Colombian Rainbow Setup Pics Please

[dawnhorn]

Hi, guys and gals!
The setup I have for my little girl seems to be working out great in terms of temp and humidity and size, but am looking for ideas for something different as she gets bigger. I am thinking of building a custom enclosure, but would not be against purchasing one of appropriate size for a grown CRB if that would be a better route. I am concerned, of course, with materials because of the high humidity and would love her to have a house she would be the most comfortable in. This is for the future, so it would be for a full grown CRB. I am wondering if anyone might be able to post pictures of their setups to give me some ideas to work with. Thanks for your help!

[millertime89]

this is what works for me.
I have a glass aquarium with a screen mesh top. The screen I coverd with aluminum foil and cut a hole over the humid/cold side to allow for fresh air, but its partially covered to keep the warmth/humidity in (I use a hide that is currently too big for him). I use Cyprus mulch as substrate and have two hides with a vine going between them if he wants to go arboreal for a bit.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6079/6129633302_912f656a43_b.jpg
Its actually mirrored at this time as I needed to add a heat lamp on the outside of the glass to raise temps a bit as the weather here gets cooler. I switched it around because the hot side used to be on the left but I wanted it on the right because its closer to the outlet.
edit: this is for a BRB, but the husbandry is the same.

[dawnhorn]

Thanks Kyle! That's pretty much what I have her in now, but mine is so much busier! From what I was reading I needed hides on the warm and cool sides and in the middle plus water dishes on both the warm and cool side. Needless to say, it looks a tad on the cluttered side! Is it safe to say that what I read was incorrect and that I can de-clutter? I had also read that they were supposed to have a dry place to go should they choose to do so. So right now, she is in a 20 gallon with 4 hides, 2 water dishes, and various sticks to climb on as well as artificial greenery. She still has room to roam, but also lots of places to hide which I suppose she enjoys, but a little simpler would be much easier.

[Nismo89]

You would be fine with just one hide on each side and then I just keep my water dish in the middle. I keep the hot side hide a little drier and have leaves covering a pile of moss in the back corner for a humid place on the warm side as well.

[Snakesitter]

Dawn, less is often more -- and saves you a lot of time. I have over 40 Brazilians right now (well, counting babies at least), and not one of them has more than one hide and one water dish. (Though two hides are fine too.)

[ladyjustice33]

I just ordered two custom wood enclosures for my CRB's. The inside is some kind of heat treated board resistant to water, etc. They are 18x18x48. Can't wait to get them set up!!!

[dawnhorn]

Thanks Brian and Cliff! Sounds like Tia and I will do some rearranging tomorrow! Nice to know I don't need all that stuff crammed in there! Brian, I love the idea of the leaves over the moss! Are you using real leaves? If so, do you have more of a problem with mold? Could I use leaves from fake plants to go over the moss?
Kat, may I ask where you ordered your enclosures and what the price range is on those? I would love to see pictures when you get them all set up...how exciting!

[Nismo89]

They are just fake leaves. I haven't had a problem with mold at all lately just check the moss daily is what I do and make it damp not soaked you don't want any water dripping off. What I do intially is wet the moss in the sink then squeeze out all the extra water until no more water is getting squeezed out and after that I just mist it when need be.

[dawnhorn]

Thanks alot Brian! I'm very excited to get started!

[Nismo89]

Always happy to help! Lets see some pics of the CRB i'm a sucker for all rainbow boas

[dawnhorn]

I would be happy to post pics of her! I just fed her last night and don't want to disturb her until she has time to digest her meal, but here is a picture of her just after I received her (about a month ago).
I think she is so beautiful! She is very active, alert and healthy. She was pretty nippy when she first arrived and I took her out of the box (who wouldn't be? I would have been freaked out also!), but hasn't been since. My husband (who must love me a WHOLE bunch!) is very afraid of snakes. He is okay with the corn snakes because they are bright colors, but my CRB freaks him out because she looks like a "wild snake" lol! I can't stop staring at her, she is sooooo gorgeous! I love that rainbow sheen! I will post more pictures in a couple days. Forgive the crummy photography skills...not sure if it's my camera or the lack of knowing how to get nice, clear,crisp shots!?

[Nismo89]

Very nice looking. How old? Taking pictures of rainbows is an art form I am yet to master its just so difficult to pick up their iridescence you have to be at the perfect angle to get it with the camera.

[dawnhorn]

I am honestly not sure how old she is? She was listed as a CB well started CRB. I thought she would be much smaller than she was when I got her. She's about 2 feet give or take (I'm sure I could never get an accurate measurement she is way too active!), but has more girth than I had expected. She is a great eater, unfortunately I am having trouble getting her switched over to the F/T. I have waiting a couple weeks before feeding (hoping she would be good and hungry), tried braining, even slitting one open at the throat and just yesterday tried feeding a F/T after a live fuzzy. It was a large fuzzy which seemed about perfect for her leaving a bump in her belly after feeding if that is any indication on age/size. I am thinking next time I will try a smaller live before the F/T. I definitely want to get her on F/T as soon as possible. I saw a picture yesterday of a ball python that was mauled by a live feeder...gruesome, horrific and very sad!

[millertime89]

don't even offer live, start giving pre-killed (you kill before offering) and then try switching to f/t after that.

[youngster]

I got a pair of corns yesterday and I figured I would feed them. The male didn't hesitate he struck and constricted but the female didn't seem too interested. So what I did was I put her in a plastic bin with the mouse and put a shirt over it. I checked back in about 5 minutes and she was eating it. I recommend doing that.

[dawnhorn]

Thanks Eli! That's what I had to do with one of my corns...it was the magic ticket! It hasn't worked for Tia yet though. Kyle, at the risk of sounding like a newbie...how do I kill it? Thump it over the head? She went 3 weeks without any food before this last time I fed her. How long can she safely go without food if the fresh killed gets the same result as the F/T? She is plump and healthy. I was offering a F/T every 5 days or so, is this an acceptable time frame between attempts? Thanks for your help! Sorry for straying off the setup subject, too!

[millertime89]

everything I've read for a young snake says 5 days is fine. I go 7 myself, but it'll be 9 since his last feed and 5 till his next one. They can go as long as necessary as long as they don't start looking thin or losing too much weight.
what I've read says use a screw driver, place at the base of the neck, grab the tell firmly, and give the mouse/rat a swift jerk upwards snapping the neck. You can bop them on the head to stun them if you want which leaves them harmless as if they're dead, but still living, and if you accidentally kill them, oh well...

[dawnhorn]

ewwww...time to turn off the girly emotions for that one, but I think I can do it to get my sweet little girl eating safer food! If only those little mice weren't so darn cute!! Thanks for the tips everyone! Wish me luck! I will let you know how it works out the next time I feed her!

[Snakesitter]

Dawn, Kyle and Eli offered excellent suggestions above. Avoid live if you can, and if you do have to offer it, supervise closely the whole time.

[dawnhorn]

Thanks Cliff! I am going to try the pre-killed thing this next time (and any subsequent times as needed) followed by the F/T. I'm sure if she gets hungry enough, she will eat what is offered and maybe find out it's not so bad after all. When I got my corns, they had been being fed live and I was very worried about switching, but they both took to the F/T right away (big relief!), I guess some snakes are just more stubborn than others. Sometimes they just don't know what's best for them...silly snakes lol.