A couple of questions.

[D-Loc]

I've had my RedTail Boa, Daija, for exactly a year tomorrow. He has out grown his aquarium, and needs a new habitat. I've looked at different aquariums, those mesh terrariums, and have thought about making a custom job. I like the mesh terrariums, but I'm not sure if they're durable enough, and I'm not sure how to set up the lights inside one to heat it properly. I don't want my snake to get burnt.

Can anyone show me any pictures or details of there setup? I'd like something spacious and comfortable for my snake, but it also has to fit in my small one bedroom appartment.

Also, my snake DOES NOT SOAK. EVER. I've tried to soak him in warm water and he just seems to hate it. I have caught him drinking before though.

My last question is regarding feeding. How do I know how much to feed him? Currently he is being fed two small rats a week. It seems to be enough, but I have no way to be sure.

Regardless. He seems to be healthy. He sheds well. And hasn't ever been agressive.

[rottie]

Two small rats a week is fine when they are younger.. you might want to give him two small rats once every two weeks. As for heating you might want to go with a UTH (Under Tank Heater) like a heatpad on a thermostat. As for soaking some like it some dont. I would offer a water bowl big enough so that the snake could bath if it wants to. I have a female that goes crazy when put in water ... but if i leave a dish in there that is big enough for her she will go in with no problems.

here is a link to one of my cages.

My cage

This is just an opinion.



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	Under Tank Heater Under Tank Heater

[bewSi]

First off, avoid those mesh cages. They are horrible for holding heat and humidity unless the room its in is around 85F at all times. JuliusSqueezer uses one for his burmese with RI but thats to keep the humidity done and you dont want that. I would recommend a cage from www.precisioncaging.com if you dont want to spend a fortune. Or, you could look at www.boaphile.com and get a nice 4ft drastic plastic cage since they are $200 which is good.

As far as feeding, if he's a year old I would try something like a medium or large rat depending on his girth. I cant really tell you since it really depends on how he was fed the last year which makes a HUGE Difference in girth in snakes. But, for the most part.. they can eat anything equal or a bit larger than the largest part of their body.
[addsig]

[impermanentrage]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> I've looked at different aquariums, those mesh terrariums, </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Do you mean the Reptariums? The all mesh screened variety? I would be against it unless you keep your home comfortably warm. Heat tends to escape from those cages and are more designed for young ig's and chameleons. Also, as you said, your boas will probably get big enough to tip one over. And if a heat lamp was on top, i could see that as being a potentially dangerous problem.



<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> have thought about making a custom job</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Call me old fashioned, I think good ol' melamine cages are great. Albeit heavy.


<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Also, my snake DOES NOT SOAK. EVER. </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I wouldn't sweat it. You said he doesn't have problems with shedding, so i would simply assume that he's fine and the temp's are appropriate, and the animals just comnfortable.





<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> My last question is regarding feeding. How do I know how much to feed him? </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>


Well you said he's a year old , but that can be misleading sense i'm unaware of the actual size. At a year old i would say you should be feeding small rats (once again i don't know how large your yearling is) , roughly about as fat around as your snake is at his widest girth. A little wider of course wouldn't kill him, this is just an approximation. This should be done every 7-10 days until sexual maturity has been reached. Adult-hood for males is generally 3 years give or take a year depending on environmental factors and individual genetics of the specimen. Once again, this is an approximation. After this time you should cut feeding to once every 10-14 days or 2-3 times a month. I generally feed my adult males every 14 days to keep them from becoming overly sluggish or obese.
Welcome to RTB.net


Entropy,
Alex
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[Dr.Oviparous]

how old is he? you've had him 1 year, are you the first owner? 2 rats a week is too much IMO. at one year my BCIs yould get 1 rat pup a week usually. at one year you might look into a 40 breeder if you decide against mesh, or custom. not saying they are bad! just a thought. also do you feed live, PK (pre killed) or FT (frozen thawed)? how warm is the warm water? 78-80 is what mine like to soak at.

