Uh newbie here, have Q's about Red Tails

[Squeaktoy]

Ahaha my brother was gonna take the 4 foot red tailed boa (5 yr old female named Guts) but he can't so now its with me. I just got a raise so i can get the necessities. I need verification if what I'm planning is ok. I also hope I can put the enclosure on carpet floor because unfortunatly i also have
One ten gallon of Hermit crabs
2 ten gallons of tropical fish
4 bettas
so there is NO shelf space in my room. None. But this snake needs the best care, so i plan on giving that to her. Here's my list.
Hideaway trunk of sorts
some branches
Water Conditioner
Feeding Plastic Tank (The lee's kritter keeper rectangular breeder looks good for that)
Main Plastic Enclosure 6' X 24" X 24"
(I dont know how I'm gonna get that, I'm 5'5'' and I dont have alot of room. I may have to move some stuff around in the corner of my room to get it in
Ceramic Heater bulb and any attachments that needs
More/bigger water dishes?
Squirt bottle
Tank cleaners?
Humidity/temp gauges
Humidifier

Any suggestions and please don't go over the top, she just needs to be ok happy. And i will have to be going to Petco for this stuff, its the closest pet store to me, unless theres someone else here in Las Vegas NV that can suggest a good store, i gotta go there for supplies. Thanks for reading,

[peterm15]

with exception of teh ceremic bulb.. walmart or similir..

tank cleaner use viniger/water or bleach/water

humidifer- theres some good home made ones on here just do a search

temp/humid gauge- walmart

heat tape might be better.. with a dimmer

use rubbermaid dishes.. bolt them to the side of the tank if nessassary

id say at MAX like 80 bucks will buy all ( and im thinking in canada)

and hides dark coloured rubbermaids or similir shoebox ect..

and that tank may be way to large for that snake to feel sucure..


all this is my opinion from what i have read, not personal experence and i dont own any snakes..

someone please verify or contridict my info just in case..

[HumphreyBoagart]

5 years old, 4ft long? What kind of red tail is it?
If it's a columbian BCI is should be ALOT bigger than that by now. The last BCI is had was 4 or 5 feet by it's first birthday, and it was a male which generally stay alot smaller than females. Anyways good luck with the snake and the setup, make sure you get the husbandry (temps, humidity, etc.) before you put the snake into the enclosure. Oh yeah and welcome to the site!
Hump.

[RepTylE]

I was wondering about the size too. Maybe an underestimation of the length??

[Linds]

I agree, a properly fed boa will typically average around 3-4 feet by their first year. By 5 years of age, they will have completed the bulk of their growth. As for your setup (also keeping in mind that a lot of the stuff you need you can get much cheaper at places like Walmart, garden centres, the great outdoors, etc.)...

I would recommend going with belly heat vs. ceramic heaters or lamps. Far more efficient way of heating... lower wattage = less money, less fire hazard, and also heat rises, so it makes more sense to heat from the bottom. If you do choose to go with belly heat, I would recommend putting a board beneath the cage as a barrier between the carpet.

If you choose to use hides, make sure that you have at least two, so that your boa doesn't have to choose security over temperature.

A humidifier may not be necessary, as a properly constructed cage should be easy to control the humidity. Boas do not require very high humidity either.

I would skip the feeding container. It is best to feed in the enclosure in most cases. Not only do you carry a risk of regurgitation from moving your snake around after having fed it, you also leave yourself open to the good possibility of getting bit. Boas are voracious feeders most of the time, and can stay in 'feeding mode' for quite some time afterwards. Contrary to somehwat common belief, your snake will not learn to associate it's cage with feeding, if it is fed in it, nor will it become agressive.

For cleaning I use either or a combination of undiluted peroxide or undiluted vinegar. Very effective and completely safe.

For water dishes, I find the big ceramic dog dishes work great. Boas tend to spill things, which is why these work well as they are tip-proof. Water conditioners aren't really necessary either. For a water bottle, I use the 2 gallon garden sprayers.

