General Information:
Caresheet (general BC ssp)
BCC Specific Caresheet
Probiotics for non-feeding\puking\bloating reptiles
Home Medications and Cures for Common Illnesses and Injuries of Reptiles
Bad shed?
General Handling Tips
Thinking about feeding live prey? Check out this thread FIRST!
Enclosure ideas:
BoaphilePlastics (my personal favorite)
PrecisionCaging
ConstrictorsNW(comming soon)
MDCustom (arboreal caging)
VisionCages
Rodent suppliers:
RodentPro
GourmetRodent
TheMouseFactory
Heating & Humidity Control:
My favorite thermostat for the warm side of the cage:
Proportional Thermostat w/ night drop
Another warm side option:
Extreamly reliable w/ digital display
My cool side thermos for larger cages:
Cheap but effective
Cheap dual probe digital Thermometer/Hydrometer:
Bigappleherp Rocks!
Relative Humidity Controller (for the gizmo freaks):
GreenAir(call for local retailers - great product!)
Raytek temp guns
Other good temp guns
Heat Sources:
Human heat pad for under tank heating. I recommend this one because it has a standard analog switch for H\M\L and quick heat up. CHEAP at Longs.
FlexWatt - Safe low wattage under tank heat - Build your own or buy from Boaphile
Radient Heat Panels - In tank overhead heat
Other:
Excellent source of info on Boa Constrictors... locales and sub-species\top-notch UK breeder
Another great source of Boa info and top-notch US breeder
Effective mite eradication and prevention process:
Many people swear by products like Provent-a-mite, but some of these 'reptile specific' products can cost $20 or more per can. A time tested, cheap and effective alternative product to the high dollar mite products can be found at Wal-Mart of all places. It is the exact the same as PAM, but about 4-5 dollars per can instead of 20+. What is this fantastic product?
Repel .5% Permetherin (with NO DEET) - This product can be located in the camping section of almost any Wal-Mart. Follow the following procedure to help eliminate mite infestations and possible hatching eggs:
Take only your snake and water dish out of enclosure. Apply a light fog of Repel to enclosure, leaving cage props & substrate to be treated as well. Completely cover enclosure (towel works well if you have a screen top terrarium) and let sit for about 1 hr. Then open enclosure completely and allow good ventilation for 1.5-3 hrs. I like to put an oscillating fan in the enclosure to maximize disbursement of the airborne chemical. Put snake and water back in cage. Repeat process in just under 2 weeks (10 days is good). From there on, you should be mite free. There is also NO need to further treat the snake with anything else. The residue from the Repel will take care of them. Simple!
Here is another method of mite removal outlined in the "How-to's"
Should I feed in a separate feeding tote?
This topic is the source of many debates... especially with individuals new to the hobby. The answer is: It depends. Boas housed on loose substrate or with another boa\snake (this is a no no anyways) should ABSOLUTELY be fed in a separate feeding tote or enclosure. There may be exceptions to this idea, but generally speaking you should avoid feeding any snake on loose substrate. If they swallow any of it, you run the risk of impaction or worse. On the flip side, you should try to feed IN their normal living enclosure if the above situations are not present. If you don't run the risk of you boa ingesting substrate because you've housed them on news paper, butcher paper, astro turf or some other non-loose substrate... then go ahead and see how it works for you! There are a couple good reasons for this. Many snakes loose their feeding response if they're handled. In that, moving your snake to a feeding tote may cause it to become a stubborn feeder. If you do manage to get your snake to eat from a feeding tote, handling after a meal has the potential to stress your snake's digestive system and cause them to either regurgitate their meal or only partially digest it.
Many newcomers to the hobby will argue that feeding in their living enclosure will cause them to develop some sort of association with the cage opening meaning dinner time. This inevitably causes them to strike at you and become "aggressive" when you open the cage. This is just not true. Although it's possible this could happen (I've witnessed this once or twice), it would be HIGHLY unlikely. The aggressive nature these individuals describe is almost always the product of poor husbandry and\or improper\infrequent handling. In my opinion, the potential benefits of feeding in the enclosure far out weighs the risk of a cage door association. If you for some reason feel that your snake IS developing this association... switch back to feeding in a tote.
