Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,
I just purchased my first Hogg Island Boa - a sweet little female I named "Bella." She is such a gentle and wonderful snake. She is from Prehistoric Pets and is more brown than grey colored. I have a few questions about their proper care and maintenance:
What temps do these snakes enjoy? Right now I have her hot side between 85-88F.
Are pine shavings safe? Prehistoric Pets recommended pine shavings but I am keeping her on paper towels for now.
Do they like to soak in their water dish?
She has been in her dish for a while now. I am wondering if this is normal.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
SF

Check out http://www.riobravoreptiles.com foe all your Boa info,the more you read and look around that site the more you`ll learn.

T/

>>Hey everyone,
>>I just purchased my first Hogg Island Boa - a sweet little female I named "Bella." She is such a gentle and wonderful snake. She is from Prehistoric Pets and is more brown than grey colored. I have a few questions about their proper care and maintenance:
>>What temps do these snakes enjoy? Right now I have her hot side between 85-88F.
>>Are pine shavings safe? Prehistoric Pets recommended pine shavings but I am keeping her on paper towels for now.
>>Do they like to soak in their water dish?
>>She has been in her dish for a while now. I am wondering if this is normal.
>>Thanks in advance for any advice!
>>SF
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Money Only Wished It Had The Control Over The World That FEAR Does !

If your boa is soaking in water for extended periods of time it could have mites (I have heard of other boas coming from them having mites). You should examine the boa very closely and treat with 'Provent-A-Mite' if necessary.
Best of luck!

>>Hey everyone,
>>I just purchased my first Hogg Island Boa - a sweet little female I named "Bella." She is such a gentle and wonderful snake. She is from Prehistoric Pets and is more brown than grey colored. I have a few questions about their proper care and maintenance:
>>What temps do these snakes enjoy? Right now I have her hot side between 85-88F.
>>Are pine shavings safe? Prehistoric Pets recommended pine shavings but I am keeping her on paper towels for now.
>>Do they like to soak in their water dish?
>>She has been in her dish for a while now. I am wondering if this is normal.
>>Thanks in advance for any advice!
>>SF

Always, always do your research BEFORE getting a pet. Here's a simple, but good care sheet: http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/reptiles/snakes/SNK2756.shtml

Don't use pine shavings. I don't know why PP recommended those to you, that's a nutty idea. Use paper towels for now, and either aspen or newspaper when she gets larger.

I agree with the other response, soaking in the water dish usually means there's a mite problem. If there's no mites present, then she could be getting ready to shed. It could also mean she's trying to hide and there's no hide box present for her to hide in.

Hope that helps.

-Cat
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Lower Ground Reptiles

www.lowergroundreptiles.net