Cage Temp Question

[cbgarner2002]

My newly acquired boa constrictor is currently in a vision cage that is 28" wide - 22" deep - 12" high. She was born in April of this year and is roughly 2.5 feet, I'd say, perhaps slightly shorter. She has 11 or 12 inch (I can't honestly remember) heat tape running along the entire back half of the enclosure as belly heat and has one of those commercial black plastic hides over her hotspot with a temp of 90 degrees being fairly constant (88 to 91 or so, depending on day vs night). She also has a large water dish that she can easily soak in, if she wishes. My question is about the ambient temp. She doesn't do a lot of wandering around and tends to stay in her hide (aka the hot spot) for the majority of the time. The ambient temp in the room itself averages around 72 degrees or so and in the cage is roughly 74 on the cool end. Is it too cold for her and that's why she is in her hide constantly? I've had her for almost two weeks now and she's eaten for me once so far. Other than heat tape I'm just not sure how to heat the ambient temp of the enclosure without rigging up a basking bulb of some sort because my room (where she lives) is already the warmest in the house (by far). Any thoughts? I'm reluctant to try a heating source that she could potentially come into contact with (such as a bulb of some sort) so other than using more heat tape I'm not sure what I could do. Could it be that its still a new situation to her so she's just a bit shy due to acclimation? Would love some suggestions, thanks!

[jay's reptiles]

Originally Posted by cbgarner2002

My newly acquired boa constrictor is currently in a vision cage that is 28" wide - 22" deep - 12" high. She was born in April of this year and is roughly 2.5 feet, I'd say, perhaps slightly shorter. She has 11 or 12 inch (I can't honestly remember) heat tape running along the entire back half of the enclosure as belly heat and has one of those commercial black plastic hides over her hotspot with a temp of 90 degrees being fairly constant (88 to 91 or so, depending on day vs night). She also has a large water dish that she can easily soak in, if she wishes. My question is about the ambient temp. She doesn't do a lot of wandering around and tends to stay in her hide (aka the hot spot) for the majority of the time. The ambient temp in the room itself averages around 72 degrees or so and in the cage is roughly 74 on the cool end. Is it too cold for her and that's why she is in her hide constantly? I've had her for almost two weeks now and she's eaten for me once so far. Other than heat tape I'm just not sure how to heat the ambient temp of the enclosure without rigging up a basking bulb of some sort because my room (where she lives) is already the warmest in the house (by far). Any thoughts? I'm reluctant to try a heating source that she could potentially come into contact with (such as a bulb of some sort) so other than using more heat tape I'm not sure what I could do. Could it be that its still a new situation to her so she's just a bit shy due to acclimation? Would love some suggestions, thanks!

You do need to remember a hiding snake is a healthy snake.


If she was constantly moving around and trying to get out. That would mean you have a unheathly snake.

If you still worried than i would just bump the cool side up to about 75.

[bigsnakegirl785]

She's just as likely (if not more likely) to get burned on that heat tape, even with it on the outside, if it were to malfunction. Usually, as long as the bulb is on the outside or surrounded by a cage, it doesn't really pose a burn hazard.

RHPs are also a good option as they shouldn't get hot enough to burn them if they were to come into contact with it. Imo, ambient heat is always the better option when possible, as it heats the ambients (air they're going to breathe in or come into contact with outside of their hides) and provides belly heat. RHPs are the best ambient provider to use if you want belly heat.

I personally keep my ambients in the 80's, so it's possible it is too cold for her if the only warm spot she has is the hot hide.

Although hiding is normal, boa constrictors are a species that quite often ignore hides, even as babies. That doesn't mean they shouldn't offered one, but just means that they're just as prone to sleep outside a hide as they are inside one.

I also want to say, it's been 2 weeks, that isn't really enough time for a snake to completely settle in, it could take a few months for a snake to get into a regular routine in a new home. Activity, and trying to escape are all normal, healthy, and behavior you want to see in your snake. A snake that sits in one spot 24/7 is just as "unhappy" as a snake that never stops moving. As long as the snake is out at species-appropriate times of the day, isn't rubbing, or acting otherwise unusually, a certain level of activity is normal and should be expected. I do also want to repeat: boa constrictors do not always use hides. Oftentimes I will find my boas sleeping out in the open, even during the day (although the vast majority of the time they hide away during the day with maybe their head laying outside the hide). They go through phases where they favor their hides or they avoid them, but they all use them regularly. They just don't always spend 100% of their time in them. This includes babies.

[dannybgoode]

Boas area also nocturnal so will hide in the day.

[cbgarner2002]

She definitely sticks her head out of the hide (which is downright cute, might I add) to check things out periodically throughout the day.