Which snake in which cage?

[SpartaDog]

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've been here, but I'm hoping to be more active again soon.

Anyway, I just moved all my snakes up to bigger cages. My two younger BPs went to 32 qt tubs and my adult to a 60 qt. I also have another 60 qt and a 4x1x2 glass aquarium, which will be holding my carpet and my redtail. I'm just not sure which to put in which.

First of all, I know that won't hold the boa for her entire life. This would be temporary. I'd like to put the carpet in the aquarium because, before I had her in a tub, she was very fond of climbing, so she'd love to have that height again. But, she's also quite aggressive and a talented escape artist with screen lids. She escaped her previous aquarium twice, but hasn't escaped her tub once, and I like having that extra room to dodge her strikes. She's bitten me before and frankly, I'd like to keep it from happening again.

But, my boa is starting to become...not aggressive, but nervous. I know this is because I haven't been handling her as much as I should, but she also doesn't much like me going in vertically. She's in an aquarium now that's only slightly shorter (I wanna say 18 in?), and if I want to avoid getting bitten, I have to inch my hand toward her slowly and then pet her sides for a few minutes before gently lifting her out. I think if I were to put her in a bin, she might calm down considerably.....but I really don't like the idea of having the carpet in a confined space XD

I would go get another 60 qt tub, but I can't get rid of this aquarium, and as long as it's here, I don't have room for another big tub. Thoughts?

[Chkadii]

Not sure about the tubs (though it sounds like your current idea would work, at least for the time being), but have you looked into hook training? I've seen that some people pet their more... cantankerous snakes with the hook before reaching in with their hand, so the snake realizes you're not food and neither are they.

The boa may feel better in a PVC enclosure; black everywhere but the front, and it opens from the side rather than the top. You could eventually get rid of the glass tank and have two, or just stack the glass on top of the PVC to save space.

[SpartaDog]

I have tried hook training. She showed absolutely no response. Her aggression isn't a feeding response, it's just....aggression XD Instead of calming down when I pet her with the hook, she'd just shoot up the hook and aim for my hands and face. She's just one of those snakes that strikes at anything that moves, no matter what it smells like, what time it is, how big the thing is....yeah, she's just mean, hahah. Honestly I've been trying to sell/trade her, cuz I think I just don't have the experience needed to deal with her properly, but no one local seems to want her and I'm a bit afraid of shipping.

I'd absolutely love a PVC cage. I definitely plan on getting her one some day, but right now, I just can't afford it. I'm in college and don't have a steady job, hahah. It's a miracle I can afford to feed these guys.

[Pyrate81]

Soooo tempted to raise my hand say I'll take the red tail off your hands or at least foster her until she calms down.

<< enjoys the challenge of taming down an "agressive" snake and kinda wants a red tail as well. I do have experience in this.


How big and how old is she?


Alternative: Sell the aquarium, buy a new 60qt tub? Is that doable?

[SpartaDog]

Ahah, I'm sorry, but I'm still quite fond of the boa despite her nervousness. She's not to the point where I'm not comfortable with her yet. She's about 3 years old and probably about 5 ft, but she's just hitting a growth spurt so she'll probably be a lot bigger in a few months. That's actually what made me go "huh, maybe it's time to upgrade everybody" hahah

That being said, the unbelievably aggressive carpet has been for sale for over a year now and no offers yet, hahah. I guess note me if you'd still be interested? (Am I allowed to say that here?)


As for selling the tank....well it's not so much that I CAN'T so much as I think it would take far too long to do it. She's pushing the boundaries of her current cage so I have to move her up to something soon.

[Poseidon]

The boa may feel better in a PVC enclosure; black everywhere but the front, and it opens from the side rather than the top. You could eventually get rid of the glass tank and have two, or just stack the glass on top of the PVC to save space.

My boa was in a temporary plastic bin before she got her AP T8. She is so much easier to take out and put in now that she's got a side not overhead approach. Light and day difference. You said you can't afford a PVC now but what about flipping a tank on its side, and putting plexiglass doors in. They'd go where the top was, but since the tank is on its side, it'd work out to be the front. I can't find the picture I wanted, but poke around for some directions if you need any.

[Pyrate81]

My boa was in a temporary plastic bin before she got her AP T8. She is so much easier to take out and put in now that she's got a side not overhead approach. Light and day difference. You said you can't afford a PVC now but what about flipping a tank on its side, and putting plexiglass doors in. They'd go where the top was, but since the tank is on its side, it'd work out to be the front. I can't find the picture I wanted, but poke around for some directions if you need any.

I forgot about doing that. Tried looking for the thread but can't find it. Thought it was in the DIY forum.

Great concept(especially if you're handy) and the project could probably cost $20-$30 I'm guessing.

[SpartaDog]

That....might work. The tank's on one of those bases with the storage underneath, so it's built to fit the bottom of the tank....but I might be able to do that. Even putting the screen on the side would probably work, especially if I just use paper towels or newspapers or something....I'll have to experiment with this a bit.

[Poseidon]

That....might work. The tank's on one of those bases with the storage underneath, so it's built to fit the bottom of the tank....but I might be able to do that. Even putting the screen on the side would probably work, especially if I just use paper towels or newspapers or something....I'll have to experiment with this a bit.

Newspaper; paper towels can be ingested (and it's not pretty.) If the tank doesn't fit, you can put wood planks underneath the tank. I moved my ball python's tank to a shelf that doesn't support the width of the tank and I used wood beams. Works like a charm, if you don't mind the look. Or even just a flat board.

I found a thread pertaining to putting a tank on its side: http://www.redtailboas.com/f140/55-t...ts-back-65794/

[SpartaDog]

I don't shred the paper, just line the bottom with it. They've all been on paper towels for about a year now with no problems. And the tank isn't out for display so it doesn't really need to be pretty.

I can just stick wood under it, that'll work. The only thing I'm worried about now is the tank's 2 ft deep, and I'm 4'11" XD I could reach the bottom/back, but if she poops in the back corner, it'll be a very uncomfortable experience XD

On the other hand, I've gotten a few trade/purchase offers on the carpet so it might not even be an issue soon.