Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was recently given a 6ft long red-tailed boa that came to me housed in a cage that is obviously too small for him.

I've never had a red-tailed boa before, or any snake of his size for that matter, so I'm not sure how to choose a more appropriate cage for him.

Should I find something with a lot of height, or would a shorter cage with more floor space be a better choice? Is he the type of snake that would choose to hang out in the tree branches in a tall cage, or would height be a waste of space as he would spend more time down closer to or on the ground?

Thanks!

I would re-post on the caging forum lots of activity over there.

I however use 2'x4' melamine cages with sliding glass doors that are 1' tall for my Boas. This year however I am building another stack 6' long for my females that are passing the 6' mark (currently only 1)

Jeremy
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow Red Tailed Boas -Coming Soon-
0.1 Albino Red Tailed Boa -Coming Soon-
1.1 Hypomelenistic Red Tailed Boas
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino Red Tailed Boas
0.1 Suriname Red Tailed Boa
0.1 Anerthrystic Red Tailed Boa
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse

Most breeders say better to have more floor space than height. A 2' by 4' by 1' will be enough, but if you can make it bigger I would. It won't hurt anything. I am planning on building a 5' by 2' by '2 with a legde so he can have a little extra room. Let us know what you end up doing and post some pics! Good luck.
Michael Burton

One other thing I thought of. Jeff Ronnes boaphile cages are pretty cheap and I have heard a lot of great things about them. I personally don't own any but I am planning on getting some soon. I think his 4' by 2' is $199 shipped. Check out boaphile.com. Just a thought.
Michael Burton

Floor space is more important for Boas then height. Steve and I always try to get bigger and longer tanks for our ever growing collection. I have to say we have a large room full of Boaphiles and we love the uniformed look and easy cleaning/access but we did have issues getting the tanks to heat up past 90 degrees on the hot side (Steve and I like to run the hot side at about 92) other than that problem we have enjoyed the tanks and you can't beat the price!

Sincerely,
Rose
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www.srsnakes.com

Hey, Rose,
Which heating option did you get?
The x1, x1.5 or the x2?