plastic container I.e. small rubber maid, in side the hide provide a hand full of damp sphagnum moss.

Lighting and Heating methods, well this is one of those Issues where people debate which is the proper way to do things so ill list first the way I heat and light my tanks and also provide alternatives, others use because in my opinion there is truly no wrong way to heat or light your tank as long as your snake is kept with in the proper temperature for it’s species type and is eating.

Method’s I use to heat and light my enclosures, I use under tank heaters sized appropriate to my enclosures placed on one side of the tank to provide a basking area and a cool zone (should say on the package what size tank the heater is appropriate for), for all my Boas and Pythons I cover ¾ of the screen lids with a towel or Plexiglas this helps keep Humidity in. I use strictly natural light from windows where possible; in areas where windows are not present I use an 18 inch UVA, UVB bulb set on a timer to mimic the natural day light as the light tells the snake when it is time to sleep (this is where the debate comes in my opinion and the opinion of a lot of people including vets and biologists snakes don’t need UVA UVB lights to survive nor does it make them healthier I use the UVA UVB because it is cheep to run and dose not produce lot’s of heat), most Boas and Pythons are nocturnal keep in mind in winter months some snakes not all snakes will hibernate no matter what your light/heating cycle is, as snake and most other reptile are sensitive to barometric-pressure (barometric-pressure changes with the seasons)


Other methods people use include basking lamp for the day heat rocks and heating bulbs for night time Moonlight (blue) or red, these methods will work well but cost lots and increase the chance of fire as most people keeping numbers of reptiles have the lights on timers which can malfunction. When using heating lights it is important to not put anything on top of your enclosure i.e. Plexiglas as the light can melt the Plexiglas and cause a fire, even if the lights do not melt the Plexiglas but the light is able to heat up the Plexiglas it will produce toxic fumes which is not healthy of your snake or any thing else living in your house including your self. When using Lights to heat your enclosure it is hard to keep humidity up so daily misting is a must.


FEDDING

This seems to be the Million-dollar question with Solomon Island Tree Boas due to the fact they are picky eaters and don’t need to eat often. They should be feed no more then once every three to four weeks as they have an extremely slow metabolism. Now this brings us to what to feed them and truthfully it’s a hole lot of trial and error if you can get them on mice steadily I congratulate you, because the biggest problem with theses snakes is well they’re picky. If you are having difficulty getting you snake to eat mice you may try feeder frogs (just make sure they are non toxic) or small lizards like Anoles or house geckos (again make sure they are non toxic) (In my experience tree frogs and small lizards are the preferred food) if your snake is still not eating and you have exhausted every possible food option it’s time to reexamine you setup to make sure the temp and humidity is correct. In only the most extreme cases of your snake not eating should you try to force feed and I would say the best method for this is to use a pinky pump filled with either pinky parts, lizard parts or caned cat food along with the base food of choice mix in a small amount of water enriched with electrolytes as this will help stimulate their feeding you may take this opportunity to also add a parasite medication in an appropriate dose (talk to your vet for dose) as parasites can cause your snake to stop feeding. (For example I have one who didn’t eat for 24 months with no ill effects which was my breaking point where I then decided to force feed him a meal usually the snake will start feeding shortly after forced a meal try feeding two weeks after you force a meal, if you decide this is what you need to do talk to a trained professional or a breeder who has had to force feed in the past as forcing a meal is dangerous to the snake if done improper)

