Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,
I recently purchased a 6month old female brazilian rainbow boa. She will be arriving this week. I have had ball pythons, red tails and childrens pythons in the past, but have never had a rainbow. I wanted to get some feedback on the tank set up. I have a 40 gallon ventilated glass tank. I have duct taped the vents to help keep humidity up. I have to heating pad under 2/3 of the tank and a 100W ceramic heat emmiter in the center. A fluresent light for light during the day. So she has a cool spot down one end, a hot spot under the emitter and above a heat pad in the middle, and a medium area with just a heat pad at the other end. I have a moss humidity box down the medium end and a large water bowl between the cool and hot area. This is a display set up so I have fake plants in there for hides as well. SO several questions. Substate..some type of bark or peat? what is recommended for these guys? and I have a mesh lid, should I cover part of it to help with humidity? any options other than plexiglass...cheaper options or is plexi glass the best? also should I provide a branch? seems like they like to climb.
Finally I know mid 70's at night and high 80's for the day. with two under tank heaters should I turn off the emmiter at night? or leave it on overnight as she has a range of temps in the tank? Finally mt last question. I have put about 8 sheets of newspaper over the uundertank heaters so that if she buries in the substrate she won't burn herself. what do other people do with undertank heaters to prevent burns?
Thanks for any help or input. You can e-mail me at British_eventer@hotmail.com.
Ruth

Ruth,
Congratulations on your BRB. It sounds like you have went to considerable lenghts to prepare your enclose. I suggest you use multiple temperature readings in various areas of you setup to ensure your baby doesn't get too hot. It sounds to me like you have plenty of heat, maybe too much. I use cypress mulch and have a large bowl of water over my under the tank heater to help with humidity. Be careful to keep your humidity very high and observe what your snake does...If it's always on the cooler side, lower the temps.
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"There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance- that principle is contempt prior to investigation." Herbert Spencer

Ruth,
. I think Sunshine is right. Your entire setup sounds like it may be too hot. I would start with just one heat pad under one end of the cage and see if you get a temperature in the low 80s on top of it and have a temperature of the mid 70s at the cooler end of the tank. You will probably have to control the heat pad so that the floor on top of it does not get too hot. These snakes do not need temperatures nearly as high as BPs and Boa Constrictors. You will probably need to cover most of the mest top to hold enough humidity in the cage. If your room temperature is much cooler than the cage temperature humidity will escape right out the top as the warmer air rises. I use ugly newspaper substrate but many of the bark and mulch substrates work well. Do not use pine or cedar products. I like the coconut husk chips with lots of water in them. Some people use spaghnum moss and like it for BRBs.
Jeff

>>Hi everyone,
>>I recently purchased a 6month old female brazilian rainbow boa. She will be arriving this week. I have had ball pythons, red tails and childrens pythons in the past, but have never had a rainbow. I wanted to get some feedback on the tank set up. I have a 40 gallon ventilated glass tank. I have duct taped the vents to help keep humidity up. I have to heating pad under 2/3 of the tank and a 100W ceramic heat emmiter in the center. A fluresent light for light during the day. So she has a cool spot down one end, a hot spot under the emitter and above a heat pad in the middle, and a medium area with just a heat pad at the other end. I have a moss humidity box down the medium end and a large water bowl between the cool and hot area. This is a display set up so I have fake plants in there for hides as well. SO several questions. Substate..some type of bark or peat? what is recommended for these guys? and I have a mesh lid, should I cover part of it to help with humidity? any options other than plexiglass...cheaper options or is plexi glass the best? also should I provide a branch? seems like they like to climb.
>>Finally I know mid 70's at night and high 80's for the day. with two under tank heaters should I turn off the emmiter at night? or leave it on overnight as she has a range of temps in the tank? Finally mt last question. I have put about 8 sheets of newspaper over the uundertank heaters so that if she buries in the substrate she won't burn herself. what do other people do with undertank heaters to prevent burns?
>>Thanks for any help or input. You can e-mail me at British_eventer@hotmail.com.
>>Ruth