advice wanted for 8 week old columbian red tail boa

[Schwelger]

alright so i just got this beautiful baby snake a few days ago, he looked too skinny to me so i fed him and im able to keep his tank at 90'F in the hot end and 82ish'Fat the cool end at day and at night the whole enclosure is about 80'F. his hideout is a half log i got at a petstore and its under fake leaves to provide extra shelter from the heat if it gets too hot and i mist his cage everyday keeping the humidity between 50% and 60%. his tank is 30 inches long 12 inches wide and 12 inches deep. i plan on feeding him every friday at about 7 pm. also, hes got a water dish that is about twice his size or more.

how am i doing with him and his tank? and how long will this tank last before i must get a new one?

this is only my second snake, my first is a corn snake and is still alive and about 4 years old now. but corn snakes are found in the area i live so its pretty much effortless to keep him alive, just change water daily and feed him pretty much. i've always loved red tail boas and have always wanted one, but i had to get some experiance first. still im nervous about doing something wrong so any advice that any one has and ill be gratefull

oh, also heres pictures ofhim and his tank.

[marvelfreak]

Sound pretty good. I would get a Under the tank heat pad. It make it's easier to keep your temp up with out dry out your humidity.

[Schwelger]

would a heating pad be safe for him? i know ive got a pretty good rug in there that he cant get under and burnt but ive read so many books and caresheets against them that im pretty nervouse about using the pads.

[reptile65]

When using a heat pad, you should always use a thermostat to control the temps. As long as you use a thermostat, it will be perfectly safe. Without a thermostat, the heat pad will get WAY too hot for your snake.

[Dehlida]

Boas are nocturnal, get rid of the light.

[fetunche]

Boas are nocturnal, get rid of the light.
My boa is active day and night and likes to lie on a branch under a daylight lamp. I prefer to give my animals a natural day/night cycle . My 1.0 boa is 9.5 feet long and 21 years old so I must be doing something right.

[Lankyrob]

They may be nocturnal but even so they need a day/night cycle, if there is no natural light then a the bulb is fine.

[marionsclan]

Are these fake Marijuana leaves in there?

[stephanbakir]

Are these fake Marijuana leaves in there?
I've got the same ones in my tank:P

[vendettaseve]

Are these fake Marijuana leaves in there?

Who said they were fake?

Awwwwwwwwww Yeeeeaaaahhh

[SnakeyJay]

Same in my viv aswell :)

[marionsclan]

Is this a secret group of fake pot leaves? I want in. hahahaha

[KrazyKat]

Is this a secret group of fake pot leaves? I want in. hahahaha

You should get in on this!! :P I have these fake pot plants in all of my tanks, in different sizes - always makes for a good laugh when new people come over to see the snakes.

[stephanbakir]

I got my house broken into once... the only thing in the room was my quarenteen tank, (the room is locked inside the house aswel) They broke the glass to get into the house, footprints everywhere going right to the tank, then back out the window leaving the tank open... I guess they thought they were real leaves lol.

[KrazyKat]

I got my house broken into once... the only thing in the room was my quarenteen tank, (the room is locked inside the house aswel) They broke the glass to get into the house, footprints everywhere going right to the tank, then back out the window leaving the tank open... I guess they thought they were real leaves lol.

BAHAHA NO WAY!! That is TOO funny, what a bunch of idiots!! lol Maybe they thought your tank was a micro grow-op. :p But without UV lights in there...ya, idiots lol.

[stephanbakir]

There were UV lights, thats back from when I had my iguana.. Shame it had to meet the cat the way it did, shes normally nice...

[KrazyKat]

There were UV lights, thats back from when I had my iguana.. Shame it had to meet the cat the way it did, shes normally nice...

Ahh, now it makes sense! I still think they were idiots though lol. Sorry to hear about your iguana :( Was it a young iguana? That's my guess cuz I doubt most cats would mess with a 4+ footer adult.

Short story for ya: i had adopted a beautiful 4 foot male iguana from Ray's, normally a very sweet boy though he had his days (which i learned quickly to watch for, after i stained both curtains and carpet with blood gushing from my thumb on one of those days!). Anyway, so I had him out often, and my siamese cat was insatiably curious about him, to the point that one day I decided i would not kick him out of the room, but let nature teach it's own lesson, so to speak. As my cat crept towards him (who was sitting on the back of a lazy boy chair) my iguana began to puff up. The closer my cat got, the higher he raised his tail, and the louder he hissed (inhaled). But, my cat of course didn't heed his warning, until *WHAP!* went his tail, sending my cat on a backflip off the lazy boy and he BOOKED it out of that room faster than I've ever seen him book it before! lol Ever since that day he refused to go anywhere near the iguana, and when he did have to walk by the tank, he krept along like a little chicken! Cruel of me? Possibly - but I think it was the best, and certainly most natural way for my cat to learn an important lesson - leave the iguana alone! lol

[stephanbakir]

It was about 3 feet long, but my cat is mental and kills everything in sight...

[KrazyKat]

It was about 3 feet long, but my cat is mental and kills everything in sight...

Wowee! My cat must have been a big wuss then - yours I would call a true predator. Sorry for your loss, I don't imagine it would have been pretty either :(

[stephanbakir]

Was messy, not not that bad