New BCI!! Need some HELP

hey all!
I just got a new BCI today and he is HUGE. He is about 8 feet long. I got a Boamaster enclosure measuring 4x2x12 with a heat pad for heat source. I am running into some dillemmas. First, the room I am keeping him in is usually 65-70 degrees which is pretty cold and the heat pad isnt bringing the ambient up much. Its at about 76. The people I brought him from (Noahs Ark Reptiles) said that just a heat pad would be fine, but I am thinking I may need another heat source........The thing is, I don't want to heat the whole room up with a space heater....RHP a good substitute? Second, would this size boa require a hide? At the moment hes pretty restless and crusing his enclosure but its the first day so idk.....good hides for a boa of this size that are not homemade and can be found online?? Thanks guys, any advice would be much appreciated. A how-to for RHPs would be appreciated as well.

First off, the heat pad needs a thermostat to keep it from overheating. I understand it's not bringing the ambient temp of the tank up, but that's typically not what UTH's are used for. Ambient temp can be brought up with a lamp, a CHE, or maybe RHP's. And a hide would be ideal for him to cozy up in since he's getting used to his new surroundings. I actually have an extra large tortoise hide I'm using for a BCI I'm babysitting who is about 7 feet.

MOST important: if you aren't regulating the temp of that heat pad, it needs to be removed at once. Even with substrate, snakey can bury himself and burn his tumtum. Good luck!

Also, it may go without saying, but ideally you do all this research before bringing home such a big snuggle bunny! But you've come to the right place and we will help you as best we can. :)

im not dumb. the heat pad is regulated by a thermostat lol.

radiant heat panel or do a heat tape install. I never used hides for any of my boa constrictors.

You can use an RHP to bring up the ambient temp. With a 12" high enclosure you won't need a really big one.

If you want feeder rabbits for that big boy I'll give you the contact info for my supplier. You'll have to go to Frederick but a male that big should only be eating once every month anyway so you'd only have to make the trip twice a year, as the feeders will last six months in the freezer.

I'd advise a bigger enclosure as well, a 4'x2' is a rather tight squeeze for an 8 footer....Length+Width should be equal to or longer than the snakes length. I'd advise nothing smaller than a 6'x2'.

As others have said, heat panels would be a good option! They do well for raising ambient temps and will heat the surfaces of whatever is below them. In a PVC enclosure, it shouldn't be difficult at all to maintain temps even with the room that cold.

Yes, hides should always be provided. I think RBI or LLLReptile has big enough hides to house a mid-sized retic so you shouldn't have problems getting a big enough hide.

thanks for your input guys. according to the vendor i got him from hes eating three large rats once a week. so maybe a larger feeder would be beat for him and my babk account lol. I ordered the RB 80watt rhp abd im confused as to how to install them and where to place them...any thoughts??

When you can afford the space and money a 6x2 would be better. My 7 ft Boa is in a 6x2 Boaphile which is perfect.

My 7-8 ft Coastal Carpet just seems a bit cramped in her 4x2x2. I hope to offer her a 6x2 later this year.


Lizzy, Coastal Carpet http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...1706216805.jpg

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Originally Posted by RoyalBlood20

thanks for your input guys. according to the vendor i got him from hes eating three large rats once a week. so maybe a larger feeder would be beat for him and my babk account lol. I ordered the RB 80watt rhp abd im confused as to how to install them and where to place them...any thoughts??

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STOP THAT ROUTINE ASAP!

No boa constrictor that age should ever be fed once a week and certainly not 3 large rats at one time.

As stated above 1 rabbit a month is fine for that guy. There are other options, but you are best doing a site search here to find them.

From what the sellers have told you so far, I'm not confident they have passed on the best advice.

The RHP will be great, and when you can look for a larger enclosure. Hopefully you have a quality thermostat, but if not look into Herpstats.

I would give your boa a least a month to clean out before feeding again.

Snatch up a copy of this!

THE COMPLETE BOA CONSTRICTOR
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978897927/...sl_12qfyt0i2_e

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

STOP THAT ROUTINE ASAP!

