As the name suggests, the emerald tree boa is a tree dweller. It is an incredibly stunning green snake whose natural habitat is the tropical rainforest of the Amazon. This emerald-green tree boa is relatively easy to keep.
The primary thing that you should focus on is providing a living space that is as close as possible to its natural habitat in the wild. It means that their enclosure’s warmth and humidity should match the living parameters the snake thrives on in the wild. So, what is a suitable habitat for the emerald tree boas? Let’s learn more below.
How Big of Tank/Enclosure Does an Emerald Tree Boa Need?
A full-grown emerald tree boa size can be as long as six feet in captivity and ten feet in the wild. In some cases, you will find that the male boa is smaller than the female. Their incredibly long size will require you to provide a good-sized emerald tree boa tank.
As stated above, this snake is a tree dweller. It means that the emerald tree boa enclosure you provide should focus more on height and length. The focus on length is because the snake loves to move horizontally in their habitat.
In addition, a well-secured cage with tight-fitting lids is vital. The best terrarium size for your pet should be at least 36 inches long, 28 inches high and 24 inches wide. In addition, the tank needs sufficient length to develop a temperature gradient environment.
For fresh air, provide a terrarium with two sides that have a screen. Also, this green snake is incredibly sensitive to stale air. Thus, ensuring they have access to fresh air is vital to the care process.
What Are the Best Things To Include in an Emerald Tree Boa Terrarium?
According to some experts, the best terrarium for your pet is one made from wood instead of glass. A glass tank does not retain heat like a wooden one. In the emerald tree boa habitat that you create, provide a temperature gradient.
Also, add pots of sturdy, tall live plants such as snake plants, small ficus trees and philodendrons. Place these plants in the enclosure to offer security and facilitate humidity control. If you want to have artificial plants in the enclosure, hang them from the branches.
Also, have well-anchored branches with different thicknesses, both straight and forked. Your emerald tree boa pet will love coiling at the spot where two branch forks diverge. Thus, make sure you have several forked branches.
How Do You Take Care of an Emerald Tree Boa?
The emerald tree boa care process is relatively straightforward. The first thing that you should do is to provide a good habitat. The emerald tree boa enclosure should have a substrate. The best substrate for your pet is washable terrarium liners, butcher papers, orchid bark and newspaper.
Some of the benefits of using butcher paper and newspaper are that they are cheap, easy to clean and your pet will not ingest them. In areas of high humidity, the orchid bark is the best.
You can also use the best commercially available bedding; Zoo Med Forest Floor Natural Cypress Mulch Reptile Bedding or the Galápagos (05054) Cypress Tank Mulch Forest Floor Bedding. The cypress is perfect for maintaining humidity, holding moisture and is easy to clean.
In addition to the substrate, you should focus on providing your emerald green boa pet with a humid and warm environment. Your key focus on the humidity range should be 60% to 70%. Note that the best automatic mister, like the Zoo Med Reptirain Automatic Habitat Mister, can help you keep the atmosphere in the terrarium moist.
Do Emerald Tree Boas Need Heat?
During the daytime, emerald tree boas require a terrarium temperature that ranges in the 80s. However, during the night, temperatures can go down to the mid-70s, which is beneficial to your pet. One thing to note is that you must provide a basking spot where temperatures can get as high as 87 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make sure to have a ceramic heat emitter, basking bulb or incandescent bulb for this basking spot. The best heat-emitting devices you can use for your emerald tree boa tank include the following:
- Zoo Med Reptile Basking Spot Lamp
- Exo Terra Daylight Basking Spot Lamp
- Zoo Med Nano Ceramic Heat Emitter
- Zilla Incandescent Spot Bulb
What Does an Emerald Tree Boa Eat?
Photo by Carrman on Pixabay
The emerald tree boa does not like to eat often; thus, they may easily overfeed. The best way to feed this pet is through tongs. Slowly move their meals in front of them; this will induce your pet to strike. Juveniles feed on frogs and lizards but refuse to take mice. However, if you scent the mice with lizard skin, the juveniles may consume the mice.
The full-grown emerald tree boa can consume mice. One thing to note is that this snake can go for long periods without eating. However, experts recommend feeding adult boas every two to three weeks and every ten days for juveniles. The male boas may go longer without food compared to the females.
Emerald tree boas have a slow but efficient digestive system. Thus, they require little food and can regurgitate if you overfeed them. Adult emerald tree boas often deface every three weeks. This defection time also impacts their feeding schedule. You can feed your pet in two or three weeks and wait for them to deface before providing them with food again. Also, before you feed your pet, minimize handling, then wait 24–48 hours to handle them after feeding is complete.
Provide your snake with a bowl of water daily. Some snakes will only consume the water if it is sprayed on the foliage or their bodies. Others can consume water from a watering bowl tilted on their mouth. Make sure to puncture plastic containers and place them on top of the cage. Also, observe the feeding and drinking habits of your emerald tree boa pet.
Final Thoughts
An ideal emerald tree boa habitat mimics their natural environment in the tropical rainforest of the Amazon. Thus, provide a large terrarium with branches, a suitable substrate and a warm and humid atmosphere. Also, provide your pet with food every two to three weeks.
