Naturalistic setups - observations

While there is something to be said for the easy cleaning of a basic set up (rubbermaid, paper towel, water dish and hide box), I'm a big fan of naturalistic setups. One of my observations in keeping Solomon Island Ground Boas is that the recommended "50-60%" humidity is inadequate. I use plants, driftwood and substrate to achieve something closer to 70-85% humidity most of the time (with a dry-out period a few hours each day). I have noticed that with this increased humidity, my snakes rarely, if ever, soak. I have also noted that whenever I use sphagnum moss for humidity, I invariably find a snake burried in it. In my experience, they opt for "cover" (moss, logs with holes, corkbark tubes) rather than regular hideboxes or "caves", although they will make good use of a moist hidebox with moss in it.

Heating and lighting, and humidity

Light is not particularly important for Candoia c paulsoni. I light my cages for the live plants contained therein. I tend to simply adjust the light cycle every few weeks to correspond with outdoor lighting conditions to simulate natural light cycles - but any photoperiod (or no artificial light) is also fine.
I encourage any Candoia keepers to research the Solomon Islands - you will learn a lot more about how your snakes should be kept. Did you know that the Islands have a near-constant temperature and humidity all year long? Did you know that the Solomon Islands are very humid, most days hovering around 94%, with night dropping to low to mid 70%? And that while most days are around 88F, most nights are below 80F?
As Candoia are from a fairly temperate region, they do not require excessive heat. An appropriate sized heat pad on one side of the enclosure is fine, for a hot spot of about 88-90F, a warm side of 84-86F, and a cool side of 79-84F. Nighttime lows of 74-76F ambient are fine.
Solomon Island Ground Boas seem to manage just fine without 95% humidity, but I do recommend daily sprayings or the use of a humidifier, particularly for dry areas. Ambient humidity can be around 60%, with daily mistings bringing it up to 80-90% a couple times a day. If you notice your Solomon Island Ground Boa soaking or having trouble shedding, humidity can be increased with the use of a humidifier in the room, or by placing the dish over the headpad, and increasing misting frequency.

Feeding

As previously mentioned, Solomon Island Ground Boas can be easy or difficult feeders. In my experience, however, once a snake is eating steadily, it will continue to do so, and long fasts of mysterious origin are uncommon.
Candoia carinata paulsoni have a very slow metabolism, and do not require frequent meals unless they will be breeding. For adult males and adult females not breeding, one reasonably sized prey item can be fed every 14 to 18 days.
Breeding females can be fed every 7 to 10 days.
An appropriately sized prey should cause a visible lump in the snake's body right after eating it. The lump should go away within a week or so.
Neonates usually require scenting or pump-assisted feeding at first, but a meal every 7 to 14 days is normal. Juvenile/yearlings can be fed every 10 to 14 days.
Some animals may strike readily at prey offered in tongs; others may need to be left with the f/t prey item in their cage overnight.
If you are feeding live rodents, keep an eye on it without being intrusive, as rats and mice can bite your snake. Do not ever feed your snake live prey if you suspect the snake is shedding. The shedding process renders the snake temporarily visually impaired, and the snake may strike the rodent improperly, which can result in bites. I have had this happen and my snake was bite a half centimeter from his eye. Luckily he is fine, but in the future I will wait a week or two and feed after shedding rather than risk doing so while the snake is impaired.

Handling and temperment

Solomon Island Ground Boas are typically quite tame and placid. Nippiness is to be expected in young specimens, as well as wild caught specimens that have had little to no handling. But regular, gentle handling should make most animals very tame. My Candoia are a pleasure to handle - they are inquisitive but gentle, and usually just stay wrapped around my wrist or arm.

CANDOIA HEALTH ISSUES

A recent bought of rectal prolapse in one of my candoia has prompted me to do a short write-up on candoia health issues.

