First boa constrictor want tips amd feedback

So i got my boa constrictor almost a week ago at a reptile expo. I went to the reptile expo knowing the basic care for BCI's and a BP. At the expo i asked the vender if i could hold him and he said of course, i imeaditely fell in love with him and knew i was going to take him home. I brought him home and had his tank all ready and i put him inside and he just wandered all over. I have fed him one fuzzy mouse two days ago(f/t).i have him in a 20 gallon with a basking light and one long hide on the hotside with a waterbowl to increase humidity. It is around 50% humidity in my home and 65 in his tank. One question i have is; is it normal for him to bask so much? He spends all his time on his log up away from his warm belly heat hide. Here are some pictures. Thank you so much!!-Eric

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Perhaps he thinks he is a Green Tree Python? What are your temps 1) where he is basking and 2) in the hide and how are you measuring them? Is the heat pad on a thermostat?

Without knowing the temps on each spot, its hard to guess. Boas generally aren't like ball pythons and don't really "hide" that much once they are comfortable. Both my boas never hide and usually just sit out. You do need to give him 2 hides though, one on the warm side and one on the cool side so he can choose. preferably the same type of hides on both sides. I use Reptile Basic large hides for Vicky who is 3' and they work great except she likes to sit on top of them more than in them lol. It looks like though the snake is trying to get close as possible to the heat source so maybe your temps are too cool. I know Rosey as a baby and Vicky who is a yearling now both prefer it on the warmer side where as Rosey now who is 6' likes it cooler now. I keep all my snakes with a 92F hot spot and a 80-82F cool side. They bounce back and forth throughout the day and usually camp on the warm side for a day just after eating. Also get a temp gun and don't use dial thermometers as those are notorious for being inaccurate. I use the Acurite digital humidty/temp gauges and a temp gun to dial in the hot side with my Herpstats 1 and 2.

Just from looking at your pics, it seems like you have a 20 gallon tall aquarium. While baby boas can be a bit arboreal, boas are considered a terrestrial species and spend most of their time flat on the ground, especially in captivity. Usually we recommend starting out with a 20 gallon long aquarium with increased floor space. Your snake is up on the branch as its trying to get close enough to the heat source, as well as find a sense of security. This is ok while he is younger, but it will be unrealistic for him to climb to heat once the animal gets much bigger. If you have the resources to change the setup I would go with a 20 gallon long tank, two hides and a water bowl for a bare minimum enclosure. Basking lamps work, but you need to be checking temps with a heat gun, and try to get the hot side as close to 90 deg as possible. Also, keep in mind that fluctuations in room temps will change basking temps, since the heat bulb cant be regulated by a thermostat.

Welcome to the forum Eric. You have a nice looking RTB there.

Just to add a bit to what others have said, I agree that the little guy is trying to get warm.
You definitely need to get a temperature gun. Shoot the laser at the top of the branch and see what the temp is. Obviously it is what he likes, but it still may not be at the top of the spectrum. So this way you can check and see if it is 90-91. Then shoot the floor directly below and see what it reads. I would try to get the floor to hit 90 and slide the branch over out of the direct light. If the floor is significantly lower this means that you need a higher wattage bulb. This will also help with the ambient temperature.

It was not clear if you had a Under The Tank Heater (UTH) or not. If you do, it is imperative that is hooked up to a thermostat to control the heat so that the risk of burning your snake is minimized.
If not, disconnect it, until you can get a thermostat, unless you can control temperatures otherwise.

I wish your continued participation in the forum.

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Originally Posted by Reinz

Welcome to the forum Eric. You have a nice looking RTB there.

Just to add a bit to what others have said, I agree that the little guy is trying to get warm.
You definitely need to get a temperature gun. Shoot the laser at the top of the branch and see what the temp is. Obviously it is what he likes, but it still may not be at the top of the spectrum. So this way you can check and see if it is 90-91. Then shoot the floor directly below and see what it reads. I would try to get the floor to hit 90 and slide the branch over out of the direct light. If the floor is significantly lower this means that you need a higher wattage bulb. This will also help with the ambient temperature.

