Reptile & Amphibian Forums

OK well as seen before ive posted pics of my cage and all in the closet....Its heated by 2 overhed lamps with infared bulbs....Everytime my boa sheds I soak her in warm water and spray her down every night in the shed cycle....its getting annoying....but I have to because the lamps make the humidity so low...I was thinking should I put a small space heater in there for heat and then get rid of the lamps....But if I did that I do not know how Id make a hot spot....I do have a large dragon's lair heat mat for boas but ..well i guess i could use that but I have no thermostat...or should I stop beingm lazy and just soak her while shes in shed?
thanks alot
Mike

You shouldn't have to soak your Boa before a shed....Is the top of the cage open? If so consider covering most of it without casuing a fire hazard or get a plastic cage with belly heat....should give you a bit more humidity or maybe place a hide with some cypress mulch or something similar to get the humidity it needs....

Might make a humidity hide, your girl should know when she needs it & when she doesnt.
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1.1 96, 04 Het Albino - "Suzie" & "Lumpy"
0.1 03 Poss. Het Albino - "Ami"
0.1 05 Super Salmon - "CreamSicle"
0.1 04 Anery Het Snow- "Squelchy"
1.0 04 DH-Sunglow - "Dwayne"
1.0 06 TH-Moonglow - "Gargamel"
1.2 01 BRBs- "Gobball", "Larva" & "Tofu"

You got your boa in a closet with no belly heat at all and just lamps? Your boa is gonna get sick. Get a thermostat and get some belly heat in there. Kane mats are good and made for the purpos of being ins9ide a cage. A closet is a bad place for a snake because heat rises, and your snake is on the floor, there's a large volume of air to heat up and all your warm air will be on the ceiling. Maybe a circulation fan would help. For the shed problems, make a humidity bin, but tend to the other problems. You have too much volume of air to heat efficiently, you have no belly heat at all. Do you have guages for temperatures and humiditdy? What's the temp on the floor where the boa lives? What's the humidity? How is there a basking spot now? What temp is the basking spot? Is there a way for the snake to thermoregulate, ie a warmer and cooler parts of the floor? What are the temps there?

Caden

>>OK well as seen before ive posted pics of my cage and all in the closet....Its heated by 2 overhed lamps with infared bulbs....Everytime my boa sheds I soak her in warm water and spray her down every night in the shed cycle....its getting annoying....but I have to because the lamps make the humidity so low...I was thinking should I put a small space heater in there for heat and then get rid of the lamps....But if I did that I do not know how Id make a hot spot....I do have a large dragon's lair heat mat for boas but ..well i guess i could use that but I have no thermostat...or should I stop beingm lazy and just soak her while shes in shed?
>>thanks alot
>>Mike
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com

The cage works great she loves it.....There are 2 hides and a water dish....humidity is bad like 25%.....I soak her during shed to aid in that help.....THe hottest point is around 88-92 and the coolest is loike 75-78 she always moves back and forth and explores her big cage......the cage is heated with 2 250w infared bulbs hanging safely from the ceiluing and the temps are always perfect....if she wants belly heat she can climb on top of the hide....there is electrical tape on top of the hide which is heated up by the heat lamps which provieds a nice 90 degree basking site...she never goes up there thou she prefers to go in the hide where its about 88 but most of the time shell sit in the cool hide unless shes shedding or just ate....I was told by some people that As long as I soak her and she sheds good that theres no need to worry but I wish I could get humidity good.....so if I make a humidity box shell always use it when shes shedding and shel;l shed in one peice?? How do I make one
thanks alot
Mike

Humidity bin:
Get a plastic container. Any plastic container will do as long as the snake can fit on the bottom of it. Put moist sphagnum moss in the bottom and keep it moist. You can buy the moss at most garden centers, they sell it for plants. When the container gets soiled change the moss out. Check the humidity bin everyday to make sure it is clean and moist. You need to do this, soaking isn't enough if she lives where humidity is 25%. You should still spray the cage 2 or 3 times a day even if you make the bin.

How are you checking those temperatures? Are those your daytime temperatures you gave or nightime temperatures? Please make sure there is some choices about where to be, that are between the 75-78 and 88-92 area. Most of the time the snake should be between those two temps, and should have choices of places that are different temps within that range. Is your snake a colombian?

Good luck.

>>The cage works great she loves it.....There are 2 hides and a water dish....humidity is bad like 25%.....I soak her during shed to aid in that help.....THe hottest point is around 88-92 and the coolest is loike 75-78 she always moves back and forth and explores her big cage......the cage is heated with 2 250w infared bulbs hanging safely from the ceiluing and the temps are always perfect....if she wants belly heat she can climb on top of the hide....there is electrical tape on top of the hide which is heated up by the heat lamps which provieds a nice 90 degree basking site...she never goes up there thou she prefers to go in the hide where its about 88 but most of the time shell sit in the cool hide unless shes shedding or just ate....I was told by some people that As long as I soak her and she sheds good that theres no need to worry but I wish I could get humidity good.....so if I make a humidity box shell always use it when shes shedding and shel;l shed in one peice?? How do I make one
>>thanks alot
>>Mike
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com

Will she always uise the bin if she needs it without me putting her in there>?

Well she can't stay in there all the time. She will still need moist warm air when she isn't in there too, like normal. It doesn't relieve you of the responsibility of having the cage humidity come up to 60%, 2 or 3 times a day by misting. But it will be a lot better for her than what you have now.

Good Luck

>>Will she always uise the bin if she needs it without me putting her in there>?
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Caden Chapman
slithering.serpents@gmail.com