True red-tailed boa – Guyana (Boa constrictor constrictor)

Short answers

True red-tailed boa – Guyana: How big does the enclosure need to be?

From 300×150×200 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, American boas); for a large BCC/true red-tailed boa.

True red-tailed boa – Guyana: What temperature does it need?

Daytime 28–30 °C (gradient; cool zone 24–26 °C), basking spot 32–35 °C (local warm spot), at night 22–24 °C.

True red-tailed boa – Guyana: Does it need UVB lighting?

UVB: UVB not essential; low-dose UVB optional and recommended.

True red-tailed boa – Guyana: How long do they live?

Life expectancy: 25–30 years (sometimes up to 40).

True red-tailed boa – Guyana: Is it suitable for beginners?

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

Climate

Daytime temperature

28–30 °C (gradient; cool zone 24–26 °C)

Night temperature

22–24 °C

Basking spot

32–35 °C (local warm spot)

Humidity

60–80 % (higher for shedding)

UVB

UVB not essential; low-dose UVB optional and recommended

Enclosure

Minimum size

from 300×150×200 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, American boas); for a large BCC/true red-tailed boa

Substrate

Pine bark, terrarium humus or beech chips, moisture-retaining; a large water basin, climbing branches, hides

Feeding

Food

Frozen food – rats, and for larger animals rabbit or guinea-pig sized prey

Feeding interval

adults every 2–3 weeks (avoid obesity), juveniles every 7–10 days

Key facts

Adult size

2.0–3.0 m; females considerably larger than males

Life expectancy

25–30 years (sometimes up to 40)

Origin

Northern South America – Guyana (the true red-tailed boa, BCC)

Protection status

CITES Appendix II / EU Regulation Annex B; B. c. constrictor is listed in Annex 5 of the BArtSchV -> exempt from the registration requirement, but proof of origin is mandatory.

Brumation

No real winter rest; a slight cooling period to stimulate breeding is possible

Cohabitation

Keep them singly – a loner, with a risk of stress, injury and competition over food; only for supervised breeding

Notes

The true red-tailed boa (BCC) – it grows larger and more slowly than BCI, is more sensitive to overfeeding, and needs slightly higher humidity. Handle it with two people from about 2 m. The commonest mistake: obesity from feeding too often. The locality in the trade is often not pure.

Do you keep this species?

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Related species

• Argentine boa (Boa constrictor occidentalis) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa – Peru (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa – Suriname (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate
• True red-tailed boa (Boa constrictor constrictor) – Intermediate
• Hog Island boa (Boa constrictor imperator) – Intermediate
• Common boa – Costa Rica (Boa constrictor imperator) – Intermediate
• Common boa – Honduras (Boa constrictor imperator) – Intermediate
• Common boa – Colombia (Boa constrictor imperator) – Intermediate

All species in the care wiki →

What you need to start

To keep True red-tailed boa – Guyana (Boa constrictor constrictor) you typically need: a suitable enclosure (from 300×150×200 cm (minimum size per the 1997 expert report, American boas); for a large BCC/true red-tailed boa), substrate (Pine bark, terrarium humus or beech chips, moisture-retaining; a large water basin, climbing branches, hides), a heat source with a thermostat, UVB lighting, thermometer and hygrometer, a water dish and hides. You will find equipment in the Reptoria marketplace.