Brazilian Rainbow Boas are among the most beautiful snakes in the world. They reach around 6 feet and remain fairly slender. The black circular pattern and side eye spots make a very attractive pattern and the base color of the snakes can vary from reddish brown to orange.
Boas from the genus Epicrates are missing the outermost layer of scale present in most boas. This missing layer gives them their incredible iridescence in the sun causing a purple, blue, and green rainbow effect to run up and down their body as they move. This also causes them to dehydrate easily and they need constant high humidity.
My pair of Brazilians was acquired from Terry Vandeventer's personal stock and are actually Peruvian. The only difference between Peruvian and Brazilian Rainbows are the vividness of the color. Vandenventer and Bill Lamar were among the first working with these and their bloodlines are the best in the country. My pair was hand picked from Vandenventer's entire litter and is phenomenal. They are just over 2 feet and the female is a classic example of a dark orange/burgundy specimen. She has a deep rich color to her and great iridescence. My male is hands down the brightest orange I have ever seen on a Brazilian. I will put him up against any Brazilian out there if you can find more color than this then show me where. This snake is truly one of the most fantastic looking animals I have ever had the pleasure of owning.
I should also note that both of my Brazilians are calm and show no aggression at all even when getting shed off their noses. I absolutely love Brazilians and always have. They do require more attention than most as they must be very moist and clean as well, otherwise they tend to have shedding and respiratory problems. Kept properly however, these snakes are worth the effort by far.
These boas are small, extremely easy to keep eating machines. They grow quickly and have awesome vivid colors. They do have a bit of a wormy look but when you see them knife into the sand the the reason for the small head becomes quite clear. These are interesting little boas to keep and although you won't see them out in the open often, you will sometimes see their heads poking out of the sand ready to strike. An interesting side note is that for years all I've read and heard has been that Kenyan's don't tend to bite. Bull! My Kenyans seem to enjoy biting me as often as possible. Not that this hurts or anything, you can barely feel it. Mine however do not hesitate to bite upon being grabbed and touched. They will twist and curl up unnaturally just to get to me. I can't say that I blame them, after all I've just reached in and yanked them out of their comfy home under the sand. They feel they must defend themselves from an attacker. Too bad the attacker is me.
All that considered Kenyans are still a great snake even with the nipping. They look great and eat better than most snakes. They grow quick and despite being nippy when touched most calm down once actually in the hand.
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