Care guide
Boa constrictor care
There's no guide just for Boa constrictor yet. Here's caring for boas and pythons; ask the seller about anything specific to this species.
- Kind
- Snake (boa or python)
- Adult size
- About 240 cm
- Typical lifespan
- 20–30 years
- Eats
- Whole prey
- Handling
- Tolerates some handling
- Suits
- Some experience
- Temperatures
- 26–30°C, basking 33°C
- Humidity
- 60–70%
- UVB lighting
- Optional
Ball pythons, boas and the smaller pythons are calm, long-lived snakes. They need stable heat and humidity, a secure enclosure, and a plan for their adult size and lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
Plan for the adult
Ball pythons reach about 1.2 m, boas and carpet pythons 2 to 3 m. An adult needs an enclosure at least as long as the snake, with secure locks.
Heat and humidity
Keep a warm end around 31 to 33°C and a cooler end in the high 20s, with hides at both ends. Most need 55 to 70% humidity (rainbow boas more) to shed well.
Feeding
Feed frozen-thawed rodents sized to the snake. Ball pythons sometimes stop eating for weeks, especially in winter; if they keep their weight, this is usually normal, but weigh them and ask your vet.
Health to ask about
Ask whether the breeder tests for nidovirus and inclusion body disease, and keeps new snakes quarantined. Wobbling or stargazing can be a sign of disease, or of a 'spider' gene morph in ball pythons, which can cause it.
Further reading
General information to help you prepare, not veterinary advice. Every animal is different: ask an experienced vet about yours. Reviewed by PerfectPal on October 13, 2026.