New Rainbow Boa. Help?

[carlisleishere]

I agree with what the others said. Leave him alone for a bit and just focus on getting him to eat. Also, you said you were feeding him pinkies, if those are pinky mice, he should be on hopper mice at least, depending on how old he is. Make sure humidity is correct, and that he's not too hot. I recommend that you get a tub instead of a tank. Way less of a headache when it comes to humidity.

[djansen]

While BRBs are considered an "intermediate" species I see no reason why you could not properly care for one.

First off, like others said humidity is key with rainbows and especially with juvies. I used coconut fiber bedding (comes in a brick) and its excellent at holding humidity and resisting mold. Depending on how big he is you could go get a plastic tub and poke air holes in it, your terrarium might be too large for him for now. Also, try adding some damp terrarium moss to parts of the enclosure. Make sure its enough for him to completely hide in, between the moss and the coconut bedding he should feel nice and secure.
Like others said, let him be for a 5 days to a week and then try to feed him. when I got my first one I fed outside of the tank but after that I fed mine inside the tank. if you have a picky eater you might have more luck feeding inside the tank. And if the temps are out of whack that could be why he is refusing food. Rainbows do not tolerate high heat as well as other snakes so be careful not to let that happen.
and about getting nipped, welcome to owning a baby rainbow boa!
most are nippy as juvies but should calm down.
Good luck!

[danielise13]

Thank you everyone! I should've mentioned this before, he's a columbian rainbow boa, not a brazilian. I have left him alone, I've been in the process of moving and just got in settled in today after keeping him at a friends place the passed couple days. I do use the coconut bedding stuff and I have moss in there along with a fake plant an a decent sized half log. I bought a 40 gallon to use when he gets much bigger, so I assume the size is overwhelming for him. But I have a heat lamp on one side so if it's too hot for him the other side is cooler and I have a big enough water dish in the middle for him to fit in. I also spray the moss everyday and around the plant and stuff just in case, since rainbows get dehydrated easily. Today he's been roaming around more instead of hiding so hopefully he's adjusting well! And also, he's not that big at all, maybe a foot and a half? I'm not sure, my manager said he was really young. Thanks again guys!

[danielise13]

Thank you everyone! I should've mentioned this before, he's a columbian rainbow boa, not a brazilian. I have left him alone, I've been in the process of moving and just got in settled in today after keeping him at a friends place the passed couple days. I do use the coconut bedding stuff and I have moss in there along with a fake plant an a decent sized half log. I bought a 40 gallon to use when he gets much bigger, so I assume the size is overwhelming for him. But I have a heat lamp on one side so if it's too hot for him the other side is cooler and I have a big enough water dish in the middle for him to fit in. I also spray the moss everyday and around the plant and stuff just in case, since rainbows get dehydrated easily. Today he's been roaming around more instead of hiding so hopefully he's adjusting well! And also, he's not that big at all, maybe a foot and a half? I'm not sure, my manager said he was really young. Thanks again guys!

[blushingball419]

First of all, welcome to the site!

Your little guy is cranky because he's scared and baby rainbow boas can be very shy and defensive. He definitely needs something a lot smaller than a 40 gallon right now, and while I would recommend switching to a tub since they hold humidity much better, you can make the tank work. You can get more fake plants and branches (rainbow boas like something to climb on) to clutter it up and help him feel more secure. You also might want to get another, smaller hide, as the half log one might not be enough. And if you decide to keep using the tank, I would switch to an under tank heating pad with a thermostat instead of the light and cover most of the top with aluminum foil to help hold in the humidity.

I would wait a couple more days before trying to feed him, and you should try feeding him in the tank too. That's how I feed all of my snakes (including my rainbow) and I've never had a problem. It's much less stressful for both you and the snake

The care sheet here is very helpful if you have any more questions: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...es-cenchria%29 Basically, they like lower temperatures and high humidity.