BRB enclosure questions

[Nismo89]

I'm going to be getting a baby BRB soon and was wondering if a 20L aquarium will house it for the first month or two until I can get a boaphile? The aquarium is 30"x12"x12" I have an UTH for it and all the furnishings (vines, leaves, branches, water bowl, and 3 hides) I also have a ceramic heat emitter if needed. I have 2 probe thermometers one on the cool side and one on the hot side currently the temp gradient is 76-88 F with an ambient temp of 83 F and the humidity is at 80% and there is a glass top secured with clips. So my question is is my set-up sufficient enough until i get a 322d boaphile which is 3'x2"x17.5"? I would buy a thermostat but the temperatures are staying constant I've had the enclosure set up for over a week and I'm getting a thermostat with the boaphile.
Thanks in advance,
Brian

[brylecc1989]

A 20 gallon long would probably be good its whole life. However with the specific humidity requirements you are definitely better off with boaphile. How long until you get the adult enclosure?

[Nismo89]

A 20 gallon long would probably be good its whole life. However with the specific humidity requirements you are definitely better off with boaphile. How long until you get the adult enclosure?

I will be ordering the boaphile the beginning of september so should have it by mid to end september. I live in MN so theres not a far shipping distance will only take one day for it to ship. As for humidity I mist daily if needed and I have a humidifier in the room. I also have had a green iguana for over a year in the room the snake will be in so the temps and humidity are already pretty good. The average temp of the room itself is 73 degrees F and humidity ranges between 55% and 65% all the time. I thought BRBs needed 6 square feet of floor space as an adult. Also is there such a thing as too big of an enclosure for a baby. Would the baby be stressed in a 3'x2'x17.5" enclosure or will providing enough hides be sufficient i plan on having at least 4 hides in the boaphile including a humidity hide. One of the hides in the aquarium is a humidity hide. Just a medium sized plastic tupperware container with some damp moss and a hole cut in the top i have a probe hygrometer placed in this hide as well at it stays between 85% and 90%. Is the humidity to high in this hide?

[Snakesitter]

Nismo, Boaphiles are an excellent choice, and much better than a glass tank. Kudos for planning ahead. During her temporary stay in the aquarium, make sure to carefully cover the top (to prevent all humidity from leaking out) and carefully monitor temps, as another flaw of glass tanks is temperature control. An adult-size enclosure will not stress a baby snake so long as there are hides available to duck into. The humidity in the moist hide is perfect for a baby, so no need to worry.

Best regards,

[Nismo89]

Nismo, Boaphiles are an excellent choice, and much better than a glass tank. Kudos for planning ahead. During her temporary stay in the aquarium, make sure to carefully cover the top (to prevent all humidity from leaking out) and carefully monitor temps, as another flaw of glass tanks is temperature control. An adult-size enclosure will not stress a baby snake so long as there are hides available to duck into. The humidity in the moist hide is perfect for a baby, so no need to worry.

Best regards,

Thanks! I have been researching the BRB for 3 months now and I found a semi local reptile shop/breeder who can give bloodlines back to great grandparents. Like I said I have the tank up and running for over a week and been monitoring it constantly and the temp gradient stays a constant 76-88 F throughout (substrate heat) with an ambient of 83 F. Also i have a plexiglass top on the aquarium. I just wanted to double and triple check everything before I actually brought the snake home. I am planning on getting him/her a week from this coming Saturday.

[DeesBalls]

a 20 gal long, is not big enough for an adult BRB. they need a minimum of 4x2x2 enclosure, and 20 gal long is just a tad little. even with the boaphile that seems a little small. a 20 gal long for now would be fine for now... but as an adult, i would suggest something around 4x2x2 feet.

something for the humidity is what you can do is take some plexiglass and have it cut to fit and have it on top of your cage, ... or i have seen people just cover 1/2-1/3 of the top with a warm towel, witch is what i use to do.

another thing to help is take a thing of water in a tupperwear container and put over the heat pad a lil bit, and that will help give off humidity..

sorry if none of this sounds good, im typing on my phone and it is a pain in the ***... any way...

i would suggest a bigger tank, and once you get the boaphile, humidity should not be a problem, but for the tank, use the plexiglass idea, or the towl, or a combination of them... hope i helped, i just went through alot of stuff with my BRB. so let me know if i can help.