No boa constrictor that age should ever be fed once a week and certainly not 3 large rats at one time.

As stated above 1 rabbit a month is fine for that guy. There are other options, but you are best doing a site search here to find them.

From what the sellers have told you so far, I'm not confident they have passed on the best advice.

The RHP will be great, and when you can look for a larger enclosure. Hopefully you have a quality thermostat, but if not look into Herpstats.

I would give your boa a least a month to clean out before feeding again.

Snatch up a copy of this!

THE COMPLETE BOA CONSTRICTOR
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978897927/...sl_12qfyt0i2_e

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I'm going to second this. And third it. Once a boa hits 12 months old it should be on a 10-14 day schedule. The one you purchased should be several years old and eating every four weeks at most - some of my males are on 5-6 week schedules, eating just one 12-16 oz rabbit since large+ rats have a high fat content.

What is this guy's body shape like? Is he squared up like [] or round like () on his sides? Hopefully his back end doesn't look like a stack of tires.

And be prepared for him to beg. He will tell you he's huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuungryyyyyyyyyyy. He's staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarviiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing. He's waaaaaaaaaaaaasting aaaaaaaaaaawaaaaaaaaaaaaay from lack of food. IGNORE HIM. Boas will eat themselves to death if you let them.

He won't be doing much moving around in a 4x2 so I would also suggest that after he has a few weeks to settle in with you, get him out and hold him, take him in the yard on nice days, etc. Keep him active. It's a pain while they're in QT since you have to go shower right after but it will be worth it, especially if he's started packing on extra weight due to being overfed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

STOP THAT ROUTINE ASAP!

No boa constrictor that age should ever be fed once a week and certainly not 3 large rats at one time.

As stated above 1 rabbit a month is fine for that guy. There are other options, but you are best doing a site search here to find them.

From what the sellers have told you so far, I'm not confident they have passed on the best advice.

The RHP will be great, and when you can look for a larger enclosure. Hopefully you have a quality thermostat, but if not look into Herpstats.

I would give your boa a least a month to clean out before feeding again.

Snatch up a copy of this!

THE COMPLETE BOA CONSTRICTOR
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978897927/...sl_12qfyt0i2_e

---

yeah after researching different boas and different care sherts for weeks, i am going to follow hlh reptiles advice and feed a jumbo/large rat once a week. i just got him, so ill let him settle in for a week before attempting. hes in shed currently anyways so its an incentive to just to leave him alone until hes shed lol great advice. ill look into the bigger enclosures.

- - - Updated - - -

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

STOP THAT ROUTINE ASAP!

No boa constrictor that age should ever be fed once a week and certainly not 3 large rats at one time.

As stated above 1 rabbit a month is fine for that guy. There are other options, but you are best doing a site search here to find them.

From what the sellers have told you so far, I'm not confident they have passed on the best advice.

The RHP will be great, and when you can look for a larger enclosure. Hopefully you have a quality thermostat, but if not look into Herpstats.

I would give your boa a least a month to clean out before feeding again.

Snatch up a copy of this!

THE COMPLETE BOA CONSTRICTOR
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978897927/...sl_12qfyt0i2_e

---

yeah after researching different boas and different care sherts for weeks, i am going to follow hlh reptiles advice and feed a jumbo/large rat once a week. i just got him, so ill let him settle in for a week before attempting. hes in shed currently anyways so its an incentive to just to leave him alone until hes shed lol great advice. ill look into the bigger enclosures.

No, don't feed weekly. Feed every 4-6 weeks. Feeding weekly at his age is power feeding and will significantly cut his life short.


