Crawl Cay Boa Caresheet

[Alfonzo]

Hey all, I thought that since quite a few threads have been started regarding the care of Crawl Cay and other dwarf locality boas people might appreciate this little care sheet I knocked up. I originally wrote it for a uni assignment, but later decided it didnt really meet the set criteria. Still, I hope that some people may find it useful or interesting. If any other keepers of Crawl Cays or any other dwarfs feel that I have missed anything, or got anything wrong then the constructive criticism would be appreciated. Hope this is of use

Captive Care of the Crawl Cay Boa Constrictor, Boa Constrictor Imperator.

The Crawl Cay Boa, whilst taxonomically classified as the same species as the common boa constrictor, is in truth a quite different animal. Endemic to a tiny island off the East coast of Belize, these boas have, over time, gone through a localized evolution of their own, becoming much smaller in stature than the majority of their mainland counterparts. It is the mainland members of these species that inspire tales of mighty beasts, man-eaters fifteen feet in length. In reality, evidence suggests these tales are enthusiastic exaggerations, but the mainland boa may still reach impressive sizes of nine or ten feet in the case of an old female. Boas from the island of Crawl Cay however, rarely reach more than five feet in length.

In the wild, they are really very rare, and collecting wild specimens is now prohibited, as Crawl Cay is one of the islands that make up the Turneffe Archipelago, which is now a Belize National Reserve. This is of course a welcome development in some ways, as these are popular animals in the pet trade and would quickly be made extinct in the wild if collecting was allowed to continue. However, from a scientific angle, without wild specimens, further study cannot be made in order to have these animals classified as a new subspecies and protected as endangered.

They are a rewarding and fairly straightforward snake to maintain in captivity. Crawl Cay’s climate is tropical, and this should be reflected in their captive care. I keep my pair with a temperature gradient of 25oC at the cool end and a hotspot of 32oC at the opposite end. This gradient is to allow the snakes to thermo-regulate, as, being cold blooded, they are not capable of maintaining sufficient a constant body temperature, as mammals are. When they are warm enough, or too warm, they can seek cooler areas of the enclosure.

Heat can be provided from a number of sources, personally I use heat mats which are placed under roughly a third of the enclosure and are thermostatically controlled. Other heat sources are available, such as coloured light bulbs (white bulbs should be avoided as these snakes are nocturnal, and the bright light could cause stress, possibly resulting in illness and behavioural problems such as aggression or anorexia). Ceramic heat sources are available and are useful because they emit no visible light at all.

Heat sources should always be thermostatically controlled, if they are not they may overheat the enclosure, possibly with fatal consequences. Furthermore, the heat sources should be guarded; wire cages are available for this. The cage should be fine mesh to stop a determined reptile from squeezing through the gaps. It is a vital component within any reptile enclosure as snakes will seek warmth and may do so by coiling around a bulb or ceramic unit. They will do this apparently oblivious to the thermal burns they will be receiving, which can also be fatal. Even if the snake survives the burn, the scarring can be horrific, and the wounds are open to infection. If the right precautions are in place then these risks are negligible.

The island habitat that they originate from is mangrove forest in the interior, skirted by sandy beaches. This is a humid environment, and these boas appreciate the extra moisture in captivity, particularly in the run up to sloughing (the periodic shedding of the skin, which does not grow as the snake does). I tend to maintain a humidity of around 50%, increasing this to around 65% at the time of slough. Humidity is controlled by adjusting the ventilation of the enclosure, and misting it with water when necessary. It is important to maintain suitable levels of humidity as extended periods of conditions either too dry or too damp can lead to respiratory infection.
If the environment is too dry in the lead up to sloughing, certain areas of the skin will be difficult for the snake to shed. Ideally the skin should be complete and come of in one piece. If the environment is too dry, certain problem areas may not come off. In particular, the clear scales – known as spectacles – over the eyes and the skin around the tail tip are at risk here. Should they not come off naturally when a snake sheds, the keeper must take action to remove them, as, left unattended the skin will constrict these areas, possibly leading to the loss of the tail tip, or the loss of (or damage to) an eye in extreme cases.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to enclosure size and décor. Some hobbyists choose a very simplistic route, opting to keep their animals in plastic tubs or racks of drawers if they have a large number of snakes. These can be very minimalistic, with newspaper used as a floor covering (substrate), a water bowl and a couple of hiding places provided. One hide should be at each end of the enclosure, as snakes will always choose security over maintaining the correct body temperature. This is all that is really necessary to successfully maintain many species of snake, and benefits of this method are that it is cheap, easy to spot and remove faecal matter, easy to keep clean. It is a simple, functional setup, but unfortunately not much to look at. It is often amateur or professional snake breeders who choose this method of keeping.

