When To Move RTBs To Bigger Enclosure

Hey guys, I currently have 2 RTBs and 1 Dumerils boa in an AP rack that has sterilite 41 quart tubs (34" x 16") and I was wondering what would be a good size/weight to move them to a permanent enclosure? As far as these permanent cages go, I've been eyeing the the boaphile cages that are 48" x 24", but if you have better suggestions then i'm all ears!

thanks in advance

I prefer Animal Plastics cages to Boaphiles, but both are good choices. Ideally for an adult RTB I would go with a 6' x 2' x 2' cage such as the AP T20. Really any of AP's cages larger than the T13 would be great.

The male boas will be fine in the 48" cages, but the female may find it a bit cramped.

I have mine in a 7' wide enclosure, and he uses every inch of it. I'm sure he doesn't need all the space, but it doesn't go to waste either. The room he is in is 7' wide, so I figured that I may as well take full advantage of the space - which is why I have such a large enclosure. That being said, if you went with 48" wide for the males you'll probably be fine.

I think most Boas would do well in a 4x2. With the exception being very large females.

All of mine so far are in 48"x30"x18" Boamasters, which should be fine for the males for life. If the females ever do outgrow them, I'm looking at the 60" wide enclosure offered by ConstrictorsNW.

I moved a boa into a boaphile 421D when she was about 2 FT and 100 grams. No problems with her.
I just moved my second small boa into another boaphile today. He's about 2.5 FT 200 grams...
so I'm hoping it goes as smoothly for this guy as it did for my little girl.

I also put a boa in another 421D, but she was 5ish when I got her, so she wasn't that small.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

All of mine so far are in 48"x30"x18" Boamasters, which should be fine for the males for life. If the females ever do outgrow them, I'm looking at the 60" wide enclosure offered by ConstrictorsNW.

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would a female dumerils be okay for life in a 48 x 30 x 18?

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Originally Posted by Eazyyyb

would a female dumerils be okay for life in a 48 x 30 x 18?

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I would hope so because I have two in QT!

It's my BCI females that may end up eventually needing the 60" enclosures, I thought even female Dums don't often top 8' unless power fed. And my oldest BCI ladies are both about five years old and around six feet, so the shouldn't need an upgrade for years.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

All of mine so far are in 48"x30"x18" Boamasters, which should be fine for the males for life. If the females ever do outgrow them, I'm looking at the 60" wide enclosure offered by ConstrictorsNW.

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Sadly constrictorsNW is no longer making cages. I was just getting ready to purchase a second cage too.

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Originally Posted by Shann

Sadly constrictorsNW is no longer making cages.

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:O
:tears:

There is some good advice above here.

I have my male, Colombian, locality in a 48" x 30" x 20". I believe boa constrictors will remain semi arboreal throughout their lives, and I prefer to see them use that characteristic in my situation. I'm not a breeder, nor do I have plans to breed any of the animals I own.

I like display caging for my own viewing purposes.

I really, and this is just my opinion, don't like cages that don't offer a semi arboreal species the chance to get off the ground. However, if you do not provide the space in the cage, get the animal out and let it climb a few times a week. You'd be amazed at the muscle development and tight, lateral compression their bodies attain because of the exercise they get by climbing. I'm speaking of BC's when I mention "lateral compression," but ALL semi arboreal species will "muscle up" through climbing.

My male was a few months shy of the 1 year mark when I bought him and he went directly into a Pro-Line 48" x 24" x 14" cage. He is now in the larger cage and he'll live his life out there unless he attains an extraordinary length and weight in the coming years which is very doubtful.

WHEN???

Well, that all depends on the animal. You obviously want to mimic what the breeder was doing before you took possession of the snake for a while. Transportation, new environment, possibly different climate and pressure can take a toll and cause some stress.

An established, feeding, eliminating, and shedding animal should have a decent chance at successfully moving into a larger enclosure.

Be prepared to change things back or modify the new cage if things don't look right to you.

A young BC using the perches and climbing options.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00734.jpg


The new boa constrictor cage is on the bottom. He, the snake, is 5' 3" at about 2.5 years old. He uses the perches constantly.

There is a young coastal carpet python in the top cage that will go into a cage like Serpent Merchant mentioned, and the royal python will take the top cage here when the time comes.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC01380.jpg

I checked with the BC breeder about the cage size, and his thoughts on moving the boa into the first cage before purchase. I also prepared the cage with a lot of clutter for the first few months and didn't handle the animal often until I made sure he was functioning properly.

I got my BCI girl in a 48x23x14 Pro-Line and I see her probably outgrowing it. I've had her 2 years and she was about 18" when I got her and now shes 6ft and getting rdy to shed again. And yes I wish I could have snatched up a 5ft Pro-Line before Ed quit. Now I will probably be stuck sucking up the freight for an AP T25 when she outgrows her Pro-Line. The biggest plus atm is she loves to come out and is as tame as a puppy so unless she wants to curl up under her RHP, she gets plenty of time to stetch out.

But like others have said, males typically will be fine in a 48" cage. The females though will probably need larger.....as I'm finding out now :)

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

I got my BCI girl in a 48x23x14 Pro-Line and I see her probably outgrowing it. I've had her 2 years and she was about 18" when I got her and now shes 6ft and getting rdy to shed again. And yes I wish I could have snatched up a 5ft Pro-Line before Ed quit. Now I will probably be stuck sucking up the freight for an AP T25 when she outgrows her Pro-Line. The biggest plus atm is she loves to come out and is as tame as a puppy so unless she wants to curl up under her RHP, she gets plenty of time to stetch out.

But like others have said, males typically will be fine in a 48" cage. The females though will probably need larger.....as I'm finding out now :)

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I think you and I did a lot of the same things and I remember chatting with you during the early stages.

OH,,,, BTW,,, hold out a bit on Ed,,, I think he needs some down time, but he may come back after some time off.

I'd love him back and I'd like to see your setup again too.

Hey Gio. Yeah I think we both got our snakes about the same time. And yeah I don't plan on getting a big cage for my BCI girl yet as she gets out a lot so I'm not too worried yet. I need to get my pied girl into a PVC cage though as I've got her in a 30 gallon breeder(36x18x12) now but I had to Macguyver it to get perfect humidity and temps and I want a nice clean looking PVC cage http://ball-pythons.net/forums/image...AASUVORK5CYII= That's why I want to do an AP cage for her so I can have the perspective of both cage companies.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Hey Gio. Yeah I think we both got our snakes about the same time. And yeah I don't plan on getting a big cage for my BCI girl yet as she gets out a lot so I'm not too worried yet. I need to get my pied girl into a PVC cage though as I've got her in a 30 gallon breeder(36x18x12) now but I had to Macguyver it to get perfect humidity and temps and I want a nice clean looking PVC cage http://ball-pythons.net/forums/image...AASUVORK5CYII= That's why I want to do an AP cage for her so I can have the perspective of both cage companies.

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Ha! Same boat as you are in again LOL!

I want my son's royal in the Pro-Line that the carpet is currently in. The carpet I have is some type of coastal cross with the mother at about 10 feet and the father about 8 so I'm expecting an 8 to 10 foot animal and it will need some ceiling as well as floor space.

This brings us back on topic.

Another way of "Knowing" when your snake can move to a larger enclosure is if it is clearly outgrowing it's current one.