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01-31-11, 03:30 AM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
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Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
So, I purchased a 4 month old Het Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(or something like that) and brought him home, switched out the bedding for what the breeder recommended, Jungle Earth, said it contained humidity well. Put his two hidey spots in there, one on the hot side, one on the cool side, and a soaking/water dish in the center. I also soaked the bedding so it'd evaporate to raise humidity. Yes, I know it's not 100% safe since it can cause mold to grow, especially with the humidity needed, but I do stir the bedding around from time to time, and after a day or two I dig to the bottom to see if it evaporated well. I've only had him for about 14 hours but I've had the cage ready for weeks, just had to switch out bedding. So, I ofcourse put him in there after it was all ready, misted and watered.
Now, I'd been monitoring the humidity, checking every 30 - 60 minutes to see how high it'd go with half of the top duct taped to prevent too much being lost and the other half having the heat lamp over it. I found after an hour or two it got to 70% humidity and began to decline to 60%. I was trying to get it to 80% or higher since that's what the breeder recommended. So, I ripped all the duct tape off, took a towel and cut out a circle for the lamp and soaked it in warm water, squeezed some out so it'd be damp, and put it over the lid. It instantly boosted the humidity to 70%, and over an hour or so it got up to 80% and stayed, so I'm content for now, but then the high humidity amplified the heat to 93 F, and I felt that was too high, so I switched light bulbs to the night light and it dropped to 80 F. I don't think that's too bad but I feel 85 F would be better.
So, my question is, is light an absolute must? Because I have a ceramic heat bulb I could also try, but it doesn't put out light. It's just, the day bulb gets way too hot with the humidity. Would lowering wattage help? I think it was a 100 or 75 watt bulb.
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
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01-31-11, 04:42 AM
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#2
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Non Carborundum Illegitimi
Join Date: Mar-2010
Location: Keynsham
Age: 49
Posts: 9,556
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
I use ceramic bulbs for all my snakes - i am not aware that any snakes need to have light in their enclosures.
__________________
May you have more good days than bad
You never know how strong you are - until being strong is your only choice
There are no dark clouds - just well hidden silver linings!!
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01-31-11, 05:03 AM
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#3
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lankyrob
I use ceramic bulbs for all my snakes - i am not aware that any snakes need to have light in their enclosures.
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Mmk then~ I'll be sure to give it a try, see if I can get around 85 F. Thanks~
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
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01-31-11, 08:31 AM
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#4
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Posts: 48
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
no they dont need the light. really the only purpose for the light is for viewing purposes.
as for keeping the humidity high......put the jungle earth or in my case i just use paper towels, and dampen it and put it in his hide. i just use a plastic container then you dont have to worry about keeping the entire cage high in humidity.
hope this helps
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01-31-11, 08:33 AM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Posts: 48
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
and def hook your heater to a thermostat. BRB are really easy to kill with the temps being to high.
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01-31-11, 02:45 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Glen Burnie
Posts: 22
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
I had a lot of problems with my BRB cage when I first got him. I use the jungle bed also, but I have moss in his hides and a little mixed throughout the bedding. He usually gets misted once or twice a day. I also have a plastic bag wrapped around one edge of the tank and a towel over that, and I got a thermostat so that I could keep the heat where I wanted it, and I use a 50 watt ceramic heat emitter. Since I got the thermostat, everything has stayed good in his cage.
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01-31-11, 03:42 PM
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#7
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
Ok then, so, when you say hooking it up to a thermostat, it makes me think as in hooking it up to yanno... Typical house thermostat but I'm sure you're talking something that can be purchased and plugged in, right? So, any links to good, reliable thermostats?
I did tell the breeder I planned on using, I think, Zoomed's adjustable fogger, and he said it was completely useless and only for looks... Now I personally think foggers -do- boost humidity, since I did buy one for an iguana I used to own and it worked wonderfully, I just think I ran the motor out. Though, this one is a completely different design, uses.. like a water container hooked into a plastic base upside down so the water flows into it and then it turns it into fog through a tube that goes into the cage top. Even though it seemed like a great thing... I didn't go for it because I want what's best for my snake and I don't want to endanger its health.
At any rate, since you're saying high temps are bad with these kinds, is 85 F, day temp, acceptable for them? As well as 80 F for night temp?
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
Last edited by Sapphyr; 01-31-11 at 03:44 PM..
Reason: Typo
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01-31-11, 04:16 PM
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#8
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Non Carborundum Illegitimi
Join Date: Mar-2010
Location: Keynsham
Age: 49
Posts: 9,556
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
If you sepwitch to ceramics WITH a thermostat then you can leave it running 24/7 and there would be no drop in temps overnight. All my snakes are kept constant temps.
__________________
May you have more good days than bad
You never know how strong you are - until being strong is your only choice
There are no dark clouds - just well hidden silver linings!!
