Reptile & Amphibian Forums

well i finally got my pair of colombian redtail babies from lllreptile. the male is the length of my ten gallon tank and the female isnt much far behind, so im quickly realizing the ten gallon isnt gonna cut it. period. its been suggested i invest in vision cages, but in the meantime (and until i find a job and can afford it) think a 20 is ok?
more importantly, i assume at this age theyre fine being housed together. but at some point do i need to separate them to avoid premature breeding?
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

Colombians are arguably one of the best pet snakes. But, you will need large cages with ample heating and heat control very soon. Those guys will outgrow their cage in no time.

Allow me to ask- if you have no money, why get snakes that will require quite a bit in the way of housing, heat and food? OK, I know, this hobby is addicting. Unless you can build or have built some wood cages, plastic caging is a great way to go for boas. The 36" Neodesha (www.neodeshacages.com) is about $110 and is very roomy. You can get the light fixture option and use a small wattage red heat lamp with great results. I don't know if you can get any better than that for $110.00. This will give you some time to save up for or build larger cage/cages that you will eventually need.

i can handle the costs of the heat pads, etc and even aquariums....its just that to someone who just graduated college and is still in search of a job, an extra hundred to two hundred for housing is cutting in close. but i think i may have to go ahead and spring for one of the visions or neodeshas, even if its not one large enough to last their entire lives, i do have smaller snakes to make use of it when these guys outgrow it.

and damn right its addicting
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

A 20 gallon would be okay for a short time, a 40 gallon would be better. You can usually find either in the local paper for sale much cheaper than buying new. Another option for caging is Doug Barr's cages...I think the 36" X 24" X 12" is $135-$150, well worth the $$$. I love my Vision cages, but Doug's are a close second. I currently have 2 yearlings and a small 2 year old housed together in a small Vision cage, but as they gain some size, they'll be split into separate cages. A simple homemade wooden enclosure would also be good and cost effective (just be sure to seal the inside wood well to help prevent odor). Enjoy your new babies...they make awesome pets!

Raven

Well congratulations, I'm sure you love your new boas. I have a pair of columbians that have been living together for about 5 or 6 years and have never bred. I'm not sure but I think their just used to each other. I think in order to get them to breed I would have to separate them for the winter and then re-introduce them after a few months apart. I wouldn't worry too much about early breeding. The only thing I would watch for is if they are not feeding while being housed together. They may need to be separated until they are feeding well. If you don't have the money for cage either build one or try to find a larger aquarium. I see aquariums being tossed in the trash all the time (but make sure if you go this route that you clean it immaculately, you don't know what was in the aquarium before you got it.) Good luck with your new friend, Scott Sullivan. P.S. I've included a pic of my girl.

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Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"In any civilized society, it is every citizen's responsibility to obey just laws.
But at the same time, it is every citizen's responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
—Martin Luther King Jr

nice and photogenic little one

they actually fed today, surprisingly....i went ahead and bought a 20 gal aquarium for the time being (i guses i will end up investing in Visions soon enough though) and i think ill use the leftover ten gallon as a feeding tank, just to make sure there's no problems. but so far, so good
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

You could always pick up some Rubbermaid or Sterilite tubs to give them some extra room. Not so great for display purposes but definitely cheaper to upgrade than aquariums. They also hold humidity well and are easy to heat with UTH.
Just a suggestion...
Good luck with your new boas!
Lora

until you have put the new one through a period of quarantine for at least 3 months... and given what i've seen on here about your new supplier, i'd wait longer.
best of luck and if you're looking for cheap, large, and efficient, purchase some sterilite boxes and use those.
jb
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Jonathan Brady
My Kingsnake Photo Gallery

they came as a pair together....youve heard bad things about lllreptile?
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

Well another option that will be much cheaper than the previous suggestions. If you got an old dresser lieing around, take out the drawers and slap on a door. Bam, new cage. If you don't believe me, check out mine.

that looks pretty sweet. do youseal up the edges or anything?
ive got a bookshelf that woulc make 3 20-gallon-ish cages if i just knew how to convert it

hrmm...finally a purpose for the falling-apart dresser...
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

