Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello Im Eric,
I have a passion for herps and cant get enuff of them. I work at a pet store and take care of the reptiles.

The reason Im introducing my self is because i really admire you guys and your affection to help others with there Rainbow boa problems and would love to join your comunity as another Rainbow boa owner. I do not currently have a problem, except that im low on money and feel that it is almost time to move my BRB up to an adult setup.

I understand the basic necesities that are required for our unique species, but I really just can't make up my mind on what kind of cage I should make/buy(preferably make).

I've been messing around with a blow torch and PVC but I have a feeling that wood would be much easier to work with. And even what kind of cage i should make if i would like to breed in the furture but, still house. What kinds of woods are the best to use and do you use something to treat your wood so that it doesn't rot and mold?

I've noticed some posts with pictures of set ups but I was hoping to get some opionons/ideas on what would be best and easiest to maintain the right enviroment. Im not really worried about how hard the cage is to make because I'll do whatever it takes.

Thank you for reading my long post and thank you for your time.

Hey Eric,

Welcome to the forum. I recently re-did my snake room and built all of my cages out of MDF (medium density fiberboard) it's cheap and easy to work with. I lined the insid eof the cages with Formica Brand laminate. It's a little pricy but will protect the inside forever and is very easy to clean. My cages measure 36"x 24"x 24" or 48" x 24" x 24" for adults. I'm very happy with them. You can find plans for how to build them on Greg Maxwell's site www.finegtps.com.

My other recommendation is to use a Helix DBS 1000 proportional thermostat to regulate the temperature inside the cage. The thermostat comes with a remote probe that constantly measures the temperature of the basking area. The thermostat makes slight adjustments every few seconds. A very nice product.

Here's a picture of my snake room. You can get a better idea for how my cages are set up by visiting tooscaley.com and going to BRB captive care.

Keep in mind that there are lots of ways to do this. I've also heard really good things about the Boaphile cages lately.

Good luck

-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Mike,
...That is a great photo.
Jeff

>>Hey Eric,
>>
>>Welcome to the forum. I recently re-did my snake room and built all of my cages out of MDF (medium density fiberboard) it's cheap and easy to work with. I lined the insid eof the cages with Formica Brand laminate. It's a little pricy but will protect the inside forever and is very easy to clean. My cages measure 36"x 24"x 24" or 48" x 24" x 24" for adults. I'm very happy with them. You can find plans for how to build them on Greg Maxwell's site www.finegtps.com.
>>
>>My other recommendation is to use a Helix DBS 1000 proportional thermostat to regulate the temperature inside the cage. The thermostat comes with a remote probe that constantly measures the temperature of the basking area. The thermostat makes slight adjustments every few seconds. A very nice product.
>>
>>Here's a picture of my snake room. You can get a better idea for how my cages are set up by visiting tooscaley.com and going to BRB captive care.
>>
>>Keep in mind that there are lots of ways to do this. I've also heard really good things about the Boaphile cages lately.
>>
>>Good luck
>>
>>
>>-----
>>Mike Lockwood
>>www.tooscaley.com

Sorry, here's a cage

-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Show him the room pic, shows how awesome your setup is.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Here's my snakeroom. You're looking at 4 BRB cages 36 x 24 x 24. To the left are 4 more large BRB enclosures. To the right are 6 cages for Green Tree Pythons. Notice the Helix controls which are regulating the temperature on each cage. Also take note that you can line the insides with whatever color Formica you like and you can use any type of wood for the front frame. You could even line the outsides with Formica to dress them up a bit. Most of the outsides of my cages aren't lined because they all butt up against each other.

The display case you have may work. As you are revamping it, keep in mind that it needs to be escape-proof. You'll also need to come up with a good way to regulate the temperature over such a large space. I'd recommend heating from below with a 4 foot length of flexwatt (8 inch wide) running along the back of the cage.

