Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just ordered my boa off of outbacksnakehouse.net, it will be here friday. What do you think of the tank? There is a ceremic heater, and an under the tank heater. I put those covers over the tank because it wasn't warm enough. It is currently 86 degrees, but I think it will go up a bit more. Is the therometer in the right place? It's that circular thing on the tree. I put it on the glass at first but I don't think it was getting an acurate reading. So is this is a good enough habitat for the snake?

Glass tanks are a the hardest to maintain cages for boids.But it can be done with some work.That appears to be a 10 gal. correct ?The snake is a baby correct ?
Do you have Central HVAC ? its hard on temp/humidity levels in glass cages.Move the cage clear of any direct A/C airflow.
What type UTH are you using ? Flex Watt tape with a T-Stat works good with glass tanks.
I also suggest an upgrade on your thermometer,sorry but the one you have isnt accurate nor will it last.I use an Accurite* Digital from WalMart,it has both min/max features for both temp/humidity.Its indoor/outdoor so you can monitor both ends of the tank for $14 their hard to beat.We like a battery unit that stays in the tank because of its location in the living room(we have two BP`s as display critters in a 75 gal.)No extra wires running to or from the tank.All temp/humidity readings should be made within 2-4" off the substrate as possible in a glass tank.
Check out http://www.riobravoreptiles.com/index.htm,theres some solid boa care info to be had.

T/

>>Just ordered my boa off of outbacksnakehouse.net, it will be here friday. What do you think of the tank? There is a ceremic heater, and an under the tank heater. I put those covers over the tank because it wasn't warm enough. It is currently 86 degrees, but I think it will go up a bit more. Is the therometer in the right place? It's that circular thing on the tree. I put it on the glass at first but I don't think it was getting an acurate reading. So is this is a good enough habitat for the snake?
>>

The snake is a baby. It is around 18 inches. The tank is a 20 gallon and I'm using a Zoo Med under the tank heater.

You need a couple of good hides in there, something low to the ground with a narrow opening. This will go a long way in making your new boa feel secure. One on the warm end and the other on the cool end. Put the water container on the warm end as well. The heat will evaporate the water aiding in humidity. Goodluck Clint.

86 is already hotter than I would like, or my boas like.
My boas cages are about low 80's on hot end and high 70's on cool end, and they always, voluntarily, stay on the cool end!

The tank is a bit small for all that heat.. I think there will be no chance of a cool end, unless the undertank heater is all the way on one side, and you shut off the ceramic heater at night. but this is also a bit drastic and can lead to drafts at night and cooler temps than desired.

With the substrate you're using, and all that heat, I would not expect for any humidity to biuld up in there at all.
With all that heat, I would spray/mist the whole tank and substrate down everyday and/or night just to keep decent humidity levels or your new baby will have problems shedding.

That half-log thing is not a proper hide because it is too open.. boas need something more dark and hidden. If one end were completely sealed, maybe it would be a little better.
Without a hide, the baby is likely to go under the substrate, and could burn his belly because the heat goes through the glass easily and the glass gets real hot.

One cheap and easy hide i've found very effective with baby boas is an empty roll of toilet paper or paper towels. If they are really small, I pinch one end shut a bit.. they love them and stay in there alot.
It may not be the most attractive but it works great.

The set-up looks really pretty, but doesn't seem too practical for a boa.

Again, these are my opinions based on my own experiences.

You can try it out first and make changes as you go.
Just one thing, if you see problems arise, don't wait - make changes immediately!

Thanks and good luck, joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

Are you sure about those tempretures? All of the care sheets I have seen said 82 cool end 90 warm. Even the breeder said that. Does anyone else have any insight? And yes I'm going to add another hide.

Here is my Emily's setup, she never was on the hot side, always on the cold side, so i got this shoe box over her heat source and now i don't see her, she loves it, that and she is in blue. At night she comes out and makes love to her water bowl and gives it a big hug.

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My roomates are2 boas, 4 corns,Rotti,3cats and snake food AKA the food chain.

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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

again, i'm telling you my opinions, through my experiences, of what has made my boas thrive for the past several years! not what is written in a book.
My hot spots are in the high 80's to low 90's, but the AMBIENT temps of the hot side are never above 86, and cool end approx 74-78.
Again, i've showed pics as proof..
i'll show you stacks of my cages, where the heat is, and EVERYONE of the boas is on the opposit side!

I know someone who had high temps, like some books say, and produced not one viable yooung in 3 years.. after which a very BIG boa breeder told him he was cooking his babies and snakes!

again just my experience.
I never said your temps are no good, or will kill your boas.. I said that my boas like it different.. for quite some time now.

Thanks and take care, Joe Rollo - BciJoe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I`ll support you on this as well,I keep an "ambient room temp" of 81*-84* and using UTH the critters are near always on the warm end. Which with 2" of Aspen I get right at "ambient room temp" in the cage on the warm side.The cool end may drop to the low 70`s at night.Why invest the effort to jack the heat to 95* on one end when the critters are generally only there long enough to figure its "to hot" and book it to the other end ?

My $.0¼

T/

>>again, i'm telling you my opinions, through my experiences, of what has made my boas thrive for the past several years! not what is written in a book.
>>My hot spots are in the high 80's to low 90's, but the AMBIENT temps of the hot side are never above 86, and cool end approx 74-78.
>>Again, i've showed pics as proof..
>>i'll show you stacks of my cages, where the heat is, and EVERYONE of the boas is on the opposit side!
>>
>>I know someone who had high temps, like some books say, and produced not one viable yooung in 3 years.. after which a very BIG boa breeder told him he was cooking his babies and snakes!
>>
>>again just my experience.
>>I never said your temps are no good, or will kill your boas.. I said that my boas like it different.. for quite some time now.
>>
>>Thanks and take care, Joe Rollo - BciJoe
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>>Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
>>'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin

I could take off the UTH, but would just the ceramic heater be enough?

Belly Heat is what you want !
Read back thru this thread again,5 times if you have to ?
Solid advise has been given.Its only complicated if *you* make it complicated.Take your time,it will eventually all click for you.

T/

>>I could take off the UTH, but would just the ceramic heater be enough?

Tell me what you use for heating then. If I use the UTH and the Ceramic it gets to 91 degrees (thats measured from 1 inch off the substrate). Without the UTH its 86 degrees.

I would use the UTH and either put an extra sheet or two of glass over that spot, under the substrate, or place a large, thin, flat rock (slate/shale) over it to difuse the heat. Then you can put the substrate over this like usual.

Easiest would be to connect the UTH to a thermostat and keep it at a reasonable level.. like 86-88 , not 94 or above..

take care, Joe
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Thanks and take care - Joe Rollo
'Tis not the stongest of the species that will eventually survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change' Charles Darwin