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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
 Posted - 08/05/2010 : 21:45:57
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hi im toby,
im thinking of getting either brazilian rainbow boa OR a costa rican boa, i really can't decide, i LOVE the pattern on the rainbow but i LIKE the pattern on the costa rican and i prefer its head shape, what would you recommend?
Also i have a 32inch wide glass viv and what heat sources do i need, i already have a light fitted but i want a heat mat so that i can turn the light off at night, i would put the heat mat under the glass but even so, would this get too hot and burn the snake? and would i need a thermostat to prevent this?
The last question is about humidity. I have been to many reptile shops and the people there state that humidity is not a problem for rainbows or any boa as all they need is a moist hide with moss inside and then the rest of the viv can be dry, so in essence, the boa themselves can choose whether to hang about in the moist hide or in the whole viv itself so please will you give some insight on that?
your answers will help LOADS,
cheers, Toby. |
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daveinflames
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2010 : 21:11:13
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if you got a neonate (hatchling) you're better off buying a faunarium or similar enclosure - i use these for my rainbow boa right now
http://www.rainforestsupplies.co.uk/lrf/images/PT2310_Faunarium.jpg
whenever you have a heat source of ANY kind always get it on a thermostat but even these are not 100% accurate at regulating temps id recommend getting a digital thermometer and hydrometer (i have no experience with costa ricans but for a rainbow boa humidty is VERY important to maintain) i mist my tank daily and have a moist moss hide with a water bowl my snakes have no lighting as most of my adults are in breeding racks my humidity for my rainbow boa is between 80-90% sometimes 90-95%
i wouldnt worry too much about a bulb source of heat for now unless your getting an adult then all of the above is slightly inaccurate so if it is an adult your buying update us on here and ill fix the info i gave :p
hope this helps!
sorry i cant help on the costa rican boa :)
Dave |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2010 : 22:07:50
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thanks dave that did help
also can you please answer the following questions:
does a rainbow need a r.u.b when it is a baby, if yes, how long until it can move on to a big vivarium?
how often do you have to spray the vivarium with water everyday, and how much spray do you use?
will the doors fog up, if so, how do i stop this?
how much of the mesh do i cover up?
do you have to clean out the ENTIRE vivarium once a week, or once a month as long as you spot clean?
can you use dap paper towels instead of moss for humidity in a humidity hide? |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2010 : 22:09:59
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and i have decided to go for the brazilian but it seems an effort to clean it out every week, and i went to one petshop who hadnt cleaned the cage out for a month and he got me to smell it, it smelt clean and fresh...so yeah
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 09/05/2010 : 22:43:15
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| and im buying a baby brazilian |
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daveinflames
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2010 : 12:16:49
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i would put the baby in a rub yeah, id use the one i posted in the link above, if you use the rub i posted above you dont need to cover anything if you do you limit the air flow + ventiliation which will cause a bad smell + bacteria growth.
a rule i use for nearlly all my snakes is a viv the size of the animal so a 6ft snake would (as a guideline) be happy in a 4ft long by 2ft deep (height depending on if its arboreal or not)
i spray mine daily depending on the humidity which i monitor using a digital hydrometre (analog are ok but for something like a rainbow boa where it has to be spot on i would highly recommend a digital one they rrp around 10-15 quid and use a standard size watch battery if im not mistaken)
damp paper towels are fine instead of moss, my hatchling was kept on damp kitchen roll for to first 3 months (until i bought it) but they will be fine as long as you supply it with the hide,water bowl etc :)
i spot clean mine daily (thoroughly) and full clean weekly and i keep mine on orchid bark which helps keep humidity high i use moss in mine purely because i always have moss in the house for other reps i keep :)
the viv should only really fog up if the heat is too high if you notice this happening put a thermometre in the viv at the hot and cool end of the viv and then check the ambient temp (somewhere in the middle of the viv/rub) and adjust accordingly
hope this helps mate and again if any questions feel free to ask away :)
good choice on the Rainbow boa (BRB) ;)
post up some pics when you get him/her
also be prepared for it to be a bit snappy/bitey while its young as 99% of rainbows ive worked with are like this until around 6months old (if handled regualary and confidently)
Dave |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2010 : 17:36:46
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thanks dave youve been a great help.
one last question for you,
if i were to spot clean the cage EVERYDAY and thoroughly then could i push off the entire viv clean for longer, around a fortnight or three weeks do you reckon? |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2010 : 19:41:12
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| and will the cage smell because of the humidity? |
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daveinflames
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 10/05/2010 : 20:09:20
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| from personal experience my cage dosent smell no, i spot clean daily and total clean (new substrate/moss and anti bac the hides + bowls + deco) every 3 weeks if i kept it on kitchen towels i would change weekly still, though some people would change 2 weekly on a substrate i will possibly start changing totally every 2 weeks when the snake is in a viv, but that depends on how things workout |
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jono-r
New Member
United Kingdom
99 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2010 : 17:41:45
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| mine dont smell.i spot clean every day, change water every couple of days and full clean about 4/5 weeks. (but more often if needed). |
1.1.0 brb
2.0.0 corns
1.0.0 mexican milk 1.0.0 cali king
0.1.0 bullsnake
1.1.0 beaded dragons 1.0.0 african pygmy hog 3.3.0 cats
0.4.0 guinie pigs
2.0.0 gerbils
lots of fish
coming soon,a pair of northern pines ready to breed next year.
1.0.0 normal royal
1.0.0 chile rose |
Edited by - jono-r on 11/05/2010 17:43:34 |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2010 : 18:56:25
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| ok jono but what type of vivarium do you have? |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 11/05/2010 : 19:02:46
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| and jono, are you using substrate or is your boa in a r.u.b at the moment? |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 12/05/2010 : 20:09:20
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| ive been told with pure eco earth substrate you can house plants in your viv, springtails will colonise and clean poo and dirt i was just wondering, will it be safe just to plonk the plants in, will they have harmful parasites that will harm your snake on them? and what if the sprintails jump out in to my room?! ewww... someone give me some guidence! |
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daveinflames
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 12/05/2010 : 20:36:34
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| the only time i have ever used real plants in a viv was with my chinese water dragons and they tore the plants to bits (dracena spelling?) with snakes i have never used nor even looked into trying to be fair so cant really advise you on this one |
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Tobila
Snake mite
United Kingdom
30 Posts |
Posted - 12/05/2010 : 21:10:26
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| thats alright dave thanks for everything else though :) |
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daveinflames
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 12/05/2010 : 21:19:26
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| your welcome mate :) |
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Topic |
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Getting a boa, please help!