What is the bottom like? You can mount the flexwatt to the underside or to the inside depending on how well heat transfers through the bottom. In the picture, all heat sources are mounted to the inside floor of the cages. If you do this, special care must be taken to seal the connections to the heat source so no water gets in. If you decide to go with something like this, I can give you more input.

-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Those are really nice cages for your rainbow, Do you heat your room also or are just using heat tape in the bottom of the cages?
http://www.rubiosreptiles.com

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www.rubiosreptiles.com
"There is an albino at the end of the rainbow"

Thanks Ricardo. No, I don't heat the room. The temperature stays mild where I live. Each cage has a length of Flex-Watt along the floor on the inside that is connected to a Helix DBS 1000.

By the way, fantastic website. Very clean and professional. Not only is that alnino smokin' hot, it looks like you have some really good looking BRBs too. Hey, I've heard rumors of an albino BRB. If anyone is close to this, I imagine you are. Can you tell us anything? If you know of the person who has one, tell him to contact me. I'd love to know if they really exist.
-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Mike,
....The rumors of albino BRBs seem to never end. I hope there are some out there about to be bred. I think what is happening is that people who are not savvy about Rainbow Boas hear about Ricardo's albino Colombians and the albino that was supposed to be a BRB but was probably actually a Guyanan and the Argentinian Rainbow and they tell other people and they only hear albino and Rainbow Boa and do not know about any Rainbow Boas except BRBs and so they make the story fit what they know and tell people they have heard about albino BRBs. As far as I know Ricardo is the only person on earth who has captive produced an albino Rainbow Boa.
Jeff

>>Thanks Ricardo. No, I don't heat the room. The temperature stays mild where I live. Each cage has a length of Flex-Watt along the floor on the inside that is connected to a Helix DBS 1000.
>>
>>By the way, fantastic website. Very clean and professional. Not only is that alnino smokin' hot, it looks like you have some really good looking BRBs too. Hey, I've heard rumors of an albino BRB. If anyone is close to this, I imagine you are. Can you tell us anything? If you know of the person who has one, tell him to contact me. I'd love to know if they really exist.
>>-----
>>Mike Lockwood
>>www.tooscaley.com

I just keep hoping.
-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

Here's pics of one of my first BRB breeder cages. I have a second one with some improvements, mainly fully lined with formica inside. The tubes are to allow me to connect cages for breeding season, works pretty good, allows the animals to cruise a larger territory.

-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

well out of dumb luck i stumbled apon something that might work. Its an old show case thats about 6'L x 3.5'H x 2.5'D. the case has thick plate glass on the top and front, with wood on all other sides. Think its a good idea to revamp this retail display case to a reptile cage?

Those are some very nice enclosures by the way. im getting alot of very good ideas. thank you.

Sounds like it could work, basic needs are waterproofing of floor, heat and moisture retention (not too much ventilation). A litter dam is also VERY nice.
-----
Thanks,

Dave "Rainbows-R-Us"

0.1 Wife (WC)
0.2 kids (CBB)
2.7 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (adult breeders)
2.5 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2004)
4.8 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (sub-adult from 2005)
2.1 Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 Het for Hypomelanistic BRB
0.1 BCI "Elvira" normal from 1989
1.0 BCI albino / het-anery
0.1 BCI Hypo / het-albino
0.1 BCI Anery / het-albino
0.1 BCI Hypo (possible super)
1.0 BCI albino het stripe
1.0 BCI salmon hypo
0.1 BCI ghost

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

Eric,
...I have some wood cages that are almost 20 years old. I spent a lot of time applying multiple coats of polyurethane and sanding between coats.
Jeff

>>well out of dumb luck i stumbled apon something that might work. Its an old show case thats about 6'L x 3.5'H x 2.5'D. the case has thick plate glass on the top and front, with wood on all other sides. Think its a good idea to revamp this retail display case to a reptile cage?
>>
>>Those are some very nice enclosures by the way. im getting alot of very good ideas. thank you.