just bought a red tailed boa.....help

[morti]

*grin* I am glad you don't need me to tell you this. Emerald Tree Boas are NOT for beginners. They are definately beautiful, but they have a tendancy to be a Lot agressive too. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img] They also have very strict housing and humidity requirements.

-Morti
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[cb76]

the term is called brumation and should not be done unless you plan on breeding a certain species!

keep your boa the way you are supposed to keep your boa and you'll be fine.

buy the boa constrictor manual. it will give you proper feeding techniques and frequency.

babies need to eat- whether you like it or not, babies need full nutrition to be healthy. feeding every day or every other day is bad. a baby snake is should be eayting mice soon after birth!

if you do not want fast growth, feed 1 mouse every 7-10 days. its normal and has enough nutrition to keep the boa healthy! if you are feeding 1 mouse to a boa that is over a yr old, you have not and are not feeding properly.

later on in life if you do not want a large snake, then adjust your feeding schedule.
i have a 4 yr old male who is 5.5 ft and skinnier than a soda can- perfect small snake.

anyways- if the temps fluctuate that much, i would move the tank or make a better one. glass is for s%!t and dont do much.

like morti said, when older and you prepare for a larger enclosure loor space is whats needed most! all the height stuff will be a great bonus and i am sure if you put branches it will come to good use, but boas mostly stay on the ground. they need to stretch.

good luck

will
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[Lisa]

Thanks so much for all your advise. Its really helped so sort out lots of little worries I had, because I like to get a wide range of advise, not just stick to 1 little manual.
My little boa seems to be settling in nicely now.....The temps are much better now since I put the tin foil in and a higher wattage reptile bulb and on cold days I've just put the fire on too (sod it) .
I'm off shopping this weekend finaly to go and get some thermometers ,thermostats and humidity gauges etc, I've got a good idea on how to get it just right for him now.
I've deep cleaned his enclosure today because I did find 2 mites on him the other day, and now his substrate is newspaper instead of wood chippings. I've even got him a feeding box and made a snake stick.
Remember I was worried that he might be a true red tail and grow bigger than I'd want, but my minds at rest now because I've done a bit of research into the markings , plus the price I payed etc. Anyway, I know I'll look after him the best I can even if he did get a bit bigger than I was told at the pet shop....just needed to be 100% sure that he definately wouldn't get like 18ft or something.

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	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks