Husbandry

Husbandry Guide: The Amazon Basin

Emerald Tree Boa (Corallus batesii)

The Amazon Basin Emerald Tree Boa is often considered the "crown jewel" of the reptile hobby. Known for their striking white dorsal stripes and calm temperament compared to their Northern counterparts, these snakes are a rewarding challenge for the dedicated keeper. Because they are a specialized arboreal species, precision in their environment is key to their long-term health. Here I will talk about how I have been successful caring for Corallus batesii. This does not infer that this is THE way or the ONLY way to care for these beautiful snakes, just how I have been successful doing it so far.

Enclosure & Habitat

As a strictly arboreal species, these snakes require at least 2' of vertical space and high humidity.

Size: For an adult, a PVC enclosure measuring 4' x 2' x 2' (LxWxH) is what we use for our females and our males cages measure 3' x 2' x 2. PVC is highly recommended over glass or wood. Our neonates and juvenal animals thrive in Cambro 12189CW135 Camwear® 18" x 12" x 9" Clear Food Storage Box. Ventilation is very important in enclosures. Our pvc enclosures have adequate CNC routed slits and we drill ventilation holes into our cambro tubs (also there is a fan and an air filtration system continously running in the snake room circulating air).

Perches: Provide multiple diameters of perches. At least 1 perch should be 1/2 the diameter of the snake or less. They tend to seek out the thinnest perches available. In the picture here you can see that we used some bamboo from our yard and secured it with zip ties for a neonate. PVC pipes can be used for larger animals but we do not suggest using them in their natural state. It is best if they are, at minimum are roughed up with some low grit sandpaper for some texture but when we used them we used a torch to slightly melt the PVC to the point that they can twist to give it a warped texture. Ensure whatever type of perch you use are securely mounted, as these snakes are heavy-bodied. All of our adult animals get Ron Rundo (Snake Skapes) hand sculpted perches. We find they have enough variation to keep the snakes happy and we don't think there is anything else that works better.

Substrate: Babies get double layered paper towels in their cambro tubs and adults get puppy pads that fit the size of their enclosures.

Temperature & Lighting

We heat and humidify our entire snake room as though it was a cage. I use a King K901-B Hoot Wi-Fi line voltage smart programable thermostat purchased from Amazon. The thermostat is mounted on a stand and is operated from a dedicated circuit to avoid overloading. The thermostat controls 2 electric radiator heaters that are analog and switched to the low or medium setting. A fan is placed between the heaters pointing straight up at the celling. The thermostat has 6 programs throughout the day. We set it to gradually reach 84 degrees during the day for ~8 hours and 78 at night for ~ 8 hours. We have observed temperatures as low as 76 and as high as 86 due to natural influences throughout the year.

As far as lighting goes, we only provide natural light by way of a window. We do not light the individual cages as we think it stresses out the snakes. Our logic here is that their natural habitat is a dense canopy that is quite low in light. Our snake room has enough natural light to observe the snakes and enjoy them without adding additional lighting. When we enter the room at night, it is lighted by a red bulb. When we need extra light, like during feeding, we use low intensity incandescent flash lights.

Humidity and hydration

Hydration: This is the most critical aspect of ETB husbandry. Amazon Basins come from rainforests with consistent moisture. It is impossible to recreate the Amazon Bain in your house so providing plenty of fresh water is critical, as they tend to refuse water that isn't fresh. We only use reverse osmosis water. All baby cages have water at perch level and on the bottom of the tubs making it impossible for them not to find it. Adults have water at perch level and sometimes on the bottom of the cage as well. Water is provided via 8oz round deli containers which are disposed of and replaced once per week. The exception to this is when we have gravid females, they get water at perch level on both sides of their enclosure as well as a dish on the bottom of the cage (3 locations) and we change it 3x per week. Regularly feeding your snakes the appropriate size prey really helps with hydration via metabolic moisture, and we witness them drinking almost 100% of the time after eating. We have attributed shedding issues to lack of eating/drinking rather than anything else as we keep our humidity at what we consider appropriate levels.