At the other end of the scale are keepers who aim for a naturalistic setup. These are commonly set up in vivariums, which are essentially wooden boxes with glass sliding doors at the front. Different substrates can be used, in my experience the best for this species would be orchid bark, which is attractive, cheap (though not as cheap as newspaper!) and holds moisture well, which helps maintain the humidity mentioned earlier. The two hide rule still applies in these setups, although it is possible to incorporate many more into naturalistic décor. Artificial silk or plastic plants can be used, as can branches and artificial vines. If you are very ambitious real plants can be used, bromeliads being a good choice. However this is a high maintenance option, UV lighting will be required, and the snake will not appreciate your efforts, pulling the plants from their pots in their journeys around the vivarium. This way of keeping snakes is undoubtedly more expensive, but is much more attractive for the hobbyist. It also offers more stimulation for the snake being kept. It would be extremely difficult to source the materials to make these setups true to the natural environment, but I believe it is beneficial to at least be able to simulate an approximation of the habitat these snakes are native to.

I find a combination of both methods works well. Whilst the snakes are young and still growing at quite a rate I find it best to house them in the simplistic manner. This is because most snakes don’t seem to do well in enclosures that are too large for them. Neonates will often stop feeding in an enclosure that is too large. It would become extremely expensive to consistently upgrade naturalistic enclosures every few months, so I choose to use the simplistic method for the first two to three years and then move the snakes into their permanent home when the rate of growth has slowed, and the snakes are well established animals secure in their captive environment.

As neonates I start the animals in 18 Litre plastic tubs, moving them upto 64 Litre tubs at around one year of age. At 30 months or so, I find the snakes are getting large enough that they are ready for their final homes. These have dimensions of 3’x2’x2’, which is adequate for these animals, although larger enclosures can be used.

An area of great debate amongst hobbyists is that of cohabitating snakes. Some species are either cannibalistic or at least prey on other snakes. Whilst this is not necessarily true of Boa Constrictors, I believe that they should be housed separately, except when breeding trials are occurring. Cohabitating snakes presents many risks and few benefits. You cannot tell for example, which snake has defecated, or regurgitated if these substances are found in the enclosure, therefore some health problems are difficult to detect. Also, when kept together there is competition for the best spaces in the enclosure and feeding time can become fraught with risks – on rare occasion leading to accidental cannibalism, which can be a fatal incident for both snakes, not just the one that gets eaten. These Boas are not sociable by nature and will not ‘enjoy’ the company of another snake in their home.

Crawl Cay Boas can be difficult to establish as neonates when it comes to feeding. In the wild they feed on geckos when young, moving on to birds and rodents as they grow. They can carry this preference across to captivity, even as third or fourth generation captive bred animals. In an ideal situation we would be able to feed them geckos in captivity, but they are not a commercially available food source, and using them as prey would soon become enormously expensive. So we attempt to wean these animals onto rodents. In most cases this is easy enough to do, and quite often they will begin taking rodents of their own accord. There are a few tricks to help this process along though, such as ‘braining’, which involves making a small incision along the prey items skull cap, exposing the brain, which seems to have a scent that stirs the appetite in a snake that was previously reluctant to eat. Other methods include dipping the head of the prey item into hot water. Snakes often respond to the sense of heat, as opposed to visual stimulus when they are hunting. This can explain why keepers may get bitten from time to time by even the most docile specimens, as a warm, pink thumb can seem rather like a newborn rat to a hungry snake!
Once established however, Crawl Cay Boas can become voracious feeders and have an aggressive and somewhat impressive feeding response. I would recommend using tongs when feeding these snakes. They can take quite large prey from a young age, easily being able to take new born rats as babies and adult rats once they are fully grown. Overfeeding should be avoided though, as part of the reason they have evolved to become ‘dwarves’ amongst their species is that they don’t feed as often, nor do they have the opportunity to eat prey items as large as their mainland relatives have access to. Should they be fed as regularly as mainland boas are fed in captivity, they dwarf qualities of this locale could soon be removed from our limited captive populations. As babies they can be fed 1-2 rodents of an appropriate size every 7-10 days. Adults should be fed less often. An adult rat every two to four weeks should suffice, and they can be maintained on a diet of 12 meals per year. In Situ Crawl Cay boas have a very seasonal feeding pattern, fasting for most of the year and going into a feeding frenzy in the autumn, when migratory birds pass through their territory. This pattern of feeding is both difficult to reproduce and quite unnerving for most captive keepers, however.

