It's tough to say if boas REALLY need a hide once they have reached adulthood. I would give him one just to make sure he feels comfortable and to make sure he isn't stressed. Having a stressful boa can lead to other issues - illness, being agressive, trouble digesting meals, etc. - so I would rather be safe now than sorry later. I don't see how having a hide (even though he is an adult) would be a bad thing, if he feels secure in his surroundings, he won't use it. If you have the cage space, you can use a plastic cement mixing tub with a hole cutout on the side for the hide. Home Depot has them and it's definitely large and cheap too!

As for the thermostat, I think the old saying "you get what you pay for" would apply here. You can certainly get by with a ZooMed or Alife thermostat, but I personally wouldn't trust the quality of either of those thermostats. Do they have a fail-safe ability built in to make sure that if they fail they don't get stuck in the "full heat" mode? You could always get lucky and it could last for a long time, but I just wouldn't want to take that chance with a cheap thermostat. The thermostat is where you want to spend a few more dollars in my opinion. I know you said that you don't have high end herps, but to me it doesn't matter what $ figure is on an animal, it's still a pet and is relying on you for its care and safety (now I'm starting to sound like PETA, LOL). $80 more for piece of mind is a small price to pay compared to losing a treasured member of the family...I'm not trying to be preachy, it's just my 2 cents...Use your woman/Jedi mind trick on the hubby - what's $80 more when your spending $1,000?? It works all the time on me when my wife says it to me !

Best of luck!
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Kevin Blumenthal
www.blumenboas.com

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