Amazon Tree Boa for Sale

The Amazon Tree Boa (Corallus hortulanus) is a non-venomous boa species found in South America. This species exhibits an infinite variety of colors and patterns. The basic color can be anywhere from black, brown, or gray, to literally any shade of red, orange, yellow, or any color in between. Some are totally patternless, while others may be speckled, banded, or saddled with rhomboid or chevron shapes. Some reds will have yellow patterns, some yellows red or orange patterns. Generally, there are two color 'phases' that are genetically inherited, but are not ontogenic as with the emerald tree boa,C. caninus and the green tree python, Morelia viridis. The 'garden phase' refers to boas with drab coloration, mostly brown or olive, with varied patterning, while the 'colored phase' refers to animals with combinations of red, orange, and yellow coloring. Temperament depends on the individual. Some are very docile when handled, whereas others are more aggressive. They have a lifespan of 20 or more years.

Amazon Tree Boas are also be known as Garden Tree Boas, Garden Boas and Common Tree Boas.

Size of an Amazon Tree Boa

Adults grow to an average of 6 feet  in length.

Feeding an Amazon Tree Boa

This is one of the most amazing things to witness as a Corallus owner! These snakes usually have a great feeding response and it makes for some very interesting viewing. These snakes will actually strike and grab from where they are perched on a limb and wrap the prey up as they hang. Watching a beautiful ATB hanging upside down and eating in this manner is a very intriguing experience that should not be missed by owners that aren't squeamish about this sort of thing. I have had a lot of luck feeding f/t mice of appropriate sizes to this species. I suggest f/t over live rodents because f/t are readily available in most areas and on the internet, and live have the ability to seriously harm the snake. A point should be presented that because of their long, slender build it may be necessary to feed multiple prey to the snake before moving up another size in rodent so that proper care is taken not to distend the snake to an uncomfortable proportion. A good rule of thumb for all snakes is not more than 150% the size of the snake's body. If your ATB is unwilling to take mice as prey, and some imports may not, their natural prey are mostly lizards and frogs and these can be used as prey or to scent prey with finicky eaters. Juveniles can be fed every 5-7 days, but sub-adults and adults should only be fed every 1-2 weeks. Overweight ATBs can be very unhealthy and this should be watched for in order to make sure your ATB is as comfortable and healthy as possible.

Cages/Enclosures for an Amazon Tree Boa

Caging: Amazon Tree Boas are a semi-arboreal species that will utilize both the floor and the vertical limits of the vivarium they are kept in. This being understood, it is very obvious that the tank have both a good amount of floor space and a decent amount of vertical limitations. A good sized enclosure for an ATB is (width x height x depth) 32"x32"x24" (in cm - 80x80x60) and that will satisfy the needs of a full-grown adult. What I would suggest is to get an enclosure that will satisfy an adult's dimensions and add or take away the amount of cage decorations as the snake ages to provide the proper amount of hides so they don't feel too stressed out. The cage needs to have enough ventilation to breathe and allow for good clean air to enter the cage, but not so ventilated that it compromises the high humidity that is needed for this species to thrive. The bedding for the cage can be aspen, shredded coconut husks (eco-earth), newspaper, or paper towels. I have had the most luck with shredded coconut husks because it seems to hold humidity better than other beddings and these snakes need a very high humidity. With an arboreal tendency, it is obvious that they need some sort of cage décor that goes beyond the general water bowl of an appropriate size and a ground hide. They need to have multiple places in the vertical space of the cage where branches form a "T" because they don't form loops like a Green Tree Python or Emerald Tree Boa, but they make a loose set of coils at places where the branches T-off. The branches need to be 100-150% the diameter of the snake, and stable enough in the vivarium that they can support the full weight of a climbing snake. I have found the arboreal needs of these snakes to be a creative venue rather than a burden because it really allows me to get creative with how naturalistic I can make their vivarium and really make their colors pop! The use of the proper, nontoxic plants can help with the humidity needs of the snake as well as provide a very aesthetically pleasing vivarium that can be a centerpiece of a room. Get creative, but remember that these snakes will utilize the ground as well so allow for this aspect of ATBs.

Young are generally easy to care for. The set-up of their vivarium should be a tank that is a 12in (30cm) cube with paper towels for litter. A waterbowl should be present as well as one ground hide on the floor of the cube. A mesh can be used for a vertical climb with plastic leaves for an arboreal hide. A heating pad underneath the cubes should be sufficient for the heating aspect of the snakes and the cube should remain at the same atmospheric temperature as adults.

Lighting: As with all snakes, Amazon Tree Boas do not need UVB light, but these lights do allow for live plants to be placed in vivariums and the presence of UVB light may have some benefits to your snake's health. A 10-12 hour light period during the day can be beneficial as well, and can be used to help stimulate breeding during the winter months by decreasing the time period that light is present in the snakes cage.

Temperature & Humidity: One of the prime things to remember with Corallus care is that the temperature and humidity are vital to the snakes survival and overall wellbeing in captivity. The temperature should be taken in two ways inside the vivarium: the first temperature should be taken of the ambient heat because these snakes don't spend much time on the ground and it should be 77-86 F, the second temperature should be taken of a basking spot in the upper-reaches of the vivarium during the day and this temp should be kept at about 90 F. I have had a lot of luck staying between the 82-84 F mark during the day and letting my night time temperature drop to 75-77 F at night. For humidity, this snake resides in the tropical forests of the Amazon and its enclosure humidity should reflect this habitat. A good humidity to strive for is one that is between 60-80%. There shouldn't be standing water in the bottom of the cage, and with humidity this high there should be a careful watch for mold. The amount of ventilation in the cage may need to be changed in order to prevent mold from growing. A good general rule of thumb for keeping the humidity of the cage at the right level is to mist the cage 1-2 times a day depending on where you live and what the humidity level in the cage is. A good digital thermometer/hydrometer is of priceless necessity for these snakes as it can warn you immediately as to what might be wrong with your husbandry and how to fix it by turning down the heat or misting more or less. I can't stress enough how vital the proper humidity and temperature levels are to these magnificent snakes, so take the proper precautions to make sure you've got it right!