Can't decide on which boa to get.

[ceca2015]

Gio, first of, thank you for taking so much time to reply and answer my questions.

Also, If i get the T8 from Animal Plastics, (48"x24"x12") and put a divider in there, would that be better than just having the full open cage? That way it won't get stressed out being in such a big space and I wouldn't have to buy multiple cages? And I'm afraid to move the ball python to a big enclosure because I don't want her to stop eating. I looked at Northwest Constrictors and Animal Plastics, and the cages would be too big for her, even as an adult I think. They have 3 foot by 2 foot enclosures, but they are more than the T8 would be.. I think I will buy her a new cage like the T8 or something when she gets bigger, but what is a good cage size for an adult female ball python? It will be awhile before I get the boa, so I'm not rushing. I just want all my thoughts together before I just go out and buy a cage. I've went through 3 cages with my ball python because I listened to one person and then got better advice from another and changed my mind. I want to be sure of EVERYTHING for this snake. I'm gathering as much info as I can.

[yeroc1982]

Dums are a great start! I have a male, hes a few years old, more than 5 feet for sure and he's thick! But he is very calm, never in a rush for anything and no agression at all. He eats all the time. I feed him 1 f/t jumbo rat every month. Red tails are nice too but I think it will get much bigger than a dum.

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[Gio]

Gio, first of, thank you for taking so much time to reply and answer my questions.

Also, If i get the T8 from Animal Plastics, (48"x24"x12") and put a divider in there, would that be better than just having the full open cage? That way it won't get stressed out being in such a big space and I wouldn't have to buy multiple cages? And I'm afraid to move the ball python to a big enclosure because I don't want her to stop eating. I looked at Northwest Constrictors and Animal Plastics, and the cages would be too big for her, even as an adult I think. They have 3 foot by 2 foot enclosures, but they are more than the T8 would be.. I think I will buy her a new cage like the T8 or something when she gets bigger, but what is a good cage size for an adult female ball python? It will be awhile before I get the boa, so I'm not rushing. I just want all my thoughts together before I just go out and buy a cage. I've went through 3 cages with my ball python because I listened to one person and then got better advice from another and changed my mind. I want to be sure of EVERYTHING for this snake. I'm gathering as much info as I can.

Hey, great attitude! That's how you should look at it. I personally am not a huge believer in "cage stress". If you had a huge cage, limited hides and no other cover, that's one thing, but if you have a huge cage and comfortable hides, water and some top cover close to the different hides things should be fine. In actual nature, these little guys have a lot more open terrain than a T-8, T-10 or Pro-Line (name the size). Keep in mind the added shipping cost of the T-8 and T-10. I would personally grab the extra few inches in height with the T-10 at 15" but the Pro-Line at 14" prices out better after shipping, and the quality of plastic is superb. A lot opinion and individual preference is involved in caging. I priced it all out WITH SHIPPING and found the Pro-Line more affordable.

If you get a T-8 and divide it or just clutter it things will be fine. Boas, at least the BCC's and BCI's are not scared to death of the whole world to the extent Royal pythons are. So again choose your cage wisely and consider height. Dumeril boas are not know as climbers so the T-8 would probably be excellent. BCC-BCI boas especially when young like to climb. Even the older boas, the big ones are found in trees, though they do become more terrestrial with size. The Hog Island and other island locale boa are even more arboreal from what I understand.

I think your Royal would be fine in a 3x2 cage. Ours is in a similar cage, and my only wish is it would not have been 18" tall 12" would have been plenty.

Cage and thermostat are the big purchases and I would not skimp on either. Here's the nice thing with the bigger, taller cage. You can change your mind 10 times on the kind of snake having full confidence you have a cage that can take a Dum, a Hog, a Colombian, a Carpet or a Blood.

Once the cage is set, the snake world is yours!! You can change your mind many times over for what type of snake you want, because a good 4 X 2 x 12-15" can house almost any BCC/BCI, and will handle the Carpets, and Dums no problem.

So no matter who you listened to in the beginning about cages, I guarantee you, the only thing you'll here about the size I just posted is to go to a 6 footer and up to 2 feet tall. But it sounds like the type of snake you personally want is a dead ringer for the 4 foot type cages.

Many of the big name boa breeders will tell you they are OK in a 4x2x12.

Take it slow and find a great cage. FYI there are a lot of classified ads with Boaphiles and other cages at good prices.

Good luck!!

[ceca2015]

I'm going to take another look at the Pro-Line cages. Can you buy dividers for them?

[ceca2015]

Also, for my ball python, I use a HydroFarm thermostat. Should I look into investing in a Herpstat 2 for both cages I will eventually have or is a HydroFarm thermostat good enough that I can just buy another one and use those for both cages? I haven't had any problems with the HydroFarm yet, other than the other day, it randomly shut off while I was at school. I'm not sure if the power went out or something and thats why it shut off and it just didn't turn back on or if it just malfunctioned.

[Gio]

Your current stat is pretty decent from what a lot of people say. I'm sold on Herpstats but a Herp II would be great for both cages if you want.

Pro-Line is from Constrictors NW. He has a forum like this reptileinsider.com You can check with breeders there that use the caging.

I just think the plastic of the cage is the best stuff around. Watch the video he has on putting the cage together. Its super easy.

Best of luck.

You are doing this the right way be researching ahead of time.

[Jason Bowden]

Dumerils!

[ceca2015]

Thank you for the link. I like the pro-line cages, but I was thinking about adding a divider in the cage and using one half of it for the ball python as a perminant cage. One, would the 24x24x12 or 14 be enough space for a perminant cage for a ball python (female) and two, should I buy an animal plastic for the ball with the divider and use the other half for the boa until it gets big enough and then purchase a pro line cage for it? And maybe use the other side of the animal plastic cage for another snake it I choose to get one? I'm looking far into the future and trying to determine the best choice.

[Evenstar]

You absolutely cannot go wrong with a cage from ProLine/Constrictors NW. Ed is a great guy and very communicative! He also does some things custom so if you'd like a divider, I am sure he can do one for you. I am putting together a 5 stack of 4x2x2's for my own boas and he is very helpful. The quality of these cages is unsurpassed in my opinion. Ed uses marine grade High Density Polyethylene which is a far superior product to pvc. I have a pvc cage too, and am very happy with it, but given the choice, I moved to the HDP. One thing that my friend, who has these cages, pointed out is that urine will NOT stick to or absorb into the HDP whereas this can sometimes be problematic over time with pvc.

And you also cannot go wrong with a Herpstat. These are some of the best t-stats on the market. A hydrofarm will do you fine for initial applications, but as soon as you can afford it, I would invest in the Herpstat and use the hydrofarm as your backup.

Btw, Spider Robotics now makes the "Herpstat Intro" which is retailing from the Bean Farm for only $99! So a Herpstat is very affordable now........