Newbie with an Indonesian Tree Boa

[modglila]

I have visited the local reptile store several times with the intent of purchasing a bearded dragon. I took my daughter with me when I went to actually purchase the lizard and we came out with an Indonesian Tree Boa. This is my first reptile purchase and I don't feel as prepared to care for it as I would like to be. The store owners gave me their instructions, but the things I'm reading on the Internet seem to be a little different. Now I'm concerned.

http://dev.gerbilnet.net/lmodglin/photos/Indy.jpg
How can you tell if your snake is happy? They said it last ate two weeks ago and that it might not eat for another couple of weeks. They also said to feed it frogs or lizards. Can it eat pinkies? They would be easier to keep around than live food.

Another thing I'm concerned about is that they didn't have any additional heat on their cage and they said the snake would be fine at room temperature, yet I am reading a lot of things about keeping it much warmer.

When we handle the snake, it seems content. It crawls around on us and will go into pockets and hang out. When we put it in its cage, it just sits and doesn't move around. It's only been here for a few hours.

I'm going to continue reading up on it, but would appreciate any immediate comments. I also wonder if the store owners really know what kind of snake it is. Does it look like an Indonesian Tree Boa? I don't know why I'm so skeptical, I guess because of reading conflicting information from what they told me in the store.

Thanks!

Lisa

[Aaron_S]

I don't really have first-hand experience with indo tree boas but I'll help you with some of your questions.

Your snake is happy when it's not hungry, has the proper environment and a place where it can go to feel safe. It can eat rodents but I doubt it would if they were feeding it frogs and lizards. Try a live mouse in a week. Go for a fuzzy size as that is what it looks like it will eat from the picture.

Until then, don't handle the snake. Let it get adjusted to the new place and settle in. If you're reading that it needs heat. By all means place heat on the snake and make sure you have a thermometer. I don't know the temperatures you're supposed to use though.

[PDXErik]

First, don't be surprised if it wants to do nothing when it's alone in the daytime, it will probably find a place to sleep and start exploring when it wakes up at night. If it's not even bothering to look around a little, that's weird.

Well, in googling around, I cannot find a care sheet, but I see them grouped with Amazon tree boas. Looking at the climate in Indonesia, I suspect that it needs better than room temperature and higher than normal humidity (70-80% don't quote me on that, someone here knows about these things and I might be wrong).

If it were me, I would start out at the standards: 82 on the cool side, 92 on the warm side. I would maintain at least 60% humidity, that's a fairly safe range that if it needs high humidity, you won't cause too much damage, and if it needs low, it's not excessively high.

Of course, do not stop being diligent about what it's parameters are supposed to be. Depending upon the results, maybe another visit to the pet store to have a "spirited" talk with the clerk that sold it to you would be in order.

About "does it look like an indo" I have no idea, I can't find a decent shot on google. Can you get a couple close-ups of it's head and patterns? Maybe we could tell you what it's not if we can't tell you what it is.

[modglila]

Thanks for the replies. I went back to the store and got Indy (that's its name) a light. I had to flip his cage back to the landscape orientation but I think he can still climb in the tree thingy he has. I double-checked about the food and he was definitely eating house geckos and he didn't think he would readily switch to something simple just for me. But, if he only eats weekly of less frequently, it won't be a huge deal to get him the food of his choice.

In a couple of days, I'll get some close-ups of him once he's out of his cage. They said he isn't a baby, but they have no idea how old he is. He's smaller than the other guy they had in the cage with him. They don't expect him to do more than double his size. He's only about a pencil size around in the thickest part of him.

His tail skin is really shiny. Do they grow out that direction? Is that the newest skin, or is there another reason his tale is a lot more shiny than the rest of him?

[modglila]

After looking at him again, he's a little bigger around than pencil, but not much bigger. :-)

[PDXErik]

Thanks for the replies. I went back to the store and got Indy (that's its name) a light. I had to flip his cage back to the landscape orientation but I think he can still climb in the tree thingy he has. I double-checked about the food and he was definitely eating house geckos and he didn't think he would readily switch to something simple just for me. But, if he only eats weekly of less frequently, it won't be a huge deal to get him the food of his choice.

In a couple of days, I'll get some close-ups of him once he's out of his cage. They said he isn't a baby, but they have no idea how old he is. He's smaller than the other guy they had in the cage with him. They don't expect him to do more than double his size. He's only about a pencil size around in the thickest part of him.

His tail skin is really shiny. Do they grow out that direction? Is that the newest skin, or is there another reason his tale is a lot more shiny than the rest of him?

Just from reading this, I would have serious doubts about the store you got him from.

