Dumeril's surrendur

[Miranda]

So in my town I'm a volunteer with the human society and one of the few people who are marked as able to take in reptiles. Usually these are like skinny leopard geckos or corn snakes, and I take a lot of pride in fostering/rehabilitating these little guys. But last night I got a call begging me to take a surrendered adult female Dumeril's boa, as the facility does not have proper housing for her and their normal "big snake guy" is out of town until January for holidays.

I don't have pictures yet (will upload some once I pick her up) but this poor girl has been kept in a storage bin with no heat. According to her, the previous owner justified the no heat by aiming a space heater at the bin every once and awhile when it was cold. I can't believe it!

So here's where my problem is. The largest free enclosure I have is a 40g breeder, which is absolutely too small (though a significant upgrade to the bin she was in). I promptly ordered a 4' x 2' pvc enclosure (been wanting to get one anyway), but I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do until it comes in, as it may be a few weeks for it to arrive. Keeping her in the 40g is obviously less than ideal, even if for only a week or two. What are your guy's thoughts? Do you think she'd be more or less okay in the 40g until a proper enclosure comes in? Any suggestions for enclosure alternatives until then?

[KMG]

Without knowing its size it is hard to say.

My guess would be a properly heated tank would be a much better choice than a non heated tub, not that you couldn't heat the tub.

You may also go and look for a bigger and better tub that would be a even better choice until the ordered cage gets to you.

[BeksNY]

You might consider ordering a VE175 IRIS Christmas Tree Storage tub. I ordered ours (short-term homes for our rescue boas, while we decide what size AP cages to get them) through Target.com for about $40 ea. Delivery took a few days longer since they ship directly from IRIS, but I think last year's models are sometimes available for pickup at some brick-and-mortar Targets and at Walmarts depending on your location. They're tricky to find on the website, but some clever googling should lead you to it. We use THG heat tape and Herpstats under ours.

Oh, and, kudos on taking in the Dumeril!!

[Sauzo]

Instead of spending the cash for a 40g, just go to Home Depot and buy a Sterilite bin and a UTH with a t-stat.

Dumerils like it a little colder than most boas. They like it around 76-78F on the cool side and about 86-88F on the hot spot. And they generally love to burrow and hide.

Here's a picture of my little 3 month old baby girl out and about the night before dinner time lol.

[Miranda]

Instead of spending the cash for a 40g, just go to Home Depot and buy a Sterilite bin and a UTH with a t-stat.

Dumerils like it a little colder than most boas. They like it around 76-78F on the cool side and about 86-88F on the hot spot. And they generally love to burrow and hide.

Here's a picture of my little 3 month old baby girl out and about the night before dinner time lol.

What a cutie! Thanks so much fro the info, they sound like real easy keepers honestly. I already have the 40g with a t-stat, so I wouldn't be spending any for it. I was just concerned about keeping her in there while waiting on the 4' x 2' to ship. I plan to visit home depot and target and see if they have any tubs with larger floor space than the 40g though to tide her over until the pvc enclosure ships in.

[bcr229]

You can find tubs with more floor space than the 40-breeder tank. A VE-175 would definitely work but it's really overkill unless this is a massive adult female.

Dums aren't really big into climbing so they need floor space more than height. I think Target carries the Sterilite 74-qt underbed tub but you would have to get some straps to secure the lid.

[Miranda]

Got her in an settled last night. She promptly let me know she needed a bigger water dish! hahaha. As soon as thanksgiving holidays are over it's off to Target to find a bigger tub for her! Been checking her for mites and she seems clean so far and no obvious signs of any RI (though she was huffing so much in the tank last night I thought maybe she did have it!). She seems about 6 ft long, maybe a bit longer, and not as big around as I've seen Durmil's in the past, but doesn't strike me as emaciated either. Any experienced Durm keepers want to weigh in?

Sorry for potato quality picture! Not sure if you can see, but she has the cutest smiley face on the top of her head.

[BPGator]

Mine's only 5 months old, so I don't have a ton of experience, but I know he likes to bury himself. So rather than give him a hide, I just make the substrate thick so he can bury himself.

Here's a pic of him. I've got him in a 12qt tub but will probably be moving him up soon.






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[bcr229]

Her body condition is fine. While they're thick, Dums are supposed to be square and muscular, not round. I would feed her once a month. If you can find rabbits once in the 10-12 oz range would be good, otherwise XL rats. They don't need a lot of food to maintain their weight once they're mature.

[Miranda]

Her body condition is fine. While they're thick, Dums are supposed to be square and muscular, not round. I would feed her once a month. If you can find rabbits once in the 10-12 oz range would be good, otherwise XL rats. They don't need a lot of food to maintain their weight once they're mature.

Awesome! She is not lethargic at all and seems alert, a little touchy about being handled but not defensive at all. Her muscle mass seems a little soft, at least compared to say my Ball pythons or my friend's red tail and she doesn't "cling" in the way I'd expect. I feel this is honestly to be expected considering she was in a much too small tub. Any suggestions to help her firm up a bit more?