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Red tail boa, any advice

Remi

Remi

New member
:crying::awcrap:I know that most of you have other types of snakes or at least know more about them then I do. My roomate bought a red tail boa, simply because we were bored, I'm absolutely wrong for doing the same thing. The difference is, I used to catch corns that would get stuck in my dads outside bird cage so I knew a little more.

Well, I think boas are normally greedy, at least that's what I heard. The one he bought, although it eats, it's rather fickle, she didnt eat for around 6 wks after he got her. all the pet store would say is, well she's going into shed or coming out of it or she's not comfortable yet. now she eats but still not consistantly. she's very lazy, stays in the same spot of her tank, never moves. I keep telling my roomate she needs hides and space to crawl around but the guy we bought our snakes from told him he could just put newspaper down, add a water bowl and a UTH and that's all the snake needs.(the water bowl is one of those large hollow slab looking ones.) :headbang:That can't be true, at some point you have to give boas more don't you? can they be happy and healthy with so little?:awcrap: I've tried to get advice, anything on how to take care of this snake, I hate seeing it look so depressed.

Im really scared that she's not being taken care of properly, while my corn in the other room is living a decent life. I just dont want her to keep withering away or to get sick or something.:nope:
 
Give the poor thing some hides. Newspaper can work because cleaning out a boa's cage can be a pain when they go to the bathroom but it definitely needs hides...multiple hides. Actual bedding wouldn't hurt but let's start with putting some hides in and then regulating the temperature.

~Katie
 
I got him to put some bedding in there but I'm still working on the hide part. She's under the bedding now so that gives a little more comfort and security.
 
Boas are VERY different to corn snakes. They conserve every ounce of energy and rarley move around unless necessary ie when they are REALLY hungry, thermoregulating or searching for water.

Boas don't need to eat as often as colubrids, I feed my dwarf species only once every 2 weeks or so. They are so good at using every little bit of nutrition from each meal that they don't need food as often and therefore also don't poop often.

Boas don't NEED hides either, although they like light shelter like plants. I don't provide my boas with hides as they usually like to stretch out and prefer not to be all bunched up. I give them an oversized plant on each side and they hide in those.

As for the feeding issues do you know what temperature your friend is keeping the boa? They need a 90-94 hot end and 75-80 cool end. Environmental factors are usually behind boa feeding issues...
 
there's not thermometer in there, (I'd use mine but my corn hates her scent.) I know there's a UTH in there, she's in the living room and the air stays on 75
 
I can't stress enough how important it is to KNOW snake temperatures. It's absolutly vital the UTH is controlled by a thermostat and the temperature is measured by a digital thermometer with probe.

Shes probably not eating due to crappy temperatures.
 
No particualy. Just ANY thermostat that will control the UTH to sit at a stable 90-92 degrees.

If she does not have access to a spot that temperature she may become lethargic and not eat. If she does eat and doesn't have that hot spot she may regurge.

On the other hand if the UTH is running without a thermostat it may be getting hotter than 90-94 and she will be at risk of superficial burns. She may also regurge anything she eats if her hot spot is too warm. Higher temperatures can also lead to stress and agressive behaviour.

Do you not use thermostats with your own corns? If not, you really should be.
 
I only have my UTH on my corn at night, when I leave in the mornng I remove it again. We live in FL so it's fairly warm during the day, I remove to give her more roaming room. plus, her tank is close to a window so she gets natural heat during the day.

the boa is in the living room, closer to an air vent and not by a window. She stays on the edge of the UTH or in her water bowl
 
That probably means she is trying to get away from the heat. It is soooo important to provide these animals with the correct environment. Tell your roomate to measure the temperature of the UTH using a digitial thermometer and see whats it's running at. I bet you anything it's far too hot.
 
Not really. Just an ideal enviroment and some time to settle in. Also, boids prefer to feed in their homes (if you use nerwapaper substate which I would deffinatley recommend).

For feeding, offer her a piping hot F/T prey item. Heat the nose up in boiling water and see how she reacts. Boids are all about sensing prey using heat pits/detectors.
 
that's helpful, she normally eats in a sterilite container and f/t that nots bowling hot, I will definitely pass the information along and work on convincing him to get a temp regulator. He goes off what the reptile owner told him so if he's being to difficult I'll buy her one at the daytona show.
 
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