Boa Cage Dimensions-- Climbing?

[Gio]

GIO, i had to put my phone down and boot up my computer to get a better look at those pics. Beutiful work! what is the source of blue light?
I am in the mental pre-visualisation planning stage (day-dreaming) of a new enclosure and have been grappling with dimensions. I want to go tall b/c i know my boa likes to climb and perch but do you think there is such a thing as too tall? I'm thinking 24" for my little dwarf boa, and 36" for a future full-size boa. With appropriate climbing structures, do you think they would actually use that space? I'm happy to build it, but i don't want a big empty box of fake plants with my snake just chilling at ground level.

I have found a lot of this depends on how you feed your boa.

There are some variables, but when it comes down to it, a properly fed BC should become active, climb, forage and may search for ambush areas within the cage. These behaviors are nothing out of the ordinary and in the wild even the big ones will head up into the trees. There is a good YouTube video of a BC taking a howler monkey up rather high in the canopy.

In my situation, I have found my BC will NOT show much activity if food is always present, always the same size and always given on a set schedule.

I don't have a "true schedule" but things seem to be working out where feedings are monthly depending on the prey size of the previous meal. I last fed my BC on April 16th. In the past 2 weeks, he has been out and about nightly up on his perches with his head facing the floor of the cage.

He isn't starving, as its nearly impossible to starve a BC, actually he isn't overly hungry just yet. I'm planning to feed next weekend and am deciding if I will use a smaller prey item like a quail or rat or use a rabbit.

Anyhow, that's off topic a bit, however the point to this is, I feel most BCs will use the options provided to them and display the natural behaviors they would show in the wild if there is a reason or two for them to move.

We are dealing with animals that are hardwired to survive very long periods without food. Year round feeding, constantly digesting, passing and starting the cycle all over isn't part of their evolution. With that in mind, if you make them "Fat and Happy" you will probably see a snake that has no reason to move.

Obviously other things can factor in here, but IMO if you build a useable, 3 foot tall cage and feed your BC the way Vincent Russo and Gus Rentfro advocate, I would expect to see your snake using the space.

When I want to be entertained by my BC, I start watching him when he TELLS me its time to eat!