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Getting a new snake cage

D

darud35

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Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice. I am about to get a new cage for my red tailed boa. It is a BCI and I'm not sure on the sex. Its about 2 inches from 4 feet long. I'm in between a cage thats 4'x2'x2.5' and one thats 4'x2'x4'(these dimensions are LxWxH and both are wooden but the larger one is made of oak). Is there going to be a problem putting him in the larger one? What is the best way to heat a cage? I have heard flexiwatt is the way to go but i have no idea how to run a thermostat and where to put the flexiwatt in the cage. Any advice or links would be great. Also does anyone know if these guys need a UVB light? I will post some pics of the new set up. Thank you! Andrew
 
Andrew

darud35 said:
Hey everyone! I'm looking for some advice. I am about to get a new cage for my red tailed boa. It is a BCI and I'm not sure on the sex. Its about 2 inches from 4 feet long. I'm in between a cage thats 4'x2'x2.5' and one thats 4'x2'x4'(these dimensions are LxWxH and both are wooden but the larger one is made of oak).
Click to expand...

Is the wood cage lined with anything, or possbly stained with anything that could be considered chemical? Boas like to soak and can spill their water causing the wood to swell, which could lead to other problems later on.

Is there going to be a problem putting him in the larger one?
Click to expand...

I would sugest a 5X2X2 for an adult male and 6X2X2 for an adult female.

What is the best way to heat a cage? I have heard flexiwatt is the way to go but i have no idea how to run a thermostat and where to put the flexiwatt in the cage. Any advice or links would be great.
Click to expand...

http://www.mgreptiles.com/ here's a link for you, Matt has everything that you could need for heating and temperature control. He's a terrific guy to deal with and has great prices.

Also does anyone know if these guys need a UVB light?
Click to expand...

UV lighting is not necessary, however, some lighting is beneficial for a sense of night and day.

Hope this helps.......good luck and please keep us posted.
 
Tall cages can be nice, depending on how you set them up...unfortunately, they are harder to heat effectively. You may need more than one heat source if you go that route. Other than that, the size should not be of detriment to your snake. Depending on the thickness of the wood, you may want to explore some heating alternatives other than, or in conjuction with, the FlexWatt. (though that is probably the cheapest route). There are a variety of things available: lights, CHEs, RHPs, heat mats, etc. Figure out which cage you are going with, and how you plan to set it up/furnish it, and we can offer suggestions for heating (or just contact Matt)
 
Cool thanks alot guys. No Laura, there is not any sort of lining that i am aware of. I have heard of something called contact paper. Not sure if that will work. What i would really like is something completely water proof, not just resistant. That way i can do thurough cleanings. Any advice? Thanks again for the help. Andrew
 
making the whole cage completely waterproof is a chore. I think that there might be some marine paints/finishes that would do the job safely. You could use plexiglass, tileboard, tub surround, etc. to cover the floors/walls. Vinyl floor covering in an option. Chris Harper is a great resource for caging/finishing.
 
Who is Chris Harper? How can i contact him? I dont really have the resources to cut down tile board, and i would like to get something that looks good and functions. What do most people use for wooden cages? I would imagine that not only would cleaning be difficult but the wood would warp with the high humidity. Thanks everyone for the input!
 
His ID here is Chris_Harper2, but he doesn't check in all that often.
 
Something that I found quite effective in waterproofing a cage is the white erase boards. You can use it to line the inside of the cage. They are waterproof, light weight and easy to work with, they cut up nicely and silicone adhears to it extremely well. I have made cages out of it and it works great. It is fairly inexpensive and readily available at hardware stores.
 
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