Boa help!!!!

[snakelover9]

hey guys i got my first boa today its a hypo boa roughly 3 ft feeding on rat pups i was told at the moment i have the temp on thermostat and its 30 in the day max and 20 at night minimum the temp at the moment is 25.5 C and i was wondering what temp the boa needs as ppl tell me diffrent things also how long shall i wait to handle him as i cant wait but dont wanna stress him out i guess i can pick him up like a normal snake? i only ask as when i filled his water up he hissed thanks
snakelover9

[snakelover9]

thanks

[bcr229]

He does not need a night drop. Try to keep his belly heat around 31-32*C, cool side at 25-26*C.

Otherwise, he's young and needs time to settle in. He's not feeling secure yet. Give him a few days before feeding, and at least two weeks before handling other than the minimum you have to do to change his water and clean up his messes.

[snakelover9]

He does not need a night drop. Try to keep his belly heat around 31-32*C, cool side at 25-26*C.

Otherwise, he's young and needs time to settle in. He's not feeling secure yet. Give him a few days before feeding, and at least two weeks before handling other than the minimum you have to do to change his water and clean up his messes.

am of to bed soon but i have the tank hooked up to a digitel thermostat an kt needs a night temp and day temp is what am saying so it normoly runs 30 c at 8am till 8pm then of all night also will he be ok in a 3 foot tank any advice is needed atm

[artgecko]

Do you have a thermometer (to read temps) for both ends of the tank? You will need a way to monitor both the cool end temp and the "hot spot" over the UTH. A infrared temp gun comes in handy for this, if you can get one (sometimes hardware stores sell them or you can buy online).

I use a thermometer like this one and it will read the hotspot temp with a probe and if you put the unit itself on the cool end, it reads that temp too (as well as humidity).

What sort of heat source are you using (bulbs, UTH,)? When I kept my snakes in glass tanks, I had to use a UTH (hooked up to a thermostat) for the hotspot and a heat lamp (red bulb) to raise the ambient temps... Glass tanks aren't well insulated so the heat bulb was needed to keep the air warm enough. If you aren't using a UTH, I recommend these. They don't get super hot, last a long time, and work great when hooked up to a thermostat. I have used this thermostat before and it works well and I've also used a herpstat, which is great if you want to spend the extra money.

He should be fine in a 3 foot tank for now, but boas generally get 5 - 6 feet or more as adults, so have plans for a larger cage down the road (4' x 2' x 18" high or similar).

Also, one other bit of info. With boas, you want to feed a food item that won't leave a "lump" in them and you also feed less often than with ball pythons. I feed my 3.5 foot male once every 2 weeks, but he is on small rats. You feed young boas (under one year I believe) once a week. You will want to see that the boa keeps a "loaf" shape, like a loaf of bread. If he starts to get round (like a ball python) he is too fat.

Good luck with your little guy!

EDIT: I also can't recommend this book enough. It'll tell you everything you'd want to know about boas and more. It has great pics too. Much superior to other care books on the market.

[snakelover9]

Do you have a thermometer (to read temps) for both ends of the tank? You will need a way to monitor both the cool end temp and the "hot spot" over the UTH. A infrared temp gun comes in handy for this, if you can get one (sometimes hardware stores sell them or you can buy online).

I use a thermometer like this one and it will read the hotspot temp with a probe and if you put the unit itself on the cool end, it reads that temp too (as well as humidity).

What sort of heat source are you using (bulbs, UTH,)? When I kept my snakes in glass tanks, I had to use a UTH (hooked up to a thermostat) for the hotspot and a heat lamp (red bulb) to raise the ambient temps... Glass tanks aren't well insulated so the heat bulb was needed to keep the air warm enough. If you aren't using a UTH, I recommend these. They don't get super hot, last a long time, and work great when hooked up to a thermostat. I have used this thermostat before and it works well and I've also used a herpstat, which is great if you want to spend the extra money.

He should be fine in a 3 foot tank for now, but boas generally get 5 - 6 feet or more as adults, so have plans for a larger cage down the road (4' x 2' x 18" high or similar).

Also, one other bit of info. With boas, you want to feed a food item that won't leave a "lump" in them and you also feed less often than with ball pythons. I feed my 3.5 foot male once every 2 weeks, but he is on small rats. You feed young boas (under one year I believe) once a week. You will want to see that the boa keeps a "loaf" shape, like a loaf of bread. If he starts to get round (like a ball python) he is too fat.

Good luck with your little guy!

EDIT: I also can't recommend this book enough. It'll tell you everything you'd want to know about boas and more. It has great pics too. Much superior to other care books on the market.

he is in a tank with a lightbulb on 12 hours a day i guess that is ok the temp atm is 30.4 an drops to about 25 at night ivhave to probs but dont know how to measure both sides as am useing habistat thermostat Edit the warm side i think is 27.0 an cold 21.5 is this ok as the bulb is at 30.4 he is alos hissing alot how should i pick him up or will he bite he also does not use the hide i got him its like he cant see it and does being bite hurt i have pucs if u can tell me how to post without url on ipad

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btw i have ben told he is 1 year or so and looks at least 3-4 foot

[bcr229]

he is in a tank with a lightbulb on 12 hours a day i guess that is ok the temp atm is 30.4 an drops to about 25 at night ivhave to probs but dont know how to measure both sides as am useing habistat thermostat Edit the warm side i think is 27.0 an cold 21.5 is this ok as the bulb is at 30.4 he is alos hissing alot how should i pick him up or will he bite he also does not use the hide i got him its like he cant see it and does being bite hurt i have pucs if u can tell me how to post without url on ipad

- - - Updated - - -

btw i have ben told he is 1 year or so and looks at least 3-4 foot

21*C cold 27*C "warm" isn't warm enough for your boa to digest his meals properly. What other heat source does he have besides the light?

[snakelover9]

21*C cold 27*C "warm" isn't warm enough for your boa to digest his meals properly. What other heat source does he have besides the light?

what do you suggest i do the thermostat is set so it does not get higher then 30 C in morning and lower then 20 at night what shall i put it up to as some heat will be lost from the bulb and he has nothing but a bulb when can i handle him

[bcr229]

A picture of your setup would help.

[snakelover9]

A picture of your setup would help.

if you can send me a email for you out of here in om or explaim to me how to attach without a Url i can do it i prefer email i bumped the temp up to 33 27 hopefully that gets warm side an cold side ok