No I haven't sealed up the edges but its not housing a boa yet. Its my water dragons old cage and so I had gaps for air to get in around the edges. Since your gonna want to have it sealed, you prolly wanna cut vent holes in the side or something. But about the door. Not sure exactly what would be best for you cause a piece of glass as tall as a bookcase could be expensive.If you look in the photo gallery, look at a lot of ppl's water dragon cages. Most of them have custom built stuff so that should give you some ideas. One specific guy I can think of has a nice door on his cage. http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/12018overview-med.jpg

Aquarium sealant (silicone) works well to seal seams and corners. You can purchase sheets of plexi glass at most hardware stores (Lowes & Home Depot both have reasonable prices). You'd want the heavier plexi, so that it isn't as bendable, then cut it so that you have a section for each door. Drill it for hinges along one edge and a clasp or two along the other and bingo!, three cages. If you want additional ventilation, a few holes drilled in either end of each section of bookcase will provide nice airflow. Depending on the depth of the shelves, you could use heat lamps, but I'd recommend fastening heat tape on a thermostat to the underside of each level or a single strip along one side or the back.

Raven

one of my concerns was where to put heat pads or heat tape so that none of the animals could touch it and burn themselves...ie if i put the heat pads on the underside of each level, the snake below could get at it.
although i love my screw gun, im mostly experienced with puttign together prepackaged thigns. would you mind explaining a little more how to attach the plexiglass? thanks
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proud mama to:
1.0.0 ball python
0.0.1 albino florida kingsnake
1.0.0 leopard gecko
0.1.0 colombian rainbow boa
0.1.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 colombian redtailed boas (on the way!)

With the heat pads, it would probably be easiest to run a strip of it along one end of the shelves or to one side of the back of the shelves, eliminating direct contact with any of the snakes. To do it for each level, you'd need to build a mini-shelf of sorts to separate the heat tape from the animal below it. In other words, something just large enough to allow the heat tape in and contain it, but still permit some air flow. There is also a form of plastic or pvc peg board that is sold that the heat tape can be placed between that and the bottom of the shelf and the peg board screwed into place - allowing ventilation of the heat tape, but preventing snakes from getting directly to it. In all events of using heat tape, be sure to place it on a reliable thermostat to prevent potential burns.

As for the plexi glass, there's at least a couple of ways to make doors with it. For hinged doors, you can carefully drill the plexi to be fitted with hinges. Plexi needs to be drilled first, slowly and with minimal pressure. Too much pressure or too much heat from the bit will cause the plexi to crack or starburst around the hole you're drilling. I've found it helpful to lay the plexi on scrap lumber and just take my time to make the holes, drilling slowly with even but gentle pressure. The hinges can then be attached with rivets, as can a hasp or clasp to secure the door. You can also build a door frame, attaching hinges and clasps to it with screws, and then screwing the plexi to it (which is what I've done and would probably be the easier option) or making channels in the wood like a window frame. You can also make a sliding door by using ready-made channels sold for the plexi or making the sliding channels from wood - either would work. However, most presold channels are plastic, so I would recommend screwing two small strips of wood to the shelf to the outside of the channels to prevent the snakes from pushing the plexi out of the plastic channels and possibly escaping (yeah, I can be paranoid LOL).

As for cutting the plexi, you can either have whoever you purchase it from cut it (if they do that where you buy it) or you can cut it at home. For home cutting, you need to make sure you have the measurements marked on the plexi. You'll need a good straight edge (preferably a square or something of that nature, I like metal straight edges, but a good straight board will work) and a sharp utility knife. Using your straight edge, score the plexi deeply with the utility knife along the lines you've marked for the doors (try to keep it in one perfect line, multiple scores will cause an uneven break). Once the scores are made (they do need to be pretty deep for thick plexi), place the scored mark over the edge of a table (making sure the scored mark is aligned with the edge of the table facing up) and gently bend the plexi. It should break evenly down the score. If it doesn't break evenly, you can usually use a pair of pliers to break off any little points (providing there is a straight score behind it). Using channel locks or other pliers with a flat nose, align the nose with the score and bend - it should break clean. You usually won't have extra bits unless the score isn't straight or you've scored in multiple spots (for example, in the process of making a deep score you run over the score multiple times and not all passes are in the same line).

It sounds complicated and it can take a little practice in working with plexi, but it's really pretty easy once you get the hang of it. *smile*

Raven