These snakes, as can many other species, go without food for months on end. Water is much more important to them. They should be provided with fresh water every day, held in a dish large enough for the snake to completely submerge itself in, as they enjoy bathing from time to time.

Snakes should never be handled for at least 48 hours after each feed. Crawl Cay Boas are no exception to this rule. It takes at least this amount of time for most snakes to digest appropriately sized meals. Should they be handled before they have digested their last meal it is likely that they will regurgitate it, which is not a pleasant experience! In the wild this could be a defensive measure, as they are sluggish and vulnerable when they have a full stomach. Should they encounter a predator in this state they can regurgitate the meal and hopefully escape the threat.

Crawl Cay Boas often adapt readily to handling, although, like all reptiles, individuals often have differing dispositions. Some will display defensive behaviour when they feel threatened or disturbed. This will consist of hissing loudly with a gaping mouth, displaying their teeth. It rarely leads to a bite if you read the behaviour and act accordingly. Sometimes it is best to just leave them alone, or if handling is really necessary the animal can be lifted from its enclosure using a snake hook. Once removed from their enclosures most aggressive snakes will calm down and become very manageable. Receiving a bite from these animals is not too much to be concerned about, but can be painful. The main risk when being bitten by non venomous species is that the snakes’ teeth may break off. This can lead to infection for both parties involved, so prevention is better than cure, and avoiding the event is the best course of action.

I believe that these snakes are worthy of the attention of biologists and snake enthusiasts. As well as being fascinating from an ecological point of view, they can be quite visually impressive too. They are capable of significant colour change, passing from a blackish grey through to a pale bone like coloration depending on mood, or external conditions. They are also at home in the branches, on the land, and in water, and as a result are interesting captives to watch providing their needs are are catered for.
Some of the risks I have detailed in this report may sound daunting to a beginner keeper, but they really are easily avoided provided that sufficient research and preparation is done. The future of this small population rests in the hands of responsible breeders and hobbyists, as there are so few left on Crawl Cay – with figures as low as eight adults having been reported. That being said, they have become fairly popular in herpetology today, and provided keepers attempt to keep the bloodlines pure the future of the locale should be safe.

[frankie_barber]

very interesting read, im researching this species at the moment as i intend to get one soon so a great help

[gaz]

thats a good care sheet
regards gaz

[Alfonzo]

Originally Posted by gaz

thats a good care sheet
regards gaz

Coming from you, the Crawl Cay King, that is a massive complement! Thankyou so much.

[Crestie Chris]

Awesome care sheet (bookmarked )

Hope you don't mind me asking but would an adult be fine in a viv measuring 80cm (W) 50cm (D) 60cm (H)? And would it be possible for you to take a picture of your set up?

Thanks

Chris

[steve2010]

thanks for the care sheet i asked for one the other day so awesome im looking to get a crawl cay asap preferably a female 3 years plus know any one with one ? around that age for sale ? cheers

[LiamRatSnake]

Brilliant care sheet.

[Alfonzo]

Originally Posted by Crestie Chris

Awesome care sheet (bookmarked )

Hope you don't mind me asking but would an adult be fine in a viv measuring 80cm (W) 50cm (D) 60cm (H)? And would it be possible for you to take a picture of your set up?

Thanks

Chris

That would probably be alright, mine are in 3x2x2 vivs and these are intended to be their permanent homes. I have some pics of the set ups, first a RUB set up, they lived in 64L up until 30 months or so, but ideally I'd have moved them into vivs earlier -


They now live in this

Originally Posted by steve2010

thanks for the care sheet i asked for one the other day so awesome im looking to get a crawl cay asap preferably a female 3 years plus know any one with one ? around that age for sale ? cheers

I don't, I have a female that is around 40 months old, but she's not for sale! She's also not very friendly lol. Gaz might have older females for sale but I imagine a female approaching breeding age would not be all that cheap!

Originally Posted by LiamRatSnake

Brilliant care sheet.

Thanks mate!

[Crestie Chris]

Originally Posted by Alfonzo

That would probably be alright, mine are in 3x2x2 vivs and these are intended to be their permanent homes. I have some pics of the set ups, first a RUB set up, they lived in 64L up until 30 months or so, but ideally I'd have moved them into vivs earlier -
image

They now live in this
image
image

I don't, I have a female that is around 40 months old, but she's not for sale! She's also not very friendly lol. Gaz might have older females for sale but I imagine a female approaching breeding age would not be all that cheap!

Thanks mate!

Thanks mate, very helpful

Once again kudos on the care sheet

Chris

[lobob]

I am hoping to get one of these as an early christmas present at the donny show. Fingers crossed