New burm coming, questions for yall

[Silvermoonfox]

Okay, we finally did it. We adopted an 8 foot male burm, he'll arrive next week. We've got a supply of jumbo and colosal rats coming (I wasn't sure which to get so I got some of each) from rodentpro. I have the cage set up. Okay, now on to my questions. The cage is 6 foot long, 3 feet wide and 3 feet tall. It's a homemade jaloppy we bought from a friend and yes it was designed for a large reptile. Is this cage going to be big enough for an 8 foot burm or do we need to look into getting (or building rather) something bigger? This guy is a bit on the thin side, he was an owner release, so I need to know how often I should feed him, once per week or every other week? Also, I was wondering how to keep the humidity at optimal levels? I've never dealt with a cage this large before. My temps are fine, it fluctuates between 84 and 87 degrees depending on the time of day and on the warm side it varies between 89 and 91 degrees, again depending on the time of day. I'd like to have all this worked out before he arrives for obvious reasons. We're using reptile turf type cage carpet, and I was thinking that may be the reason we can't keep the humidity levels up. I've never had a problem with it for my bp's enclosures. Any and all advise would be most welcome and appreciated. This is our first burm and while we're super excited, we're also a tad nervous (being newbies to large boids). Thanks a bunch guys and I'll be sure to post pics asap. Blessings to all.
Crissia

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

[Dbutton]

Congrats on the new burm. Your cage size sounds fine for him and should last for at least a couple of years since males don't get much over 12 ft anyhow. Youmay want to upsize in a couple of years, but you are fine for now. If your burm is underfed you should get him on a good feeding schedule. No need to over do it since that would tax his system since he is not in top top shape. A good feed every 10 to 14 days should be fine and he will come back up in weight before you know it. A good rule is "poop out rats in". At 8 ft. he is actually ready for 3-5lb rabbits so the collasal rats will be your best bet for now, but I would order rabbits when they run out.
Your temps sound fine, and seeing as it is 3ft. tall you should invest (about5 dollars) in an 18 gallon sterilite tub (model 1815). It will help with the humidity greatly and also give yuor new snake a place to go and soak. No need to fill it up completly either. I fill mine half way and then he can't overflow it. As for substrate, I would switch to cypress mulch, or aspen shavings. Both have good but different qualities. The cypress will keep the humidity higher but is not too absorbent. The aspen will need to be misted heavily when you first put it in since it comes fairly dry, but has excelent absorbency which you will learn to appreciate when the pee comes. If you have nto had a burm before you will not understand till you see the "load" after a 5lb. rabbit. And I know from experience that cage carpet may seem easier but it is really not too good in the long run.
Here is a link to a gallery that shows my burm setup. You can see the strilite container is put to good use here by my 12+ft. male.
http://www.thealbinoboa.com/gallerie...%20around.html

Have a good one.

David