Enclosure setup question (water bowl)

Ben · #1 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 10:40 PM

First of all I,ve been soaking in all the informtion the last week or so, Great site. I recently got a boa and enclosure for really cheap (Her old owner didnt want her anymore). ive been having problems with keeping humidity up in the cage, its a really big cage 4'X4'X2.5'. I put a water bowl in there for her along with an aerator to try and keep it humid enough for her. My main concern is that that water bowl takes up too much floor space in the cage, or is that something that should not be a great concern because she gets to come out every night?

deftonecfh · #2 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 10:45 PM

i would take that log out because it doesnt look like he can climb it and i would flip the litter box thing over and put a hole in the side of it for a hide and put that on the log side

owen.richards · #3 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 10:45 PM

id put one in just big enuff for her to fit in...even a tight fit...and put the water dish on the hot side

deftonecfh · #4 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 10:48 PM

i use a jumbo liter box for a water dish because she soaks in it alot you could prob use that white one

Ben · #5 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 10:55 PM

the white litter box is filled with water for her to soak in, Her old dish is just in there so there is something for her to put her head on if she wants. so you think if i take out the log and keep the big soaking dish thats will leave enough room for her to "roam" while she is in the cage? would she use a shelf if i were to put on about half way up that was like 1'X4' or would that be a waste of cage space. Sorry for the questions, I'm still learing about boas, she's my first.

Yungair23 · #6 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 11:11 PM

Yes i was going to suggest something that she can perch up there on. Just check the temps a shelf would work well. Or you can get a log from outside and cut it to fit like a perch also and just nail/screw it in. Make sure w.e you put its extremley sturdy.
A heating pad under the water will also help with humidity. Are the temps good in that cage that one light seems not enough to me.
The shelf would also give her more space as it opens a whole new dimension.

deadliestformula · #7 (**permalink**) 01-28-2007, 11:34 PM

I would definetly recommend a shelf to help expand floor space. A soaking dish is a definate necessity. A hide would also be a great thing. Shelves would help give that space needed. What is the inside of the cage made of? It looks like it may be painted wood? If so that could be part of the problem with humidity, as the wood would soak up the water from the air. If it were tiled, or sealed in some way that would help. How big is the boa? You could probably make this cage work for now, and look into building a cage that you could trick out just the way you wanted to. There are a lot of good posts in the forums about just how to go about this. We personally always provide our critters with 2 hides (one for the hot side of the enclosure, and one for the cool side) as well as a soak dish, and something to climb on. At least at first. After we have seen the snake 'in action' for a while we edit what they have based on what they seem to enjoy doing. For instance, one of our burms doesn't EVER use a hide so we got rid of it. And one of our boas NEVER climbs so we got rid of the climbing branches. Our BP climbs a lot so we added stuff for him to climb on. Another thing that we have found that works is covering a portion of the cage so that it can not be seen (with dark paper) to increase privacy, Also we use a lot of greenery that makes it more like a little jungle, and that helps in the 'hide' department.

Ben · #8 (**permalink**) 01-29-2007, 12:52 AM

I think cage size should be OK until the summer when i can build one as she is only 5' right now and the cage is 4'. there is a 150w light and under the water is a ceramic heating rock that came with the snake ( its all that heated the snake previously) but even with both of the heaters the cage is at 81 right under the light and 77 on the side without any heaters. i was thinking about getting another light to put on top but thought it might get too hot? Im going to make a shelf tonight and move on of the probes to shelf height and see if being closer to the light might help a little with that.

Salle · #9 (**permalink**) 01-30-2007, 02:00 PM

The only reason for having a soaking bowl in the cage would be to get higher humidity. If you have to put a water bowl on the hot side make sure to put a small bowl for drinking on the cool side since bacteria thrive in warm water. Many reputable breeders don't use bowls big enough to soak in for the above reason and because the snake often defecates in a big bowl. If the snake drinks foul water there could be digestive problems and other problems.

If you have a humidity around 60% you should be fine without a soaking bowl, maybe put one in when it's time for shedding or spray the snake every day during the shedding cycle.

TammyJamaica · #10 (**permalink**) 01-30-2007, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salle

The only reason for having a soaking bowl in the cage would be to get higher humidity. If you have to put a water bowl on the hot side make sure to put a small bowl for drinking on the cool side since bacteria thrive in warm water. Many reputable breeders don't use bowls big enough to soak in for the above reason and because the snake often defecates in a big bowl. If the snake drinks foul water there could be digestive problems and other problems.

If you have a humidity around 60% you should be fine without a soaking bowl, maybe put one in when it's time for shedding or spray the snake every day during the shedding cycle.

Wow! OK, but if I took my boa's soaking bowl out (my husband's no longer brand new pyrex dish) it would have to be done real quick, and only to give her a larger one! She adores the water and spends half her time in it. No mites, she's very healthy and happy! I just make sure to always keep the water clean.

Salle · #11 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TammyJamaica

Wow! OK, but if I took my boa's soaking bowl out (my husband's no longer brand new pyrex dish) it would have to be done real quick, and only to give her a larger one! She adores the water and spends half her time in it. No mites, she's very healthy and happy! I just make sure to always keep the water clean.

If she spends half her time in the water something is probably wrong. The snake also can get belly rot (spelling?) from lying on a too wet substrate or bathing all the time. You say that you recently got the boa, how do you now it's not mites? A mite infestation is not visible until it gets really bad. The first sign of mites is usually that the snakes spend a lot of time in the water trying to drown the mites. Check the snake very carefully every day for mites. Use a white soaking bowl and if you see small black dots it's probably mites.

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