i just inherited a 5 foot red tail boa O.o

[amanda509]

His enclouser size doesn't matter he'll keep growing if properly fed. Which I think is where the neglect came in.. good thing u have him now!

so how often do you think he should be fed? like i said, she was feeding him one fat rat, or two small ones, every 3 weeks..but told me once he is in a bigger enclosure, to bump it up to every other week, sound okay?

 

[twatts704]

so how often do you think he should be fed? like i said, she was feeding him one fat rat, or two small ones, every 3 weeks..but told me once he is in a bigger enclosure, to bump it up to every other week, sound okay?

It is entirely up to you really. I feed my snakes out at the shop every other week unless they are young snakes then its every week. That's just cost effective. But my personal snakes I feed every week. I feed them basically after I know they have had time to digest and are lively again and moving around the cage looking for its next meal. which is generally about every 5-7 days

 

[Trillian]

Ooh yes I second that. I was feeding my girl every 7 days as the vet suggested, but I noticed she gets very active 3 days after eating, so I usually feed her on the 5th day. I ordered fuzzies last time and I think she would be better off with hoppers, so I'm not too worried about feeding her more often.

 

[amanda509]

It is entirely up to you really. I feed my snakes out at the shop every other week unless they are young snakes then its every week. That's just cost effective. But my personal snakes I feed every week. I feed them basically after I know they have had time to digest and are lively again and moving around the cage looking for its next meal. which is generally about every 5-7 days

do you normally have older snakes in the shop? ive always seen shops with baby snakes..they rarely carry the larger ones

 

[Lancecham]

It is entirely up to you really. I feed my snakes out at the shop every other week unless they are young snakes then its every week. That's just cost effective. But my personal snakes I feed every week. I feed them basically after I know they have had time to digest and are lively again and moving around the cage looking for its next meal. which is generally about every 5-7 days

I have 3 red tails ranging from 5 to 8 feet. I agree with the feedings of every week.
You will definitely notice when they are hungry again as they will have increased activity inside the cage.

 

[amanda509]

I have 3 red tails ranging from 5 to 8 feet. I agree with the feedings of every week.
You will definitely notice when they are hungry again as they will have increased activity inside the cage.

when they are more active, and possibly hungry, is there a larger chance of accidentally getting bitten when reaching into the tank?

 

[Lancecham]

Each snake is different. They will react differently.
Some people will put the snake in another cage to feed them. This way they do not associate the cage opening=food.

 

[twatts704]

Each snake is different. They will react differently.
Some people will put the snake in another cage to feed them. This way they do not associate the cage opening=food.

This is a method that is commonly used but I don't use it with my personal snakes because I don't have any big snakes right now. At the shop I seperate the larger snakes to feed though. And my shop has both but normally baby snakes ranging from a couple months to 2 years. Then we have some of our big boys and girls too.

 

[amanda509]

okay! got the tank settled in my room! injured my back in the process! lol. this tank is huge! will be spending all my extra time this week getting it ready for thor, whom i will be getting next weekend. i have the bark substrate, need to get a litter pan to he can bathe, and will be building him a "house" that he can hide in or bask on top of. would any branches be recommended, and how big would they need to be? the lid has small clamps, but ill be using bungee cords to make sure he doesnt push it open when im not home. ive decided ill have to feed him in his tank because i do not have another that i can transfer him to for feeding...ill just have to be careful when taking him out so he can stretch..

im soo excited i might pee myself :3 but, i did hurt my back pretty badly while my boyfriend was helping me carry it up the stairs, i was using my back to much, and pop! lost all strength, thank goodness we had time to set it down..my brothers helped my bf carry it the rest of the way, but i cant even roll in bed without being in pain. i can bend backwards fine, but any forwards past straight and yea...not good.

will be posting another thread with pictures on the progress of the cage, and finally thor inside of it!

 

[twatts704]

No need for branches really unless you just want to dazzle up the cage. Bark? Is it reptibark? If so I would suggest a different substrate. It is just a poor quality substrate and has led to respitory infections. I would go with cypress mulch or like a jungle floor mix. I wouldn't go with aspen for pine either. Everything else seems to look fine though. Post the link here when you have the other thread up

 

[amanda509]

No need for branches really unless you just want to dazzle up the cage. Bark? Is it reptibark? If so I would suggest a different substrate. It is just a poor quality substrate and has led to respitory infections. I would go with cypress mulch or like a jungle floor mix. I wouldn't go with aspen for pine either. Everything else seems to look fine though. Post the link here when you have the other thread up

i asked his current owner, and she said she has always used the crushed bark they have in bags at petco..all 5 years of his life he has had it..i looked, and the only stuff i saw was repti-bark, so i just sent her a link and asked if that was what she used for sure, if it isnt, ill exchange it. ill just be using it for now, maybe next cage cleaning ill switch to a more preferred substrate, i just really dont want to stress thor out too much, he has been in the same tank with nothing changed for 3 years...

edit: yea, she said she has used repti-bark for all 5 years of his life because it prevents mites, and he has never ever had them. so, ill start with that and switch to a preferred substrate once he settles in.

 

[amanda509]

okay, here is the thread where the progress on thor's cage will be updated throughout the week, but please feel free to continue snake talk here, im always open for learning!

https://www.chameleonforums.com/5-foot-long-red-tail-boa-update-thread-91923/#post858751

 

[twatts704]

i asked his current owner, and she said she has always used the crushed bark they have in bags at petco..all 5 years of his life he has had it..i looked, and the only stuff i saw was repti-bark, so i just sent her a link and asked if that was what she used for sure, if it isnt, ill exchange it. ill just be using it for now, maybe next cage cleaning ill switch to a more preferred substrate, i just really dont want to stress thor out too much, he has been in the same tank with nothing changed for 3 years...

edit: yea, she said she has used repti-bark for all 5 years of his life because it prevents mites, and he has never ever had them. so, ill start with that and switch to a preferred substrate once he settles in.

The concern for mites is good but if he is your only snake it is not really a concern. The switch of substrates will not stress him out but do at your own leisure.

 

[amanda509]

The concern for mites is good but if he is your only snake it is not really a concern. The switch of substrates will not stress him out but do at your own leisure.

i already bought it..and petco doesnt have any of the other substrates you listed lol...so i kinda have to use it now, and get good stuff later

 

[twatts704]

i already bought it..and petco doesnt have any of the other substrates you listed lol...so i kinda have to use it now, and get good stuff later

The other stuff like cypress mulch you get at home depot or Lowes... big bag for like $5 much cheaper than reptibark and jungle mix you can come up with yourself it's like 40% coco husk and 60% soil (bake the soil first)

 

[twatts704]

Or you can buy the jungle mix through like small shops or online, ill look up the exact mix later and let you know

 

[twatts704]

But if you used like cypress mulch with a handful of Sphagnum moss and some leaf litter (literally dead leaves) that would be a really nice looking mixture and would keep humidity at proper levels.

 

[amanda509]

The other stuff like cypress mulch you get at home depot or Lowes... big bag for like $5 much cheaper than reptibark and jungle mix you can come up with yourself it's like 40% coco husk and 60% soil (bake the soil first)

Or you can buy the jungle mix through like small shops or online, ill look up the exact mix later and let you know

But if you used like cypress mulch with a handful of Sphagnum moss and some leaf litter (literally dead leaves) that would be a really nice looking mixture and would keep humidity at proper levels.

your soo helpful :3

 

[twatts704]

I try! lol