Help with my Red Tail Boa Enclosure

[aliamo]

Hello all! I am a new Red Tail Boa owner. I have a 5 foot adult female set up in a 4 foot enclosure. I have an under tank heating pad but it doesnt' seem to heat up the ambient temperature much at all. It actually barely seems to warm the substrate. The tank has a built in fixture for a heat bulb, however there is nothing around it to protect the snake from touching and burning herself on the bulb. Does anyone know a fix for this? I'm also having a problem with humidity. I spray the tank a few times a day, but the moisture seems to dissipate pretty quickly. The tank has a screen lid however I covered about 75% of it with a heavy fabric. I also put out a few clumps of misted sphagnum moss in the cage but perhaps I need more. Is a fogger recommended? Any help is much appreciated!

[cletus]

UTH isn't going to raise the ambient temps at all. You should consider a radiant heat panel.

[bcr229]

You need a proper melamine or PVC reptile enclosure not a tank for a snake like that, open-top mesh lets out all the humidity and your snake will use it like a cheese grater on its nose. Look for something at least 4' wide by 30" deep by 18" tall, made by Boamaster, Animal Plastics, Herptastic, NW Constrictors, etc.

[cletus]

Oh wow I didn't read that well enough. I didn't realize it was a tank. Sorry for that bad advice.

[aliamo]

Sorry for not being more detailed! Yes, the person who sold me the snake included the tank which she had been keeping her in. Luckily she is not a pusher and does not seem to rub on or mess with the screen top at all. I would like to upgrade to a better enclosure eventually but can't afford it just yet. Are there any other options to boost the temperature and humidity in the meantime? I bought a 100 watt heat bulb but got nervous to put it inside without any sort of surrounding to it in fear of the snake burning herself on it.

[bcr229]

You definitely don't want any sort of bulb or CHE inside of the enclosure, not only can it burn your snake but it could break and get glass all over everything.

A lot of keepers use large tubs with under-tank heaters. The VE-175 Christmas tree storage tubs are about $30 and they should be in stores like WalMart soon. Those are plenty big for a boa. Just remember that no matter what kind of enclosure you get the UTH must be regulated by a thermostat or you will end up with a burned snake.

[aliamo]

Thanks for the advice. I do have a rheostat connected to my under tank heater just need to increase the ambient temperature and humidity. I'm not crazy about the look of the plastic tubs and would rather buy a proper enclosure when I can. The woman I bought from had the snake in this tank for 6 months and said she had no problems but I'm not sure what all she was using for her set up.

[Dutti]

Is it a glass or wooden enclosure or something else?

[aliamo]

Is it a glass or wooden enclosure or something else?

It's a glass tank with a screen door that takes up about 2/3 of the top panel.

[MasonC2K]

For humidity, cover 3/4 of the top with plastic. Like plastic wrap secured with tape. Substrate type will help as well. Aspen has worked best for me when I have issues.

For the ambient, depending on how the light fixture is situated, you can get a light bulb cage.

But optimally when you have the funds you need to upgrade to at least a 4x2x1 cage meant for snakes.