Animal Care - book (researched, written and designed by Niamh). (Summer Project).

 

Boa Constrictor

Species: Boas are non-venomous constrictors found in tropical Central and South America. Like their anaconda cousins, they are excellent swimmers, but prefer to stay on dry land, living primarily in hollow logs and abandoned mammal burrows.Significantly smaller than anacondas, boas can grow up to 13 feet long and weigh more than 100 pounds. Their jaws are lined with small, hooked teeth for grabbing and holding prey while they wrap their muscular bodies around their victim, squeezing until it suffocates. Boas will eat almost anything they can catch, including birds, monkeys, and wild pigs. Their jaws can stretch wide to swallow large prey whole.Female boas incubate eggs inside their bodies and give birth up to 60 live babies. Boas are about 2 feet long when they are born and grow continually throughout their 25 to 30-year lifespan. The largest boa constrictor ever found measured 18 feet.

Habitat: Boa constrictors are found from northern Mexico to Argentina. Of all the boas, constrictors can live in the greatest variety of habitats ranging from sea level to moderate elevation, including deserts, wet tropical forests, open savannah and cultivated fields. They are both terrestrial and arboreal.

Substrate: Boas can be kept on several types of substrate. Newspaper, aspen, white or brown butcher/wrapping paper, and cage carpet are the most often used substrates. 

Temperatures: 28 - 32 degrees Celsius

Handling: Handling pet boa constrictors often will help keep them tame, but don’t handle them when they’re digesting a meal or when they’re in shed. Also, do not let boas wrap completely around the front of your neck. A boa will not usually try to strangle you, but if it is startled or feels insecure, it might tighten its muscles around your neck, causing you to lose consciousness, as boas are very strong animals. Only trained handlers to work upstairs - request training from Dan. 

Enclosure: Equal to or larger than snake. 

Humidity: 60/70%

Reticulated python

Species: Reticulated pythons are non-venomous. Instead they have backward curved teeth which grab their prey like a fork. The python then wraps around the prey, not crushing but suffocating it. The reticulated python is native to Thailand but can be found across Asia. Many of the reticulated pythons to be imported to the U.S. were from Thailand. Reticulated pythons live throughout the Malaysian peninsula, Southeast Asia, and in the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia. Male reticulated pythons grow up to between 10 and 16 feet, females gr0w to at least 16 feet. Reticulated Pythons live up to 15 to 20 years.

Habitat:The reticulated python lives in rainforests, woodlands, and nearby grasslands. It is also associated with rivers and is found in areas with nearby streams and lakes. An excellent swimmer, it has even been reported far out at sea and has consequently colonized many small islands within its range.

Substrate:Drier substrates like aspen often do best, and some people even use non-printed paper

Temperatures: Reticulated pythons are found in moist environments such as rainforests and wetlands. Ideally this python prefers temperatures between 24 and 34 degrees Celsius and high humidity. These snakes often spend time in bodies of water as they provide the perfect hiding spot to ambush prey.

Handling:Always avoid actions that may cause the snake to mistrust you. Don't grab your retic's tail or the lower length of its body. Rough handling may scare the snake and cause defensive behaviour. We generally pick the snake up by the first third of its body and support the animal, so it does not feel like it may fall

Enclosure:Adult reticulated pythons can be housed in 2-foot-tall by 3-foot-wide by 6- to 8-foot-long cages.

Humidity: between 50% and 70%