Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this isn't quite the place for this but I want boa related answers/experience and the husbandry forum seems a little slow lately. I have searched the archives but the info I've found is disjointed at best.

Anyways, right now I have a 3ft Dumeril's boa in a 55g aquarium with astroturf substrate. I have used papertowels in the past and loved them as they were easy to clean, but wanted something a bit more natural looking. I've been thinking of the loose bedding like aspen, cypress, etc. Something he could burrow in and that would look natural still, but that is safe for him.

What are some opinions on these substrates, and which one would be best? If I use one of these how often should it be cleaned- can it be spot cleaned for a little while and then completely replaced? etc. Also with feeding, I currently feed f/t in the tank, sometimes he strikes and wraps it, other times I have to lay it down and he just comes out and swallows it at his leisure (lazy little bugger..lol) If using loose substrate should I take him out to another container to feed? If so, how long should I wait after feeding to put him back in his tank?

Any/all replies are greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes are highly addictive.

Also, would I need to be concerned with my heat lamp and loose bark/wood substrates? I doubt it but just want to cover all by bases before I make a decision on changing my substrate.
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes are highly addictive.

I like aspen for a substrate. I also believe my boas enjoy it. I used to have a couple of Dumerils and they seem to like to bury themselves in it. I also feed my boas in a separate container so they do not swallow the aspen. I hope this helps.
Chuck

Thanks. How often do you clean? Do you just spot clean as needed and then completely replace the bedding every so often? Also, where is a good place to get it at a reasonable price? Petstores? I've heard some bad stories about bedding from garden centres and such... being contanimated, etc...
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes are highly addictive.

is fine for smaller bags, but I do use aspen for my rats. I go to PetSmart. Aroung here, you can get a huge bag (similar in size to a 40 pound bag of dog food - don't have the actual volume handy right now)for about $10.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

id like to know what petsmart youre living near, because the one here sells tiny bags of about the size of a 5LB bag of catfood for $10.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa

I live in Texas, near Houston/Sugar Land. Not sure what the smaller bags run at PetSmart, as I don't even look at them. PetCo is much more expensive. I think about $7 for a shoebox sized bag and $15 for a dog food sized bag.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

go to a feed store and look for a bale of aspen shavings for horses (i use a poplar/aspen mix), it is priced much cheaper....i get my bales a compressed bale (i think it is 4.0 cubic feet) for 4-5 bucks! hope this helps, john yocum

Hello~ I use Aspen and like it alot. I spot clean a few times before cleaning the whole cage, unless it's a large female that makes a big mess! I like how it holds water too. This time of year it's cold and dry, so I just pour some water in the cage and the aspen absorbs it, holding the humidity at a nice level. It will rot after awhile, but not usually until it's time to clean anyways.
For feeding smaller animals, I pull them out and feed in a separate tub. For feeding larger animals, I lay a peice of newspaper on top of the aspen, and lay the rat on top of the newspaper.
I buy my aspen at Walmart in the pet section because I only have four Boas. It cost around 2.93 for a 560 cubic inches. That's the compressed size. It's enough to cover a 4 x 3 cage well. You can buy it online in bulk for a better price. Maybe at a Co-op too. As the colony grows...
As far as bugs go, I just keep it in my rat freezer and pull it out a day before I need it. That kills any bugs.

I hope this helps.

Jason
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sounddjinn@yahoo.com

Things always get cloudy, just before transformation.

i think plain old newspaper is best. sure i use reptibark but its a pain to clean. aspen looks nice but you have to feed in seperate containers. trust me, when my snakes are hungry you dont want to try to move them. i tried astroturf but was told it was a haven for bacteria. took a chance with potting soil but its a pain to spot clean and the snakes always looked dirty (okay, they were dirty but you know what i mean). i just go out once a week, buy the sunday paper and im good to go for another 7-10 days usually.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa

When I used newspaper, my Boas acted like they were wearing rollerskates on ice. They would slide around too much. They were tense, and pushing most of their body against the side.
There is no question that newspaper is easiest for keepers, but do Boas like it the best?
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sounddjinn@yahoo.com

Things always get cloudy, just before transformation.

well now youve opened up a whole new can of worms. owners' ease VS snakes' likes. can anyone TRULY know what a snake likes? for example, everyone says that snakes prefer belly heat to overhead, but my snakes always camped out underneath the light and now that i have undertank heat at the same temps they avoid that area like the plague.

people also say that snakes prefer rodents, but after reading the previous post about chicken i decided to give it a try. the snake I fed the chicken to was like a kid on Christmas morning. thought for sure he was literally going to look up at me and say "thanks".

we cant be too sure of what snakes actually like...we can only tell what they tolerate most out of the choices given.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa

Thanks to everyone for their posts!

