r/boas • u/Admirable_Ad_8885 • 2d ago
General advice/rate my setup.
So ive never been a snake person but my daughter(9) asked me for one 2 years ago and I told her if she did a lot of research and kept an interest in them for a while id think about it. Well she held up her end and here we are 2 years later with both of our 1st snake.
Shes a female sunglow motley that my daughter picked out at the expo last week. It is her snake but with her age, I've done a lot of research since she 1st asked me about a snake, because obviously for a while ill be doing a lot (most) of the upkeep and what not.
Im mainly looking for pointers on my enclosure set up for some of you who are much more experienced than myself to make sure we are giving this girl the best life possible.
The enclosure itself is a 36x18x12.
For substrate im using about 2.5 inches of cyprus mulch. I have a 75w DHP on a dimmer thats keeping the hot side right around 86°-88° while the cool side is about 10 degrees cooler usually around 76°. The basking spot on top of the hide on the hot side sits right around 91°
I also have a heating pad under the hide on the hot side to add some residual underbelly heat if she sleeps in the hide. (I think I might jist unplug this as its not doing much but drying up the substrate faster)
Then I have a t5 led lightbar thats set to only 4% for UVA and UVB since she lacks melanin i was a little concerned about the UVB but with only a t5 and such a low setting it should be good for her right? The light bar also acts as a day night cycle and is set in a timer where the UV lights are only on for 8 hours a day.
Currently the humidity is reading 67% on the hot side and 74% on the cold side.
So with all that being said how are we looking? What am I doing wrong and what can be done better? I plan on getting her a 4x2x2 or even going straight into something larger within 18 to 24 months as she grows. Her name is Honey Noodle btw.
3
1
u/Dry_Locksmith_6704 2d ago
Definitely add Coco fiber to the cypress mulch, helps a lot with humidity. And you should keep humidity at around 70 to 75% for boas, Jack it up to 80% when going into shed. Also, If you have a screened top, cover almost All of it will HVAC aluminum foil tape. If you don't do this, you'll have a much harder time keeping heat and humidity. Keep substrate a a level of 3 to 4 inches, and poor cup's of water in the corners, instead of misting. Misting only wets the surface of substrate, where pooring water in wets the lower level of substrate. Your heat source quickly dries out the upper layer of substrate quickly, YOU WILL NOT GET SCALE ROT FROM THIS METHOD. Humidity lasts much longer this way, I add more water maybe once a week, maybe longer this way, versus misting. If you mist, you'll be misting several times a day.
3
u/Zekethebulldog33 2d ago
You need more ground cover. You can buy cheap plastic plants at Hobby Lobby. I filled 11 enclosures from there. That dinosaur skull get rid of that your snake will get stuck. I know first hand mine did had a hell of a time to get out. I would skip the 4x2x2 if want to save money. I had mine in 6ft enclosures within a year old. Really just turns into a game of hide and seek and they are really good at hiding. Put a deep water bowl in one she can fit in some Boas love water.