Corallus caninus Nederland - website dedicated to the Emerald Tree Boa of South America

There have been more successful breeding programmes with the northern variant than there have with the 'Basin' locality, but this may also be attributed to the fact that the 'Basin' locality is not found in many private collections. The same applies, to some extent, to the northern variant. There are not many herpetologists who keep emerald tree boas successfully in captivity. It is the ultimate dream of many amateur herpetologists, but at the same time most herpetologists seem to stay away from the species because of the numerous problems it can present in captivity. It is widely considered to be a species only the highly experienced herpetologist can keep and maintain in a captive environment. It is a fragile species and prone to stress-related problems and ailments if not properly cared for.
The conditions under which it must be kept are also a barrier for most amateur herpetologists. Proper maintenance can be very costly, as well as very time-consuming. Due to the difficulty in maintaining these snakes in captivity, breeding Corallus caninus does not come easily. The conditions for successful breeding attempts need to be just right, with no margin for error. These snakes do not breed accidently. This applies to both the 'Basin' variant and the northern 'Guiana Shield' variant. Although pairings and mating behaviour are relatively easy to induce in this species (but relatively more difficult than in other boa species), this does not always lead to the birth of healthy offspring.
Sustained, long-term breeding programmes are therefore still considered rather exceptional and the figures for successful breeding results in Europe and in other countries still remain relatively low in comparison with other species of boa and python. A lot more must be learnt about this remarkable species before it will become more widely available in private collections as 'captive-bred'. Those herpetologists who have gained success with their breeding programmes are those who generally have extensive experience with green tree pythons and other members of the Corallus family of snakes. Like keepers and breeders of the green tree python, they are themselves a rather 'special breed', who always ensure strict hygiene and discipline in all aspects of reptile husbandry, and also have the proper facilities and necessary expertise and patience required to succeed. They understand the needs of their snakes.

As opposed to many assumptions, Corallus caninus does not readily mate as a result of climatic changes, although slight differences in the captive environment may be used to induce mating behaviour. This behaviour is most probably brought on by the sudden onset of changes in barometric pressure in its natural environment. This is something that cannot be emulated in captivity. What can be emulated are the occurrences and sequence of events that result from these barometric changes. Seasonal rainfall, for example, obviously follows these barometric changes and consequently, drops in temperature and higher relative humidity will result from those events. Given the fact that the snakes are in good health and feeling comfortable in their unnatural environment (captivity), these events can be applied to induce mating behaviour, although they may not be considered as the sole' trigger' for stimulating pairings. Another factor often neglected, is the fact that these snakes do not generally "associate' with each other in their natural enviroment. In their natural environment, females will leave a 'scent' when they are ready to mate, for the males to follow. This may also be a contributing factor to successful matings in captivity. Introducing more than one male to a willing female may stimulate mating behaviour in males as a result of 'rival' behaviour. One male may sense the presence of another and become excited by the scent that has been left by the first male and the scent of the female signalling her willingness to mate. It will inevitably stimulate mating behaviour in both males if these males are intermittently exchanged with the female for periods of between 4-8 days during the breeding season. This also occurs in their natural environment. So, climatic changes alone cannot be pin-pointed as the primary trigger for successful breeding. Successful breeding programmes are generally a result of a complex of contributing factors, one or two being the temperature drops and higher humidity (due to barometric changes and rainfall) and others being male/female compatibility and the stimulation of hormonal changes in both males and females.
The following text is a description of the regime required to breed this species in captivity. It is based on literature sources and personal experiences of breeders who have published their results. It is by no means complete and certainly not a guarantee for offspring.