New Caye Caulker Dwarf Boa and would like general information

[dakski]

You're making a great first start with the T8.

The only other company that comes to mind for Radiant Heat Panels is Reptile Basics. However, they are listing their heat panels as "out of stock"....you would need the 80 watt unit from them. I would stick with Pro-Products personally, no one ever complains about them and Bob will talk you through exactly what you need....but probably a 65 watt unit for a T8.
http://www.reptilebasics.com/rbi-radiant-heat-panels

I like the recommendations on thermostats given thus far. They do not sell what you need at home improvement stores however.
Here are some great places to buy quality units:
https://www.spyderrobotics.com/
http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats
http://helixcontrols.com/?page_id=42

I personally only run radiant heat panels as a heat source, it's a good idea to have flexwatt but I have not found it to be necessary thus far (this is what Bob at Pro-Products recommended and so-far so good in several years of ownership). That's just what I do, mainly because I bought everything at once and was looking to save cash where I could lol.

Yeah, I am a very anxious person. 2 heat elements for hot side = overkill, but also protection if one goes out, plus I like belly heat for snakes. I also have redundant thermostats on all my heating elements. I want to sleep at night!

As I stated, not saying my way or the highway, just what I do. Good to know an RHP works well for you though KevinK, and you have AP tanks.

I would note, and it's minor, RHP's heat the air way better than UTH heat alone, but also dry the air a little bit more. They are not bad at all, and do better than most heating elements out there. However, having both a UTH and RHP running probably drys the air a little less.

Good luck whatever you decide! Again, awesome snake and awesome owner for doing what's right for him/her.

[ckuhn003]

Aaaand now I have the Herpstat EZ2 ordered since ill have an extra tank to fill one day. does anyone know how long it takes to get a call back from pro-products or what their ship times are like?

That's a good question on the call back. I'd like to know myself

As for ship times, when I ordered a custom RHP back around Xmas, I think I was told 2-3 weeks production time and it took closer to 4-5 weeks to be delivered. Than man is busy for a reason

[Jordanpg]

Does anyone who has a T8 have pictures of their setup?

[CloudtheBoa]

This is my first post so be gentle .

I just got a Caye Caulker (caye caulker, caulker caye, cay caulker caulker cay, ive always gone with caye caulker but ive seen it spelled different ways) last night and got everything set up, but I tend to worry about every little thing so I wanted to ask a few questions and get some general information.

1. What should hot side temps and humidity be, I was told to keep the hot side at 88 to 90 and the humidity between 60 and 70 but just wanted to hear from people that keep them.

2. What are some good ways to keep humidity up. My humidity keeps falling to 30 which I know is too low and when I spray it goes to 81 but falls pretty fast. I have a screen top with a towel over it right now. I bought some Sphagnum moss, what is the best way to use it?

3. I was told that a 40 gallon tank was all I needed for an adult as long as we got him out multiple times a week and that all I needed to get the correct temp would be a 150 watt ceramic heat emitter, but the temp on the hot side is staying at 81, should I get a UTH?

Thank you all for any advise you can give me and I hope any information that I get will allow me to help someone else in the future.

(I also need help naming him)

Husbandry seems good. To keep humidity up, you want to reduce ventilation and increase surface area and volume of water evaporation. Misting is pretty much just good for making things wet, unless your humidity is already pretty much where it needs to be, spraying/misting won't do much and will cause wild humidity swings and lower your ambient temps temporarily (unless you use warm water). I use EcoEarth, and I pour water directly into the bedding and mix it up. As the water evaporates it provides all my humidity, and I only need to do that once every 1-2 weeks. Make sure not to oversaturate it, depending on what you use the signs of too much moisture vary. Other high humidity beddings that should keep humidity up: Grow!t, ReptiChip (not ReptiBark), and sphagnum moss. Cypress mulch repels water once it dries so it isn't good for humidity, and aspen molds very quickly in humid situations and will actually suck some of the humidity from the air.

With the moss, you can either make that your primary bedding, coat the top of another bedding with it, or stuff it into a humid hide.

You want Length+Width to be equal to or greater than the snake's length, regardless of if you take it out or not. If you handle it too often, you risk stressing it out, and if you handle the recommended amount it isn't enough to make up for a too-small enclosure. So long as your boa stays 4.5'-5' or smaller (depending on floor dimensions), a 40 gallon should work. A 150 watt CHE is likely going to be too much, I use a 100 watt to heat my 6'x2'x3's' cool sides. But I agree, the hot side needs to be bumped to 88-90F.

I'm using a temp/hygrometer, where is the proper place to put the probe to measure humidity, right now its on the glass in the middle of the cage about an inch above the substrate. I have the temp probe on the hot side right now.

How do I regulate the heat source?

Im using the Zoomed forest floor cypress mulch.

I recommend Herpstat's. They're pricey but well worth it. Hydrofarms/Jumpstarts are a good temporary thermostat, but some or all may not have a failsafe in it to turn off the heating element if it malfunctions. I had a Hydrofarm fail recently, and it flashed a warning, but never stopped powering the heat tape, it read 125F according to my temp gun.

im using the zoomed forest floor cypress mulch. (and I finally figured out how to add photos, there's one victory for today only a million to go))

Your boa needs a minimum of one snug-fitting hide on each side, if you have to sacrifice the larger bowl, then so be it. Otherwise, you'll need a larger enclosure.

Keep in mind the towel will not help hold in humidity, the moisture will escape right through it. You will need a nonporous material like Saran wrap, aluminum foil, or plexiglass.

