adult boa enclosure question

nolagurl · 10-05-03, 02:27 AM

I need a new enclosure for my 6' RTB. I've been perusing various websites but I really don't want to spend $350+$50 (USD) shipping for something that I could possibly have made locally.

I'm interesed in building a 6ft long enclosure that is 2ft wide and 3 ft tall. Is this an exorbitant amount of space?

I have no carpentry skills save for the *some assembly required* type furniture. My grandpa is pretty handy however and I just need to coax him into building it for me.

Invictus · 10-05-03, 11:45 AM

Height is absolutely wasted on redtail boas. If anything, make it 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. Boas will use whatever ground space you give them, so 6 x 3 will be more than enough, but not overkill. Your boa will probably be quite content with the space.

nolagurl · 10-05-03, 01:38 PM

I have her in a 3ft long cage now. I've asked two people for advice (one of which has 80+ snakes in his collection, so he knows a thing or two) and they have both said that if I have the space in house I should make the enclosure at least 5 ft. long.

She (the boa) has been acting more *curious* than normal lately. I asked someone at my local zoo what she thought and she said it might be that she's outgrown her cage.

When I have her out of her cage she does quite a bit of climbing, hence why I thought it would be a good idea to give her some climbing space in the tank.

Invictus · 10-05-03, 07:15 PM

Or it could be that she's just feeling more secure. Yes, for a fully grown boa, 5 feet is a god length, but I have a 6.5' BCI in a 3x2x2, and he's perfectly content in that too. He curls up most of the time anyway.

Your boa may or may not use the climbing space. When she's fully grown, she probably won't. it's not required for a boa to feel safe in their environment - they are primarily terrestrial.

Linds · 10-05-03, 11:06 PM

If you wish to give your snake a shelf it may use it. Adult boas can be found up in the trees in the wild. You can never build a cage to large, after all in the wild they are not confined to a 4' box. Most adult BCI can be housed in enclosures as small as 4Lx2Wx1H. Whatever additional space you choose to provide your snake with is up to you. General rule of thumb is one square foot of floor space per foot of snake.