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Care Sheet Amazon Tree Boa

Figure 1. Corallus hortalanus by Vasill


Scientific Name
Corallus hortulanus
Other Common name
Garden tree boa, Common tree boa, Dog headed boa.
Range
Found in South America in southern Colombia east of the Andes, southern Venezuela, Guyana,
Suriname, French Guiana, Amazonian Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago and Bolivia. The
type locality given is "America.
Typically found below 300 m elevation.
Habitat
ATBs live in tropical rainforests and spend almost their entire lives in trees, this includes
hunting, eating, sleeping and also giving birth!
Size
100 to 180cm (40 - 72)
Life Expectancy
20 years+
Captive Variants
Garden Phase (Usually Grey/Brown/Black)
Coloured Phase (Yellow - Orange - Red)
Tiger (Striped)
Paradox
Calico
Housing
Vivarium or RUBs (plastic tubs of appropriate size).
Dcor
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Large water bowl mainly to assist with keeping the humidity up but also they may use it to
drink and bathe (Add greenery in the water bowl so they can bathe if they wish whilst still feeling
secure).

Climbing branches (not straight poles) with twists, turns, joins and knots complete with
some form of hiding areas such as large leaves overhanging.

Also offer them a hide on the floor, some will use it more than others. If they are using it for
the majority of the time then it is an indication that they do not feel safe and secure in the
"branches" that you have placed in their vivarium etc., so rethink the cage furniture, possibly adding
extra greenery to the branches would help.
Neonate Housing
When establishing the neonates (hatchlings), house them in a well ventilated plastic tub with
enough plastic greenery to loosely fill the tub so that they can easily move through it and feel
secure. The tub has about an inch (2-3cm) of water in the bottom to ensure they have the correct
humidity without the need to disturb them by constantly misting.
Heat the tubs with a heat mat under the plastic box (controlled by a thermostat) which is vertically
mounted on the side of the box , wall etc.
Substrate
Substrate that can accommodate their high humidity requirements. Forest bark, Orchid bark,
Coconut bark mixed with some moss.
Temperature/Humidity
27C (80F) to 32C (90F)
Humidity 80%+. ATBs require fairly high humidity therefore regular misting of their enclosure is
essential or a water bowl on a small spider/heatmat (seal the heatmat in a plastic bag in case of a
spillage.
Heating
Viv - Guarded Ceramic heater, spotlight or heat mat (mounted vertically).
Tub - Heat mat or cable
Use an appropriate thermostat for any heat source. Also use a digital thermometer to keep an eye on
the temps.
For ceramic heaters pulse proportional thermostat
For incandescent bulbs spots and Infra red bulbs use a dimming thermostat.
For mats and heater cable you can use any vivarium thermostat we recommend the mat stat.
Feeding
Natural Diet: Their arboreal habits, long teeth and prehensile tail means ATBs are well adapted to
take birds but they also feed on lizards, frogs, rodents and other small mammals in the wild.
In Captivity: They prefer their food warm. Most will feed better at night often taking warm food
from a perch close to them once it gets dark. A great number of ATBs will only strike feed.
The recommended feeding schedule for neonates is a single pinkie/fuzzy mouse approximately
every 5 to 10 days.
Adult ATBs do best by being fed every 2 to 4 weeks depending on their condition on 1-2 adult mice.
Gravid females should be offered smaller food items more frequently and although they will
normally feed much more at this time, not all specimens will continue to do so throughout the entire
pregnancy.
Comments
This species exhibits an immense variety of colours and patterns. The basic colour can be anywhere
from black, brown, or gray, to any shade of red, orange, yellow, or many colours in between. Some
are totally pattern less, 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 colour 'phases' that are genetically inherited, but are not ontogenic as with the emerald tree
boa. B. 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 'coloured phase' refers to
animals with combinations of red, orange, and yellow colouring.
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.
They are nocturnal and an arboreal species making them a beautiful display snake.
In general they are a little nervous and may bite if they feel threatened, however, if you treat them
with respect and offer gentle handling without restricting their movement they will normally
become reasonably tame.
Important Note: If you are housing an adult female ATB who is about to give birth it is
imperative that you check that the heater guard is suitable. Think about how small a new
born snake is and remember that ATBs climb and in all likelihood will head for the heat
source. It has been found that the only guards that work effectively are those that are
custom fitted.
John Gamesby

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