Boa Constrictor Questions!!

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brooklynboy521

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 4, 2010
374
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United States
Hey

Im getting a baby columbian red tail boa on Monday and was just wondering if this setup is ok. I have a 40 gallon breeder which is 36x18x16. I am using aspen shavings, a water bowl about 5"x5" circle, two hides one on each end, and some fake plants for looks and security. For heating I have a heat pad and and a 60 watt heat bulb hooked up to a thermostat and set to 88 degrees on the hot end. Is this setup OK. I am open to suggestions.

Thank You
 
From where?
If it is a shop, you are probably not getting a true red tail. Your aquarium will be too small sooner than you'd probably want it to be.
I personally do not like aspen bedding, it is too dry for me.
I prefer my enclosures to be warmer; heating pads do not raise the ambient temperature sufficiently for big snakes, especially at night when it gets cold. look into the Mega-Ray 60 watt if you are able to pay shipping for it. They are more efficient than CHEs. You can use it for 30 days and ship it back if you do not like the unit.
 
Richie_ELP;4638830; said:
From where?
If it is a shop, you are probably not getting a true red tail. Your aquarium will be too small sooner than you'd probably want it to be.
I personally do not like aspen bedding, it is too dry for me.
I prefer my enclosures to be warmer; heating pads do not raise the ambient temperature sufficiently for big snakes, especially at night when it gets cold. look into the Mega-Ray 60 watt if you are able to pay shipping for it. They are more efficient than CHEs. You can use it for 30 days and ship it back if you do not like the unit.
Click to expand...

I did switch over to cypress mulch i never really heard anything bad about that. Im getting her from one of the people I work with, he breeds them on the side. The only reason I have the temperture at 88 is because I know boas don't like it to hot and I can boost it up if I really need to.

Thanks for your input!
 
Your ambient temp of 88 is satisfactory, just make sure it does not drop too much at night with just a pad.

When the snake is larger, buying the pretty substrates becomes unfeasible, newspaper will be your best friend.
You might want to stuff some moss into the hides and mist it often, especially on the warm end. I do not use pads because they dry out the snakes favorite place to lay. It will help prevent bad sheds from those mats.
I recommend an infrared heat source over anything else. You may wish to invest in one eventually.
 
Richie_ELP;4638947; said:
Your ambient temp of 88 is satisfactory, just make sure it does not drop too much at night with just a pad.

When the snake is larger, buying the pretty substrates becomes unfeasible, newspaper will be your best friend.
You might want to stuff some moss into the hides and mist it often, especially on the warm end. I do not use pads because they dry out the snakes favorite place to lay. It will help prevent bad sheds from those mats.
I recommend an infrared heat source over anything else. You may wish to invest in one eventually.
Click to expand...

Would a ceramic heat emitter work because I have one that I got and never really used? If I use the heat emitter, I think it's 100 watts, would that be a good enough source of heat? Should I also get rid of the UTH? Anyways I was talking to my co-worker (the ones who breeds the snakes) and she said its a Suriname Red-Tail Boa Constrictor. Also humidity is at about a constant 60% humidity is that ok?
Thank You
 
Yes, but you would probably need to control it with a thermostat. Take note of the temperature, that way you will know if the CHE will do the job.
If you decide to use the CHE, unplug the heating pad. Monitor the humidity, 60 percent is acceptable.

I trust only two sources for pure locality boas. Suriname's are gorgeous, pictures would be nice once you have your animal.
 
Richie_ELP;4639106; said:
Yes, but you would probably need to control it with a thermostat. Take note of the temperature, that way you will know if the CHE will do the job.
If you decide to use the CHE, unplug the heating pad. Monitor the humidity, 60 percent is acceptable.

I trust only two sources for pure locality boas. Suriname's are gorgeous, pictures would be nice once you have your animal.
Click to expand...

Sure thing. And my cage is controlled by a thermostat and the cage stays around 90 on the hot side and 80ish on the cool side. And would eco earth work for a boa instead of cypress mulch because its freaking expensive!!
 
If you like coconut husk as a bedding, you could use it. Some mulches from garden supply stores can be used as well, if you really prefer that type of bedding.
 
brooklynboy521;4639121; said:
Sure thing. And my cage is controlled by a thermostat and the cage stays around 90 on the hot side and 80ish on the cool side. And would eco earth work for a boa instead of cypress mulch because its freaking expensive!!
Click to expand...

Eco earth would work but it is way more expensive than cypress mulch. You can get 2 cubic yards at a garden center for $3. just make sure it is the plain cypress mulch with out the color additives or anything. That is very easy to clean and it looks great and it is the cheapest substrate there is next to newspaper or paper towels.
 
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