RTB husbandry

Ok, so I went to the Herp World Expo today totally intending not not buying anything.... yet knowing i would. I met some guys there that had BPs but nothing was exciting me for under $800 which was waaaay out of my price range. Then i found a table full of red tails and i got hooked. They have many different morphs and all ages. Anywyas, i spent like 45 minutes hanging out with the guy and talking to him and handling snakes and decided i had to have a baby. They had one about 18" for cheap that he is going to sell me tomorrow. Im wondering a few things.

There is a deal on tanks there its $40 for a 20G with an undertank pad substrate and a water bowl. All the reading ive been doing says that boa's need a basking spot, which means no under tank heat pad and instead a basking light/lights.

If there was a basic sheet of thigns needed for a boa what would it be? i have 2 BPs 2 King snakes and 3 chameleons and know that RTBs have the potenetial to be 7"+. The little guy i want is a male which i know will keep the sizes down a little.

Anyways help would be great :)

Boas need humidity, therefore tanks are no good. For a baby, a sterilite container works great, for an adult, look into vision cages. Basking spot doesn't mean a light. Lights are bad for many reasons. Under tank heaters are the way to go, make sure you have a rheostat or thermostat to control it though. Tons of good care sheets online, or check out the care faq in this forum.

Ive been reading all night about them. I troll the forum alot and just never post. What kind of humidity do they need? I have my BPs in 15G tanks and haven 0 problems keeping their humidity at 50-60% with a screen lid. i keep my chams humidity about 50% with a completely screen cage, it shouldnt be that hard

I have to agree, I've been looking for a RTB care sheet in this site and havent found one, seems like there is a caresheet for pretty much everything else... I would think Boa have temps and humidity similar to BPs, but not quite the same, and playing guessing game is obiously a NO NO :colbert:

I have BPs and I would like to have a carpet python and a RTB later on, I found the caresheet for the carpets, but not a Boa.

I would be realy nice if someone with enough BOA care experience would post a caresheet for RTBs and sticky it. That is asuming there isnt realy one already. :)

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Originally Posted by Danounet

I have to agree, I've been looking for a RTB care sheet in this site and havent found one, seems like there is a caresheet for pretty much everything else... I would think Boa have temps and humidity similar to BPs, but not quite the same, and playing guessing game is obiously a NO NO :colbert:

I have BPs and I would like to have a carpet python and a RTB later on, I found the caresheet for the carpets, but not a Boa.

I would be realy nice if someone with enough BOA care experience would post a caresheet for RTBs and sticky it. That is asuming there isnt realy one already. :)

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I found kind of one under the general boa section and it answers enough questons to get you cofident to get one but its not a long term thing

60% humidity 88º-90º temperature

Well, if you can maintain the humidity in a glass tank, then all the power to you!

Adult Length: Males-6-8ft Females-7-10ft (some localities may be bigger or smaller.)
Average Lifespan: 20-30 years
Average Adult Meal Size: Large rats or rabbits.
Temperatures Required: 88F Basking 80-88F Ambient
Humidity Required: 50-60%
Enclosure Size Required: Minimum of 50 gallons for a small male, larger for female.

Comments: Generally docile, great feeders and easy to care for as long as size isn’t an issue.

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Originally Posted by Aeries

Well, if you can maintain the humidity in a glass tank, then all the power to you!

Adult Length: Males-6-8ft Females-7-10ft (some localities may be bigger or smaller.)
Average Lifespan: 20-30 years
Average Adult Meal Size: Large rats or rabbits.
Temperatures Required: 88F Basking 80-88F Ambient
Humidity Required: 50-60%
Enclosure Size Required: Minimum of 50 gallons for a small male, larger for female.

Comments: Generally docile, great feeders and easy to care for as long as size isn’t an issue.

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i think jsut cuz im used to keeping humidity up in my cham cages that its not a big deal to me. jjust some good substrate and like a tiny tiny warm mist every morning shoots the humidity up to 65% or so and by the end o the day its only come down to 52-49% and thats with a smaller water bowl for my BPs. With a bigger water bowl im sure it would be even less. And when in doubt i can just make another cardboard/tin foil 1/2 cage cover and put it over the water and with that i only noticed a 5% humidity drop in 24 hours

Thats for the asnwers...

Another question, How often do BOAs eat? at different age? (hatchling, juvi, adult)

Thanks

from what ive read they have basically the same feeding schedule as BPs depending on if you want to stall their growth a little bit depending so you dont get a "monster" and even then you delay the feeding by like 1 or 2 days. Im not 100% sure on that but im pretty sure its what i rememebr. Im goign to get a male and feed him normal, a 7or8 ft snake doesnt scare me, but if i had a 9+' female i would be in a little over my head because i wouldnt have anyone to help me handle it

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

Thats for the asnwers...

Another question, How often do BOAs eat? at different age? (hatchling, juvi, adult)

Thanks

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I feed my hatcling boas every five days for a few months, then switch them to every seven days. After one year-of-age I switch them to every 14 days. I keep them on this into adulthood. You have to remember that their prey sizes are a lot larger than ball pythons, and it will take them longer to digest.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

Thats for the asnwers...

Another question, How often do BOAs eat? at different age? (hatchling, juvi, adult)

Thanks

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Wh00h0069

I feed my hatcling boas every five days for a few months, then switch them to every seven days. After one year-of-age I switch them to every 14 days. I keep them on this into adulthood. You have to remember that their prey sizes are a lot larger than ball pythons, and it will take them longer to digest.

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Pretty much what we've done with the 3 boa's we have here. The big adult female, Tequila, will go anywhere from 2 to 3 weeks on a prey item depending on if she's eating xxl rats or smaller rabbits. The rabbits seem to keep her more satisfied for longer but basically we just go, with her, on how she's acting. Tequila will let us know when she's ready to feed again but then she's a mature, adult female of over 16 years of age so she knows her business real well. :)

As far as husbandry, I'll have a look through our caresheets here and if we are lacking in the boa area then I'll bring it to the staff in general to see what can be done about that. I've kept our boas in glass, in plastic and in a custom climbing cage. I think they do well in all of that as long as their needs are being met. Personally I keep the boas at about the same humidity as the balls and just a few degrees cooler.

I meant "Thanks for the asnwers" :oops:

If there is a BOA caresheet, is not easy to find!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

Thats for the asnwers...

Another question, How often do BOAs eat? at different age? (hatchling, juvi, adult)

Thanks

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Hey SS4Luck

Just saw your post and wanted to throw a shout out to you cause i know having a ball python and a RTB is a big difference but at the same time its not. I have a 26 inch RTB which he is growing fantastically and i got him when he was only about 18 to 19 inches like you. Started out with a 10 gallon then quickly moved him straight into a 40 gallon breeder which he enjoys alot. But I too had alot of problems with heat and basking spots and other little knick knacks as well. If you have any questions on anything give me a shot out and i can help you out. Im no expert but i got a few friends that are experts (or close to it) and they love to help out. I dont know how tight your money is now after buying your snake but Ive also looked into getting some nice cages throw me a pm and i can talk to you about it all.... Good luck and enjoy they are awesome snakes and you are really going to have fun....

PS lets see some pics

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Danounet

I meant "Thanks for the asnwers" :oops:

If there is a BOA caresheet, is not easy to find!

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I know of a boa caresheet that is the BEST CARESHEET i have ever seen if interested let me know