Rainbow boa terrarium questions

[sharthun]

Originally Posted by soad

What would be an appriate sized ap cage? If it's not bad for the snake I would like to get a cage that will Be a good size for an adult. She is currently 4 months old. And I was considering the radiant heat panel if that's a good choice. Also is there a light you can get that won't emit heat or lower the humidity of the cage. To top it off any suggestions on a reasonably priced thermostat to use? I currently use a zilla. Once again thank you all for your help she is currently doing great and is being taken care of well but I would like to get her a cage that is good to look at and equipment that is easier to control temps and humidity

Cliff should be able to answer the enclosure size question. But I think it's just fine to place a young snake in and adult sized enclosure, provided you have enough hides and cover for security. The larger the enclosure the easier it is to have temperature gradients. I have three AP t10's with rbi rhp's installed and love them. A very good inexpensive thermostat is the hydrofarm. I have 5 of them and they work great.

Hydrofarm thermostat:
Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Heat Mat Temperature Controller 6" at EssentialHardware.com

This is the cheapest shipped price online supplier for the hydrofarm tstat that I've found. Hope this helps!

[SnoopySnake]

Originally Posted by sharthun

Cliff should be able to answer the enclosure size question. But I think it's just fine to place a young snake in and adult sized enclosure, provided you have enough hides and cover for security. The larger the enclosure the easier it is to have temperature gradients. I have three AP t10's with rbi rhp's installed and love them. A very good inexpensive thermostat is the hydrofarm. I have 5 of them and they work great.

Hydrofarm thermostat:
Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Heat Mat Temperature Controller 6" at EssentialHardware.com

This is the cheapest shipped price online supplier for the hydrofarm tstat that I've found. Hope this helps!

All very good info^^ I would just get the adult enclosure and fill it with hides, lots of branches and lots of fake plants. I personally wouldn't go any smaller than a 4x2x2 for an adult enclosure.

[Snakesitter]

Size
Aim for at least six square feet of floor space, unless you plan to move up in sizes as the animal grows. (This is based on the "one square foot of floor space her foot of adult length" rule.) I actually go higher myself, and offer adults eight square feet. Height is not a concern, one foot is fine. As was noted by others, just be sure to add extra hides and other cover.

Heat
A radiant heat panel is fine, just a bit more pricey than undercage options.

Light
I generally do not recommend enclosure-level lighting for this species. They are shy and nocturnal by nature, so bright light is not high on their list. Just use room lighting.

Thermostat
I tend to go high-end, due to the increased accuracy and reduced risk of failure -- and because I buy the units with four controllers in one box. The Herpstat 5 is my unit of choice...though it's not cheap.

Good luck!

[soad]

Originally Posted by Snakesitter

Size
Aim for at least six square feet of floor space, unless you plan to move up in sizes as the animal grows. (This is based on the "one square foot of floor space her foot of adult length" rule.) I actually go higher myself, and offer adults eight square feet. Height is not a concern, one foot is fine. As was noted by others, just be sure to add extra hides and other cover.

Heat
A radiant heat panel is fine, just a bit more pricey than undercage options.

Light
I generally do not recommend enclosure-level lighting for this species. They are shy and nocturnal by nature, so bright light is not high on their list. Just use room lighting.

Thermostat
I tend to go high-end, due to the increased accuracy and reduced risk of failure -- and because I buy the units with four controllers in one box. The Herpstat 5 is my unit of choice...though it's not cheap.

Good luck!

Thank you for all the info! you've been a big help but I do have a final question for you. What are good temps for warm and cool side? I've seen different care sheets with different temps where one would say 87 on the warm and another would say above 85 can be dangerous.

[Snakesitter]

The last part is correct advice: 85F and over can be lethal, if the snake cannot get away from it.

I set up my enclosures with the goal of a ten-degree gradient: 72F low end, 82F warm end.

And you are very welcome!

[soad]

So if I wanted to grasp some knowledge on breeding and genetics for brbs would I have to get just a general boa book or do they have any specific ones. Not necessarily saying I'm going to start breeding but I am very interested in knowing lots more about it. Been having difficulties trying to get info.

[Snakesitter]

There are very few dedicated books on rainbows out there. There are also very few proven morphs, as the genetics on this species are still young. Look on Amazon under "rainbow boa" in books. If you can, however, please buy them from a reptile store or vendor rather than there. Good luck!