Humidity: We use a humidifier that has a built in hygrometer. As long as it doesn't run out of water it stays on 24/7 keeping the humidity consistent. Over the years we have found that 60-65% humidity optimal for the animals to get good clean sheds while keeping mold from growing. We very, very rarely spray our animals or cages.

Diet & Feeding

Amazon Basins have incredibly slow metabolisms in captivity. Overfeeding is one of the most common causes of problems besides inadequate temperature or humidity.

• Prey Type: Quality frozen-thawed rats or mice.
• Frequency: Neonates: Every 7–14 days.
• Adults: Every 3–6 weeks (smaller prey would be fed more often)
• You will notice the animals hunting at night which means they are ready to eat. You will see them hanging off their perch facing down in an S position ready to strike. These guys have a very strong feeding response so it is important to be ready to properly place the prey for easy direct access. When you open the cage you want to get the rat directly to them in such a manor that they can easily strike the head and wrap the prey. Doing this improperly can result in injury of the animal as they will wildly strike the enclosure or perch. It helps if the rat is warmed so the snake can properly sense it. It is important to keep good records monitoring feeding and defecation. Ideally you would see the snake defecate before it's next meal but it is very important not to keep feeding if you are not seeing a defecation after several meals.

Breeding

Females should be at least 5 years old to breed but not all 5 year old animals are necessarily ready to breed. Sometimes it is best to wait until they are 6. I have heard of 3 year old males breeding. We condition or animals to breed by reducing or skipping a feeding during the summer then increasing food intake in the fall leading up to breeding. We introduce pairs in late November or December. We observe them for a few days and if the male is expressing interest we leave them together until the female ovulates. We will take the male out and put him in his own enclosure to feed. Don't mistake preovulation swelling for the actual ovulation. I don't think it is fully understood if/how long the female can store sperm but some say it is imperative to have them breeding right before ovulation to be sure you get a fertile litter, so don't remove the male too early. We wait until the female has ovulated and is going into her post ovulation shed.

With our 2025 pairings, we started introducing Bruno with Luna and Lucy in late November. These 3 were the only 3 ready to breed in 2025 so we rotated Bruno between Luna and Lucy's cages. Not to infer anthropomorphism here, but he seemed to be having a field day with his 2 girls readily breeding both. Luna started developing significant swelling on February 7th and we believe her actual ovulation was on the 18th. We left Bruno in this entire time. Her post ovulation shed was on March 14th, her litter of 9 was born on July 17

So... Bruno was having fun with Lucy as well, what happed with her you ask? Good question and a very interesting development. It was already Late February Luna had already become gravid at this point so I figured it wasn't her year. I didn't continue breeding her after early March as I figured she wasn't going to go that year. Well.. randomly, 3 months later without breeding or any males in her cage, I see a giant pre ovulation swelling starting in mid June!! This occurred after I fed her the largest rat she had ever eaten, which probably stimulated the ovulation. I immediately threw Bruno into her cage. He was all over her immediately. She had her post ovulation shed on July 18th and had 8 healthy babies on December 04 of 2025.

Once the female becomes gravid she will want a basking spot of 92 degrees. We keep this 92 degree basking spot available for 8 hours a day after which it goes back to ambient room temp. After the post ovulation shed they don't immediately start basking, rather they ease into the hot spot over a few weeks to a month. After the POS we provide more water, 2 elevated water dishes, one on either side of the enclosure and one on the bottom. We replace the water 3x per week as many complications seem to be due to the females becoming dehydrated, and they may refuse water that isn't fresh. We regularly witness the females moving around a bit, repositioning and trying to find a comfortable position. Towards the end of gestation you will notice the female basking less, at which time I reduce the hot spot to 90 degrees. With our 2 litters, the first one was born 130 days after her post ovulation shed, and the second was born 138 POS but it is not uncommon to hear 150 days+ to birth. This time difference is very likely related to how long thy bask and at what temperature.