Boas - Shelf, Hides, Perching Questions

[Nick_MD]

A few questions I'm curious about related to the shelf, hides, and perching behavior...

Prior to getting the two pictured below (Tarahumara and BCA), my boa experience was limited to a Dumeril's, ground type boa who had no inclination to perch up high. As these two get older, they are perched in the open with their body up high and their heads hanging down as though they are waiting for prey to run by. This is great as they're both making for great display snakes in my living room. Is this typical adult boa behavior or will they outgrow this? I'm wondering if they will stop doing this when/if they become more heavy bodied? The Tarahumara does it from her sky box just about daily and the BCA does it from the middle shelf nearly constantly (day/night). They both only consistently hide when in shed or the day after eating.

Both of them have 2 hide boxes on each side of their middle shelf. However, neither one uses them much at all except to drape across the top of it. Instead, they bulldoze them down off the shelf nearly every night. Doesn't take any time for me to replace, but would it be okay to simply remove them at this point or even just remove the cool side hide on the shelf? They both have a sky box on the cool side and bottom hide also on the cool side (their large water bowl is on the warm side bottom).

Does anyone attach hides on their Animal Plastics shelf? If so, how?

[Caitlin]

Both of my Tarahumara still perch regularly at two years of age, and also do some climbing. I can't speak directly to AP enclosures, as I use a different brand. I do know that Specialty Enclosure Design sells brackets that you can install in PVC enclosures to create 'sky hides'. I believe the brackets fit the standard large sized black plastic hides, which you'd just slide in.

[Nick_MD]

I have those skyboxes installed on the roof, but the base is too wide to go on the AP shelf. It's a good idea though. Perhaps there's something else that can bolt on that allows a hide to slide in with similar functionality and thinner base.

Still curious how much the big, heavy boas are perching.

[jmcrook]

My 4.5’ Argentine boa is on her shelf and sky hides exclusively. Touches the floor of the cage maybe once a month at the very most and likely much less than that


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[Nick_MD]

My 4.5’ Argentine boa is on her shelf and sky hides exclusively. Touches the floor of the cage maybe once a month at the very most and likely much less than that

Do you put hides on the shelf or is the sky hide sufficient?

For the floor, the BCA went through a brief phase of using the ground hide with fake leaves. Otherwise the two of them only come down to use the substrate as a litter box.

[jmcrook]

I’ve got one hide on the ceiling, another under the shelf, and two on the floor. She rarely if ever goes lower than the shelf and perches. Basically only goes to the floor to do her business which is infrequent


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