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he has a very nice body shape and has a [] appearance rather than a round one. hes a very big boy lol right now everything perfect(temps,humidity wise) hes on newspaper substrate and he has a huge wter bowl on the cool side and thats it. no hide or decorations. seems very relaxed and stress-free

temps are good bc im using a oil filled heater temporarily and im waiting for the rhp to arrive from reptile basics

As others have stated, no adult boa should be fed every week.
My largest boas get 2 jumbo rats, once every 4-6 weeks.
Overfeeding will cause premature death.
Please understand, we're just trying to help.
Other than that, it sounds like you have a good setup to me (the rhp is a great idea)

thanks, it seems theres a lot of mixed opinions qll over the internet but im being given a good consistency of answers here on feeding adult boas. so every 4-6 weeks, 1-2 jumbo rats? and any answers on installing and placing the rhp?? kindof anxious because idk if its one of those things where once you install it in one location you cant move it....im not really educated on rhps and what their deal is when it comes to installation and the preferred location in an enclosure...

One single prey item per feeding, always. Multiple prey items could also be considered power feeding.

All you have to do is screw the RHP to the top. I usually drill a hole near where the wire is connected to the RHP so I can pull the plug through and there isn't enough wire for the snake to climb on.

It should always be attached to the top pointing down, off to the far left or far right side.

They can be moved, easily.


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Originally Posted by RoyalBlood20

thanks, it seems theres a lot of mixed opinions qll over the internet but im being given a good consistency of answers here on feeding adult boas. so every 4-6 weeks, 1-2 jumbo rats? and any answers on installing and placing the rhp?? kindof anxious because idk if its one of those things where once you install it in one location you cant move it....im not really educated on rhps and what their deal is when it comes to installation and the preferred location in an enclosure...

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OK,

Don't go off that Youtube channel. Once a week is too often. Some of the real experienced BC folks won't even feed a young BC that much. They would go 10-14 days.

A BC should have eliminated everything from its last meal before feeding again. The book I recommended has great feeding advice. The author doesn't even feed his boas over the winter. I don't either. They have been hardwired over several million years to go without for for long periods. Their bodies have adapted and are designed for just that. Any BC receiving captive bred prey is already getting more fat than a wild BC. Any BC eating on a set and frequent schedule is also getting more food and fat than its wild cousins.

Captivity generally doesn't assist a boa in staying lean and muscular unless we are vigilant about restricting calories and making them exercise.

As a matter of fact, if you want your BC to be an interesting display snake, let it get hungry, and move around the cage for a while.

Some folks always say their BC sits coiled in a corned and never moves. Usually these snakes are over fed and have become lazy. Boas can be rather active when challenged to find food.

No matter what the outside of your snake looks like, I will wager if you continue to feed as is, the snake will end up with fatty liver disease. It is very common and cuts lives short. The internal organs can be riddled with fat deposits that you don't see on the outside.

Gus Rentfro (Boa Expert) has had female BCs that have bred and given perfect litters at 30 years old! Why do you think that is? It's because he knows the key to raising a long lived BC is proper feeding and paying close attention to conditions.

Buy and read the book I told you about. Also if you are noticing a theme here, like everybody in this thread saying feed less, consider it good advice.

It is almost impossible to underfeed a BC but rather easy to overfeed one.

Your RHP in the cage you are using could be centered (front to back depth) and placed about an inch or 2 away from either the right or left side of the cage.

There are a few options on probe placement. I have my probe on the cool side and set the thermostat for the cool side temp. Because of the setup, my cool side is about 10 degrees less than my hot side. So 80 cool and 90-91 hot.

Others have a different way to do it and seem to be equally successful.

That's all I have for now.

Bottom line is DO NOT overfeed your snake no matter how exciting it is to watch. Boas are not retics, or colubrids with fast metabolisms.

They require less and less is more for boas.

To make things a bit easier.

Listen closely to this interview between two of the best in the business.

http://www.herpnation.com/2016/03/03/nms19-030316/

Not done yet.

I genuinely want to help you as much as possible.

This is an old picture taken when my BC was in a smaller cage.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/DSC00753.jpg

The RHP is the white object in the upper left of the cage mounted on the ceiling. The Herpstat probe is on the far right just off the floor. I see it is visible in this picture.

The panel is about 6 inches away from the left wall of the cage and mounted dead center front to rear. I think earlier I said 1 to 2 inches but this is more centered based on the size of the RHP.

