I am newbie, Some questions for members with Red Tail Boas

[Squeaktoy]

I am new at keeping boas, ive recently inherited a 4 foot girl named Guts and i have several questions because i am having problems finding care sheets.

1. She needs a bigger inclosure. how big should it be, can someone give me examples of good ones for mine? should it be glass or plexi or wire? Please help, this is my most important question.

2. how frequently should i feed her a large rat (will be primarly shopping at Petco, any Las Vegas people here who can recommend a shop?)

3. i heard that in order to get a snake who has bitten you and wont let go to actually let go is to put some liquor in its mouth, taking care for him not to swallow, i read the whole article. what brand/type of stuff should i get just in case, i am a short girl and this snake is pretty big.

4. is there some decorations that dont do well with Red tail boas? whats good for them?

5. any suggestions on heaters, humidifiers equipment?

6. This will be my only snake, she will also be sharing a room with 4 aquariums and hermit crabs. any problems with my current pets and my new snake? (the snake is not in my room yet, thats what i am worried about.)

7. Handling. Can someone direct me somewhere for that.

And yes, i just found out that she can live up to 30 years. wow. thanks for reading and if you reply thank you so much, i just wanna provide the best care for this beautiful snake.

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

SQUEAKTOY:

Some of the info you need is here.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...threadid=58574

Feeds on that boa once a week to 1.5 weeks if fine if she is healthy and doing well. Maybe medium rats are better because I can not see her size other than your reference.

If bitten, spray warm water on face that works just fine with a spray bottle, but I don' t have to many experiences of being bitten.

As long as your other pets are separate from inside this boa' s cage your fine.

Handling there are a few sites I will need to look up, but if you have a fear of this snake maybe let someone with experience in handling help you through this, sometimes its best to see the handling before assuming you understand through a book or comment.

Good luck.

Tony

[Squeaktoy]

I'm not scared of the snake, just last night i draped it around my neck, it was kind of interesting. Im not really scared of her, im just overly careful, she bit before (not without good reason).
as for the large rats, well i sorta measured her last night, 4 foot, about 5 years old.
Warm water on their face gets them off? how interesting.
Thanks for the info.

[Squeaktoy]

i read the whole thread and i have some ideas now. How many gallons are those tanks you have for those snakes? should i use newspaper or substrate? do you know the temp/humidity requirements for boas? I am still kinda confused.

[Squeaktoy]

lets see if this works

http://community.webshots.com/script...ecurity=PqjPJA

[Linds]

Firstly, this FAQ sheet located at the top of this forum might be of assistance http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...threadid=49220

Draping around your neck is a handling no-no. A baby is fine (but don't be upset if you get nailed in the face ). I know at 4' it isn't a major threat, but still not a great idea either. These snakes are incredibly powerful, and often underestimated. Every single fatality associated with large boids and people has been a result of them improper handling them, and most if not all were by wearing them as a necklace. No such thing as a 'tame' snake, just a tolerant one. They are still instinctive animals, and all it takes is something to set off one of their highly tuned responses.

There are a lot of great cage manufacturers down in the states. Plastic caging is my personal favourite! Barrs, Boaphile, etc. would be ideal for your location. Stay away from wire on any cage, it will cause injury as well as it will not be able to hold any hea or humidity in.

4' is VERY small for either a true redtail or Colombian boa at 5 years of age. They generally do the bulk of their growing in the first 3 to 4 years.

As for water in the face, that likely will have no effect if a snake has latched on to you. Many boas will actually let you mist their faces in their enclosures when they are just sitting there. I've never used liquor, but any hard liquor would be suitable. Vinegar works quite well, just put some in their mouth and they should drop their bite.

An average, healthy adult boa should typically be fed approximately every 2 weeks for maintenance. However, it doesn't sound like you have a normal, healthy adult boa. If she is underweight or severaly stunted, you may want to feed at closer intervals. It's hard for us to say what your individual snake needs without seeing her firsthand, as well as her behaviours.

As for decorations, stay away from plants. Boas will just destroy them. Logs, large branches, platforms, hides, etc. are much more suitable