New Boa Questions

[Amanda1226]

Hey guys,
I just bought my first boa today. She’s an albino, female RTB BCI. The people I bought her from said that her hot spot shouldn’t ever get above 90 for risk of neurological damage. Because she said that took her telling me to set the thermostat to 85. She’s being housed in a Sterlite tub until she gets bigger, as I think she’s pretty young. So, can anyone tell me what I should have set my Herpstat to, and what the ambient temperature should be about? I have a ball python, how similar are these 2 creatures as far as habitats go? What should her hot side and ambient temperatures actually be? And with feeding, should I feed her every 2 weeks, or once a week, or every 10 days? The breeder said 2 weeks; many of the care sheets say 7-10. I currently feed my ball once a week. I don’t want to make this pretty little girl sick or anything so any help would be great!


P.S.
If anyone wants to see a picture of her, let me know and I will find a way to upload it.

[Evenstar]

Boas are pretty bullet-proof. They are hardy and easy to care for and generally always eat, lol.

Boas can sustain neurological damage from too-warm temps, but 90 isn't going to do that. Nor is 92. I wouldn't go higher than that, but as far as being safe, that should be fine.

Now, having said that, I have found that most boas do prefer cooler temps. I like a hotspot of 88 and ambient temps between 76-78. Set your Herpstat to 88 and measure your temps with a temp gun and adjust the Herpstat accordingly until you achieve 88 on the hotspot itself. This is usually enough to keep the ambient temps where they need to be as well as long as your room temps aren't too cool.

Boas are easy to overfeed. But babies should be fed a bit more frequently than adults. I do every 7-10 days for neonates. Juveniles are every 10 days. If your baby is/was used to eating every 2 weeks, then I would adjust that to a 10 day schedule. Feed one prey item that is not so large that it leaves a lump. Unlike BPs, you should NOT see a lump in your boa's belly after she eats. Less is more with boas.

Congratulations on your little one! We would all like to see pictures! And be warned - boas are like potato chips. Betcha can't have just one!

[Amanda1226]

Hi,
Thanks for responding. I will adjust her herpstat. When you say " neonate" you mean babies?
What about her humidities? When the ball gets ready to go into shed, 70-75% gets a good shed for her. On normal days, her humidities stay about 60%... will these be good for the boa?
Unfortunately, I was told by the boyfriend that I was not allowed to have any more snakes.
I will try to get a picture of her uploaded soon.

[Amanda1226]

I believe this will upload a picture of her... at least if I followed the instructions on the sticky properly!

[Evenstar]

She's very cute!!

Poo on your boyfriend, lol. Maybe once he sees how much fun a boa can be, he'll lighten up a little. Give him time.


Humidity is fine at about 60-70%. I mist a little when they go in shed just to help, but boas don't generally have a problem with that.

The caresheet here is very good. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tor-imperator)

[Amanda1226]

The care sheet you pointed to said to feed weekly, so I will try that first and if she regurges, I'll move her to every 10 days. I like to keep my feed days the same as the ball so that neither snake gets aggressive because I prescent the room before feeding. I was told to feed every 2 weeks, and that doesn't bother me, I just want to do what will be best for the new baby.

The boyfriend probably doesn't want me to get anymore snakes for a while because he is the one to take care of them, I.E. feed and clean them most of the time...

I get the fun part of holding and interacting with them.
My ball has developed a shed schedule and has tell tell signs of going into shed, such as going off food. Will the boa have any tells of going into shed, that aren't visual?
What is the average times for them to shed if they are fed properly, my year old ball sheds about once every 2 months, on average.

Thanks for helping me out!
-Amanda

[Evenstar]

The care sheet you pointed to said to feed weekly, so I will try that first and if she regurges, I'll move her to every 10 days. I like to keep my feed days the same as the ball so that neither snake gets aggressive because I prescent the room before feeding. I was told to feed every 2 weeks, and that doesn't bother me, I just want to do what will be best for the new baby.

1. Feeding different schedules in no way makes them aggressive. I have 31 snakes and they can't all eat at the same time. Some are weekly, some are every 10 days, some are every 2 weeks, etc. Even pre-scenting the room won't cause aggression - that is a myth. I wouldn't feed your BP and then try to handle the boa, lol, because she'll be in feeding mode, but it won't make the snake aggressive.

2. That is the one thing that I don't like about our caresheet. Boas do NOT need to be fed weekly. I will say again, if your baby is used to feeding every 2 weeks, go to a 10 day schedule. You want to AVOID regurging when at all possible. Baby boas can die from a regurge. It is very hard on their system. And they are more likely to regurge due to improper feeding than BPs are. I strongly recommend a 10 day schedule.

[Amanda1226]

That is what I meant, when I said aggressive. It just takes away a day that I can hold one of my girls is all. On the shedding, do boas shed similar to balls? Like, is it likely that my boa will go off food when it comes time to shed? What are some cues to know that the boa is getting ready to go into shed?

Thanks,
Amanda

[DooLittle]

Boas do not go as "blue" as balls do. Their eyes will cloud over, but I can usually tell they are going into shed because they get really dark and kind of dingy looking. Also, mine tend to dissappear. If I haven't seen them out for a day or so... And from my experience the overall start to finish of a boas shed is longer than a balls. As far as feed, mine have never, ever, missed a meal... Also, I would follow Evenstar's feeding recommendations.

[Evenstar]

That is what I meant, when I said aggressive. It just takes away a day that I can hold one of my girls is all. On the shedding, do boas shed similar to balls? Like, is it likely that my boa will go off food when it comes time to shed? What are some cues to know that the boa is getting ready to go into shed?

Thanks,
Amanda

As Doolittle said, they don't tend to "blue" as much as BPs do when going into shed. You may notice that she looks wrinkly though. It's hard to explain, but they do start looking a little different.

The "feeding mode" only lasts that night. Plus, it is completely unnecessary to pre-scent the room for boas. You may need to do so for your ball, but you won't need to for the boa. They are garbage disposals and will eat anytime anywhere.

I still say, stick with a 10 day feeding schedule. You'll still be able to hold the snake the 8 days between (like any snake, you should give it 48 hours or so after eating to digest before handling). Handling should be the last thing to consider when working out a feeding schedule.

You want to AVOID regurging when at all possible. Baby boas can die from a regurge. It is very hard on their system. And they are more likely to regurge due to improper feeding than BPs are. I strongly recommend a 10 day schedule.

^^ I'm not trying to harp on this - remember, we are only trying to help you. But it would be a shame for this to happen to your pretty baby just because you wanted to hold her more often. You wanted to know what would be best for your girl. In my educated opinion, a 10 day schedule would be best.