"They don't know how old it is" means that it is likely wild caught.

I would worry a bit about seeing a tree boa housed with another tree boa. I see red tails and balls in the same "sale container" living together, but I have never seen other types of snakes housed together like that.

Shiny tail? No, they grow in an all-over fashion. If it's tail is shiny, I would suspect that it needs to shed and has had poor humidity. It has probably shed some around it's tail and couldn't slough the rest off. Does it look like there is loose or dry skin anywhere on it, perhaps more noticeably around the tail?

Make sure it has a soaking dish that it can submerge most of it's body in. People get worried that the snake can drown itself, and I suppose that it's possible, but as long as it can get out on their own, all of mine have had no problem not drowning.

A moisture box (google) is recommended as well.

With all of that said, check for mites, too. Little black dots that move around on it.

Good luck with your rescue, I mean new snake!

Edit: Out of curiosity, what is the condition of the store? Is everything clean? Do the animals look bright? Clean water? Humidity?

[Aaron_S]

If you're looking to make him fatter I don't think house geckos will do it. Maybe if you fed him a couple a week. I'd keep him eating and when he's always eating work to switch him over to rodents, even if they are alive. Since he's used to the hunt with the gecko.

[drec91]

Congrats, i have an indo tree boa and it is a very very docile snake.
it may be tricky to switch to rodents but it will eventually happen.

[PDXErik]

Congrats, i have an indo tree boa and it is a very very docile snake.
it may be tricky to switch to rodents but it will eventually happen.

So far, care sheets on these are hard to find. What are it's parameters? Apparently, the store owner thinks that it's more like a goldfish than a cichlid. I can't imagine that.

[modglila]

The store is clean, but I wouldn't say that the humidity is high in there. The animals looked healthy to me, but I don't know much about reptiles. The cages were pretty big so they weren't cramped or anything. They did say that he had come from the wild, but that didn't mean anything to me.

He's hanging out in his tree, has a lamp on him and the temp is about 80 degrees. He has a small dish that he couldn't get his whole body in. I'll get him a larger one. They told me to spray his cage down twice a day. They didn't tell me to test for humidity. Should I get a gauge for that as well? I'll google a moisture box. Does it hurt to cover the end of his cage without the light with a towel? That holds in moisture, and doesn't keep out all of the air. At least until I can get the humidity raised. He skin is dull. I can see his markings, but they aren't clear.

Such conflicting advice. They said he would only eat once every few weeks and one of the responses here said to feed a lot more often. Hmmm.... I'm questioning the purchase of this guy. Not because he isn't cool, but because it seems there is more involved than I initially was told. Well, I'll get him something to eat and see how frequently he will eat. If he eats often, then I guess that's what he needs.

[BlueClover]

The store is clean, but I wouldn't say that the humidity is high in there. The animals looked healthy to me, but I don't know much about reptiles. The cages were pretty big so they weren't cramped or anything. They did say that he had come from the wild, but that didn't mean anything to me.

He's hanging out in his tree, has a lamp on him and the temp is about 80 degrees. He has a small dish that he couldn't get his whole body in. I'll get him a larger one. They told me to spray his cage down twice a day. They didn't tell me to test for humidity. Should I get a gauge for that as well? I'll google a moisture box. Does it hurt to cover the end of his cage without the light with a towel? That holds in moisture, and doesn't keep out all of the air. At least until I can get the humidity raised. He skin is dull. I can see his markings, but they aren't clear.

Such conflicting advice. They said he would only eat once every few weeks and one of the responses here said to feed a lot more often. Hmmm.... I'm questioning the purchase of this guy. Not because he isn't cool, but because it seems there is more involved than I initially was told. Well, I'll get him something to eat and see how frequently he will eat. If he eats often, then I guess that's what he needs.

Go to Wal-mart and get a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. Acu-Rite makes a good one that measures temp in two places and humidity. Don't use the reptile-specified dial/stick-on ones as they aren't usually accurate. Other than that, I don't know anything about this particular snake.

[BlueClover]

OP, I don't know if you've already found this, but here's some info:

Indonesian tree boa - Arboreal Boas/Pythons Discussion Forum (http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103120)

[PDXErik]

Better than walmart, go to a pet store. I got one of those electronic hygrometer/thermometers for $20.

[treeboa34]

some of the tree boas from that area are from papua new guinea and some of the smallest boids on earth i had a pair that i sold earlier in the year and they were adult and breeding and the female was only 24 inches long and the male was even shorter and the femaale had 25 baies too! they are very hardy and can be very shy they also produce babies that are completely different from one another! they love moss in their viv and a great hiding place