It was not clear if you had a Under The Tank Heater (UTH) or not. If you do, it is imperative that is hooked up to a thermostat to control the heat so that the risk of burning your snake is minimized.
If not, disconnect it, until you can get a thermostat, unless you can control temperatures otherwise.

I wish your continued participation in the forum.

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Yes i do have an uth heater with a thermostat and it is set to 92 F but he never likes to be in his hide he always likes to sit on the branch and get warm that way thank you so much for the reply 😊

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

Just from looking at your pics, it seems like you have a 20 gallon tall aquarium. While baby boas can be a bit arboreal, boas are considered a terrestrial species and spend most of their time flat on the ground, especially in captivity. Usually we recommend starting out with a 20 gallon long aquarium with increased floor space. Your snake is up on the branch as its trying to get close enough to the heat source, as well as find a sense of security. This is ok while he is younger, but it will be unrealistic for him to climb to heat once the animal gets much bigger. If you have the resources to change the setup I would go with a 20 gallon long tank, two hides and a water bowl for a bare minimum enclosure. Basking lamps work, but you need to be checking temps with a heat gun, and try to get the hot side as close to 90 deg as possible. Also, keep in mind that fluctuations in room temps will change basking temps, since the heat bulb cant be regulated by a thermostat.

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Thank you for the reply and he has two hides i just took one out to clean since it looked a bit dirty thank you so much i always like to know as much as i can

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Without knowing the temps on each spot, its hard to guess. Boas generally aren't like ball pythons and don't really "hide" that much once they are comfortable. Both my boas never hide and usually just sit out. You do need to give him 2 hides though, one on the warm side and one on the cool side so he can choose. preferably the same type of hides on both sides. I use Reptile Basic large hides for Vicky who is 3' and they work great except she likes to sit on top of them more than in them lol. It looks like though the snake is trying to get close as possible to the heat source so maybe your temps are too cool. I know Rosey as a baby and Vicky who is a yearling now both prefer it on the warmer side where as Rosey now who is 6' likes it cooler now. I keep all my snakes with a 92F hot spot and a 80-82F cool side. They bounce back and forth throughout the day and usually camp on the warm side for a day just after eating. Also get a temp gun and don't use dial thermometers as those are notorious for being inaccurate. I use the Acurite digital humidty/temp gauges and a temp gun to dial in the hot side with my Herpstats 1 and 2.

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Thank you for your response i have ordered a temp gun and it hasnt arrived yet so for now the digital thermometer is all i have 😩 she has a warm hide that is heated by a uth(thermostat on it to 93F) but she never likes to go in it shes always on the branch lol

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Originally Posted by anicatgirl

Perhaps he thinks he is a Green Tree Python? What are your temps 1) where he is basking and 2) in the hide and how are you measuring them? Is the heat pad on a thermostat?

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Lol maybe and my temp ambient is 88/89 and 92/93F hot spot in his hide heated by a UTH and hes basking on the warm side i have a light so some heat will "bleed" to the cold side to maintain it at around 83 im measuring them with a digital thermometer with probe since the temp gun i ordered is on its way thank you for your reply i appreciate it

Glad to have you with us Eric, welcome. To help out with your humidity you can look into a "versa top" for your enclosure. Its a folding glass top and will also help with the ambient temperature. :cool:

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Originally Posted by JoshSloane

Just from looking at your pics, it seems like you have a 20 gallon tall aquarium. While baby boas can be a bit arboreal, boas are considered a terrestrial species and spend most of their time flat on the ground, especially in captivity. Usually we recommend starting out with a 20 gallon long aquarium with increased floor space. Your snake is up on the branch as its trying to get close enough to the heat source, as well as find a sense of security. This is ok while he is younger, but it will be unrealistic for him to climb to heat once the animal gets much bigger. If you have the resources to change the setup I would go with a 20 gallon long tank, two hides and a water bowl for a bare minimum enclosure. Basking lamps work, but you need to be checking temps with a heat gun, and try to get the hot side as close to 90 deg as possible. Also, keep in mind that fluctuations in room temps will change basking temps, since the heat bulb cant be regulated by a thermostat.

