Enclosure for Boa

[dakski]

[QUOTE=svtvenom;2589750]I was wondering if you guys could tell me if my boa's enclosure looks good? I was having problems with the humidity but after I put a towel on half of the screen top it seems to be helping to keep its around 60-70. The cool side is like 70 and the middle is like 75ish and the warm side is like 80. but depending on if the substrate it moved (so part of the glass is exposed) its like 90 next to the water bowl. (upper left hand corner). It is a 20 gallon long tank. I wanted to put a branch in there for him but I haven't found any good ones at the pet stores. Thanks in advance



A few things.

1. 70F is way too low. Cool spot should be 77-80F. Ambient temps should be in that range as well. Hot spot should be 87-89F or so, but where the snake is. Not clear to me where you are measuring the temp in your description.

2. Glass tanks suck for humidity. You will want to consider, for many reasons, a larger, more enclosed tank for your Boa.

Now some questions.

What kind of Boa? I imagine it's a BCI as these are more common, especially with morphs, but I am no expert just by looking.

Male of female?

I ask because that will help you determine the adult size and what size tank you will ultimately need.

Many people say that you should keep them in small/appropriate sized enclosures until they need a bigger one. This can be costly and annoying. From me experience speaking with breeders, and working with different species (corns, BP's, BCI's), they all do fine as long as they feel secure. My 1 1/2 year old female BCI, Behira, is thriving in her adult/life enclosure - a 6X2X1' Boaphile. I am able to maintain proper humidity well, temps and gradients are excellent, and she is calm and eats like a champ. However, I have many hides in there for her. So she has a hide no matter what temp she wants to be at.

Anyway, I digressed.

Get your temps up. 60-70% humidity is fine, but you will be working at it in a glass tank for a while. Definitely consider upgrading to a bigger enclosure that is better suited for a BCI when possible.

Again:

Hot spot/side: 87-89F (average - a few degrees cooler or hotter in a given "spot" is ok - heat pads, flexwatt/heat tape, etc, can have a small gradient) where the snake is - at his/her body. And that area needs to be large enough for the whole snake to be at that temp.

Cool Spot: 77-80F.

Ambient temp: 78-82F.

I've seen you posting before and know you want the best for your Boa.

Keep asking questions and working at it. You should get there and have a happy Boa for a long time.

There are some other Boa guys on here that can chime in as well. Please point anything I missed.

Good luck!