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RE: aquariums
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by Cro on July 11, 2008
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Christopher, you will want to use a cage that is larger than the boa needs for now, that it can grown into. It needs room to exercise. If a cage is too small, it can stunt the animal's growth.
If the boa is the one in your profile, I would suggest a 20 gallon long aquarium as a minimum size. It would be even better if you could give it a 40 gallon aquarium.
Also, try to cut a sturdy forked branch that looks like a long handled slingshot from a smooth barked tree and put it into the cage so that the snake will have something to climp up onto. You can often rest the long end of the branch on the ground, then let the two forked sides go accross the cage to rest elevated on the opposite glass near the top of the cage. This will provide an elevated perch for the snake to climb on.
If you do use an aquarium, try to spend the extra money on one of the critter cages with the sliding / locking tops. That is way better than trying to use a screen top on an aquarium. Those are very difficult to seal in a way that will keep the snake from excaping.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards John Z
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RE: aquariums
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by ghostdragon65 on July 11, 2008
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I'm wanting to know what gallon aquarium to get for a red tail boa. the picture in my profile was there so someone could tell me what it was. sorry
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RE: aquariums
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by jparker1167 on July 11, 2008
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i have never heard of a snakes growth being stunted because of the size of the cage. most people say to use a cage thats not to big because of the chance of stressing the animal out.
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RE: aquariums
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by Cro on July 11, 2008
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I have seen many cases of snakes and crocodiles that were stunted by being kept in cages that were too small.
Exercise is important for animals, they need to have room to move around.
I am not sure why folks would think that a large cage would "stress out" a snake. Unless they are making excuses for being cheap and stuffing a large snake into a small cage. As long as the cage provides a good hide area, a larger cage should work better.
The one exception would be in establishing feeding in new-born snakes like eyelash vipers, bush vipers, pygmy rattlesnakes, copperheads, etc. Those are often best kept in a smaller deli cup or cage until they are established feeders.
Think about this. A snake in the wild lives in a huge "cage" called Earth. We do not see snakes in the wild running around all stressed out about the size of that cage, do we ????
Best Regards John Z
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RE: aquariums
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by Cro on July 11, 2008
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Christopher, it is difficult to say how much a cage will cost. You should visit outfits like Petco and Pesmart and price critter cages there.
Also, if you can attend one of the many reptile shows they have in Texas, you will probably find cages cheaper to purchase.
Also, if you are handy, you could build a cage out of plywood, and that could cost less. Do you have access to saws, hammers, nails, etc ? A Home Depot or Lowes should have most of what you need.
Another thing you should do is look on Craig`s List and in your local news paper and at garage sells for folks selling cages and aquariums. Sometimes used cages are much cheaper than new ones.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards John Z
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RE: aquariums
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by atwageman on July 11, 2008
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Larger the better. Like others have said, you can buy pre-made or diy. I'm not skilled at carpentry so I buy cages. I mainly use animalplastics.com enclosures myself.
Regardless of what you do don't be cheap, build big.
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RE: aquariums
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by Cro on July 11, 2008
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A little secret about Reptile Shows, is that as they wind down, usually on the second day, the dealers are often more ready to bargain on prices, and you can sometimes make an offer that is less than the listed price. Keeps them from having to haul the cage back to their shop.
The problem with this is that the cage you want might get sold out before then at regular price, and you will miss-out.
Best Regards John Z
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