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I agree with a lot of this post. However boa constrictors are semi arboreal, and the reason they are deemed terrestrial in captivity is simply because most setups are geared that way. It is certainly understandable as some of the bigger snakes can weigh 80 pounds and be 11+ feet long. Housing that sized snake unless you have a very lucrative budget for the hobby is unrealistic.

That said, I am constantly entertained by my almost 6 foot long nearly 3 year old BC in his setup. This snake will feed from his perches about 90% of the time.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2322.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_2327.jpg


OP, your glass tank as mentioned in the quoted post is too tall and too open for a snake that age. You need to cover the top, bottom, back and sides with an insulating material. I prefer REFLECTIX for a glass tank, and don't really like glass tanks period.

There are several options, but if you must use glass, a taller tank will undoubtedly create humidity and heating issues. JoshSloane was pretty spot on telling you the snake is seeking warmth from the heat lamp. It is far easier for it to get immediate heat directly under the light.

Since you have a BC, you might as well begin to look at quality plastic caging from Pro-Line, Animal Plastics or Boaphile.

You can get a larger cage now, and create a smaller cage within it if necessary.

Your heat bulb can be regulated with a thermostat if you use a Herpstat. The dimming feature is perfect for heat bulbs as it will only run the amount of current to the bulb needed to heat to the desired ambient temp. If you buy a higher wattage build, it will run low and fairly dim unless the temps are low and require a lot more power.


There are many ways to do things and a lot of them work well. I prefer radiant heat panels in my cages.

All of this costs money, but these are simply costs required to keep a pet like this.

Nice looking BC, enjoy it and care for it well.

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Originally Posted by lopezeric156

Thank you for your response i have ordered a temp gun and it hasnt arrived yet so for now the digital thermometer is all i have �� she has a warm hide that is heated by a uth(thermostat on it to 93F) but she never likes to go in it shes always on the branch lol

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I personally hate UTHs as you cant use thick layer of substrate as it will more or less render the UTH useless. Sure the snake can burrow down for heat but still. In the years of keeping snakes, I have used a UTH once and it was only for about a month. I personally prefer either CHEs if its a glass tank or a RHP if its a PVC cage. Then I throw a hide box under it and that's the warm hide. It gets nice an warm which in turn heats the air in the cage too so you are not only creating a warm spot but also a nice ambient air gradient. Your boa is probably on the branch all the time because like I said, that it the warmest spot. Set the thermometer on the floor under the heat lamp and see what it reads. If it is under 90F, then you need to up the wattage. Another thing you can do is build a PVC pipe monkey bars for your snake. I built one for Vicky and she climbs all over them at night. Its also cheap. A lot of people build them for arboreal snakes like GTPs and ETBs. You can get all fancy too and splatter water on it and scorch it with a propane torch(outside of coarse) to make it look like wood with texture and pattern as the water wont scorch but the other parts will. Hop on to Youtube or google it for examples and stuff to get the basic idea of how to make em. Best of all, it wont grow mold as it isn't wood but PVC. Also you can go to a craft store and buy silk vines and then hit up a Home Depot and buy the 2" rubber suction cups with hooks and hang the vines to give the snake security too. The snake will also sit on the vines. Vicky climbs up her PVC "tree" and then onto her vines and will just sit up there looking down.

My ball python thought he was arboreal for a long time, too. We ended up taking out his branch because we worried about him. He's clumsy and kept falling off. Never did figure out why he liked that spot. He had no overhead light at all and only a UTH set at 92.

Boas can definitely be arboreal when given the opportunity. Just do yourself a favor now and get a setup going which will be sustainable as the snake grows. Once that little guy is too big for the branch he isn't really going to be able to find a good hot spot, unless the UTH is at a correct temp. Its much easier to get the husbandry down now, rather than have to go through three permutations of different tank setups down the road with a large adult. my two cents.