Before I get my BRB....

[Vysathi]

Hello all, I'm new on the block. Part of why I joined up was because this seems like an excellent and knowledgeable community.

I am in the process of clearing up the space for a tank (I know where I want it, just have to relocate the items already there) and getting all set up for my first solo-owned snake. My family had pythons when I was younger, but my eye (and possibly heart) has been caught by a little Brazilian rainbow boa at the local PetCo. It's the only one they have, and I think the little one is adorable.

I've already visited the boa a few times, and it seems healthy. I've checked its skin, no parasites. It's active outside of it's enclosure, though runs a bit cooler than I would think is safe (I say this because my hands tend to be cold, and the snake was cool to my touch). The little one is very well tempered, and the fellow I spoke with who cares for the herps and large insects back there mentioned doing a lot of handling to get the boa used to it. I don't think it's getting enough humidity in there, since it's right next to habitats that have almost no humidity. Next time I go visit, I'm going to try to check the boa's gums and make sure its mouth looks healthy.

Do you lovely folks with the experience have any other suggestions for me? At this point, I plan on taking it to the vet a couple days after I get it home and settled. (I have a cat, my little fur baby, and I got a herp vet referral from my cat's vet.)

The space I have for the tank will accommodate a base of 18 X 48 inches, and I would like something with a front opening access if possible. I would love it if the tank was big enough for my boa long term- so we don't play the 'replace the outgrown tank' game. However, in some of the reading I've done folks claimed that smaller snakes don't always do well in larger tanks, describing frantic or confused behavior. What do you all think about this? Get a smaller tank and replace it when it's time, or is a larger tank okay?

I do have a friend that has snakes and gave me some tips about keeping everything balanced. (i.e. spraying things down a couple times a day, not using an under tank heat source, maintaining humidity by draping a towel over top, etc.) While I value her input, of course, I would also value the input of folks on here who are also experienced. This friend mostly has pythons, I think 3 ball and 2 redtail, but I'm not sure. So I wanted to check in with folks who are more familiar with boas specifically, and rainbows even more specifically.

I really appreciate the time! Please let me know what y'all think.

[And while I know that a large brand pet store isn't the most fantastic place to acquire a pet, of any kind really, the little one caught my attention when I was wandering around. I would like to provide it a good home and take care of it. I know that there are folks in the world (not saying on here, I have some friends like this) that rail against supporting brand pet stores because of the sometimes very unhealthy pets that come out of them. I had a bearded dragon for a time that was seriously ill after coming out of a brand store too young, so I get it. I wanted to clarify that I'm aware of these problems. However, I kinda love the little boa, and I think giving it a good place and a healthy life is more important than not supporting the store. /rant about consumerism]

Thanks! Vysathi.