[Squeaktoy]

Oh no she is NOT eating her medium live rat. Is it because she has not alot of room to stretch out, or was it because she was cold, or humidity may be off, or she does'nt like albinos? shes usually good at eating dinner, i have no friggin clue. this is happened to me b4 with a ball python, so just these expireences(sp) have made me not want to keep a snake. Fish and Hermit crabs are easier to feed =( even though this is a beautiful snake

[Linds]

Ball Pythons and Boas are VERY different. Boas tend to be more consistent feeders, whereas Ball Pythons are naturally sporadic, so you cannot compare the two. Ball Pythons also typically pose more problems than your average Boa... imports can be loaded with existing health problems and be highly stressed, and even CBB ones can be easily stressed to the point of non-feeding. You also have to know how to distinguish your Ball Python refusing to feed because there is a problem, or it just not needing to feed. Boas usually eat whenever you give it to them, and don't stress as easily.

You never mentioned how you were keeping her. You gave us a list of what you were intending on using, but that was it. What is the setup *ecaxtly* like? What are the temperatures? How are you measuring them?

Also, make sure to check out this FAQ sheet (it's also posted at the top of this forum ) http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showt...threadid=49220

[Squeaktoy]

Okeydokey, she is definatly not eating the rat, so im taking it back. tomorrow I'm gonna have to sell her to an exotic pet store. if i cant provide the care she needs, i gotta give her to someone who can. however, her skin is looking a little saggy? she might be losing weight? its not shedding. is that a problem with selling her?

[RB420]

umm are you positive about that age/weight?

[HeatherRose]

Generally, you won't be doing the snake a favour by selling it to a pet store. Pet stores are notorious for not caring for their animals well...

If you must sell it, sell it privately to a good home.

My advice is to stick with it though, missing a meal doens't mean it's a lost cause, don't give up just yet... the saggy skin could be a sign of dehydration, has she been drinking? Just wait a while before offering more food, and use this time to check the temps and humidity, and get them to what they should be.

[Squeaktoy]

its not that i think the snake is a lost cause, i just cannot stand keeping the 'food' if the snake does not want to eat it. rats smell, make noises and my mom is petrified of them, and its just highly irritating to keep it (the rats i mean) so much that i am not keeping the snake. my best friends brother got a ball python from there(the shop that i am selling the snake to) and the snakes eating and doing awesome. ill walk in first and if the snakes don't look healthy i will leave and check out another, until i find a suitable place for her. I also don't really have the room, money or time so this snake has to be sold for its well being. but if the petstore looks bad, i will walk out. thanks for the advice ill see what i can do about temp and humidty, what should they be at? ive read confliting stuff, and i am confused.

[HeatherRose]

Why not attempt to switch to frozen prey?

It doesn't smell, is quiet and is easy to keep.

Just takes a little patience, but is WAY better overall for the snake.

[Squeaktoy]

where do i get frozen prey? shes been fed live all her life as far as I'm concerned. I have never seen frozen prey. but even with that i have made the decision not to keep the snake. the only reason why i have it is because...
some guy named keith or whatever had the 2 snakes, but had to move to a much smaller apartment, and had to get rid of the snakes. My brother got them and kept them, but he was moving into an aprtment with my other brother and his GF, but the GF said NO SNAKES (they have a small dog, gerbil and rat too) so my brother decided to take the snake anyways. i told her that if she couldn't handle it she could call me and i'd pick her(the snake) up. the snake is 5 yr old red tailed boa and she was in the closet where it was dark. I took her, thought about keeping her and then decided i dont have the time/money anything to keep a snake. so she has to be sold, even though i really like her. Anyone here from Las Vegas?

[HeatherRose]

Frozen prey widely available, at both petstores and through private breeders that ship.

It prevents injuries from the rat/mouse to the snake and eliminates the possibility of the prey carrying parasites over to the snake as well.

Good luck finding her a better home, I'm sure all this moving around has been pretty stressful...

[Squeaktoy]

Oh yes i think thats why she isn't eating, she's been moved around too much. i didn't even think about that. maybe much much later in my life ill get a ball python, those are pretty nice, but thats for MUCH MUCH later when i can afford it...