Are Boa Constrictors Good for an Apartment?

Boa Constrictor Basics

• Boa constrictors are medium to large snakes found in the forests of Central and South America. Currently, nine subspecies are recognized that vary in appearance and size. The most commonly seen subspecies in captivity is the Central American boa (Boa constrictor imperator), which is often mislabeled as the Colombian red-tailed boa. Female boa constrictors are larger than males and can grow up to 12 feet in length, though most are less than 9 feet; males usually measure about 6 feet in length. Some of the island populations appear to reach only 6 feet in length, even when kept in captivity. Aside from the size of the snake, the care of all subspecies is similar. All boas are nocturnal predators of rodents and birds.

Pros

• Many snakes, including boa constrictors, share a number of traits that make them wonderfully suited to apartment life. Unlike a dog or cat, a snake will spend the majority of its existence inside a cage and won̵7;t cause any damage to the apartment. Additionally, as long as the keeper is diligent in cleaning the cage, boa constrictors won̵7;t cause an offensive odor or shed allergens like some furry pets may. Boa constrictors can be fed weekly and will defecate about once every week to 10 days, which makes cleaning up after them less time-consuming than warm-blooded pets. Finally, while snakes do need some exercise, this can be accomplished with regular handling sessions ̵1; whereas dogs need to be walked.

Cons

• Boa constrictors are sometimes large snakes, and all will need cages with 6 to 12 square feet of cage space at a minimum. In an apartment where space is at a premium, this can sometimes be problematic. Further, when attempting to clean a large snake cage, the easiest solution is to take it outside and hose it out; generally not an option while living in an apartment. A final consideration is that you and a boa have very different ideas of a comfortable climate. This will manifest most obviously via your heating and air bill, which will climb as you add heat to your boa's cage -- which is sometimes at odds with your comfort in the summertime, when your air condition is running.

Apartment Management Issues

• Many apartments won̵7;t allow pets at all, and of those that do, precious few will embrace snakes. According to a 2004 study by Firepaw Inc. only 9 percent of landlords surveyed allowed pets with no restrictions on size or species. Trying to keep a large, tropical, constricting snake living in your apartment covertly is very hard -- and may put your lease in jeopardy. Though it's true that many snakes make excellent pets, they are frightening to a lot of people and represent liability that many management groups simply aren̵7;t interested in accepting.