Why are Brazilian Rainbow Boas hard to find?

Dcroyalpythons · 06-06-17, 02:46 PM

I have been looking into BRB's lately and have wondered why they are bred at such a smaller scale (no pun intended) than other snakes? Also the few morphs that are out there are usually more pricey than other species. Is there any problem with the snakes themselves?

Fharainbowboa · 06-11-17, 12:14 PM

They'!re generally not a "beginner snake" as in they can get fairly long in length, are really stromg, they have varying temperments, and have meticulous husbandry requirements. That being said, you're probably not gonna see them much in pet stores so the overall supply and demand for them is a major factor in their pricey-ness. As opposed to ball pythons that are easier to keep and are more readily available for herpaculturists and hobbyists, BRBs are just more rare and exotic. Nothing wrong with the species themselves. It just boils down to supply and demand of the breeding and morph markets.

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-11-17, 02:02 PM

As the hobby gets away from screen top enclosures, people are going to find rainbow boas are actually not that hard to keep. Their popularity is rising with the new morphs slowly being introduced. BRBs are definitely one of the more popular "niche" species, it shouldn't that difficult to find them, although their reputation for having difficult husbandry may limit their availability in some regards. I honestly don't view them as being any more difficult to care for than a ball python or boa constrictor. The real key is just using a proper enclosure in the first place, and everything pretty much takes care of itself.

The morphs are pricey simply because they're new, and haven't been bred enough to bring down the prices significantly yet. As the morphs become more common, you'll see steady drops in price, just like with any other new morph.

dannybgoode · 06-11-17, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

As the hobby gets away from screen top enclosures, people are going to find rainbow boas are actually not that hard to keep. Their popularity is rising with the new morphs slowly being introduced. BRBs are definitely one of the more popular "niche" species, it shouldn't that difficult to find them, although their reputation for having difficult husbandry may limit their availability in some regards. I honestly don't view them as being any more difficult to care for than a ball python or boa constrictor. The real key is just using a proper enclosure in the first place, and everything pretty much takes care of itself.

The morphs are pricey simply because they're new, and haven't been bred enough to bring down the prices significantly yet. As the morphs become more common, you'll see steady drops in price, just like with any other new morph.

Completely agree. They're not hard to keep *If* your enclosure can keep the humidity. In the UK screen tops are not nearly so prevalent so this particular issue hasn't really been an obstacle.

I don't know if that is the reason but they're not hard to find over here - pretty much most reptile stores stock them or can readily get them. Beautiful creatures...

bigsnakegirl785 · 06-11-17, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

Completely agree. They're not hard to keep *If* your enclosure can keep the humidity. In the UK screen tops are not nearly so prevalent so this particular issue hasn't really been an obstacle.

I don't know if that is the reason but they're not hard to find over here - pretty much most reptile stores stock them or can readily get them. Beautiful creatures...

They're pretty common here, I see them in pet stores all the time. They're definitely not at the level a ball python, corn, or even boa constrictor is, but they're still fairly easy to come across. Especially online.