Baby boa arrived this morning! Pics to come soon

[Fataltix]

Hey guys!

So my baby boa got here this morning, she is sooo cute! Absolutely tiny, only 80 grams at the moment. Ohhh boy though does she have some attitude! Already bit me twice, and is hungry for more .

She's super exploratory, climbing over everything in her new cage and desperately trying to get out . As soon as I get a chance I'll snap some pictures, no camera with me at the moment haha.

Cheers,
Fata

[Kinra]

lol, my little boa was out for blood the day she arrived too but has been super sweet ever since. I'm sure yours will calm down soon enough. Congrats on your new addition!

[blushingball419]

Aww, sounds a cute little girl!! Congrats and can't wait to see pics!! Boas in general seem to be less tolerant of shipping, my rainbow was all fired up when I first got him too, but he's since calmed down considerably and is a total sweetheart.

[Fataltix]

Thanks guys . Yeah, I'm sure she'll calm down, poor thing is so stressed.

I have one concern though. I have her in a relatively tall tub, with a lot of climbing material and hides, some of which reach the top of the cage. She has essentially been at the top of the cage the entire time, hanging on the ladder in there. I'm worried that she is too far away from the heat source, and has been up there for hours. Should I try and move her? Or will she go down when she needs to thermo-regulate?

Thanks,
Fatal

[blushingball419]

I know, I'm sure the shipping process is traumatic for them, especially when they're tiny babies who think everything is out to eat them anyway.

Yeah, she should go down when she feels the need to thermo-regulate (or when she finally gets tired). My rainbow went and hid right away and didn't even poke his head out for several days, but RTBs are a little different and probably deal with stress differently. She just thinks she has to escape.

As long as the room (ambient) temp isn't too low I wouldn't worry about it too much, and trying to move her would only stress her out more. You could always try covering part of the enclosure with a dark shirt or blanket to help her feel less exposed and more secure.

[rperry03]

You certainly have a feisty one!!! I picked up a baby boa (71 grams) last sat and just like any other boa she ate that night, and have yet to hiss or attempt to tag me, but the funny part is when I set up her new cage I mounted a radiant heat panel and there was a 5" section of the cord exposed and she believes that it is a place for her to chill! She goes up and down when she feels like it.

Good luck, they are awesome to raise and watch grow.

[Evenstar]

So what do you think of her now she's home??? Are you thrilled? I know how excited you must be....

But no worries! She'll go down when she feels more relaxed. And so long as the ambient temps are around 78-80ish, she'll be fine for a good long time. My baby spends 80% of her time up on her branch. The ambient temps there are about 78. She only spends about 10% of her time in her warm hide.

And, yes, she'll calm down. She's just stressed and defending herself right now. Once she settles, she'll start trusting you more. Sometimes it seems that the more feisty they are as babies, the more puppy-dog tame they become as adults.

[Fataltix]

So what do you think of her now she's home??? Are you thrilled? I know how excited you must be....

But no worries! She'll go down when she feels more relaxed. And so long as the ambient temps are around 78-80ish, she'll be fine for a good long time. My baby spends 80% of her time up on her branch. The ambient temps there are about 78. She only spends about 10% of her time in her warm hide.

And, yes, she'll calm down. She's just stressed and defending herself right now. Once she settles, she'll start trusting you more. Sometimes it seems that the more feisty they are as babies, the more puppy-dog tame they become as adults.

Oh I am soooo stoked . She only tagged me three times , only drew blood once though! Probably my fault though, my friends always laugh at how persistent I can be when it comes to holding a snake. Did I mention she bit me all 3 times BEFORE I set her down? Haha, I may very well name her based on her homecoming performance haha.

The ambients are probably a bit colder than I'd like them to be... around 75ish, but the ground temp on the warm side is spot on 90, and the cool is right at 80. She hasn't even gone into either hide yet . I have one of those human heat mats, gets warm but not too hot, would putting it on top of the cage do any good? Its pretty big so it would cover the whole tub... Heat does go up though so...

Yeah, I can't wait for her to start relaxing. I'm one of those people who is awful about waiting for your snake to settle in, I Looove handling my snakes . I was able to hold her for about ten minutes when I first popped her out of the box and she is soooo cute! Her tail is such a vibrant red, and I love the way her scales feel! So different from a BP, It almost feels like she is slightly moist all the time...

Thanks again for all you help evenstar!

-Fatal

[Evenstar]

Hey, no problem! I am so glad you're happy with her! She will always be a very special snake for you. Your ambient temps are still probably ok at 75. It is a wee bit low, but boas are pretty forgiving of that sort of thing. And so long as the ground temps are good, she'll go where she needs to be when she needs it. She's probably on her warm spot more than you think at night......