Housing for an Amazon Tree Boa

[green_man]

I am getting a ATB next month.
I am currently setting up an enclosure. I found a really sweet stereo case at the thrift store for 8 bucks. It has a glass door for the front and it is in nice shape. The dimensions are 19" x 19" x 30". I was wondering if this would be big enough for it when it is full grown. Im sure its tall enough but it doesnt have huge ground space...

I am replacing the back of the enclosure and I am going to put a vent in the back (about 10"W x 4H") would that be adiquate? I am also putting in a humidifier (shown in the do it yourself section) that will blow a little bit of humid air in there so I can get the high humidity and it will add to the ventilation. I am going to go with a light unless I can find a way to make heat pannels work with a wooden enclosure.
I am still looking for a good perch. Do you have any good recommendations?

anything else you can recommend would be great...
thanks

[Stormyva]

The size will be a little bit too small for an adult and the materials that the case is made from is more than likely particle board. That stuff wont hold up for much more than a year if you are lucky. You would be better off modifying a 10 gallon tank to stand on end to house the snake for the first year or two then step up to something like a 2 high x 2 wide x 2 deep cage that will be plenty for an adult.
One thing that is important and also makes housing ATBs trick is that they need high humidity but also plenty of ventilation or you will start a mold breeding project in the cage.
My cages are all heated with heat pads and it seems to work out nicely... the heat is sent up through the mulch which evaporates the moisture in the mulch. The moist heat travels to the top of the cage and collects there creating a warm spot for the snake. The bottom of the cage stays cool.
Have your cage setup a week or so ahead of time to allow everything to stabilize and give you adequate time to "tweak" the temps and humidty.
Oh a sidenote... it makes me feel great to see that you respect my input and information but there are a lot of great people floating around that could offer you advice. The title on your post is really limiting the views that the post and information that you get. The more people that give you information the better off you will be in the long run. (If one of the mods reads this can you please change the title too "Housing for an Amazon Tree Boa?")

[green_man]

Thank you for the info.
Interesting that a heating pad would create heat at the top of the enclosure. I have read that it is necessary to have hotter temps up top because it is hotter in the canopy than on the ground (hence my interest in heating pannels).
The case is made out of partical board, but I am lining the inside with vynal.
I most definitely will have everything ready way ahead of time to get things right. I would hate to endanger my new herp.

I directed this thread at you because I am fairly certain that you are the only one on this site that owns any ATB's.

Thanks again.

[green_man]

Oh and just curious, have you ever had problems with scale rot from having damp substrate? I know they are aboreal, but dont they tend to spend a lot of time on the ground too? I dont suppose it would hurt if he isnt on the ground all the time though.

[Stormyva]

I appreciate that you asked or directed the question at me... there are a lot of people that float around between forums that have a lot of experience and i didnt want to limit the exposure your question gets.

I have not had any issues with scale rot. An ATB will actually spend quite a bit of time on the floor of the cage. Once the snake is out of the quarantine period a cypress mulch substrate is perfect... it holds the humidity and slowly releases the humidity through the day. The mulch should not be wet but damp then allowed to dry as the day progresses. If you get the cage setup and you find an excessive build up of moisture in the cage or temps that dont make it in to the low 80's then you can add a lamp but for the most part a heat pad will do the trick. What throws most people off when trying to setup a cage for an ATB is the misconception that they need high temps becuase the come from the rainforest when in fact they need lower temps. The canopy gets a steady breeze which keeps the temps cooler than they would be in the direct sunlight or the forest floor where the temps are high from all the heat trapped under the dense canopy. As the sun goes down the heat and humidity that were all trapped at the floor all rise to keep the canopy at a consistent humid environment.

[s6g2p]

im getting a emerald tree boa what kind of cage do you recommend i have a 10 gallon glass fish tank i would like to convert would that do .i would turn it on its side but the front what do you do for the front scott