Questions for Boaphile Owners

Hey all. I have a couple of questions for Boaphile owners.

1. My boa doesn't like to go back into his tank. Its difficult to get him in there. The removable top on my current tank does make it easier though. Is it difficult to get your boa back into the Boaphile? How about taking him/her out? I have a hide in my tank. It would seem difficult to remove the hide since there isn't much height clearance. For those who have hides, how do you do it?

2. Heating options. What do you recommend? The site suggests that if the room gets between 68-70 go with the larger UTH flexwatt. I am in SoCal. It doesn't get that cold during our winter months but I can for see my room temps hovering around 70. Should I go with radiant heat panels and flexwatt underneath? Not sure what I'll need.

All suggestions and opinions are greatly welcomed. Thanks.

I live in Massachusetts, I'm using the rhp in mine, whenever it may get here, been waiting for 6 weeks tomorrow.

1. It seems to be much easier to get a boa back into a side entrance enclosure as opposed to a top opening like a tank. They don't like to be put down - their instinct is to go up - so they tend to struggle when you try to put them back into a tank from the top. Letting them slip back into their enclosure from the side is MUCH easier!

If you're concerned about your hide, you could go with a slightly higher enclosure - maybe 24 inches high. That should offer plenty of clearance and afford your boa a little extra space. You might go with a shelf option too. Another option would be this model - Boaphile hide box cage (2nd picture down).

2. I have recently discovered radient heat panels and they are wonderful! I would highly recommend an RHP for your boaphile. They are effective and safe. On a proportional thermostat, it won't matter what temp your home is, it'll provide the right amount of heat. I would order the RHP from Boaphile when you order your cage, or, if you've already got your cage, Reptile Basics has them too for a good price and Rich has great customer service and he's always had prompt shipping.

I don't have the cage yet but I am going to order soon. So the RHP alone will be fine? I won't need flexwatt underneath?

if you go with the taller enclosure, you'll need both the RHP and the UTH.

if you have a stack of enclosures, heating becomes much simpler since they keep each other warm. with a single enclosure you may want to do both RHP and UTH even on the shorter enclosure just to be sure you can get all you temps and gradient correct. Worst case, you unplug one if it turns out you really don't need it.

If your cage is 24" tall or less, you should be fine with the correct wattage RHP. This is very important. And if your cage is 24" I do recommend that you get the shelf option so your snake can get up closer to the RHP. This will create options and proper gradients for your snake to thermoregulate.

I suggest you talk with Rich at Reptile Basics or the guys at Pro Products and see what they recommend for the size cage you are getting. They are super knowledgable and will advise you properly. But if you do get the right wattage, just the RHP will do fine. These are great heat sources and they will warm the surface area like sunlight. And they are safe for your snake too!