Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is mostly geared towards Richard.
I have a friend looking into rubber boas. She's going to be completely new to snakes, and I'd rather get your advice than to wing it without rubber experience.
Are rubbermaid type boxes OK for rubber boas in a rack type setting. I'm thinking about creating a single shelf that would keep the lid tight.
Is this something that would keep them in, or something they'd laugh about as they're having parties all around the house later the same day?

Keego:
I can't really give you a satisfactory answer as I do not have any experience with plastic containers in rack systems. I use two large wooden wire mess cages and various size aquaria to house my snakes. However, my son Ryan in Utah can possible give you a decent answer as he uses plastic containers in racks.

You can contact him at http://rubberboas.com/

I see you are aware that the species is the ' supreme escape artist'. If I were to ever use a rack system, each plastic container would have its own tight fitting lid.

Richard F. Hoyer

I keep my rubber boas in 6qt and 16qt plastic shoe box type enclosures. Some are within a custom made rack, and the lids ARE used. The others are stacked and weighted down. Lids need to fit tight... Also, don't make the ventilation holes too large!

Make sure you buy captive bred rubbers. In my experience they make much better captives...

Best of luck,
Chris
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Christopher E. Smith
Contact
Captive Bred Herps
Wildlife Research & Consulting Services, LLC

I've kept rubber boas in racks/tubs and I can reiterate the fact that they are incredible at squeezing through tiny cracks.
That said, with the right setup, tubs can be used as long as you don't let the humidity get too high in them (i.e. good ventilation is important).
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

As others here have stated, racks w/ heat tape work great for Rubber boa, I've been keeping a colony of C. bottae on racks for years w/ out a problem. And like everyone has said, just make sure the lid/lids are tight.

-Dell