Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hiya folks... I have some questions. I've glanced through the forum (first page) and didn't see anything that directly related, so I thought I would post my question before going off and looking for further information (wanted everyone to know I'm not just lazily expecting answers without being willing to do work too).

I'll be checking out some care sheets to see if I can find the answers to my questions there, but also am asking here.

My stepdaughter got a red-tailed boa for her birthday(not sure exactly what kind of red-tailed boa, it's a pet, not a breeder in any case). We've had the snake since the end of August. We've been feeding her every week a nice large rat pinkie. She measured at 28" when we purchased her, we haven't measured her length since then. She hasn't shed since we purchased her. Lately she hasn't looked "blue" (I own and raise colubrids, she's the only boa we have)... she has looks sort of "flakey" and we're wondering if that is a sign that she is getting ready to shed.

How often should baby boas shed?
Is flakey dry-looking skin a sign of something bad going on?

For the moment her setup is a 15-gallon aquarium, with a grape-wood climb she loves to hang on, several hides, heating pad on one side of the hide with a thermal gradient, a light, and fresh bottled water. Aspen substrate.
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~Sasheena

Dry flaky skin could be a sign of your humidity being too low. While aspen is the prefered substrate for a lot of keepers, it tends to soak the moisture right out of the air. I would suggest using a larger water bowl, and if that doesnt work, maybe try switching to newspaper for a while and see if you notice a change.
Also, at 28 inches she can take much larger prey than a rat pinky,(I start my newborns on rat pinks). I would try a big fuzzy, and go from there.
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Davey Giltner

Thank you for your response:

I thought a rat pinky was a bit small, but my stepdaughter didn't want to push it with her and kept it small. I'll bring her a rat fuzzy after I clean mouse and rat cages this morning. Also we'll see what size bowl she has for water, and if she needs a larger one, we'll put a larger one in.

How frequently should she shed?
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~Sasheena

When my boa's were little they shed every month like clock work,Between 3 an 4 weeks between sheds,this isn't an exact day that is!I would take duct tape or somthing an seal 3/4 of that lid off an maybe mist once a day that will definatley help with the humidity also!An in my opinion when feeding as the boa grows,one can look at the largest part of her body an give her a meal a little bigger than that!But I assume you already know that with raising culbrids!Hope this helps,Thanks,Eric[Hypoboa]