This cage is 48" x 24" x 14".

It has more ceiling space than your cage, but I still am not sure I'd keep my 6 foot BC in it ever again. I like ceiling in my cages, and just don't feel 11.5" (Boaphile 421D) or 12" is ideal for boas. At least not for larger boas.

Theses shots were taken when I was setting up the cage way back.
http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_0899.jpg

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_0909.jpg

Great post Gio. i am a visual learner so this helped in giving me a good idea as to where to place it. so it would it be ideal to put it right over the heat mat, centered front to back?

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Originally Posted by RoyalBlood20

Great post Gio. i am a visual learner so this helped in giving me a good idea as to where to place it. so it would it be ideal to put it right over the heat mat, centered front to back?

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Yes,

Keep in mind I do not use a UTH and heat exclusively with the RHP.

If you can buy a IFR heat gun, you can spot check temps throughout the cage.

Home Depot or really, any hardware store has them.

Or Reptile Basic where you bought your RHP.

Your boa is large so you'll want an zone that is cooler so it can get out of the heat. This is why a lot of keepers prefer larger cages. My male is in a 48" x 30" x 20". It should do him well unless he goes over 7 feet which is unlikely. You'll want a cage large enough so your BC can get into different climate zones to regulate.

You will do very well if you slow that feeding WAY, WAY down. You have an adult BC and it will thrive with less feeding. I would say skip feeding completely from November to April. This advice comes with a seasonal temp drop in those months. If you don't slightly drop the temps, the natural seasonal change won't be as obvious. I would also consider a night temp drop too.

We can discuss this later. At this point, keep the feeding to monthly and get the cage set up.

You are in a very good spot to learn.

And,,,, for the record, I made the same mistake all new boa keepers make. I totally got off on feeding my boa and probably overfed him in his first year, and maybe first two.

This is common and nothing to be embarrassed about. We all need to research and discover more and more about the animals we keep. I have probably read nearly every care sheet, species specific book, and REAL scientific media that relates to boa constrictors and carpet pythons. There is some very good text out there that covers vast species of snakes.

If you need help, ask here. I think the group that has responded in this thread is quite credible and experienced. We will obviously have some different ideas/advice for certain things, but at the end of the day the general consensus will be the same when it comes to the health and longevity of your BC.

This is my 6 foot, 4 year old, pure locality BC.

Barranquilla, Colombian BI. Produced by Gus Rentfro. He is a close friend of the author of the book I recommended.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_3180.jpg

He grew more when I didn't feed him this past winter than he did the previous winter when I fed him straight through.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RoyalBlood20

im not dumb. the heat pad is regulated by a thermostat lol.

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I never said you were dumb. You came here with many questions beginners ask. Burning snakes with UTHs is a common mistake beginners make, as is overfeeding, which was another mistake you were about to make before coming here. We are all here to learn (myself included!), the only dummies are ones who don't take good advice and do harm to their critters! You are obviously trying to do the best you can, and I appreciate you for doing so. :)

Thanks for coming here, read the book suggested in this thread, I will also jump on the "DON'T Overfeed" bandwagon, and good luck with your big baby! Post pics when you can!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by O'Mathghamhna

Burning snakes with UTHs is a common mistake beginners make, as is overfeeding, which was another mistake you were about to make before coming here.

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Actually I think overfeeding is a common mistake ball python owners make when we get our first boa, because we're so pathetically happy to own a snake that actually eats.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Actually I think overfeeding is a common mistake ball python owners make when we get our first boa, because we're so pathetically happy to own a snake that actually eats.

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Lol I don't own a BC but that is certainly true with other snakes as well. It's so refreshing to own a snake that actually WANTS to eat instead of acting like a spoiled child turning their nose up at every rat because they're too cold or too hot or too something :mad:

So I can see how this overfeeding tendency would arise

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gio

Yes,

Keep in mind I do not use a UTH and heat exclusively with the RHP.

If you can buy a IFR heat gun, you can spot check temps throughout the cage.

Home Depot or really, any hardware store has them.

