boa housing?

How long would a 36" x 18" last for an adult male or female red tail? I am willing to provide more if necessary it's just that this is what I have available at the moment. I am planning to buy one as a baby and start him/her out in a 20 gallon. Then once they grow out they will be moved into the 36" x 18" enclosures

Well.. I have a 2 year old male that is in a ~ 36" x 20" Rubbermaid tub (it has additional height for climbing) and he seems content in it.

I am planning on buying my 4' x 2' x 18" pvc cage sometime this year or early next year.

I guess just go by length. They say that the length + width of the cage should be equal to or more than the length of the snake... So your cage would work until the snake is ~ 4.5'. My male is about 4' now (at slightly over 2 years).

I build a box with ply wood. 2x2x4. Screen back and plexiglass fold down front with locking latches. On the inside drill a giant piece of drift wood into the sides for climbing. astro turf floor.

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Originally Posted by Tsanford

I build a box with ply wood. 2x2x4. Screen back and plexiglass fold down front with locking latches. On the inside drill a giant piece of drift wood into the sides for climbing. astro turf floor.

Sent using Tapatalk.

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do you use this for your adults?

My adult boas are all in 48"x30"x18" enclosures. I have a yearling now in a 36"x18" enclosure and expect it will last her for at least another year.

My 9 foot red tail is content

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If fed appropriately a normal growing female colombian can live in a 20 gallon for around two years. If you're doing glass aquariums a 40 gallon breeder can hold a female till around 4 years old. After that definitely need to move to a 4x2x1 for proper space.

The general consensus is length+depth=the snakes total length. And as for how long a 36x18 will last a boa, it really depends how much you feed it and also on its genetics but a rough guess from me would be about 2-2.5 years maybe 3 years. I wouldn't bother with a 20 gallon. That is a waste and it will outgrow that in a year. Might as well just start off with a 40 gallon or better yet, start off with a 48x24x14 minimum. I got my 6' BCI girl in one at and she is happy enough although I will be upgrading later to something like a AP T-13(48x30x18) or going for something in the 5-6' range like an AP T-25. And by baby boa, you mean something around 6-8 month old? That is usually about the age I see them for sale or at least that is the age you want to buy them. Give them plenty of time to at least eat 4-6 times on their own and have a couple sheds. You really don't want to chance it with a really young boa especially if you are dropping $400-$800 on one.

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

If fed appropriately a normal growing female colombian can live in a 20 gallon for around two years. If you're doing glass aquariums a 40 gallon breeder can hold a female till around 4 years old. After that definitely need to move to a 4x2x1 for proper space.

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Not sure I'd agree with that as Vicky my sunglow BCI female is almost 10 months old and was fed very conservatively on a rat pup every 10-14 days and she is 2'. If you feed them every week as neonates until they are a yearling, then switch them to every 14 days, I'd see a female outgrowing a 20 gallon in a year and outgrowing a 40 gallon in 2-3 years. Of course this not factoring in the genetics and when your boa has growth spurts. And while a 4x2x1 would work for a male, I couldn't imagine trying to pull an adult female out of a 1' tall cage especially since the opening will be about 3" or so shorter to accommodate the top frame and bottom litter dam. But hey if that works for you, it works. My 6' BCI girl can be a pain to get out of my 14" tall cage and she is puppy dog tame.

Woah woah woah. I feed conservatively, even a bit more than conservatively and I have never seen a one year old boa female outgrow a 20 gallon. On rare occasions have I ever seen an adult female that needed anything more than a 4x2x2. Absolutely do not put a baby boa in an adult sized enclosure, you will only stress it out. Appropriately sized enclosures help the animal feel secure. 6' AP enclosures are more appropriate for burms and retics. Boas grow MUCH slower than these other giant snakes. If you are going to stick with glass aquariums that's fine. Do the 20 gallon for a couple years then upgrade to the 40. You can foil the lid, or put a piece of melamine or plexiglass over the top to keep humidity up and limit heat loss. Everyone loves to hate on aquariums, but they can be adequate until you are ready for it's adult cage.

There's also no need to wait for an 8 month old baby. I've been breeding boas for years and the general consensus that I and all other breeders I know is one maybe two sheds, a couple meals and you're good to go. Never had any complications with a baby that has atleast eaten a few times.

People get nuts (no offense) on these forums with caging requirements and growth rates. You will find that a baby boa grows at a glacial speed compared to retics and burms. You have plenty of time to figure out an adult cage. Just make sure the basic requirements are met now.