Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently have a 3.5' male Dum who is apprx a year old, right now he is in a 55g (4' long) tank. I am trying to decide what size tank to get that will properly house him when he is full grown. It would either be for him alone or maybe for him and a female. I've looked around online and found some pretty conflicting info, what does everyone here think? Right now I'm thinking either 4x2x2 or 6x2x2 or any other recommendations you may have. I want to make sure he/they have enough room to be comfortable, but I don't want to get something really big that he/they won't fully use.

What do you guys think?

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

i currently have my 4' male dum in a 66qt sterilite and i have a feeling i will need to be buying him a new enclosure before too long. i would say a 2x4x2 would be acceptable for a single dumeril. however, based upon reports of dumeril's boas showing canniballistic tendencies, i would be hesitant to give a dumeril a roommate...even if it is another dum.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas (normals)
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons (normals)
1.0 Dumeril's Boa (normal)
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python (normal)
1.1 Surinam Redtail Boa (normal)
0.1 Roommate (sigh...okay, she has a corn snake)

I have heard about them being cannibalistic, but I've mostly heard issues about them when young. I know a breeder that keeps their male and female together (except when she is gravid) without any problems...

I guess I just want to get a range of opinions on tank size. (my breeder is on vacation, and I can be a bit impatient when I got something on my mind - lol) But I guess opinions on keeping a male/female pair together would be great as well, I would like to hear from people that keep their dums together or have tried it in the past.
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes and other reptiles are highly addictive.

A 4x2x2 would work well for an adult dumerils. I agree with Pythonis...don't give your dumerils a roomate! If you want another dumerils than cage it separatly.

I have 30 snakes and 5 more in eggs, plus a gravid female with ? eggs, so I know what it is like to be short on space. Dumerils can be cannabalistic, but also, stressed easily! I have tried to house ball pythons (who are not cannabalistic) with other balls in every gender pair imaginable. It always starts well, but with in a few months one or both of the snakes is off feed. Snakes have to compete for a hidebox, a hot spot, etc. A lot of Kenyan sand boa breeders keep these boas in a 1:2 ratio year long for breeding. I kept my trio together, and no one will touch food! So, now they are separate and eating well. What works for some, isn't always best.

At the very lest if the above does not concern you I would suggest you look for a tank that is 6x4x4 or 8x4x4 with a possible divider in the center, so you can separate the dumerils when issues occur. Also, a female dumerils is gravid for 6-8 months, I imagine it would be extremely stressfull for her to have a male present constantly during that time.

Here is what I did:

Each is 4x2x2..works perfect except I need to add locks to the plexiglass! The top two cages each house a 6 foot female, while the bottom cage houses my 5 foot male.

Good luck!
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6.14 Normal ball pythons
1.0 Pastel ball python
5 normal x pastel eggs incubating!
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Rosy boa
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*

If you are planning on breeding them, most people introduce the male between November and January during the cooling, but remove him after the warm up has begun in February.

Also, cannabalism is not common in adults as you suggested, but for some reason it does happen due to stress and prolonged feeding response...check out:
http://www.boa-constrictors.com/com/News/News.htm
Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says cannabalism! This shows a common boa that dined on an equal sized ball python!
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6.14 Normal ball pythons
1.0 Pastel ball python
5 normal x pastel eggs incubating!
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Rosy boa
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*

well with that said, if stress can lead to cannibalism in dums, then why create the stress? house them seperately. my own personal philosophy with dums is, treat them like kingsnakes....unless you are trying to breed them keep them seperate. btw, nice dity tank (whoever showed the pics).
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas (normals)
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons (normals)
1.0 Dumeril's Boa (normal)
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python (normal)
1.1 Surinam Redtail Boa (normal)
0.1 Roommate (sigh...okay, she has a corn snake)

my dumeril spends almost 100% of the time under shavings. he's almost 3 ft in a 20 gallon. i want to upgrade it to a bigger tank, should i go for lots of floor space since it doesn't seem to climb very much? would a 50 long work ok?

Omer
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1.1.0 Ball Python
1.1.0 Red tailed Boa
0.0.1 Dumeril's Boa

Boaphile has a great 4x2x2 enclosure for $199! It is heated already and the price includes shipping. Once your snake is large enough that is a great tank to invest in. standard aquariums may not be wide enough for an adult dumerils, we have a standard 55 gallon in our garage, and looking at it, there is I don't think my adult female would comfortable house it.

Thanks pythonis, My boyfriend built our tanks because we have three dums to house and we were trying to save a little money.
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6.14 Normal ball pythons
1.0 Pastel ball python
5 normal x pastel eggs incubating!
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Rosy boa
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*

Thanks for all your opinions everyone. No, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks with my guy, so if I do get a female I'll probably house them separately.

I wouldn't really go with a standard aquarium, my male is in one now (55g long), but not for much longer, that's why I was asking opinions on tanks sizes. I think I may go with a 4x2x2 enclosure as that looks like what you guys are all recommending for a single dum.

As for ordering a boaphile or similar cage, I'm in Ontario, and once I figure in currency difference,shipping costs, customs issues/costs, etc... It usually isn't worth ordering any of the caging systems I find online, I've done the math on some of the more reputable dealers.

Plus I like more of a "viewing" cage (without sacrificing my reptiles health/comfort etc), my dum and my gecko are in my living room. It's not very high traffic though, most of my friends/relatives won't come over because I have a snake, they dont trust me when I say he's just a sweet tempered baby. Thank God my boyfriend likes my dum!
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes and other reptiles are highly addictive.

i believe $199 in USD would convert into 244.47 in Canadian Dollars.
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1.1.0 Colombian Redtail Boas (normals)
2.1.0 Sumatran Blood Pythons (normals)
1.0 Dumeril's Boa (normal)
0.1 Coastal Carpet Python (normal)
0.1 Jungle Carpet Python (normal)
1.1 Surinam Redtail Boa (normal)
0.1 Roommate (sigh...okay, she has a corn snake)

Yes, but the shipping once it needs to cross the boarder can sometimes have issues and the price tends to go up.

Mostly though, I've yet to see a "viewing" cage online for a decent price. I want something I can clearly see my herps in, a focus piece for my living room. I've seen a couple online but the prices were outrageous, especially if I want it shipped up here.

If anyone knows any reputable dealers in Canada for what I'm looking for, please post, there may be some I've missed.
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1.0 Dumeril's Boa
0.0.1 Crested Gecko
...Not that the list will end there, got my sites set on a few others... snakes and other reptiles are highly addictive.

Take a look at the website for cages offered by Reptic Plastics. They're based in Montreal and they occasionally come to the Port Credit Reptile Expo. I bought one of their cages for my Dum. It's sturdy, light, easy to clean, and retains heat and humidity better than my particleboard cages... and way better than glass tanks.

I am not sure how much boaphile would charge for shipping to Canada if they even would ship there, but it is free shipping in the US, so you may want to contact them just to ask. I think the boaphile cages are among the best out there for a reasonable price.

http://www.boaphileplastics.com/free.html
http://www.boaphileplastics.com/cages.html
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---------
6.14 Normal ball pythons
1.0 Pastel ball python
5 normal x pastel eggs incubating!
1.0 Plains Garter
0.1 Rosy boa
0.1 Normal Kenyan Sand Boa
1.1 Anery Kenyan Sand Boa
0.1 Leucistic Texas Rat
1.2 Dumeril's Boa
-----My list is too long, so I'll stop here!
*Amy*