Health

On final topic I want to include because it is becoming an issue with exotic snakes and is common with Solomon Island Tree Boa’s is mouth rot now mouth rot is a progressive bacterial infection involving the oral lining. It may begin with increased salivation. Often saliva bubbles from the mouth Close inspection of the oral lining reveals tiny pinpoint areas of bleeding. The oral lining becomes increasingly inflamed and pus begins to accumulate within the mouth, especially among the rows of teeth. As the disease progresses, the underlying bone becomes infected and the teeth fall out.
This infection must be recognized in the early stages to successfully reverse it. The hobbyist must seek veterinary help when mouth rot is first evident.
The veterinarian may want to collect a saliva/pus specimen for bacterial culture and subsequent antibiotic sensitivity testing to determine the appropriate antibiotic(s) to use. A blood sample can also be collected to accurately assess the internal and overall status of the patient. Mouth rot often is an external manifestation of more serious internal problems.
Initial treatment involves injections of vitamins A, C and B complex, as well as a "best guess" antibiotic (one that the veterinarian believes has the best chance of fighting the infection until the results of antibiotic sensitivity tests are available). Supportive care involves daily or twice-daily cleansing of the mouth, application of topical antibiotics, administration of fluids to combat dehydration and the possible detrimental effects of certain antibiotics, and periodic forced-feedings (using a stomach tube).
Generally, snakes with heavy accumulations of pus and infected bones of the jaw are unlikely to be saved, even with aggressive veterinary efforts. You must be alert to the early stages of the disease and periodically inspect the mouth for signs of mouth rot.
Another way to treat mouth rot in its early stages is to up the heat by at least 8-10 degrease, as well up the humidity by misting and clean out all bedding and replace with paper towel it is important to clean your enclosure daily, as well replace water daily as mouth rot is a Bactria an will thrive if not cleaned. It is important to note mouth rot is never completely curable so even if you get your snake back too normal as far as eating and being active, you will probably notice a crackling when the snake breaths and will become less frequent as your snake gets healthy again, but it will never completely go away. How to prevent Mouth Rot keep the temperature correct and keep the enclosure clean not just scooping out the poop but completely removing substrate and scrubbing down the enclosure at least once a month with a vinegar warm water solution as house hold cleaners can leave toxic residues.


Final thought

As with any exotic pet it is important to understand you’re pets needs, likes and dislikes. It is recommended that you research as much as possible before rushing out and purchasing an exotic pet. Read as much about you’re prospective animal as you can there are many good books available in library’s and pet shops.

The Internet is probably one of the best tool when researching a prospective pet, you tend to get more fact rather then theory plus you can often interact with experienced keepers/breeders via e-mail. As well as you’re research you should ask the pet shop or breeder as many questions as possible; often they will have tips or knowledge not printed in books or magazines.

A little Tip if a pet shop or a so called breeder can not tell you much about the pet you are interested in you probably don’t want to buy it from them. Finally there are numerous exotic pet expos/shows in city’s around the country/world where you can interact with breeders and enthusiasts alike these expos/shows are a great place to not only research animals but a great place to purchase your pet as you will more often then not be buying an animal from someone who has a great understanding and love for their animals.
Good luck and enjoy Warning Exotic pet’s are highly Addictive….

 

[bengerno]

Hi,

I had one Candoia carinata paulsoni before. He was my favourite snake, he was around 40-50cm long, and ate pinkies very well (was a CB). He didn`t like warm conditions. I will try to find some pics...
Anyhow you are lucky to have a so unique snake there, congrats!!

 

[Choobaine]

she's gorgeous is all I can say. Alas it's of no use to you but everyone wants complemented on their pets I guess. I hope she brings you endless joy.

 

[Ted]

i had some of those..they were nasty tempered, but alright pets, i suppose.

 

[beetleman]

yup, had them aswell,awesome snakes:clap: they love to eat lizards,but you can switch them over to rodents.

 

[Scorpendra]

i've been thinking about getting a Candoia spp. if i can find one, this one would definitely be my first choice.

preferably male, though. the whole "average 3 feet" thing is what's helping me sell the idea to the folks

 

[ScorpDemon]

I have a solomon island ground boa CB female. One of my favorite snakes, like someone said, they tend to stay on the cooler side of the enclosure more than my other snakes. I'll get some pics this weekend.

 

[johnny888]

I have 2 Indonesian tree boa and 2 Viper boa and i must admit that i am having difficulty finding foods for my indonesian tree boa as compared to viper boa.My Indo tree boa only eats lizards while my viper boa eats both frogs and adult mice.

 

[Choobaine]

They look really quite nice to the touch!

I dunno why. Just the texture. Dang I'd love one of those. Gorgeous pics. That's all I wanted to say