As others recommended, I recommend an RHP as well! RHP's main function is to provide belly heat, so heat tape or UTHs will be redundant, but it will also raise ambient temps as the heat rises off the objects. Snakes can also absorb the IR heat much better from a panel vs from a heat pad/tape.

You won't regret your AP cages! I have two T12's, had them maybe 2 or 3 years now, and they're great. Easy to modify, can be taken apart, and hold humidity well. I have mine stacked directly on top of each other, haven't noticed any sagging like some people say.

[dakski]

I recommend Herpstat's. They're pricey but well worth it. Hydrofarms/Jumpstarts are a good temporary thermostat, but some or all may not have a failsafe in it to turn off the heating element if it malfunctions. I had a Hydrofarm fail recently, and it flashed a warning, but never stopped powering the heat tape, it read 125F according to my temp gun.

Wow, that sounds like a scary day! I hope everyone pulled through.

I run redundant thermostats. I am in bad shape if both fail open, but that's not very likely.

Good to know herpstat sells ones that offer more protection.

I agree, and sorry I missed it, that you need two hides. One in each heat zone (hot/cool).

I run an RHP and UTH mainly for redundancy (I am a nervous nelly). The incremental cost was very low to add the UTH, so I did (both run off the same thermostat). It's a preference thing, but not necessary.

I'll admit that I thought RHP's were more for air temp and "shine down/sun like" heat (not in that order though). I never thought about it adding belly heat. It makes sense though, when you think about it . Well, I stand corrected and I am glad I learned something new today. I have seen many people successfully keep happy and healthy snakes in enclosures with just an RHP, but it never really clicked.

Thank you, as always, CloudtheBoa.

[Jordanpg]

I'll definitely pick up a second hide and a smaller water bowl. Would he be fine with just the one hide until my AP cage gets here or should I try to fit a second one in with a smaller water bowl.

What I did yesterday when I got home was I added more moss to the cypress mulch and mixed in some water as well.

I moved the heating source over his hide now and the hot spot on top of it was at 99 degrees and on the substrate was 85, the inside of his hide is at 84 and has extra moss and the cold side is at 69.

What temp would be too high for the hot spot? My thermostat will be here on Saturday and I am so extremely happy that I ordered one, just the thought of having one makes me stress about it less.

[CloudtheBoa]

Wow, that sounds like a scary day! I hope everyone pulled through.

I run redundant thermostats. I am in bad shape if both fail open, but that's not very likely.

Good to know herpstat sells ones that offer more protection.

I agree, and sorry I missed it, that you need two hides. One in each heat zone (hot/cool).

I run an RHP and UTH mainly for redundancy (I am a nervous nelly). The incremental cost was very low to add the UTH, so I did (both run off the same thermostat). It's a preference thing, but not necessary.

I'll admit that I thought RHP's were more for air temp and "shine down/sun like" heat (not in that order though). I never thought about it adding belly heat. It makes sense though, when you think about it . Well, I stand corrected and I am glad I learned something new today. I have seen many people successfully keep happy and healthy snakes in enclosures with just an RHP, but it never really clicked.

Thank you, as always, CloudtheBoa.

It was just Howl (my adult male ghost), and he was able to escape the heat without any injury by sitting on top of his hide. Needless to say I threw it out, wasn’t a fun thing to wake up to. XD I’ve switched everyone off of Hydrofarms now, not wiling to risk it.

Snakes don’t really “need” belly heat, they absorb top-down IR hear much more efficiently than they do belly-only heat from a UTH or heat tape, especially if the air temp is too low. You can see this in wild snakes in cold habitats: they can sit right on top of snow and still stay warm by soaking up the sun’s rays. I think this is why I’ve noticed delayed digestion periods in my boas on heat tape vs with ambient heat, they take on average 3-4 extra days for any bulge to dissipate, though my bulges generally aren’t noticeable except in person where you can see how that area is swollen with gas. I do keep the room temp nice and warm, but there’s only so much heat tape can do.

But, with how popular racks are, I can see why that belief has spread. You can’t really use RHPs in racks very easily.


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[CloudtheBoa]

I'll definitely pick up a second hide and a smaller water bowl. Would he be fine with just the one hide until my AP cage gets here or should I try to fit a second one in with a smaller water bowl.

What I did yesterday when I got home was I added more moss to the cypress mulch and mixed in some water as well.

I moved the heating source over his hide now and the hot spot on top of it was at 99 degrees and on the substrate was 85, the inside of his hide is at 84 and has extra moss and the cold side is at 69.

What temp would be too high for the hot spot? My thermostat will be here on Saturday and I am so extremely happy that I ordered one, just the thought of having one makes me stress about it less.

If it’s only going to be a couple of weeks before the new cage gets there he should be ok, but you can switch them around if you want.

If the heat tape is getting 99F, I’d reduce it to 88-90F. If that’s the hot spot under the lamp, it should be fine if you drop it a few degrees. My hot spots on the shelves under my RHPs get ~95F, and they’d use even hotter spots in the wild, but you don’t want it quite that high in a smaller enclosure, otherwise they may not be able to choose the hot side without the super hot hot spot, and avoid it. So long as your ambients stay 80-90F, I’d drop the hot spot a bit.


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[Jordanpg]

All I have right now is a 150 watt CHE, how do I get the temperature to drop?

[CloudtheBoa]

All I have right now is a 150 watt CHE, how do I get the temperature to drop?

Either get a lower wattage, move it further away from the enclosure, or get a dimmer and lower it down. Whatever option is most open to you, since you don’t yet have a thermostat (though I think you may have ordered one? Or I misremembered somewhere).


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