Take a moment....
...and ask yourself a couple of very important questions such as: do you really want a snake that will get to be 10 feet long, weigh over 50 pounds, urinate and defecate like a St. Bernard, should live more than 30 years and for whom you will have to kill mice, rats and, eventually, small rabbits? Many people think that it will be easy to find someone who will take it if they decide they don't want their Boa when it is 8 or 10 feet long. So, take a look at the classified ads--they always have sale ads for big pythons and boas. The zoo doesn't want any more--they already have more giant snakes than they need. The local herpetology societies and reptile veterinarians always have big snakes for whom they are trying to find homes. At 8 feet and 40 pounds, a 2-year old Boa may already be eating rabbits a couple of times a month and can be very unwieldy to handle alone. You have to interact with them constantly to keep them tame--do you want a hungry, cranky 10 foot snake mistaking your face for prey? Another consideration is who is going to help you clean its enclosure? take it to the vet when it's sick? take care of it when you go away to school or on vacation? No matter how much they love you, there are some things a mother, and your friends, will not do! Owning a big snake is not cool; it is a major, long-term commitment and responsibility.

There has been a disturbing increase over the past year or so (1996 to present) of boas being dumped by their owners (many of whom tried to sell the 6+ foot boa only to find that, no matter how much they reduced their price, no one was interested in buying) on animal shelters and reptile rescues. Many of these snakes are in terrible condition, with respiratory infections, riddled with endo- and ectoparasites, many suffering severe injury and infection from untreated rat bites and thermal burns. This is a clear indication that many people who are buying boas shouldn't be.

Housing

Snake-Proof Enclosure
Select an enclosure especially designed for housing snakes, such as those with the combination fixed screen/hinged glass top. All snakes are escape artists; Boas are especially powerful and can easily break out of a tank sealed with a board and a couple of bricks. A good starter tank for a hatchling is a 20 gallon tank. After the first couple of years, you will have to build your own enclosure out of wood and glass or Plexiglas or purchase a tank made by producers of large reptile enclosures. Be prepared - big snakes need lots of room, not the least of which is an enclosure big enough for you to get in and clean it out!

Suitable substrate
Use paper towels at first. These are easily and quickly removed and replaced when soiled and, with an import, will allow you to better monitor for the presence of mites and the condition of the feces. Once the animal is established, you can use more decorative ground cover such as commercially prepared shredded cypress or fir bark. Pine, cedar and aspen shavings should not be used as they can become lodged in the mouth while eating, causing respiratory and other problems. The bark must be monitored closely and all soiled and wet portions pulled out immediately to prevent bacteria and fungus growths. The utilitarian approach is to use inexpensive Astroturf. Extra pieces of Astroturf can be kept in reserve and used when the soiled piece is removed for cleaning and drying (soak in a solution of two tablespoons of household bleach in for each gallon of water; rinse thoroughly, and dry completely before reuse). Remember: the easier it is to clean, the faster you'll do it!

Hiding Place
A hiding place should be provided for Boas. A half-log (available at pet stores), an empty cardboard box or upside-down opaque plastic container, both with an access doorway cut into one end, can also be used. The plastic is easily cleaned when necessary; the box can be tossed out when soiled and replaced with a new one. Many Boas enjoy hanging out on branches; provide clean branches big enough to support the Boa's weight. If you use a found branch, soak first in the bleach/water solution, then clean water to thoroughly rinse; place in cage only when completely dry. If you use rocks and bricks to construct a cave, be sure to affix them firmly in place. Boas are very strong, and can easily topple such a structure when moving about. When the rocks tumble on the snake, severe injuries may result.

Temperature Gradient
The proper temperature range is essential in keeping your snake healthy. The ambient daytime air temperature throughout the enclosure must be maintained between 82-90 F (28-32 C), with a basking area kept at 90-95 F (32-35 C). At night, the ambient air temperature may be allowed to drop down no lower than 78-85 F (26-30 C). Special reptile heating pads that are manufactured to maintain a temperature about 20^o higher than the air temperature may be used inside the enclosure. There are adhesive pads that can be stuck to the underside of a glass enclosure. Heating pads made for people, available at all drug stores, are also available; these have built-in high-medium-low switches and can be used under a glass enclosure. You can also use incandescent light bulbs in porcelain and metal reflector hoods to provide the additional heat required for the basking area, or the new ceramic heating elements which can be put into regular light sockets and radiate heat downward. All lights must be screened off to prevent the snake from burning itself. All snakes are susceptible to thermal burns. For this same reason do not use a hot rock. Buy at least two thermometers - one to use in the overall area 1" above the enclosure floor, and the other 1" above the floor in the basking area. Ideally, you should place a third thermometer at near the upper basking bench or branch. Don't try to guess the temperature--you will end up with a snake who will be too cold to eat and digest its food. Once your snake has grown quite large, you may wish to invest in a pig blanket, a large rigid pad for which you can buy a thermostat to better control the temperature.

