Please help getting a colombian red tail boa

[Jimbo239]

Im new to Redtailboa.net and I have found Red Tails to be some of the best snakes. I have had friends with awesome red tails and I myself had a 5 ft female that escaped, but was still the most beautiful, docile snake I ever met. I have had a couple snakes like corn and garders but the red tails I have run into in my life have all been amazing, tame creatures. I am currently looking around for snake so if anybody knows of some babies flyin around let me know!

[trinitywolf]

Hey Jimbo...I split your thread into one on it's own. You are much better off starting your own thread if you have a new question rather than pulling up an old thread and posting on it. That also helps us keep the site running smoothly. I sent you a PM regarding getting a bci...

	Boa Constrictor Imperator Boa Constrictor (Boa constrictor imperator). Most common is the Colombian Boa.

[yousuredo]

welcome to RTB.NET and good luck!!!

[lilredvampy]

i totally agree with ya jimbo i have loved em sence the first time i held one

[pathfinder36]

Welcome to the site! If you're going to be getting a boa, I stongly recommend reading through my "Answers to common questions about Boas" thread. It has a TON of links to GREAT info on boas. You'll find the link to this thread in my signature.

[lisagordier]

Welcome! And yes I agree with you. My lovely girl Zephyr is just over 6' and such a sweetheart. Remember though, that you're going to have an incredibly curious snake on your hands. Zephyr loves to be out and explore her surroundings AND other people. I also expect her to get at least a couple feet longer.

[Jimbo239]

Thanks Wolf... I wasn't too sure how to start my own thread... but I do have another question along the lines of the previous topic... I've been out of the loop for a little while, Im just curious if anybody out there has some recommendations on the substrates, lighting, heating... etc etc, recommended timers, anything you guys have to offer I am more than thankful
Jimbo

[trinitywolf]

I use newspaper, but if your looking for something ethstetically pleasing then I would go with aspen. I suggest under tank heating (UTH) and you can find many commercial options for those. Human heating pads work well for UTH though and tend to be much cheaper, but they are not attractive if you are wanting a showcase set-up. As far as timers go I suggest going to Wal-Mart or a comparable store and just picking up a manual timer for your light. They are fairly cheap and make sure you don't leave the light on all night for you new pet.

Ted

	Under Tank Heater Under Tank Heater

[Jimbo239]

Thanks Ted... wow I didn't think anyone would respond sooo fast... have any good places online to find the aspen? And would the heat tape be a good source for UTH? Thats a pretty good idea... i never would have thought of going to walmart for a timer....

	Under Tank Heater Under Tank Heater

[lilredvampy]

you can get lots of help here every one is so friendly

[Jimbo239]

Yeah tell me about it vampy.... lol i just posted my first thread and within 2 minutes someone allready took the time to respond... i love it

[buck2003]

Hi and welcome to RTB, you'll find alot of answers to most questions in Pathfinders link.

Originally Posted by trinitywolf

I use newspaper, but if your looking for something ethstetically pleasing then I would go with aspen. I suggest under tank heating (UTH) and you can find many commercial options for those. Human heating pads work well for UTH though and tend to be much cheaper, but they are not attractive if you are wanting a showcase set-up. As far as timers go I suggest going to Wal-Mart or a comparable store and just picking up a manual timer for your light. They are fairly cheap and make sure you don't leave the light on all night for you new pet.

Ted

I also use newpaper, its free, easy to clean and prevents other problems such as impaction if your feeding in the viv!
If you go along the lines of aspen or such, read up on feeding in a seperate emclosure!
What ever you decide, good luck and remember to post some pics when you get him! We Love Pics!!

	Under Tank Heater Under Tank Heater

[lisagordier]

newspaper is great. Me? I've actually got a lot "cleaner" look with some linolium. Zephyr's cage is a hand-made, double-decker type cage. And since she's never been on any type of substrate (and I didn't want it just wood) I found she's happier with none. It's not as easy to clean up after as the newspaper, but it does look nice. Keeps certain areas of her cage warmer (with the humidity) and certain areas cooler. It's probably one of the more unique cages around now a-days since my father-in-law built it.

[lisagordier]

oops, heating & humidity. I just use the regular reptile lamps. One with a day bulb and one with the UV night light type. And a nice big "box" of water under the lamps to provide humidity. Seems to work great.

[Jimbo239]

Originally Posted by buck2003

Hi and welcome to RTB, you'll find alot of answers to most questions in Pathfinders link.



I also use newpaper, its free, easy to clean and prevents other problems such as impaction if your feeding in the viv!
If you go along the lines of aspen or such, read up on feeding in a seperate emclosure!
What ever you decide, good luck and remember to post some pics when you get him! We Love Pics!!

Yeah I am aware of the cautions involving chips and stuff in the cage, but I wasn't sure if the snake would be happy in just newspaper.. but for now I beleive that it seems like that is the way to go... thanks a lot... and I will be workin on the pics soon when a nice reptile finds me

[Jimbo239]

Originally Posted by lisagordier

oops, heating & humidity. I just use the regular reptile lamps. One with a day bulb and one with the UV night light type. And a nice big "box" of water under the lamps to provide humidity. Seems to work great.

Cool thanks for the tips Lisa, your cage sounds interesting, I am currently doin some research on some cages so I can build one myself, do you by any chance have a picture of that cage. It sounds pretty creative...

[wreckwriter]

Originally Posted by lisagordier

oops, heating & humidity. I just use the regular reptile lamps. One with a day bulb and one with the UV night light type. And a nice big "box" of water under the lamps to provide humidity. Seems to work great.

Why use a night light? I think one really shouldn't use night light unless the ambient temp is really cold... Even then I'd use a ceramic to keep the day/night cycle better.

[Jimbo239]

Originally Posted by Jimbo239

Yeah I am aware of the cautions involving chips and stuff in the cage, but I wasn't sure if the snake would be happy in just newspaper.. but for now I beleive that it seems like that is the way to go... thanks a lot... and I will be workin on the pics soon when a nice reptile finds me

Thanks a lot for the welcome, I like this place and im looking forward to more. Thanks for takin the time to respond.

[pathfinder36]

I use boaphile plastics cages for their ability to hold heat and humidity, as well as the ease of cleaning. With the cages, I had a radiant heat panel installed(from the boaphile) to increase the ambient heat in the enclosures and use human heat pads on low for underbelly heat. I prefer to use the Ranco ETC thermo, but I also have a few other good options listed in the link in my sig. As far a substrate, I prefer to use paper towels or butcher paper. I like the ease of cleaning and lack of incoming mite sources. That being said, boas do like to burrow and it has been said that the are more likely to move around more on a more natural substrate. If you go that route, cypress mulch or aspen are definitely the way to go. DO NOT USE AROMATIC WOODS! Aromatic woods like cedar can kill your snake. =)

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Jimbo239]

I read somewhere that if you are going to view your snake or show your snake off at night it is best not to disturb it with any UVA or B light, because that can screw up the day/night cycles. If you use a night light it will be less harmful..