diff --git a/octodns/provider/route53.py b/octodns/provider/route53.py
index 490d630..6f9adc2 100644
--- a/octodns/provider/route53.py
+++ b/octodns/provider/route53.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ from __future__ import absolute_import, division, print_function, \
     unicode_literals
 
 from boto3 import client
+from botocore.config import Config
 from collections import defaultdict
 from incf.countryutils.transformations import cca_to_ctca2
 from uuid import uuid4
@@ -229,14 +230,22 @@ class Route53Provider(BaseProvider):
     HEALTH_CHECK_VERSION = '0000'
 
     def __init__(self, id, access_key_id, secret_access_key, max_changes=1000,
-                 *args, **kwargs):
+                 client_max_attempts=None, *args, **kwargs):
         self.max_changes = max_changes
         self.log = logging.getLogger('Route53Provider[{}]'.format(id))
         self.log.debug('__init__: id=%s, access_key_id=%s, '
                        'secret_access_key=***', id, access_key_id)
         super(Route53Provider, self).__init__(id, *args, **kwargs)
+
+        config = None
+        if client_max_attempts is not None:
+            self.log.info('__init__: setting max_attempts to %d',
+                          client_max_attempts)
+            config = Config(retries={'max_attempts': client_max_attempts})
+
         self._conn = client('route53', aws_access_key_id=access_key_id,
-                            aws_secret_access_key=secret_access_key)
+                            aws_secret_access_key=secret_access_key,
+                            config=config)
 
         self._r53_zones = None
         self._r53_rrsets = {}
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 5d8089a..2aec6d0 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -3,19 +3,19 @@
 PyYaml==3.12
 azure-mgmt-dns==1.0.1
 azure-common==1.1.6
-boto3==1.4.4
-botocore==1.5.4
+boto3==1.4.6
+botocore==1.6.0
 dnspython==1.15.0
-docutils==0.13.1
+docutils==0.14
 dyn==1.7.10
-futures==3.0.5
+futures==3.1.1
 incf.countryutils==1.0
 ipaddress==1.0.18
-jmespath==0.9.0
+jmespath==0.9.3
 msrestazure==0.4.10
 natsort==5.0.3
 nsone==0.9.14
-python-dateutil==2.6.0
+python-dateutil==2.6.1
 requests==2.13.0
 s3transfer==0.1.10
-six==1.10.0
\ No newline at end of file
+six==1.10.0
diff --git a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
index be624ff..97dae4f 100644
--- a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
+++ b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
@@ -1232,6 +1232,14 @@ class TestRoute53Provider(TestCase):
             'Type': 'TXT',
         }))
 
+    def test_client_max_attempts(self):
+        provider = Route53Provider('test', 'abc', '123',
+                                   client_max_attempts=42)
+        # NOTE: this will break if boto ever changes the impl details...
+        self.assertEquals(43, provider._conn.meta.events
+                          ._unique_id_handlers['retry-config-route53']
+                          ['handler']._checker.__dict__['_max_attempts'])
+
 
 class TestRoute53Records(TestCase):