Reliable rainbow boa information?

I'm going to be getting a snake in August, and I'm trying to make up my mind about what I want, and get properly prepared with everything I need, including good information!

Right now I'm considering a ball python, or a columbian rainbow boa. I've found a lot of information about balls, and all the information seems to agree on how you take care of them, with some minor personal variations.

But searching the net for info about rainbows, I'm finding things that are actually contradictory! Nobody can agree what temperature they need, they can't even agree what size they grow to! I don't want to chose a snake based on bad advice, and I don't want to end up taking improper care of one once I get it either.

Is there a good source for reliable information on columbian rainbow boas out there so I can make an informed decision?

Colombian rainbow boas are not nearly as popular as BPs, so you won't find the same quantity of information. You might want to switch your searching slightly to BRB (Brazilian rainbow boa), then try to sort out the few differences with the Colombians.

I have been reading about the Brazilians as well.

But I'm running into the same problem with them. One site says "never do this, ever!" and another says "always do this!" Which makes me a little wary of everything on them! For example, one place told me that under tank heating wasn't going to work, because of the dampness and denseness of the necessary substrate, so that you must have over tank heating, while another site says that a heat light or ceramic element over the tank dries out the air too much, you should never use them, always use under tank heating. I can't never use under tank, AND never use over tank! Unless maybe I need to put it on the side? But of course I've also read that that doesn't work either! And nobody agrees on the temperatures either. I've seen sites saying that 85-90 is an ideal basking temperature, and sites saying that temperatures over 85 will kill the snake! I saw one site say at least 50% humidity, and another say 80% is ideal. That's a big difference there! And nobody agrees on the size they grow to! One site said they grow to 4 feet, and another said 7. 4-7 is a possible range, I suppose, but I'd like better information than that! A 7 foot snake is too big for me to handle, a 4-5 foot snake is just right. I want to know how big I'm looking at before I commit myself!

Ahem. Sorry, just a little frustrated with this. I have actually found an ordered one book on rainbow boas, so hopefully that will prove to be reliable.

I haven't dealt with rainbow boas in a long time, so I can't point you in the direction of the ideal care sheet. I can try to clear up some of the confusion...hopefully without adding to it.
Heating - well, it is true that heat lights and CHEs dry out the environment, making humidity retention a chore. It is also true that using belly heat with deep or dense substrate is somewhat less effective. Both can be used with rainbows. As I mentioned, I haven't dealt with them in years, so I don't want to offer specifics in regard to temperature (wouldn't want an incorrect or incomplete memory to cause problems for your animal), but I will say that for the snake to thermoregulate, you need a range of temperatures that allow the snake to warm up and cool down. You will have to balance the room temperature with the heat provided to supply an acceptable range. This will be impacted by the type of enclosure you choose. (some do a better job of retaining warmth than others).
Humidity - Colombians require somewhat less humidity than Brazilians. The thing to remember is that you don't want the air to be stagnant - you can't sacrifice ventilation to achieve humidity. Again, how you approach humidity will be dependent on the enclosure you choose. I, personally, don't think aquariums make good snake enclosures - though they can be used successfully. When you factor in weight, cost of the enclosure, ease of heating and environmental control, appearance, access to the animal, security, etc, you may be better off with a cage designed specifically for snakes/reptiles. Oops - I was supposed to be humidity, wasn't I...well, like I said, caging influences your choices. With a largely open enclosure, like an aquarium, you will probably find that you need to use a humid hide (a mostly closed hide with a moisture retentive substrate such as mulch or coco fiber). This gives both security, and an area of high humidity - - the downside is you will rarely see your snake, lol. In a "snake cage" (ala Boaphile, AP, JungleHabitats, etc), you can probably get away with placing a large water bowl on the warm side and occasional misting.
Substrate - Cypress mulch is a great option for rainbow boas regardless of enclosure type. You can, however, use aspen, or even newspaper, as long as you get humidity right. Watch out for mold development in high humidity environments.
Size - female BRBs average 5-6 ft, males are smaller. Colombians tend to run smaller than Brazilians, so I doubt that you will find yourself faced with a snake that is too big for you (also, even it it were to get to 7 ft...it isn't a "big" 7 ft, if you know what I mean).

Good for you that you're researching the animals you're thinking about getting BEFORE you get them!!! There are too many people who get snakes on impulse (I can't say I've never done it) and then fail to do the homework and provide proper care. A big pat on the back to you!

Unfortunately, I can't offer you any information on rainbow boas. I own 2 ball pythons though, and I have to say that I love them. I would tell you that if you're concerned about size, a ball might be a better choice, though they're not much smaller than rainbows, and I've heard of many people who own balls that are on the large end of the range, even an amazingly, vet verified, 8 feet. So nothing is a sure thing.

As for the conflicting info out there, use common sense when deciding how to outfit your set up. A UTH might be less efficient, but with slightly different substrate or increased heat, the enclosure can still get to the right temps. Humidity hides are a great thing! Our guys are mostly in aquariums, so we provide a moist area for them that way, and will also soak them in water when they're getting ready to shed. It has worked well for us in having clean sheds. Saran wrap over the warm side or more of the the lid of the tank (being sure to leave some area open for air flow) works well in helping keep the moisture inside too.

Again, great work in researching prior to your purchase!! Keep it up and enjoy your snakes!!

Thank you both for the advice, that makes a lot of sense.

I'll go ahead and encourage you to get the Colombian rainbow, lol...unless you REALLY like BPs. They really are pretty easy to keep (like I said, they don't have the same humidity requirements as a BRB...not significantly different than a BP), are a great size to work with - thinner bodied than a comparably sized BP, and not EVERYBODY has them.

i applaude your efforts in finding as much info as possible on what ever your looking to acquire. I keep and breed both brazilian and colunbian Rainbow boas. I keep them in the same room with no problem at all in eating and shedding. I would keep large water bowl in there cages because they like to soak from time to time. As a first snake I would not recommend a RBB. They can be aggressive...most of mine are. If you would like to talk more about RBB just let me know.

Good Luck

Scott Sweeney
Sweeney's Serpents