Tarahumara enclosure question

[Caitlin]

I am (finally!) getting a Tarahumara that will be arriving in the next week or so. She was born in September 2019 and I am wondering what the appropriate size will be for her starter enclosure since I have no experience with these small locality Boas. I'm a small-scale hobbyist who starts new arrivals in Sterilite tubs and eventually I get their adult-size PVC enclosure. Her parents were 3.5' and 4.5'. I'm assuming this girl will eventually need a 3x2x2 or 4x2x2, but that's in the future.

For right now I'm wondering what size Sterilite or Iris bin will be good for her, as I want to have her enclosure set up and stabilized before she arrives - maybe a 32 quart?

Thanks for any input!

[paulh]

IMO, a 32 quart bin would need replacing with something bigger within 6 months. I'd go with something more like 70 quart. That should do him till he's big enough for his adult cage.

[EL-Ziggy]

I love the ziploc 60qt tubs for my young snakes.

Dimensions: 23.60"L x 17.75"W x 11.22"H

[Caitlin]

Thank you - these little locality boas are a whole new world for me, so I just wasn't sure. I'll go see what's available in the 60-70 quart sizes. I'm getting ready to order the adult PVC enclosure for my Jungle Carpet Python; given the long lead time on AP I may go ahead and order for the Tarahumara as well.

[WrongPython]

For what it's worth, my ~24" Sonoran did well in the 20L (with three hides) I put her in right after I got her at around 1-1.5 month old. You Tarahumara should be fine in a 60-70 quart as long as you clutter it up and make it feel secure.

I'd suggest ordering a 4'x2'x2' as an adult enclosure. Boas will use the space you give them, and in my honest opinion, all snakes should have the space to stretch all the way out if they want to.

[bcr229]

IMO, a 32 quart bin would need replacing with something bigger within 6 months. I'd go with something more like 70 quart. That should do him till he's big enough for his adult cage.

Bear in mind that Tarahumaras are a dwarf locality. I have babies that were born 8/1/19 and they would still be comfortable in a hatchling rack, though I moved them up to 16-qt tubs so I could consolidate them in a rack with some other critters and turn off the hatchling rack. I expect that will last them another year, easily. My adults are in 41-qt tubs and the male could easily downsize to a 32-qt if needed.

Just like any other boa they should not be fed heavily; you want them to get up to adult size at 3-4 years old.

[Caitlin]

Bear in mind that Tarahumaras are a dwarf locality. I have babies that were born 8/1/19 and they would still be comfortable in a hatchling rack, though I moved them up to 16-qt tubs so I could consolidate them in a rack with some other critters and turn off the hatchling rack. I expect that will last them another year, easily. My adults are in 41-qt tubs and the male could easily downsize to a 32-qt if needed.

Just like any other boa they should not be fed heavily; you want them to get up to adult size at 3-4 years old.

Thanks! Yes, I've been a little confused about enclosure size because (a) they're a dwarf locality and (b) I think they grow more slowly than the Antaresia and Carpet Pythons I am more accustomed to, so it's been hard for me to visualize what enclosure will be right for her as a six-month-old youngster. I'll be talking more about this with the breeder, of course, as the shipping date gets closer - but I wanted some feedback here.

I just want to be sure I put her in something she can be comfortable with while I wait the six months or whatever for the AP enclosure to arrive. If the 4x2x2 AP is too much for her at first, I can always pop a divider into it, or maybe she'll be OK as long as I provide plenty of hide and clutter options.

[EL-Ziggy]

Splitting the 4x2x2 is a good idea too. You won't need to upgrade later and you can see your critter on display.

[WrongPython]

If you happen to have the AP enclosure on hand when she arrives, you should be able to house her in the whole, undivided thing if you provide plenty of hide and cover options. I bumped my young Sonoran up from the aforementioned 20L to her permanent 4'x2'x2' back in January and haven't run into any issues. She's doing well with three cork log/flat hides in there -- I caught her basking out in the open on her basking ledge this morning, so she definitely seems to feel secure and comfortable. Dividing large PVC enclosures for younger snakes is normally a good idea, but I think it'd be hard to establish a good thermal gradient in a 2'x2'x2' area.

Have you considered housing her in a tub for her quarantine period and then going from there? Boas do grow slowly compared to other snakes, so you shouldn't have to worry about her outgrowing her quarantine quarters in a standard quarantine time frame.

[Side note: it's best practice to get new boas screened for IBD, particularly if you plan on housing them with/near pythons. IBD can quickly kill pythons and some boas may be asymptomatic carriers. The University of Florida is the best place for IBD testing -- have your vet reach out to the UF lab manager, take your boa in for a blood draw, and your vet can overnight the sample to the lab. Typically, IBD will not reveal itself in a standard 90 day quarantine.]

[Caitlin]

Thank you so much for the IBD screening reminder. I will start setting this up with my vet in advance.

I won't have the AP enclosure on hand when she arrives. She'll be here within the next week and I only just put my AP order in, so it will be some months before the AP is here.

Re: tubs - yes. I am happy to have her in a tub during quarantine and until her AP gets here. I just wasn't sure what size tub would be right for her, and want to have it set up with stabilized temps/humidity before she arrives.