Red Tail Boa? Everything i Need To Have An Amazing Home For Her? List PLease?

Question

Red Tail Boa? Everything i Need To Have An Amazing Home For Her? List PLease?

Answer 1

cage

water dish - put on cold side of tank

2 hides - one on each side of tank hot and cold

cypress mulch for substrate - it holds humidity

heat lamp you want the temps around 85 - 90 F during the day... 70 - 75 F is ok for nighttime

some kind of driftwood (from pet store) to aid in shedding (for the snake to rub against it to help him/her shed).  they like to burrow...when i have burrowing snakes i always put enough substrate in so taht they can burrow

oh yeah and the snake too of course :)

Answer 2

well you'll need a cage, which all depends on the size of your red tail. You will also need a substrate and there are many suitable substrates such as paper towels, reptibark, aspen, newspaper, etc. Do some research to see what might fight your cage best. The best thing for a red tail is something for them to climb on so maybe some beach wood or some of that artificial vine at pet stores. You will also need some kind of heating element like a heat lamp  and a large water dish incase it would like to soak.

Answer 3

Recommended Supplies:

A secure enclosure

Heat mat

Heat lamp

A rheostat or thermostat to control heat mats

Thermometers

UVB light source(optional,but recommended)

Substrate

Logs or other items for hiding/climbing areas

Spill-resistant water bowl

Gloves

Snake hook

Care book

Housing – While young boas can be housed in small enclosures, you must be prepared to provide a much larger enclosure for an adult. The rule here is “the bigger, the better.” Ideally, you should provide an enclosure at least 6’L X 2’W X 2’H. The idea is to provide your animal with enough room to stretch out, and for a temperature range within its environment. Adult common and red tailed boas should not be kept in fish tanks!! You will need to provide a water dish large enough for the entire snake to soak in, some form of hiding space such as cork bark or a hide box, and some climbing branches will be readily utilized by these snakes. You can use paper, outdoor carpeting, cypress or aspen mulch,coconut fiber,alphapha (rabbit) pellets, even potting soil that does not contain perlite as a substrate. Irregardless of what substrate you use, it is vital that you keep it clean.

Hiding Place

A hiding place should be provided for Boas. A half-log (available at pet stores), an empty cardboard box or upside-down opaque plastic container, both with an access doorway cut into one end, can also be used. The plastic is easily cleaned when necessary; the box can be tossed out when soiled and replaced with a new one. Many Boas enjoy hanging out on branches; provide clean branches big enough to support the Boa's weight. If you use a found branch, soak first in the bleach/water solution, then clean water to thoroughly rinse; place in cage only when completely dry. If you use rocks and bricks to construct a cave, be sure to affix them firmly in place. Boas are very strong, and can easily topple such a structure when moving about. When the rocks tumble on the snake, severe injuries may result

Lighting and Heating:

Your boa will need a source of daytime lighting which can be provided by using a reptile daytime spot light. This will also provide a source of heat and a basking spot. You may also wish to provide a nighttime bulb or ceramic heater to maintain the temperature at night without the bright light which would disturb the snake at night. Do not use a white light at night! You should provide an overall enclosure temperature of 80-85°F with a basking spot around 95°F. Night time temperatures can drop to 75-80°F. If using light bulbs for heat, be sure that they are placed in such a way that the snake cannot contact any hot surfaces. You can also provide heat through under tank heaters and specialty reptile heating platforms. Be sure to use a thermoregulator to allow for better control over the temperature. The heated area does need to be large enough for the entire snake to bask. A small spot of heat will not be enough for a large snake.

NOTE: UVb for boas is usually considered unnessary but I still recommed it. I use full spectrum plant & aquarium fluorescent bulbs or 2.0 fluorescent reptile bulbs -these provide very low levels of UVa & UVb.

Humidity: The commn boas require a high relative humidity around 55%-75%. Maintaining this level of humidity will help to avoid illnesses and also aid the snake in shedding properly.

Here is a good online care sheet, it is in PDF format and can be down loaded.

http://www.redtailboas.com/care/TheUltim...

Books

-The Boa Constrictor Manual

by Philippe de Vosjoli

-Captive Husbandry and Propagation of the Boa Constrictors and Related Boas (Hardcover)

by David Fogel

-Complete Boa Constrictor: A Comprehensive Guide to the Care, Breeding, and Geographic Races

by Vincent Russo

Answer 4

she will need a vivarium obviously

or an aquarium

I personally prefer vivariums though as they hold the heat better

when she is fully grown she will need a viv at LEAST 6x2x2  

you will need a heat mat covering a third or half of the viv

a spot light on one side of the viv

(same side as heat mat)

you will need a water bowl which will enable her to soak in

a few hides (one on the hot side, one on the cool)

maybe a few branches to climb on as boas like to climb if given the chance

a guard or cage for the spot light so she doesn't burn her self trying to climb onto the light

substrate - I use orchid bark as it holds the humidity well and looks natural but you could use news paper its intirely your choice

you should spray the tank once or twice to keep the humidity high

don't bother with a UV strip light boas don't need them as they are ground dwelling nocturnal species

but up to you if you want to spend more money

you could turn the spot light off at night so the temperature drops

night time temperature is always cooler than the daytime temperature

night time temp should not get below 70 degrees farenheit

for feeding use long tweezers

you could add a few fake plants in the enclosure for a more realistic look

:)

thats the basics

hope that helped a bit

there are also a lot of websites which give you details on temperatures and humidity levels

good luck with your boa :)