Enclosure height for a large Boa

[Dutti]

How high should the enclosure be for a large 9 ft Red tailed Boa? Does the height affect the humidity levels?

[cletus]

It doesn't HAVE to be really high. Plenty of people keep adult boas in racks and they aren't quite 12 inches high. Height would affect humidity because it does add more space to humidify but I wouldn't think it would be that much of a difference. Being sealed is what makes the difference.

[bcr229]

A snake that size will have a fairly deep and wide enclosure because it needs a good bit of floor space. It's easier to reach into the back corners of a 24" or 30" deep enclosure if it's at least 18" high.

Also boas will climb and use vertical space if you them something to perch on. I would set up a 9 foot boa in either a 6'x2'x18" or 4'x30"x18" enclosure.

[Gio]

It depends on what you are looking for. I'd agree with 18" minimum though folks do use tubs.

The behavior of your animal will more variances when it is given multiple options. Though classed as a terrestrial species, there is more than enough evidence in the wild that they are in fact semi arboreal. They don't just climb, they will hunt in the canopy, perch, bask and digest in the canopy. They utilize their habitat.

I have my 6+ foot BC set up in a 48" x 30" x 20" enclosure. I wish I'd gone 24" high or even 30" tall.

I don't have any issues with humidity and can always mist, let it dry and mist again.

If you want a nice display and want to watch different, natural behaviors that a boa constrictor will display, I'd go 24" tall for a big boa like that.

This is what a 48" x 30" x 20" looks like.


This is what they will do.





He eats 85% of his prey from the perches.



This time he is just up there because he wants to be.



Here is what it looks like in a display room.



Even more fun at night.




Again, its not for everybody so you have to ask yourself what YOU want and what YOU want to see.

Have fun

[Sauzo]

Personally I would do a 72x30x18 for that boa. Like bcr said, anything 30" deep, you want 18" height to make it easier to reach back there.

Now if you can afford bigger, by all means go for it. You can never have too big. But as boas get older, they seem to become more happy with smaller places if that makes sense. Like Rosey and Vicky pretty much only use their shelves or even really move around when its getting close to dinner time. Otherwise, if they are content, they usually just bounce from flexwatt to cool side and back or they stretch out partially at the front door.

I do leave the doors open on my cages a lot though when i'm watching TV so they have the opportunity to hang out which they usually do with just their head on the litter dam.

Here is a pic of my set up. I got my almost 7' girl in the bottom T10, my 5' sunglow girl in the middle T10 and my 5' retic in the top T10. In the T8s are my BP on the bottom, salmon boy in the middle, and the top will be for my suri. Then I will be adding another T8 on the top for my dumerils. I will be changing the caging up as needed but for right now, all of them seem content and extremely docile, even the retic lol. And you can see even my big girl on the bottom who is probably close to 7', she fits inside that hide of hers comfortably lol as well the 5' sunglow and 5' retic.