I think I am going to try the aspen and see how I like it. I've never had a problem handling Autumn-my Dumeril, even when it is close to feeding time. I will be careful returning him to his tank after feeding though, I'll give him a couple minutes to rest.

I don't think I'd go to newspaper, just for astectic (sp?-Just woke up.) reasons, but if all else failed, maybe papertowels. But as for the Astroturf I use, when he soils it, it is taken out and soaked in water with a bit of bleach and then rinsed really well. This is about every week or two.

Thanks everyone.
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes are highly addictive.

soiling, there should be no issues of bacteria overload with what you are using. In my opinion, I think aspen (or other course bedding), unless more than just spot cleaned, can hold more bacteria. When a snake poos, it releases fluids as well, just spot cleaning out the poo, leaves all the fluids dried into the bedding (and who knows how far that liquid has spread into the bedding), which they will be sitting in until the whole cage is cleaned, which may be every two weeks to every 6 months, depending on the snake owner. If you clean half the cage or more every time it poos, you will probably get all the fluids, so they don't have to sit in it. It is my opinion and may not be shared. However, I do have to use aspen in only one cage, a wooden one, because I don't want the fluids to soak into the wood.
But, yes, in my opinion as well, it is smart to either bake or freeze course bedding to remove any hidden, unwanted buggies.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

about feeding raw chicken to snakes. Yes, they may like it, but my concern is salmonella poisoning. Like water reptiles and fish, chicken is also known to harbor this virus. Now, perhaps the snake is naturally immune to carry this virus. I don't know. Is there a vet on the forum that can tell me if they are immune to carrying/passing the virus? If he can get it, he will probably be fine, but the humans who touch him could contract it, if proper sanitation rules were forgotten even once, as he would be a carrier. Again, this is my opinion and may not be shared.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

I agree with you 100%. Why take the risk of exposing our boas to salmonella. Why risk feeding raw chicken to our boas when they will accept rodents? I also wonder does a female boa that has salmonella pass it on to her offspring? Or do boas pass salmonella to each other when they are breeding? If so, would you want to buy babies from someone who feeds their boas raw chicken parts?
Thanks,
Chuck

who said anything about feeding raw chicken? i said feeding chicken to a snake. never said raw.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa

I do not think it is just dead chickens that carry the disease, that wouldn't make much sense. Or do you mean you will cook it first? I'm confused.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

if something is not raw then it is ______ .
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons
1.0 Black Blood Python
1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
0.1 Surinam Redtail Boa

assumed you meant, but wanted it spelled out for me. I suppose a fill in the blank will work.

I didn't realize snakes could break down cooked bones, which are known to splinter (I've never fed this to a snake, so don't know for sure - they may well break them down just fine) I didn't know they would even eat cooked...oh, but there I go assuming...so you probably feed boneless. That's why I don't like to assume too much.

I am not trying to be a jerk, nor am I trying to troll. I was just curious.
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

I'f fed cooked chicken parts for quite awhile. The snakes haven't had any negative side effects from it, and they seem to easily digest the bones. You can find my original post regarding feeding cooked chicken on the 4th page back from here. It was in response to a rescue that wasn't being allowed to be fed rodents.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.

for not taking offense or getting sarcastic about my post. I must have missed your previous post. I only tend to be on here a couple of days at a time, so I'm not surprised. Plus, once something is off the first page, I don't tend to look any further.

Since I can't breed chickens, I imagine it would be too expensive for me to try that. Besides...I don't much care for cooking & cleaning for my family's dinner, much less the boas.

But, out of curiosity, what is their stool like after eating cooked chicken?
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Delusions of Grandeur feed the EGO...

On a heavy chicken diet the stools tend to be looser then a high rodent diet. They also seem to process the food through faster (the lump doesn't seem to last as long, and they defecate sooner) I'll see if I can dig up some pix of feeding cooked chicken parts, if I can find them (I have too many archive cd's lol) I'll send some to ya via email.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
Boas make the world go round.