WELOME TO REDTAILBOA!!!!!!! GLAD TO HAVE YOU! -Juggalo
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	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

	In My Opinon IMO = In My Opinion and IMHO = In My Honest Opinion

[Reticu-Lady]

I believe those mesh cages are actually meant for chameleons, not snakes. It would be just about impossible to keep humidity and temperatures properly for a boa in a mesh cage. Not to mention, I don't think it would hold one for very long. Check out the boaphile cages, they are nice, easy to clean, attractive and stackable (so, you could get more snakes lol).

As far as feedig, two small whats? I prefer rats (frozen/thawed for my boas, follow the girth rule. The food item needs to be about the size of the snake's girth. Stretch the prey a bit to compare girths. They tend to 'shrink' when stretched a bit, also, don't count hair in the measurement.
try this link for cages:

Boaphile Plastics
I hope to own o few of these myself someday.
Oh, and Welcome to RTB!!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
[addsig]

[D-Loc]

Thanks for all of the replies. You all have been a big help.

BTW. It seems like, from all of the posts I've read, that most people like to feed there snakes thawed food, rather than live. I feed Diaja live food, but it sucks doing it. Is it too late to try and switch. Are there any benefits of one over the other. The guy at the pet store led me to belive that live food was better, and I of course, want what's best for my snake.

Oh, and to answer some questions. I'm the first owner. I don't know exactly how old he is, but he just went from eating fuzzies to mice when I got him.

-dp
[addsig]

[impermanentrage]

It's never too late, in particular w/ BC's (boa constrictors). I have yet to come across one that wouldn't readily take one over the other.

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>The guy at the pet store led me to belive that live food was better, and I of course,

want what's best for my snake.

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Over time , as you learn, you will invariably come to the conclusion that petstores are only interested in one thing, and one thing only. Profits. It will cost you more moneuy to buy live every week at the pet-store, so of course he's gonna tell you live is better, its in his monetary best interest.
Feedin PK (pre killed) or FT food will not only minimize the stress of your snake, but it is more humane for the rodent, and less stressful for you. There's nothing worse than trying to seperate a rodent's jaws from a snake that's trying to kill it. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_evil.gif[/img]
On another note, there is some proof that a frozen food item has significant loss to B1 vitamins, however i have have yet to see any longterm effects, and am unaware of any scientific reports as it pertains to snkaes in captivity. I am assuming that any loss is negligible.

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[Reticu-Lady]

Snakes are oppurtunist feeders in the wild, they wouldn't pass up a dead prey item naturally, so you should have little trouble switching to f/t. I would maybe start with pe-killed or stunned and then go for the frozen/thawed prey. You may have to do the 'rat dance' but that's easy to learn. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
No, you don't dance for the snake. Using tongs, jiggle the prey around the snake taking care not to touch his face. Maybe let it gently 'bump' the snake's sides. He will eventually strike. Use tongs, so the snake doesn't get your hand instead of his proper dinner. Or, you could leave the snake and the food in a covered feed tub overnight. He should finally 'stumble' across it and eat it. I found that if you leave the rat on the sides of the tub, the snake finds it better as they prefer to travel around the perimeter of the tub than in the middle.
[addsig]

	Frozen/Thawed A rodent or other prey item that is frozen and then thawed to be fed to a reptile or other animal.

[Dr.Oviparous]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> Over time , as you learn, you will invariably come to the conclusion that petstores are only interested in one thing, and one thing only. Profits </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
you'll also realize that 90% of petstores no nothing about the reptiles they sell. especially the big chains like Petsmart (ironic huh [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] )Petland, Petco. -Juggalo
[addsig]

In regards to your questions relative to feeding live etc... here's some info for you to look at also...

RTB LIVE FEEDING PAGE

LIVE FEEDING ARTICLE

MY PERSONAL PAGE ON LIVE FEEDING

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Oh yeah..


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