To successfully breed boas you must be properly prepared. In captivity, snakes generally prepare for breeding with a cooling period known as brumation. Similar to hibernation in mammals, brumation in reptiles is a period of inactivity during the colder winter months. Brumating snakes can eat during this period, but generally will not as the temperature is lower, they are less active (sometimes they do not move for weeks or months), and digestion is difficult or impossible. Snakes will still drink during brumation, so fresh water should always be provided. In captivity, a brumation period is not essential to keep snakes healthy, but is necessary to induce reproduction.
To prepare for this, feeding should be increased in the months leading up to brumation, usually in August, September, and October. This will ensure that your snakes have a good breeding weight and is especially important for females. Your goal here is not to overfeed, obesity is just as bad, if not worse, than being underweight. Rather, you want your boas to be heavy and well-rounded.
Then the feeding should be completely stopped in late October or early November. It takes a couple of weeks to make sure digestion is complete and defecation has occurred. Any food that remains in the digestive system when the temperature drops can cause illness and even death. If the snake does not defecate, you can try to induce it by submerging it in warm water.
Once you are sure that the digestive tract is clean and that your snakes are in excellent health, you can lower the temperatures during the brumation period.
What temperature for brumation?
Optimal brumation temperature and period differ from species to species. What works well for one species could be very harmful to boas from a different native climate.
Tropical boas, like boas constrictors, generally do well with a nighttime temperature that slowly drops to around 70 F, while maintaining the daytime temperature around 85 – 90 F. With careful use of timers, a long night and fresh can be controlled. while a short but hot day helps to keep your boas healthy and to maintain resistance to parasites and diseases.
For temperate boas, such as rosy boas, a cooler temperature can be maintained at 50 degrees F during the brumation period of about 3 months. This temperature is then raised back to normal rearing temperatures in March.
Exactly how you control your temperatures will largely depend on your climate, where your enclosures are kept, and how they are heated. A certain amount of trial and error may be required to ensure temperatures are properly controlled, and a combination of heat sources, timers, and possibly air conditioning may be required. Using digital thermometers with a high / low memory feature will allow you to closely monitor their temperatures and if possible you should set up brumation enclosures as a test before presenting your boas.
Following these guidelines will give you a good chance to breed your boas successfully. After a successful mating, the key to successfully raising newborns is proper preparation. Make sure you are well prepared for the care requirements of both the pregnant female and the newborns after birth, and you will enjoy the wonder of herding boas!