Just got my first reptile ! Male Hog Island Boa. Need some advice.

[Sauzo]

So they're basically identical to the husbandry needs of a BP? What have I been waiting for?? I'm buying a Boa! Lol


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Lol yeah pretty much it is. Retics are pretty much the same as well.

[CloudtheBoa]

Hello everyone, I just got my little guy this morning. He's a Hog Island Boa. I decided to get a Boa over a Ball Python for my first reptile, because Boas have better personalities in my opinion and better eating attitudes. I have a few questions I would hope you guys can answer.

1-Why does my boy keep trying to escape his enclosure ? It seems like he wants to get out so badly.
2-Why doesn't he use his hide and heat pad ? I don't know if Boas really use hides, like BP's do but I would assume since he's new he would want to be in his hide until he gets used to the environment.
3-How do I get the proper humidity levels ? I don't have substrate yet, I'm just using paper towel for now. I guess I should spray the tank down.
4-When should I feed the guy ? It looks like he ate recently, or I could just be seeing things. I was going to try feeding him next Sunday. Is that ok ?
5-In his tank so far it's ver barebones. I have a hide above his heating pad and a water dish. I will pick up some supplies after work tomorrow. I was going to get some ReptiBark for my substrate, another hide to place on the cool side (Don't know if this is truly necessary since he doesn't even use his main hide), and some branches or logs for him to climb. Anything else ya'll would recommend ?

And here's some pictures of him. His name is King.

1) Totally normal snake behavior, if the snake is comfortable in its enclosure, maintains a good day/night cycles, and isn't overfed they will explore their enclosure. With boas, that's usually at sundown and throughout the night. They mostly sleep during the day, whether in or out of their hides.

2) Boas are one of those species where they may or may not use hides. Even my babies use hides may 50% of the time, and how often they use them fluctuates. A boa, even a baby, sleeping out in the open is not all that surprising. They should still have hides, I just wouldn't worry if they aren't using them.

3) Totally depends on your set up. Misting/spraying is more of a temporary patch to humidity and not a solution. You can quickly bump humidity by misting, but it will fall very quickly once you're done. While in quarantine, it's perfectly fine for the humidity to be a bit lower so long as then snake is shedding fine. After about 3 months if the snake is healthy you can go ahead and switch to a particulate bedding. A damp bedding is going to be the #1 way to raise humidity in a snake's enclosure, as the water evaporates out of the bedding it will provide 100% of your humidity. Another way is raising the humidity in the entire room with a humidifier, but if it's in your bedroom that may not be a good choice. Once we get more info we can tell you more.

4) New snakes don't need to be fed based off of the last time they ate, but when you got them. I would give new arrivals a minimum of 1-2 weeks from arrival without handling or food. Once they eat a meal or two, then you can begin handling 24-48 hours after they eat unless they're in shed.

Based off of several years of experience, I would not recommend ReptiBark whatsoever. My base home humidity was 50-60% when I used it, and it did jack for humidity. My ball python had chronic stuck shed, badly chipped and discolored scales, and the occasional splinter. When you first open the bag, it's just fine for humidity, but once it dries out good luck. I've tried pouring water into the bedding, soaking the chips in water for hours, and spraying and none of it ever helped.

If you get ReptiBark I'd mix it with 2 parts EcoEarth to maintain your humidity. I've found EcoEarth does not dry well when heated by a UTH/heat tape, and it will mold. The ReptiBark will allow the EcoEarth to dry out faster while the EcoEarth holds humidity for the ReptiBark. I would keep the boa at 70-80%, although they can shed at 60% they're a tad dehydrated at that level. I get bent scales where they bend while curled up, and indents under the eyes when the humidity falls that low, although they'll still shed a perfect whole piece.

Along the same vein as everyone else, the placement of your probe is also important for temperatures. You need to have the probe outside the enclosure in between the UTH and the bottom of the enclosure so that it's touching the pad directly. Then use an IR temp gun (NOT a thermometer) to measure the surface of the enclosure under the paper towels and set the thermostat accordingly. Do not measure the temperature on top of the paper towels, as it could be 85F on top of the paper but nearly 100F under it. When the snake sits on the paper towels over the pad, the heat will transfer much easier.

[Pythia]

He's one good looking snake. That sounded creepy, but you know what I mean. SSSSSSSSSSSssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[FrankieCarbone]

ditto on the nice looking snake comment..


where did you get him? Thats one of the cleanest hog islands i seen.

[d0hv]

ditto on the nice looking snake comment..


where did you get him? Thats one of the cleanest hog islands i seen.

I ordered him from Snakesatsunset.com, I think they have one female and one more male available. And yeah his colors are really nice and cleans, almost no speckling.