Rectal Prolapse

Rectal Prolapse occurs when the last section of the intestines - the rectum - "pops out" of the anus. The danger then is that the prolapse can dry out or be injured when the snake moves, swell and die off, and can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Rectal Prolapse in Candoia appears to be very rare, which may simply be because so few Candoia are captively kept. Prolapse in snakes in general, however, is not rare, but not quite common. In some species, like neonate green tree boas, it can be common. There are a few possible reasons for a prolapse: parasites, dehydration, stress, and overfeeding / powerfeeding. I do not by any means overfeed my snakes (I like to keep them lean because it seems to me that most captive snakes are too chubby!) The Candoia in question, Sol, was treated for parasites shortly after I got her, and is not in a high stress/high traffic situation. I came to the conclusion that dehydration is the cause, despite the large bowl of water and thrice-weekly mistings.
I noticed the prolapse one evening after work, and although it was too late for me to take her a vet that night, I began looking for one. I was very lucky in finding an excellent herp vet who worked in zoos in Africa. His experience with "pet" snakes is limited, but he was happy to take my own suggestions and do some extra research and assist me in any way possible. When I got her in the next day, her prolapse was quite swollen and a bit dry - it wasn't shriveled up, but did seem to be developing an outer layer of "skin". When the vet tried to re-insert the prolapse, the "skin" split, causing some minor damage to the prolapse. We thought for a while that it would not be possible to re-insert it and that it would need to be excised, but the vet inserted a thermometer into the rectum, and it did go back in. We used some surgical tape and gauze wrapped fairly tightly around her butt to keep her from "flexing" and popping it back out again. We determined that two stitches on either side would probably be in order to keep the rectum in place. However, when the prolapse did not recur within a day, the vet opted not to do surgery. I did not feed her for a month and the prolapse has not recurred yet. Because I suspect the culprit was - at least in part - dehydration, I have begun injecting her (f/t) prey with warm water in the belly, and providing her with a much more humid enclosure. I also opted to treat her with antibiotics, and she was put on a 10-day course of oral antibiotics. She was not a happy camper by the end of those 10 days, but seems to be doing fine otherwise.

In the event of a prolapse in your snake, you can try to re-insert it using a gloved finger and some KY jelly. If the prolapse is swollen or dry, or if you do not feel comfortable doing it yourself, do not attempt to re-insert it. You can use a sugar and water paste slathered on the prolapse, or some hemorrhoid cream, to try to reduce swelling to help with re-insertion. You must also keep the prolapse humid with some mineral oil or KY jelly. You should schedule an appointment with your vet as soon as possible - within a day or two. If the prolapse is left too long, it will dry out and need to be surgically removed.
The vet may be able to push the prolapse back in using his finger or a thermometer. If he cannot, but the rectum is still healthy, he may suggest a small incision to enlarge the anus, giving enough room to push the prolapse back in. If the prolapsed rectum is damaged, dead or dried out, he will have to excise the prolapsed rectum and sew the next bit of healthy rectum to the anus.
Two stitches, one on either side, may be recommended to ensure proper healing. You or your vet may also want to treat your snake with oral antibiotics. Do not feed your snake for at least 3 weeks - you want the rectum to heal as much as possible before the snake passes feces. This also means that you should avoid soaking your snake, which may induce the passing the feces. Instead, provide a small bowl of water and a moist hide with moist sphagnum moss.
You will also have to address the root cause of the prolapse - if you know what it is. Treat for antibiotics if necessary; reduce feeding to one small meal (just enough to cause a small lump) every 2-3 weeks; increase humidity, inject dead prey's stomach with water; move your snake to a more appropriate, less stressful enclosure, etc.
If caught soon enough and treated promptly and properly, there is no reason that a snake cannot recover fully and quickly from a prolapsed rectum.

Parasites

As mentioned earlier, your snake may need to be treated for external or internal parasites. Internal parasites are not usually easy to spot in fecal matter, so if your snake is passing feces, you should have a qualified reptile vet do a fecal exam ($20-$30) to check for internal parasites, and treat if required. If your snake is not passing feces, you should still treat for internal parasites as wild caught specimens are often afflicted.
External parasites can be snake mites or ticks. Ticks will be large and obvious, and can easily be removed. Just make sure that you also remove the mandibles which are buried under the scales, or infection can occur. Mites are more common but less easy to spot; rub the snake with a moist paper towel. If you see small black spots on the paper towel (rather like pepper), these are likely mites. They may also move, and if you squish them, a small smear of blood will show up on the paper towel.

Eradicating Mites

Mites (Ophionyssus natricis) are small black parasites that live and feed on snakes. They bury themselves under the snake's scales, mainly around the head and neck, and feed off the snake's blood. They do not affect other animals (mammals, lizards, birds). You may see small, round black "bugs" the size of a pinhead crawling on the snake; you may observe your snake soaking more than usual; you may observe black dots in the water after a soak. As a final test, take a piece of wet paper towel and rub it along the snake; if your snake has mites, you will likely see small black spots (the size of ground pepper) on the sheet. You can squish them, and you may observe a small smear of blood.