Rubber Boas, Charina bottae?

[fredsmith]

A friend of mine over in the States has just picked up his first snakes since going over in 2005, a pair of Rubber boas (Charina bottae).
I'd never even heard of these small guys before... They're quite facinating.
Are these a species thats currently available over here and if so, who of us you fol out there have any?

[Bushviper]

I am pretty sure there are none left in SA. Even overseas they are not very sought after so they hardly ever enter the pet trade. They are small hardy little guys and amazingly for boas they need to be hibernated before they will breed.

I had some about 12 years ago and sold them to JP leBrun who was murdered and I never found out what happened to the specimens but I never saw them again.

[fredsmith]

Thanks BV.
I did a bit of a scratch around the net for them... Quite interesting is that they don't strike at all or ever even attempt to bite. Their defence when under threat is to either musk or try divert attention from the head to the tail by fooling the potential predator into rather attacking the tail.

Is there a particular reason they're not very popular?
One would have thought the more docile of boas would enter the "Pet" market with more frequency.. Perhaps it's due to their diminutive size?

[Bushviper]

They are really sweet and easy to keep. Even hatchlings will take pinks and some have been recorded eating earthworms. Often the babies will not feed until after winter so when they are born you can wait a month or so and then put them into hibernation. Sometimes they wait almost a year before feeding which is nerve racking.

They do well in a long flat cage with soft potting soil as a substrate. They rarely drink from a water bowl so spraying one side daily ensures they do not dehydrate. In the wild they might only breed once every 3 years and take 4 or 5 years to reach sexual maturity. Luckily they live for a long time considering they hibernate half of the year irrespective of the winter temperatures.

They are almost as long as Rosy boas but not as chubby so possibly they can be considered small. Being so secretive might not appeal to herpers who would like to not have to dig them out to check on them.

[Buck Rogers]

I remember wanting one of these when I was younger, they are really interesting boas.