No special lighting is needed.

Feeding
Allow your snake to acclimate for a couple of weeks to its new home. Start your hatchling off with a single pre-killed week to 10-day old "fuzzy" rat. A smaller sized hatchling may require a small mouse. Larger Boas may be fed larger pre-killed rats. The rule of thumb is that you can feed prey items that are no wider than the widest part of the snake's body. While Boas will often gladly eat prey that is actually too large for it, they will generally regurgitate the prey item one or more days later. Not a pretty sight. If you have not had any experience force feeding a snake, you may not want to try it yourself until you have seen someone do it. Force feeding should be an action of last resort, as it is very stressful for the snake--and the owner! It is very easy to overfeed captive snakes, especially the boas and pythons, as they do not get enough opportunity to exercise and burn calories in captivity as they do in the wild. Be judicious--your snake will get big and impressive soon enough. Feed it enough to keep it healthy, not obese.

Provide fresh water
Keep a bowl of fresh water available at all times. Your snake will both drink and soak, and may defecate, in it. Check it often and change it as needed. A warm bath in your bathtub will also be welcomed just before your Boa is ready to shed.

The common kingsnake is a medium sized Iowa snake that is 36 to 48 inches in length (Conant and Collins, 1991). This serpent is nonvenomous. This snake is shiny black with a yellow, yellowish green, or white spot on each scale. There is variation in the arrangement of these dots; some specimens have the dots arranged in such a way as to form a chainlike pattern on the back with speckling on the side of the snake. Others may be predominately black with a light sprinkling of dots. Some specimens may have the dots distributed evenly about the snake (this is how this kingsnake gets the local name salt and pepper snake). In any case, it cannot be confused with any other Iowa snake. The belly of the common kingsnake is white or yellow with clusters of black checkers; sometimes the belly ends up being more black than light. The scales are smooth and the anal plate is single.

Habitat

These snakes utilize a wide variety of habitats. They are found in prairies, open grassland, fields, pastures, in ditches along cultivated fields and roads, woodlands, and some stream valleys and blufflands. They are most common in grasslands along forest edges. They also do not appear to be found deep in heavy woodlands very often. They are mainly found in open grassy or rocky areas in Iowa. They are a common snake in states south of Iowa, and use similar habitats there as well.

Habits

Speckled kingsnakes have a very similar natural history to prairie kingsnakes. Speckled kingsnakes are active from April to October in Missouri (Johnson, 1992). They are diurnal in the spring and fall becoming largely nocturnal in summer. Speckled kingsnakes are active snakes, wandering a great deal, but are still somewhat secretive. They are often seen on the roads in the morning or at dusk, and later after sunset in warm summer months. I have found specimens in Kansas after sunset. Individuals are rather passive when picked up, but a few will bite. They also release musk and vibrate their tails when agitated. Young specimens are particularly testy and will strike and musk freely when picked up

Food

Speckled kingsnakes closely resemble prairie kingsnakes in diet preferences. Kingsnakes are dietary generalists and feed on a wide variety of prey. Mammals, birds, birds eggs, snakes, lizards, frogs, and reptile eggs have been reported as food. Speckled kings, like other kingsnakes, will eat venomous snakes. Kingsnakes are immune to the venom of North American venomous snakes and venomous snakes will use other methods to escape kingsnakes. Instead of striking, the the venomous species will throw loops of coils at the kingsnake in an attempt to bat the kingsnakes head and then escape quickly. Kingsnakes are even known to consume other kingsnakes.

Kingsnakes are constrictors; killing their prey by suffocation before devouring it. These snakes are often found around farms and barns. They are looking for mice and other prey. They are very beneficial to farmers. Unfortunately, many people are ignorant of this fact and kill the snake believing it to be venomous. This is foolish; because of the snakes broad diet, the kingsnake will not only rid the farmer of mice, but this harmless species will actually rid the farmer of any venomous species that happen to be around as well.