BRB Questions

[nellie]

Hi,
I'm in the process of trying to con my husband into *just one more* snake! :) I would really like a BRB.
I know they need high humidity. I have trouble keeping my humidity above 30% for my BP and he is in a sealed wooden cage. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what they do to keep their humidity at the recommended 80% for BRBs. Do those foggers work? I found a couple on Ebay pretty cheap, plus they look cool. Also, I know that it is going to be suggested that I house it in a rubbermaid, but I would rather have it in something glass so that I can show it off.
Also, how quickly do these guys grow? Can I assume I will go from a 10 gallon to a permanent home in a year or so?
Anything else I should be forewarned about before getting one?
Thanks. And wish me luck talking my husband into this. You wouldn't believe the things he is trying to get me to do in exchange! :)
~Nellie

[BoidKeeper]

Do those foggers work? I found a couple on Ebay pretty cheap, plus they look cool
There is a reason for that, they are cheap and they don't work. They look cool but in my experience with my Emerald Tree Boa it did almost nothing to raise the humidity in an open top aquarium.
For a Brazilian yes you're right almost everyone will recommend a Rubbermaid, I use them. Putting a Brazilian in an aquarium with a screen top is a recipe for disaster. An open top aquarium with a screen top holds no humidity at all. The best thing to use if your looking for a display set up would be something custom with a sliding glass from and vents on the side. Or you could go for a vision but they are not cheap. What ever you go with it should be front opening and not top opening so that the humidity does not rise strait out of the top. Some people have tried using an aquarium with a modified top that has only a few holes in it to try and keep the humidity in but then there is very little airflow. I personally would not try it.
Cheers,
Trevor

[lordkovacs]

what about those waterfalls you can buy...they constantly circulate moist air. I bought one because I have just a reg. aquarium for my corn with a screen lid, and he had some troubles shedding. after I got this, no problems. anyone else have success with waterfalls?
MIKE

[BoidKeeper]

I'm getting one but again if there is nothing in the tank to hold moisture in then it will just rise up out of the top. That's why front opening is better for keeping in humidity. You corn could just be drinking more too.
Trevor

[PoiSoNouS]

even if you would make a good display cage, you wouldnt see it.. they are hiding during the day and will come out when its dark..

I dont think waterfalls are that great because of the algea that can grow on it and its hard to clean..

Knowing that they spent at least 14h hours hiding, you can provide them a sphagnum moss hide box.


One of the best things I found yet (beside newspaper) is coconut bark where you can drop water in the bottom and stays humid for awhile, of course it needs to be cleaned up more often than newspapers but it looks better.. :)

And about the growth, like all snakes it depends on how you feed them, a great sized cage for an adult would be IMO 3x3x2 where you can provide him space for big waterbowl hide box and space to exercise...


BTW I have moved your thread to the appropriate forum :D

[ANIMAL5051]

i use a 10 gallon tank and i use the top to a normal fish tank for a lid i have to open the lid because the is to much humidity. and poisonous is right the do spend most of there time hideing but the do come out some of the time. mostly at night thought. i bought a night light for that reason

[Linds]

No tanks! If you do not like the look of rubbermaids, go build a custom enclosure. With the appropriate ventilation, you shouldn't have to pay daily attention to maintaining humidity, it should hold its own. Why not a tank? Tanks have no cross-ventilation. However if you leave the screened portion completely open it allows for enough air exchange, hence fine for anything requiring room humidity level or lower. If you want to increase the humidity, you have to block off the top, by doing this you are cutting off airflow and are left with stagnant air in your tank. These conditions are prime for spores to grow in. Like everyone said, these snakes are not great display snakes, they will spend most of their time hidden away beneath the substrate or in hides. You would see about as much of your snake in a glass enclosure as you would in a rubbermaid.

As for growth, they do grow at a decent pace, but as with all snakes, they are individuals so have their own rates. I house neonates to yearlings in 11 gallon rubbermaids (not sure what the dimensions are on these), and subadults+ in adult enclosures (4x2x1 or 3x2x1).

[Christine]

Tanks really do suck, not only for all the reasons already mentioned, but they are also really heavy! I made an acryllic enclosure for my brb, with holes drilled into each side. It gets enough airflow and holds humidity very well (I just use a hand mister once or twice a day, depending on temperature), so if you don't want to do a rubbermaid I'd try something like that. I never see her during the day though, so it doesn't matter too much unless you have a red light to watch them at night or like to look at foliage and substrate.