An Introduction to Amazon Tree Boas

  CORALLUS hortulanus : The name "hortulanus" is derived from the Latin word  for "gardener". I like to think they earned that name from their propensity to reside in fruit orchards. Orchards are very common throughout their natural range and in my creative mind I can envision these beautiful ornamental snakes perched throughout the fruit trees looking as though they are tending to their garden. The fact is however, the name "hortulanus" and the nicknames garden boa & garden tree boa came from the pattern on the tops of their heads resembling a flower garden.

Looking at these photos, is there any wonder why natives sometimes call Tree Boas "Dog-headed boas"?

Amazon Tree Boas are a boa species that are incredibly adapted to life in the trees. They live, eat, drink (raindrops and mist that gathers on the leaves), mate, and give birth, in the trees of tropical South America. Without getting too specific, Amazons can be found throughout a huge range of South America including Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Peru, Brazil, and probably many other areas as well. 

  Amazon Tree Boas are one of the most fascinating snake species in the world. They exhibit an infinite variety of colors and patterns. Their basic colors can be anywhere from black, brown, or gray, to literally any shade of red, orange, yellow, or any color in between. Some are totally patternless, 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; the combinations are virtually limitless!

  Amazons are a fun & exciting snake to own. Being arboreal (living in trees), they're the ultimate display snake. During the day they can be seen coiled up on a branch or wood ledge under some overhanging foliage, as opposed to terrestrial species which would normally be in/under their hiding places during the day. Amazons are nocturnal hunters, so they're even more fun to watch at night. All night long they can be seen either actively cruising their enclosure in search of prey, or hanging motionless from a branch in an S-shaped body curve trying to imitate a hanging vine, just waiting for some unsuspecting prey item to come walking by. Active foraging is much more typical with younger/smaller Amazons than with larger adults, who tend to spend the night hanging in an "S-Shape".

Amazons are infamous for their night time "eye shine"

  I keep my Amazons at 80-82 degrees daytime, with an afternoon peak of about 85 and above, and room temp. (76-78) at night. I don't use any type of heat/spot lamps or any other individual cage heaters. If given the right temperature gradient, males and non-gravid females will rarely, if ever, use a basking site. I think it makes them feel too exposed and vulnerable to predators to be in such a well lit area. Henderson made a similar observation  in the field. (Henderson, 1997) On the other hand, if you give gravid females a nice hot basking spot they will use it daily. After about the third month of gestation, the females will spend about 6-10 hours a day on a hot spot of 90-95 degrees. Henderson noted a similar observation in the field; when he spots a tree boa resting in direct sunlight, they're either gravid or digesting a recently ingested meal (Henderson, per. comm.).

  In my experience, I've found Amazons to be problem-free as far as feeding goes. The only tricky area is getting newborn babies to feed on rodents. In the wild, baby tree boas eat tree dwelling frogs and lizards, switching over to rodents, birds, and bats as they grow. Once you get babies to willingly feed on rodents, they will feed problem-free and grow quite rapidly. Sometimes recently imported, wild caught Amazons may be reluctant to feed in captivity, but I've always been able to get them started within 2-4 weeks. Being nocturnal, you'll have better success with stubborn eaters by offering their food at night.

A tree boa feeding while hanging from a branch is always a fascinating site!

  As for a feeding schedule for well established Amazons in good health, I feed mine about once every 5-7 days. Babies will get a mouse "pinky" or "fuzzy", 1-2 year olds will get small mice, and adults will get a medium to large mouse. I'll usually give breeder sized females 2 mice in order to afford them the extra body weight needed for successful reproduction.

The quicker you get babies feeding, the sooner they'll start growing. These two are about four months old. The one on the right was a slow starter.

 

A HUGE note of gratitude; I offer a million thanks to Dr. Bob Henderson for his work with the "Hortulanus Complex" spanning more than 2 decades; without him we would literally know NOTHING about these snakes' behaviors in the wild. I am extremely appreciative also for all the reading material and for taking time out of your busy schedule for my visits!

References, Resources, & works cited:

• Henderson, Robert W. Personal conversations.

• Henderson, Robert W and R. Allen Winstel 1995. Aspects of Habitat Selection by an Arboreal Boa (Corallus enydris) in an Area of Mixed Agriculture on Grenada. Journal of Herpetology 29(1): 272-275.

• Henderson, Robert W. 1996. Searching for tree boas high, low, and in-between. Lore 46(1): 18-23.

• Henderson, Robert W. 1997. An Irascible Aerialist: The Common Tree Boa of the American Tropics. Fauna 1(1): 17-25.

• Henderson, Robert W. 1997. Daily activity in tree boas on Grenada. Herpetological Natural History, 5(2): 175-180.

• Henderson, Robert W. 1998. Back to the future: tree boas, collections, and history. Lore 48(1): 4-11.

• Henderson, Robert W. 2002. Neotropical Tree Boas: Natural History of the Corallus hortulanus Complex. Krieger Publishing Company. Malabar, Florida, U.S.A.

• Henderson, Robert W. 2004. Correlation among Dorsal Body, Iris, and Tongue Color in a Local Population of Treeboas (Corallus grenadensis) on Grenada, Lesser Antilles. Caribbean Journal of Science 40(2) 270-273

• Powell, Sylvia D., Michael L. Treglia, Robert W. Henderson, and Robert Powell 2007. Tree Boas in the West Indies: Responses of Corallus cookii and Corallus grenadensis to Disturbed Habitats (not yet published)

• Stafford Peter J. and Robert W. Henderson,  1996. Kaleidoscopic Tree Boas: the Genus Corallus of Tropical America. Krieger Publishing Company. Malabar, Florida U.S.A.

• Winstel, Al. 1989. Herpetoculture of the Amazon Tree Boa. Vivarium 1(4): 12-14.

• Yorks, Derek T., Kate E. Williamson, Robert W. Henderson, Robert Powell, and John S. Parmerlee Jr.  2003 Foraging Behavior in the Arboreal Boid Corallus grenadensis. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 38(3): 167-172

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