Solomon Islands ground boa (Candoia paulsoni)

Short answers

Solomon Islands ground boa: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 130×65×100 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Pacific boas).

Solomon Islands ground boa: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 26–30 °C, basking spot 31–32 °C, at night 22–24 °C.

Solomon Islands ground boa: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: Not essential.

Solomon Islands ground boa: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 15–20 years.

Solomon Islands ground boa: Is it suitable for beginners?

Rather not – it is considered an intermediate species (difficulty: Intermediate).

Climate

Daytime temperature

26–30 °C

Night temperature

22–24 °C

Basking spot

31–32 °C

Humidity

70–85 %

UVB

Not essential

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 130×65×100 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Pacific boas)

Substrate

Coco humus or bark mulch, hides on the floor, low climbing branches

Feeding

Food

Frozen-thawed mice

Feeding interval

adults every 14–21 days

Key facts

Adult size

90–130 cm (females considerably larger)

Life expectancy

15–20 years

Origin

The Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago

Protection status

CITES II

Brumation

None

Cohabitation

Keep them singly. Snakes are solitary and do not seek company — a shared hide is competition for the best spot, not social behaviour. The concrete reason is the feeding accident: if two animals grab the same food item, one can swallow the other along with it. On top of that, once they are kept together you can no longer tell which animal has eaten and which is losing weight. For breeding, put them together under supervision and separate them again afterwards.

Notes

Crepuscular and nocturnal, and rather sluggish. It runs to obesity if fed too often. Wild-caught animals are often heavily parasitised – prefer captive-bred ones.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Bibron's bevel-nosed boa (Candoia bibroni) – Intermediate
• New Guinea ground boa (Candoia aspera) – Intermediate
• Viper boa (Candoia carinata) – Intermediate
• Amazon tree boa (Corallus batesii) – Expert
• Argentine boa (Boa constrictor occidentalis) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa – Guyana (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa – Peru (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa – Suriname (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep Solomon Islands ground boa (Candoia paulsoni) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 130×65×100 cm (minimum size according to the 1997 expert report, Pacific boas)), substrate (Coco humus or bark mulch, hides on the floor, low climbing branches), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.