Suri "special requirements"??

[DaveDragon]

We have 2 Ball Pythons and a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, along with 4 Tegus, 2 Bearded Dragons and few other reptiles.
I'm planning on getting a Suri in the spring. What “special requirements” does a Suri need that differs from normal snake husbandry?? I'd like to be prepared ahead of time.
I’d like to hear experiences from actual keepers vs. a generic RTB care sheet.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

[Adrya]

Well, since I saw this thread unanswered and even though it's several months old... figured I would pipe in.


Suri's for the most part, mostly when they're young (I think) can't tolerate very large prey items.. it has to be exactly the size as the thickest part of the snake, or just sliiiiightly bigger... if its very large they usually may have the tendency to regurgitate it, then you have to wait a couple weeks before offering them food again, but starting off with a very small prey item.

The humidity needs to be fairly high and constant, too.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

[DaveDragon]

Thanks for the reply! I forgot about this thread. Since I traded one of our Tegu's for a 5.5ft female Dumeril Boa I won't be getting a Suri (even though I'd like to). I can't justify spending $400 on a snake. 3 kids have a way of draining the finances! The Dum (sort of) satisfies my "need" for a larger Boa.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.

[danktat]

I tend to like to keep temps a little higher for BCC than I do for BCI. On average a good 3° to 5° higher in fact. This I have found helps a bit in the digestion of food items that may cause problems for them. I also find that humididty spiking durring shed cycles can be more benificial to BCC. Humidity under 60% in my Suris I have seen cause bad sheds, stuck sheds, and eyecaps. I mist when I notice them going into blue to compensate for the lack of humidity in winter (I live in PA). In the summer I don't tend to have problems with humidity.
Feeding tends to be a bigger issue with Suris. The "I feed once a week" mentality can prove to be a bad idea for some animals. I go about once every 10 to 14 days for neos and once every 14 days to sometimes three weeks with yearlings or larger. My adults vary according to thier size, sex and wether or not they are breeding.
Stress levels in some of mine are less easy to control than some other species I have had in the past. I don't have them in a high traffic environment. I haven't seen alot of variation from BCI as far as being "handlable" other than after a feed. Handling too quickly after feeding can lead to a regurge if they are disturbed too much.

Plenty more but those are the major differences I can think of off hand. I am sure others will chime in with variations as well. Good luck on the suri hunt this spring!

	Boa Constrictor Constrictor Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constictor constrictor). Refers to "true" red tail boas such as the Guyana and Suriname locales.

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	Suriname Redtail Boa Red Tail Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor constrictor) from the locale of Suriname. Considered to be a "True" Red Tail.