Got my first snake! A few newbie questions

[Katiashinkle]

So I got my first snake on Saturday at the Reptile Super Show in Pomona. He's a male BCI, born 3/26 last year. He's approximately 26" long and weighs 109 g. I'm absolutely enamored with him and it's taken all my willpower to leave him be and let him settle in. I have him in a sterilite underbed storage box (I think 76 qt) with a CHE, and flexwatt regulated by a VE 200D.

That being said, I have a couple questions.
1. Does he seem small for a 9 month old? I included a pic of his feeding records. I haven't fed him yet, going to on Saturday.
2. I have a temp gun, his belly heat is 90 on the plastic and about 88 on top of his aspen shavings. The ambient temp on the warm side (which has the CHE above it) is 81, but the ambient temps on the cool side is only 73. So, my question is, how do I warm up the cool side's ambient temps? Should I buy another heat lamp with a CHE and put it above the cool side?
3. The humidity is hovering at 75%. I know that's too high, I've drilled more holes in the tub. Twice. Should I just keep drilling holes until I get it to lower like 10 ish%?

Thanks guys!

[BFE Pets]

they all grow at their own rate. just keep feeding at regular intervals with appropriate sized meals. as for the heat and humidity.... make sure you are giving it time to level out before drilling more holes. sometimes it takes a few hours to a day for humidity to level out. but yes if the humidity is way to high then you will want to add more ventilation. but by doing so you will affect your temps. you have to find a balance. 75% humidity isnt that far off from where it should be. maybe try moving the water dish further away from the heat source if it isnt already. good luck and enjoy watching him grow

[yl4870]

He is very small for a 9 month old.

They should be muscular and stocky, not fat but thick? He is long but really skinny.

Are the mouse hoppers leaving a significant lump in his body?

[WarriorPrincess90]

He's really not that small for a male BCI at that age IMO. I got a female several years ago who I thought was incredibly small for her age (roughly the same age as yours), but she was healthy and eating no problem. Boas are just much slower growers in most cases than BPs. Mine got longer before she got thicker. He could just be in one of those growth spurts where he got longer and now will thicken up a little before he gets longer - AGAIN! lol. A baby boa is not going to look like a flat tire. But you don't want them round either. Boxy is good. Just keep feeding him every week and he will get there at his own pace.


Oh! And I forgot to say...he is just stunning!! Congratulations on the little guy! Boas have so much personality, and they are so intelligent! You are going to love him!

[Katiashinkle]

Thanks for the responses everyone

So, I went and bought another heat lamp today and put it above the cool side. Now the ambient temps across the whole tub are 81-83. As for the humidity, I drilled some more holes and swapped out his huge water bowl for a small one. It's in the coolest corner of the cage and the humidity is currently at 72%, hopefully it'll drop some more by tomorrow.

Like I said in my first post, I just got him on Saturday so I haven't fed him yet. The breeder told me to get him some rat pinkies so we'll see if they make a noticeable lump in him when I feed him. They are a bit smaller than he is wide, although like you can see he is definitely long and lanky right now haha. If one doesn't make any noticeable lump, should I see if he'll take another?

And thanks, WarriorPrincess90! I think he's gorgeous, I fell in love as soon as I saw him in his little clear plastic cup haha.

[artgecko]

I don't believe you want the prey item to leave a lump, or at least not much of one. For good body condition, you want him to look like a "loaf of bread" shape. He shouldn't be round like a BP.

Also, boas have crazy food drive, so even if given a proper sized prey item, they will take another, then another, etc. so it's always best to feed a little less rather than more. I would feed exactly what the breeder told you the first few feedings, if you have a scale, keep records of his weights (try to get after he eliminates, which can be a week or two for boas). If you see no weight increase after a month or two, or he starts to look skinnier, then up his prey to the next size. I know many experienced boa people recommend feeding mice instead of rats (up to a large or x-large mouse) until they are large enough to switch to small rats... I think it's because rat pups have higher fat content.

He looks great and good luck with him!

[JackTar]

I have a male BCI born April 10th and his size looks the same as yours. Your boa looks fine and healthy

[Katiashinkle]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I'm feeding him on Saturday, I'll post how it goes.