Or Reptile Basic where you bought your RHP.

Your boa is large so you'll want an zone that is cooler so it can get out of the heat. This is why a lot of keepers prefer larger cages. My male is in a 48" x 30" x 20". It should do him well unless he goes over 7 feet which is unlikely. You'll want a cage large enough so your BC can get into different climate zones to regulate.

You will do very well if you slow that feeding WAY, WAY down. You have an adult BC and it will thrive with less feeding. I would say skip feeding completely from November to April. This advice comes with a seasonal temp drop in those months. If you don't slightly drop the temps, the natural seasonal change won't be as obvious. I would also consider a night temp drop too.

We can discuss this later. At this point, keep the feeding to monthly and get the cage set up.

You are in a very good spot to learn.

And,,,, for the record, I made the same mistake all new boa keepers make. I totally got off on feeding my boa and probably overfed him in his first year, and maybe first two.

This is common and nothing to be embarrassed about. We all need to research and discover more and more about the animals we keep. I have probably read nearly every care sheet, species specific book, and REAL scientific media that relates to boa constrictors and carpet pythons. There is some very good text out there that covers vast species of snakes.

If you need help, ask here. I think the group that has responded in this thread is quite credible and experienced. We will obviously have some different ideas/advice for certain things, but at the end of the day the general consensus will be the same when it comes to the health and longevity of your BC.

This is my 6 foot, 4 year old, pure locality BC.

Barranquilla, Colombian BI. Produced by Gus Rentfro. He is a close friend of the author of the book I recommended.

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/y...a/IMG_3180.jpg

He grew more when I didn't feed him this past winter than he did the previous winter when I fed him straight through.

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Good advice. would an on/off thermostat work for an rhp??

Quote:

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Originally Posted by O'Mathghamhna

I never said you were dumb. You came here with many questions beginners ask. Burning snakes with UTHs is a common mistake beginners make, as is overfeeding, which was another mistake you were about to make before coming here. We are all here to learn (myself included!), the only dummies are ones who don't take good advice and do harm to their critters! You are obviously trying to do the best you can, and I appreciate you for doing so. :)

Thanks for coming here, read the book suggested in this thread, I will also jump on the "DON'T Overfeed" bandwagon, and good luck with your big baby! Post pics when you can!

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my mistake. I would say I am a beginner, but not to the point where I wouldn't know the basic functions of a uth and the high-risk potential it poses.

would an on/off style thermostat work for an rhp??? I know a proportional t-stat would be much better, but Ill have to wait until I get paid in another two weeks to get something that expensive. I don't see why not, though I think it would be annoying having it turn off and on every 10 minutes. Anyone use them for their rhps and have good results?

Yes they will work. ON/OFF thermostats will work with any sort of heating, even lighting. It's just a matter of the health of the equipment and being turned off and on as you mentioned.


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Originally Posted by CloudtheBoa

Yes they will work. ON/OFF thermostats will work with any sort of heating, even lighting. It's just a matter of the health of the equipment and being turned off and on as you mentioned.


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thanks for the input. glad i have this forum as my go to. im getting alot of great info from everyone who has shared some advice/experience. if i have any additional questions ill be sure to post again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RoyalBlood20

would an on/off style thermostat work for an rhp??? I know a proportional t-stat would be much better, but Ill have to wait until I get paid in another two weeks to get something that expensive. I don't see why not, though I think it would be annoying having it turn off and on every 10 minutes. Anyone use them for their rhps and have good results?

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Yes on/off is fine for RHP, i have mine (reptile basics 40W) going through a dimmer, then into a thermostat as a safeguard, but with the dimmer set to about 75% the thermostat has never cycled off b/c the temp stays pretty constant (jerry-rigged proportional thermostat) of course i check it often, but almost never need to adjust it.

By the way, not to beat a dead horse (or rabbit) but as far as feeding goes -and it truly breaks my heart to say this - Jordan form HLH is wrong. His videos are literally the reason i got a boa. Though i don't know him personally, i really like him and and his videos but his feeding schedule just isn't ideal.