Home >> Reptiles >> Snakes >> Emerald Tree Boa
Housing the Emerald Tree Boa
Emerald tree boa enclosures can be the most elaborate living room centerpieces or the most basic, sanitary cages. It is something that is created with the keeper's likes, imagination, spare time, etc. See the supplies section for more info on the major companies. Most major breeders maintain their animals in relatively simple and basic cages to not only decrease time spent cleaning but also to decrease costs. Keeping things simple also has the advantage of being much more easily sanitized. On the other hand, many private keepers make very elaborate cages for their emerald tree boas. Building or having an elaborate cage built takes time and money and its upkeep takes much more work but the aesthetics are much better. Nobody can deny the beauty of an emerald tree boa resting in a well-planted terrarium. Whether you take one route or the other, you must remember both routes can lead to the same result we are all aiming for: having healthy animals.
Several caging methods may be employed. When looking at the many options now available to the herpetoculturist, many different issues come to mind. Ease of cleaning, weight, size, appearance, and accessibility are all factors that must be taken into consideration. Here are some methods which emerald tree boa keepers house their snakes.
Acrylic/Plexiglass: Acrylic (Plexiglass) has become a recently common-use caging material. Acrylic is more shatter resistent than glass but also scratches easier. There are several advantages to acrylic though. It is awfully strong (same material used for many large aquariums), easy to work with and join together and comes with a variety of colors from clear to black. Acrylic will also warp under high heat however so that should be taken into consideration Aquaria: Glass aquaria is probably the most traditional of herp housing. They come in a variety of sizes and shapes, are watertight, and easy to clean. Most glass aquaria do not suit arboreal snakes very well however. They typically lack the vertical space needed. One other major drawback with glass aquaria is that good ventilation is more difficult to maintain, especially considering that a warmer temperature also needs to be maintained.
Melamine: Melamine is simply particle board coated by a waterproof substance similar to your kitchen countertops. The advantage of melamine is that it seems easily availabe and are both available by cage manufacturers or can be done by yourself. It also wipes down quite easily and is quite scratch resistent. Melamine however, is quite heavy and if the joints of the cage are not properly seeled, will bevel and change shape from water damage.
Polyethelene: Probably the most popular arboreal housing systems right now, polyethelene cages have been made famous by Bush Herpetological Supply and Vision Herpetological. They are custom moulded high-impact cages which are easy to clean, lightweight, completely watertight, and come in a variety of sizes. The only possible drawbacks are some of the higher prices for the larger units. However, the smaller, arboreal units are comparable to other caging methods. Some of the more popular models for emeralds are the #C24A and #C28A Neodesha cages made by Bush Herpetological Supply and Model 222 & 422 cages made by Vision Herpetological. These cages are easily heated with heat tape or an overhead light.
Wood: Wooden cages, along with aquaria are as old as the hobby itself. They are probably still the most popular of housing for amateur and smaller collections and work well for the most part. Wooden cages can look very nice when properly finished. The thing that one needs to make certain is that the wood is properly sealed. This can be done with several different sealants. The most popular sealant is polyurethane which is typically semi-transluscent. Another is simple exterior house paint which works just as well. There is a sealant product known as Nylene? that has been used by some in the aquarium business to seal wooden boxes. I don't know of anyone who has used that in herpetoculture however. Just remember that all cages must be completely aired out before use.
A variety of substrates will work for emerald tree boas. Since healthy emerald tree boas will almost never be found on the substrate, a substrate can be chosen for the keeper's needs. One of the qualities of the substrate one should look for is absorbancy. A substrate should be absorbant and be able to hold the water from mistings. There are a variety of substrates that are favorites amongst keepers. For the sanitary keepers, newspaper, paper towels, bath towels all make good choices as they are easy to replace or wash. Quite popular now are using inkless newspaper. This can usually be attained from the local newspaper for minimal costs if not free as they have no use for the ends of their rolls. Newspapers however are very poor at water retention and it does not help eliminate puddles which are unsanitary. Paper towels are nice but can be expensive. They work best for neonatal and juvenile emeralds caged in smaller cages. Bath towels work quite nicely as a substrate, they can be washed and are quite sanitary. A consideration is to make sure a snake doesn't get it's teeth caught on the substrate when striking at a prey item.
