New Boa Questions

[farmergirl]

I will be getting my first pair of boas this week and I have a couple of questions. I am an overprotective mother and a worry wart so basically I am just wanting some opinions and suggestions to help me make everything perfect.

1. The male/female pair is 4-6 mo. old and I am building a cage 4'L X 2'D X 2'H. In the beginning I plan on housing them together in this cage until I can get a second one built. It will have lots of fake ivy, plants, hides, etc. to take up all the empty space. Your opinions on this set-up would be appreciated.

2. I found a bag of Spanish Moss at Wal-mart. It states it can be used for arts & crafts, of course, but also terreriums. It also says it should not be ingested by humans or animals (DUH). I am wanting to use it for a moist hide. Has anyone ever used this? Thoughts?

Thanks for your help!

[buck2003]

I'm not an expert like some here but the size of viv sounds gr8 though a little big tbh. as for the substrate I dont like the sound, as I always say I use either news paper or paper towl. I've heard that if they eat any of the substrate it causes impaction. As for keeping then together..I'm not sure but rep shops do it all the time I guess, but I'd deffo seperate them for feeding. I'm sorry this isnt much help, I hope someone else is more help to you than I am sorry.

[farmergirl]

Just to clarify, I am using astroturf for the subtrate. The Spanish Moss would be for holding humidity in a hide. I will be separating them for feeding and I should have a second enclosure built within two or three weeks. I don't intend on them living together permanently.

Thanks for your reply Buck! Anyone else?

[lethargiic]

the sooner you can get them separated the better. as far as substrate they really don't need a moist hide. If you get a bag of Cypress mulch, it will be fine to retain humidity as the levels should be maintained btween 45%-60%. I have used cypress ever since we got our first 2 ball pythons cuz he had a slight problem with sheds so when we switched it worked like a charm..

as far as set up...make sure you have at least 2 hides. one on the cool side, one in the warm. set the water bowl somewhere near the middle because the heat will create the humidity that you will need. now i might add that you may have to spray the enclosure from time to time but that's a good thing. =p you can used the fake silk ivy for decorations and a couple of branches here in there wont hurt either.. the brances give them a place to shed their faces on too to get started...

but other than separating them your pretty much set. (i know im forgetting something but i cant think of what...)

[pathfinder36]

Well, you shouldn't keep them together at all. If one has mites, tranferable disease, or an attitude, then both will have problems. Aside from that, having two snakes in the same enclosure usually stresses them out and may cause feeding issues, stress related illness or even aggression. I prefer either newspaper, butcher paper or paper towels for substrate. It's easy to spot clean, absorbant, cheap, easy to spot mites and fairly risk free. In a well made enclosure, humidity shouldn't be a problem, but you could set up the cage BEFORE you get your critter in it as a test run. See how it preforms on holding humidity and the proper temps for a week or so. If you have issues, we have suggestions.

I would personally get a large rubbermaid tote at walmat and some basic heat for a temporary set up. That way you don't have to house them together at all, and it will give a proper setup untill you can get your next perm cage.

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[farmergirl]

Thank y'all for the help. Pathfinder I don't know why I didn't think of rubbermaid, just the other day I suggested that to someone for a temporary cage. Thanks for defogging my brain! I have been rushing to get this one enclosure finished and now I can take more time with it and add extras like trim. I have remodeled furniture into enclosures before but this is the first one I have built from scratch. I think it is going to be awesome.

[pathfinder36]

No problem at all. =)