Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am getting my new cage ready for my new arrival. Red Tail Boa. Can you see anything I may need? I have undertank heater. Two heat lamps. Anything else???? Thanks and Happy Holidays

get rid of those two over head heat lights. get one ceramic heater emitter on the same side as the heat pad. that cage will get way too hot. the boas dont like that much light. i use a undercabinet light from home depot. they cost aroung 20 dollars and give off enough light to enjoy the animal, without making it uncomfortable.

Two heat lamps undermount heat is too much. I would put the one heater and the heatmat on one side and hook it up to a thermostat (alife ones are only like $30). Is the whole top screen? If so I would block some of it off so that you can maintain the humidity.

So a ceramic heat bulb will be enough heat along in a undertank heater? Also I can still use the lamps I have for the ceramic heat bulb right? Should I get a piece of glass for one of the top side of the tank to keep some of the heat in.

Also I have one of those purple bulb in the lamp now. That what the Pet Store suggested. So I should not use that?

Thanks....I am a newbee to BOA....Thanks for all the help.

John

That will be more than enough heat...maybe even too much...which is why I suggest a thermostat. There is not need for the purple bulb, take it back and get a refund. Also, boas do not need UV rays (so if they try to sell you that, it is not neccessary). I would put a peice of plexigass over part of the top. Good job on making sure you have the proper setup before you get the snake. That is good care and the right way to get off on the root foot with your new snake.

Hope this Helps!

What does the thermostat look like. I understand what they are? Do you have a website link for one.

Thanks

I think that kingsnake pulled it thinking it was an ad but if they read it, before deleting it they would figure out it isn't. They must have felt like wasting my time LOL.

Anyways...thermostats have a prob that read the temp at a certain spot, then they control your heat sources to keep your cage at optimal temps. They will also reduce your electrical bill.

I use Johnson thermostats, they are my favorite for cages. But, Alife offers a good thermostat at an cheaper price.

Here is a link to Johnsons: http://www.dsreptiles.com/info.php?id=7
and Alife: http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-cage-supplies/thermometers-and-thermostats/-/alife-reptile-electronic-thermostat-with-probe/

Cool. Thank you very much for all your help. I will keep you all posted. Happy Holiday to all.

i use the thermostat from big apple herp. costs around 40 dollars and has worked great. also got a thermometer with a probe. taped those two probes together and has been working great.
another thing i think we should address is where this boa is coming from. is it from a local pet store? the one that sold you on all this stuff? i would suggest forgeting about that pet store, learning about boas from this forum, and checking out the classifieds. thats how i got my two hognoses and boa. check out bakersboas.com, he has some great regular boas available. thats where i got mine, think its female #1. it says sold to mike from minnesota. forget about a pet store animal. would never trust a pet store that sold me all kinds of unnessary stuff. also is this a baby? might want to think about kepping it in a storage bin for a while. that way you can get your tank set up, and have your boa. thats what i did anyways. babiesare very insecure and find comfort in feeling inclosed. that big glass tank might stress the guy or gal out. just some thoughts. good luck, i enjoy my boa very much, and hope you do too.

this is my cage set up...

I have my redtail in a 40 gal bowfront, and with a 75watt night-glo lamp (only left on at night during the winter) and a uv lamp during the day. I leave the lamp more to one side of the cage, so the temps range from the mid 90's directly under the lamp, to mid 70's in the hide-out.
my set-up

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0.0.1 Senagel Chameleon-Bud
0.1.0 Red-tail Boa-Xena
0.1.0 Green Anaconda-Lola
1.1.0 Bearded Dragons (should have my flameXblood from fire and ice and one other soon)

I would suggest you take the advise already given you by the the above replies and then "turn on" everything and monitor the temps and humidity for a few days so you can see what needs to be adjusted. I had my cage set up several weeks before bringing home the critter and was able to fine tune the heating until I got it right and I'm glad I had the extra time 'cause I didn't have it right first go.

I do much the same as CNB2, for the same reasons. I also find it easier to clean the cages while they are in feeding tubs. Just a couple of things to mention though-
- If you feed them in separate tubs, they still may have a feeding response when you're ready to put him/her back, and it may find your hand to be the target of natural instinct. I place a towel over their head before I reach in to put them back into there cage. Please only handle them long enough to get them back to their home, and give them a day (preferrably 2) to digest before holding them.
I feel that it is very important to mention that it is good to know how much food is tooo much. You can get your snake to eat much more food than they should be having, with little effort on your part (they are eating machines). There is no need to rush a boa into adult-sized status. If you going to feed it every couple of weeks, then give it something big enough to make a small lump in its belly. If your going to feed it weekly, then make the food size smaller, or else you'll cause stress on its internal organs, often resulting in a short life span.
The more research you do, the better. Take care.
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--aka DMOG68

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--aka DMOG68