For the more naturalistic approach, one of the most popular substrates for high humidity reptiles is cypress mulch. It is a mulch made from the cypress tree and is sold for relatively cheap in the eastern United States. For those folks in the western states, it doesn't come quite as cheap but still is available - through herp supply stores. Cypress mulch is fairly absorbant and is great for helping maintain humidity. Other substrates which work include sand, 50/50 sand/peat moss, sphagnum moss, soil, etc. Of course, with all bulk materials such as sand and soil, one should first sterilize the substrate before its use in order to kill bacteria. This can be done by baking the substrate for 45 minutes at 400?F or soaking the substrate in bleach. If you are soaking it in bleach, make sure it has a chance to air out for 24 hours before use. Substrates such as soil and mulch have a benefit in that feces can be spot cleaned. However, paper towels and newspaper are relatively cheap and easy to replace while bath towels can be removed, completely washed, and re-used.
Cage essentials for emerald tree boas include large water dishes and perches. Foliage in terms of live or silk plants should be in every cage but are not absolute musts in terms of neccessity.
Perches: Perches are absolutely essential to the successful maintenance of emeralds in captivity. Unlike other Corallus, 99% of healthy emeralds will not coil on the ground. Of course, there are exceptions such as ones which just fed on bulky items, some gravid females but these are rare. Perches should originate from natural branches off trees. These provide the most natural holds for emeralds. But there are other alternatives to using natural branches as perching. Many people keep their emerald tree boas on pvc pipe or wooden dowels. Their benefits are that they come in a variety of sizes and are relatively inexpensive. Asthetically speaking however, neither wooden dowels or pvc pipes are very pleasing to the eye. Blister disease has been seen on emerald tree boas which were kept on pvc pipes3. Several perches of different diameters should be placed inside the cage at varying levels. Most emerald tree boas prefer to sit on perches which are roughly the thickness of their body's widest part but will also sit on differing sizes of perches from really large to really small in diameter. It always amazes me to see a huge emerald tree boa hanging on a branch no bigger than a color marker. Always make sure that the perches are sturdy enough for the snake. Perches can be fastened onto the cage using several methods. For wooden or plastic cages, perches can be attached via screws or nails from the outside of the cage. This cannot and should not be tried with aquaria :) Another option which makes cleaning and maintenance easy is to use perch holders. These are simply cupped mouldings attached to the sides which the branches sit in. This is just like closet pole holders. This method allows for removal of the emerald along with the perch - thus, without disturbing the snake much. Some other ideas include using silicon all around the branch to fix it in place (not for wood cages), using closet pole holders to hold the branches, or simply pinning the branch in the cage. If you are doing the latter, make sure that the branch is extremely secure as accidents can happen and branches may fall and crush or injure a snake.
Plants: Plants make an attractive addition to any cage but also can serve several purposes in the cage. Live plants help maintain air quality as well as higher humidity levels. Plants lights can be used in a fluorescent fixture to help growth without natural sunlight exposure. Some live plants which work great for tree boas are pothos, philodendron, Monstera, bromeliads, among many others. Pothos and philodendron are vine plants and will climb all over the enclosure providing a very pretty cage. Be careful as plants have been accidentally ingested before following a strike which also took some of the plant. Pothos is a cheap and popular house plant and given the opportunity, will thrive well. Plastic or silk plants or vines are also great for cages. They do not help maintain humidity but can be easily manipulated and can be used as cover for the snake. Cover is also important for emerald tree boa security. Given the opportunity, emerald tree boas do quite often choose branches under cover.
The above content is from Corallus.com, which has the most extensive information that I have found on this species of snake. Please click the link above to read much more about this amazing snake!!