By Nipper Read
The Jamaican boa is an iconic symbol of the vibrant island of Jamaica in the Caribbean, but also a sad reminder of the destruction humans can do to a species as well as the very real threat of extinction facing many of today’s reptiles. I have kept many of these beautiful snakes over the years and in the next pages, hope to illustrate the beauty and interest of these rare boas and the pleasure of keeping and breeding them.
The Jamaican boa was first described by Stejner in 1901. At that time, the Jamaican boa was placed in the genus Epicrates, where it remained until 2013, when Reynolds et al placed it in the genus Chilabothrus. In 2014, Wallach returned the Jamaican boa to the genus Epicrates, however Reynolds and Henderson, the godfather of West Indian herpetology, once again placed it back into the genus Chilabothrus, where it remains to this day. The Latin name of the Jamaican boa is Chilabothrus subflavus and refers to the yellowish colouration. Locally the snake is called the yellow snake.
Jamaican boas are, in my humble opinion, one of the most striking of all the boas, yes Amazon Basin Emeralds are very green, Amazon Tree Boas can be a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns, and Brazilian Rainbow Boas are pretty, but there is something about the Jamaican Boa that is unique and stunning. No description of the colour and pattern will do the living snake justice, but I will try. The dorsal colour can range from a deep tan to a vibrant orange. The scales are often tipped or completely black, leading to heavy black banding. Some unbanded snakes occur, I have one in my collection. The tail is solid black. The snakes seem to look like they are made of bronze and the iridescence is incredible. The most notable feature of these snakes however is the intense yellow colouration some individuals attain. Juveniles are typical of Chilabothrus in that they are born a reddish-pink colour.
One of the things I particularly like about the Jamaican Boa is the size. These boas stay small when fed correctly and five to six feet is a good size for an adult. If their diet is correct, they stay slim for a boid, and like most island species, do not attain the heavy bodied characteristics of some mainland boas. I find these snakes more akin to scrub pythons in their proportions and behaviour. The heads of these beautiful boas are notably angular, with heavy scalation.
This snake was the apex predator in Jamaica before the intervention of man and has no natural predators. Once common across the whole island, this species is now confined to minute fragments of the remaining jungle, and due to habitat destruction and persecution by man, they are now listed as vulnerable.
Cockpit county, Dolphin Head, Hellshire Hills, Portland and St. Thomas Parishes are the last remaining areas where this species can be found in the wild. Even in these areas, domestic cats are hastening their decline. Largely arboreal, this snake is encountered in the trees and caves of these areas. “Jams” largely feed on introduced rodents, however birds, including parrots, as well as bats are their natural diet. Juveniles will take lizards and frogs.
I have kept a great many of the insular island Epicrates/Chilabothrus species over the years, chrysogaster, angulifer, fordi, striatus, inornatus but the Jamaican boa has remained my favourite. This is a hardy, easy to keep beautiful boa.
So let’s look at keeping.
Jamaican boas are very rare in the hobby both in Europe and the US. This is an endangered snake and subject to CITES 1 conditions of ownership. Each snake must be registered and microchipped. All the specimens in the hobby will have originated from zoo stock. I currently have 7:5, originating from European zoos.
For adult specimens, I use arboreal vivariums 4ft high, 4ft wide and 2ft deep. The vivariums contain a variety of thick branches and plastic plants to allow the snake to feel secure when out basking. I use plastic plants to aid cleaning and these snakes tend to destroy living plants as they can be quite heavy.
I have large cork bark tubes as hides, mounted so they are close to the top of the vivarium. The boas seem to show a preference for arboreal hides in my experience. I have large pieces of cork bark on the floor of the vivarium to allow the snakes to thermoregulate if they want a cooler hide. The substrate is rough orchid bark.
Each vivarium has a large tray for water, I use only rain water from water butts rather than UK tap water which can contain fluoride. I keep the humidity high by placing the trays under the heaters and daily spraying before lights out.
Heating is twofold, given the size of the vivariums. I use a ceramic heater and a deep heat emitter on a thermostat in each vivarium. The deep heat emitters do not raise the temperature of the vivarium greatly, but create the most natural basking spot available at present. Jamaican boas do like to bask, one of the enjoyable things about these species is that they are often seen basking in the open for hours at a time, unlike other Chilabothrus species I have kept such as fordi.
Day temperatures average 84 at the hot spot for the cooler months to 90 for the warmer period. Night temps have a ten degree drop. The vivariums have Arcadia pro UV kits in them, I think decent UV is essential for species such as the Jamaican boas as in the wild they will bask frequently.
Feeding these snakes could not be easier, in my experience, every Jamaican boa I’ve kept over the years have been prey driven. Their feeding response is so acute that care must be taken not to over feed these snakes. I prefer giving a predominantly avian diet. I feed mostly adult quail and chicks, with the occasional appropriately sized rat or mouse. These snakes are an insular island species where there is not a huge amount of natural prey. These snakes should remain muscular and gracile.
As with all the species I keep, I try to replicate a natural feeding pattern that reflects prey availability in the wild. Introduced rodents aside, there will be seasonal times of prey abundance and prey shortage depending on the time of year. I think studying the natural rhythm of a particular species and replicating it is essential to the health of the snake and assists greatly in stimulating breeding and ovulation.
To breed these snakes, I ensure temperature, food availability, light cycles and humidity all replicate the natural yearly cycle of the snake. In nature these snakes predominantly breed in the early part of the year from January to May, this is the cooler time of year in Jamaica and dryer. The rainy season starts at the end of April and lasts through to October, temperatures are higher, and humidity rises during the rainy season.
With this in mind I match temps, humidity and light times to the Jamaican data. I also ensure feeding schedules match the natural prey availability. I take an appropriately aged and sized male and place it in an established females vivarium. Males should be at least four years old and females ideally two years older. Adding a second male will stimulate breeding, but also combat, so the snakes should not be left unattended. Remove the spare male as soon as combat starts. It may be safer to simply place the shed skin of another male in the vivarium, this will often stimulate the breeder male, without the risk of injury to a second male. Locks last between three and fourteen hours and occur in the water tray or under cork slabs. Gestation lasts between 160 and 220 days. This disparity in gestation time is due to sperm storage by the female.
Litters sizes can be large and can number over thirty. Neonate hatching size is around 14 inches. The neonates are reddish in colour and soon develop the adult banding. Neonates are set up in arboreal fauna boxes, with paper towels as substrate and garden trellis as a climbing frame. Small hides and water bowls are also present. As the snakes grow, they are transferred to larger fauna boxes and then a racking system.
Feeding neos should present no problem. The food drive is strong, but I have noticed many juveniles are shy and prefer to drop feed or take live fluffs after dark. Most juveniles will take mammalian prey immediately, but I prefer to use day old quail. Stubborn feeders will take live house geckos. Neonates must be registered after birth and CITES documentation and microchips attained for them.
Jamaican boas are not easy to attain either in Europe or the United States. I do think it is worth the extra effort of tracking these animals down and the extra work of documentation, to have a collection of these iconic, stunning and endangered boas. They make hardy captives and beautiful display animals. Really well worth the effort. If anyone has any questions regarding keeping this species, please don’t hesitate to contact me as Nipper Read on Facebook or Instagram.