[Nismo89]

a 20 gal long, is not big enough for an adult BRB. they need a minimum of 4x2x2 enclosure, and 20 gal long is just a tad little. even with the boaphile that seems a little small. a 20 gal long for now would be fine for now... but as an adult, i would suggest something around 4x2x2 feet.

something for the humidity is what you can do is take some plexiglass and have it cut to fit and have it on top of your cage, ... or i have seen people just cover 1/2-1/3 of the top with a warm towel, witch is what i use to do.

another thing to help is take a thing of water in a tupperwear container and put over the heat pad a lil bit, and that will help give off humidity..

sorry if none of this sounds good, im typing on my phone and it is a pain in the ***... any way...

i would suggest a bigger tank, and once you get the boaphile, humidity should not be a problem, but for the tank, use the plexiglass idea, or the towl, or a combination of them... hope i helped, i just went through alot of stuff with my BRB. so let me know if i can help.

Yeah I already have the plexiglass top and the humidity never drops below 70% right now. Im using zoo med forest floor cypress mulch bedding too so it stays slightly damp and keeps the tank humid with the UTH

[DeesBalls]

Yeah I already have the plexiglass top and the humidity never drops below 70% right now. Im using zoo med forest floor cypress mulch bedding too so it stays slightly damp and keeps the tank humid with the UTH

oh good, sorry, if you said that b4, i didnt read the whole thing, i was on my phone.. i would just look into a bigger tank...

[Nismo89]

oh good, sorry, if you said that b4, i didnt read the whole thing, i was on my phone.. i would just look into a bigger tank...

Yeah I've already picked out the boaphile and talked with the owner/builder over the phone about what all i would need. The snake would only be in the 20L for a little over a month. I've just been researching for so long and I got the aquarium on sale about a month ago (planned on getting some tropical fish to put in it) but I can't wait for the snake anymore lol. The fish can wait I've wanted a snake since I was 5 I'm going on 21 now and finally have my own place and can actually care for a snake like a BRB now.

[DeesBalls]

I think the boaphile is too small too...

[Nismo89]

I think the boaphile is too small too...

I'm buying the 3'x2'x17.5" with the one extendable end so i can extend it in a year or so or whenever I have the funds to add on another cage of the same size.

[Snakesitter]

The minimum recommended viv size for an adult Brazilian is actually two by three feet. I typically go larger (four by two), but the animal should be fine either way. Smart move going with the expandable end -- one of the many reasons I like Boaphile caging!

[Nismo89]

Smart move going with the expandable end -- one of the many reasons I like Boaphile caging!

Exactly what drew me to the boaphiles and the fact that it comes set up so you know its sealed and its local so quick shipping lol.

[Nismo89]

I was wondering what type of moss is best for use in the BRB enclosure I see all sorts and pet stores and don't know if they are all safe for my snake. Is there any toxic moss for snakes?

[Snakesitter]

Go with New Zealand Sphagnum if you can get it. It resists molding extremely well, which many other types do not. Good luck!

[Nismo89]

Go with New Zealand Sphagnum if you can get it. It resists molding extremely well, which many other types do not. Good luck!

Thanks! I know they have that at my local pet store.

[DeesBalls]

The minimum recommended viv size for an adult Brazilian is actually two by three feet. I typically go larger (four by two), but the animal should be fine either way. Smart move going with the expandable end -- one of the many reasons I like Boaphile caging!

I always read that it was 4 by 2, huh.. sorry for misunderstanding.

[Nismo89]

So I have had the cage up and going for some time now and with some holes cut in the top for ventilation the humidity stays a constant at 80% for three days then it starts to drop and i let it fall to 60% and spray up to 80% again. I was just wondering if it is bad that it hardly dries out for such a long time. The substrate is zoo med forest floor cypress mulch so I don't think it will mold I have been keeping an eye on it and there are no signs of mold. I was just wondering if by it staying so humid (theres are some little water droplets on the glass but it is mostly just foggy) my snake could have some sort of complications. I don't have the snake in the enclosure yet by the way.

[SnakeyJay]

It should be fine... just make sure theres a dry hide/area so they can dry off if they need.

[Snakesitter]

No worries, Lil Boa...and far better to err on on the big side than the small side!

Snakey Jay, good response. Nismo, Brazilians have evolved to not only tolerate, but thrive in, high humidty conditions.

[Nismo89]

Thanks guys. Also how deep should the substrate be? Are they burrowers I can't seem to find anything that says either way. I have between an inch and a half and 2 inches of substrate in the enclosure right now

[SnakeyJay]

I go for about 2 incges as my female loves to burrow. Finding her can be fun tho :)

[Snakesitter]

They absolutely love to burrow. I've even seen them try to burrow into my soft blue pillow during picture time...tough luck, little guys.... ;-) Make it deep enough so that the animal can submerge, in other words it will start shallow (an inch) and get deeper as your snake grows.