And my girlfriend purchased a red tail boa

[KevinK]

I would be cautious though, not to worry you.

In the past, out of all the boas I have owned I have never had one that liked to soak unless there was a problem:

A) Mites

B Too hot of temperatures

Some people have reported perfectly healthy mite-free boas that enjoyed a soak temporarily but I just never had it happen to me. Mites are incredibly difficult to find on boas though, they can be anchored in the cloaca, around the eye sockets, anywhere really.