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01-31-11, 04:25 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Glen Burnie
Posts: 22
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
I'm not getting a fogger until mine is in its adult enclosure, right now he's just in a 10 gallon so its not too hard to mist it and it stays humid for awhile. I have the zilla 500 watt temperature controller. it was about $35 at a reptile show and has given me great peace of mind. I have my thermostat set at around 83F or 85F on the hot side so his cool side stays 78F to 80F.
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01-31-11, 04:58 PM
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#10
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
Mmk then. I'll look into getting a thermostat.
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
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01-31-11, 06:57 PM
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#11
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Captain America
Join Date: Dec-2009
Location: Farmington IL.
Age: 55
Posts: 10,602
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
You never said what kind of cage do you have your BRB in? I found with babies with high humidity requirement like Rainbow and Blood python they do really well in Totes. They help hold humidity, are cheaper and easily heated with a UTH = under tank heater and thermostat. Once they get about 9 months or older then you can move them to something else. I use Reptile Bark i only have to mist once every two days.
__________________
Boas: 1.0 Pastel, 2.2 Brazilian Rainbows Pythons: 0.1 Lesser Royal, The Carpets 2.0 Jungle, 1.0 Jungle x Jag, 0.1 Tiger Jag, 0.1 Coastal Cheers Chuck
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02-01-11, 01:40 AM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
Quote:
Originally Posted by marvelfreak
You never said what kind of cage do you have your BRB in? I found with babies with high humidity requirement like Rainbow and Blood python they do really well in Totes. They help hold humidity, are cheaper and easily heated with a UTH = under tank heater and thermostat. Once they get about 9 months or older then you can move them to something else. I use Reptile Bark i only have to mist once every two days.
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I'm using a 10 gallon tank. Never heard of a tote, but heard of rubbermaids, shoeboxes(?), etc. working well. I've switched bulbs 3 times, yes, I have alot of different heat bulbs. I've found one that keeps the heat at 83 - 85F. Only thing now is the humidity keeps dropping to 70%, but it does lack some moss and it could use live plants to up humidity.
I'd use an UTH but I heard that it can, at times, get so hot it cracks the glass.
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
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02-01-11, 02:33 AM
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#13
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Posts: 48
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
a really easy fix for the hunidity or in your case in a 10 gallon with a screen lid is just to put a piece of moist paper towel in a tupperware just big enough for the snake, so he feels secure. this way you dont have to worry about sifting the mulch and what notm just every so often dampen the paper towel. my brbs are newspaper and they love in their hides. quick cheap n ez
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02-01-11, 04:15 AM
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#14
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Member
Join Date: Jan-2011
Location: Lexington, KY
Age: 33
Posts: 846
Country:
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
Well, I was having too many issues with the 10 gallon and moved him to the 20 gallon. The breeder said he would have been fine in it should I choose to put him there. I originally worried the space would stress him, but if the breeder said it was fine, and I did bring that up with him, then I guess it is.
My reasoning behind moving him was because, I also have a fly problem, and the 10 gallon tank top mesh was big enough to let them through and into the cage, even with the wet towel on top. The 20 gallon's top is woven tightly enough to prevent them from flying into it. I just don't think their presence is good for the snake's health. So, now I got the same ground set up, hidey spot on both sides, water dish in the middle and soaked bedding, but I got the day bulb on one side and the night bulb on the other so there's a cool side and warm side.
I will look into taking a tubberware container and putting a wet paper towel into it as well. Later this week I'll get a bag of moss and place some in the tubberware container.
__________________
Xybe - Baby Hypo Brazilian Rainbow Boa(M)
Ouro - Baby Albino Western Hognose (M)
Myra - Baby Jag x Coastal Carpet Python (F)
Ryu - Adult Leopard Gecko(M)
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02-01-11, 07:15 PM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Dec-2010
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 2,787
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Re: Brazilian Rainbow Boa husbandry question
First, congratulations on your new pet! Wonderful choice…not that I’m, umm, biased or anything…. ;-)
You do not need a light, as Lankyrob noted. Brazilians in particular are both secretive and nocturnal by nature. Not a single one of my vivs has its own light; I just use a central room light on a computer timed to mimic a daily light cycle, including sunrise and sunset. In-viv lights are more for us than them. ;-)
Heat, as Natedog noted, can kill these snakes fast. Try to never go above 85, as that is where it gets lethal. Yes, low humidity is bad, but high temps are worse. I aim for a range of 72 low to 82 high in mine, which leaves me a good bit of “emergency” room in case temps somehow spike. As others have already noted, a thermostat is a must for this species. I use Herpstats (expensive) and a Ranco (cheaper but still not cheap), but there are other good and less costly options out there.
Humidity can be tricky. It sounds like you have a good substrate and hide. You can try adding a large, flat waterbowl, partly positioned in the heat to aid evaporation; reducing the air exchange with the room by mostly covering the top with a piece of plexiglass; and eliminating the heat bulb, as it can dry the air out (use undercage or radiant instead). Also, be careful of the towel trick: I’ve not experienced any issues, but have heard it is a fire risk.
I hope this helps, and again congrats on your new pet! Pictures, please?
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