Checking to make sure I have my facts straight.

[David802]

Alright so I own a ball python already and my uncle owns a 3 year old RTB that's absolutely awesome! Its turned me so instead of getting another ball I'm going to get a RTB, I'm getting ready to set up the tank here in the next week or so and just want to make sure I've got all my facts/temps/set up info right before I Go buying.


1- Temps need to be about 76-78 for cool and 90-92 for the warm side correct? Is that belly heat or ambient or both? I'll be controlling the temps with a 500r thermostat, and using a UTH.

2- RTB's prefer an aspen bedding to newspaper bedding.

3- Humidity needs to be about 60% to 70%.

4- RTB's don't get nervous in large cages, so its not nearly as important that I start with a 6 quart tub and work my way up as it grows. I was thinking about getting a 32 qt tub to start with. Will that work?

A few questions... Are they nocturnal? Also I've read that feeding schedules aren't the same as for BP's and unlike BP's they can get obese so they don't need to be fed as fast. Once a week up until they are a year old and then every other week after the year mark, can anybody explain this any better, or verify that what I said above is accurate.

Does the 10%-15% rule for weight to feeder weight also apply to rtbs?

There is a disease that boas get, where can I get some more info on that? Is there anything specific I need to know about quarantine for this disease?

And finally, it was suggested I not get an adult off Craigs list so that I Can watch it grow and learn its body language before the snake is huge... So I Was wondering anybody know of any breeders with rtbs for sale. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

[Danounet]

I think 92 is pretty much maximum, but that also depends if it is a BCI or a BCC locality. That is belly heat. Ambient temps will be fine around the low 80s or high 70s. Humidity is good around 60-70.

I dont think they prefer any bedding. That is up to the keeper. Aspen, Mulch and Newspaper being the most common. I'm trying out an Aspen and Mulch mix since I was undecided between those 2.

RTBs are nocturnal also, but they dont hide as much as BPs. 28/32qt should be OK. Most of the time even if you give them a hide, they will choose to go on top of it instead of in it. But is always a good for it to be there if they chose to hide.

Inclusion Body Disease. (http://www.anapsid.org/ibd.html) Is a virus. Boa's will either die from it slowly or become carriers, or both. Pythons will die from it in a few months. I was very scared of it too, but I got my 2 RTBs a BCI and a BCC suri from people that keep pythons too. I got my BCI from Alex Barreiro @ http://boarepublic.com/indexv3.html. My Suriname BCC is from Mark Damico mdamico1@tampabay.rr.com.

RTBs are very prone to over feeding problems, specially BCCs. Is better to feed smaller meals and grow them slow. A RTB could die very young if overfed. They will also regurgitate if the meal is too big sometimes. Once a week for the first year seems to be the most common schedule, then slowly increasing the days in between as they grow.

A baby boa is always a good idea. Sometimes people get a larger BOA and complain about their mean attitude. This way she will grow with you and get used to people.

This is what I learned during my serearch. I might be missing something

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Sounds right to me. You should publish a book Danouet I mean lol! The OP is not far off tho.

As far as the heat goes. Your boas will let you know if the hot side is too hot. They wont sit there like a BP will and burn them selves if its too hot. If they never go to the hot side, even after a meal, take it as a sign and bump it down a degree or 2 until you find the perfect temp for them.

Remember, boas were one of the only snakes in the Barkers outdoor enclosure study that actually moved from the cold to the warm area of the cages to survive. The other snakes showed no ability to seek shelter from the cold and allowed them selves to freeze to death. If this holds true for cold, then of course its true for heat as well.

[Danounet]

Sounds right to me. You should publish a book Danouet I mean lol! The OP is not far off tho.

As far as the heat goes. Your boas will let you know if the hot side is too hot. They wont sit there like a BP will and burn them selves if its too hot. If they never go to the hot side, even after a meal, take it as a sign and bump it down a degree or 2 until you find the perfect temp for them.

Remember, boas were one of the only snakes in the Barkers outdoor enclosure study that actually moved from the cold to the warm area of the cages to survive. The other snakes showed no ability to seek shelter from the cold and allowed them selves to freeze to death. If this holds true for cold, then of course its true for heat as well.

Well I'm just spreading the love! You have no idea how long it took me to collect all that info!! Specialy after learning there such a thing as BCI and BCC. David is doing pretty good like you said

[David802]

That's so cool Foschi Exotic Serpents! Great thing to know about, I'm going to have to read up on that study! I love reading about things like that lol.

Thanks Danounet! You're a wealth of info!

[jfreels]

Min is in the hide a lot, but she'll usually leave her head poking out. At night she'll come out and knock stuff over.