They also benefit from having fresh drinking water available at all times. Generally speaking, boa constrictors will do well in cages with a relative humidity of around 60%. This can become a problem, especially if your boa retains the 'eye cap' areas of skin over its eyes. The snake will also be more likely to retain parts of the shed skin, which can build up over time. This is what you want to happen.īut when the humidity is too low, or the snake is dehydrated for some other reason, the shed will often come off in many broken pieces. A healthy snake in an ideal captive environment will normally shed its skin in one long piece (sort of like when you turn a sock inside-out and pull it from your foot), or in several large pieces. When boa constrictors are housed in environments that are too dry, the first sign is incomplete shedding. Keep an eye on how the snake sheds, and you’ll find out soon enough. Of course, if you maintain a decent level of humidity in the cage year-round, and you keep fresh drinking water avaiable at all times, your boa constrictor might not need anything extra. You could even do both of these things when you boa sheds. You can provide this additional moisture in two ways - by misting the cage substrate twice a day, or by putting a 'moisture box' into the cage. The overall humidity in the cage should be about 60%, with additional moisture provided whenever the snake enters a shed cycle. In my experience, boas do best when kept under the following conditions. Fortunately, it’s fairly simple to maintain proper humidity levels inside a boa constrictor enclosure. This helps them stay hydrated, and it also helps them shed their skin.

Like all captive snakes, boas need a certain amount of relative humidity inside their cages. That’s what we are going to talk about in this section of the boa constrictor care guide. So, depending on where you live, you may have to use some form of supplemental moisture to increase the relative humidity within your pet boa’s habitat. Why am I giving you this geography and taxonomy lesson? Because you need to realize that the native habitats for these snakes are more humid than many places in the United States - with the obvious exception of places like Florida. If you keep going south, into Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, you enter the range of the so-called red-tailed boa constrictor ( B. imperator) is native to parts of Mexico, Central America, and the northern-most parts of areas of South America.

The so-called common boa constrictor ( B. I’ll also give you some tips for maintaining the proper humidity levels for your snake. In this section of the boa constrictor care guide, we will talk about the importance of controlling humidity within you boa’s habitat.

Boa constrictor imperator humidity