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smart bunny
Hatchling
174 Posts |
 Posted - 05/07/2012 : 13:29:00
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Hi guys, right unlike over on TCS there doesn't seem to be a 'how to do your 1st setup' thread on here (unless I've missed it?) so is it OK if I just get a few things straight in case we do find a BRB at the weekend?!
I've got a couple of ordinary plastic fauns I can use depending on how big the snake is. They, as all fauns, have the plastic lids with loads of vents - will that still be OK as long as I mist and provide moss hides or will it reduce the humidity too much?
Do you put moss in both hides or just the cool one (won't it dry out on the warm side?!)
Best substrate - eco-earth? Or would you advise something else?
Temps - right, bit confused on this one, the care sheet from this website states hot end 30C so I was going to ask if that means max (so range 26-30) or average (range 28-32) BUT I read on another thread that 30C is too high? Please can someone just confirm for me what the hot end should be?
I assume cold end can simply be left to room temp like with a corn snake?
Thanks in advance, and are there any other things which stand out to you guys as being obviously different than housing a corn that I may not think of, barring that boas are more arboreal?!
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smart bunny
Hatchling
174 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 14:14:16
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| Ooooh just thought of another one - how deep do you put the substrate? Is it just thin on warm side and deeper on cool side same as corns? I assume they don't burrow? |
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Blackcat
Hatchling
United Kingdom
341 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 15:43:00
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We are very spoilt on TCS with loads of very useful stickies and incredibly quick replies.
As you know we have a slightly 'annoying' little pond which means some of the very knowledgable peeps on here are sleeping whilst we are asking questions 
If it is any use to you I keep my cb12 CRB's in 12L RUBS and my late cb11 BRB is also currently in a 12L RUB (2' viv is ready for move)
I think you should be ok with a normal faun, the humidity will drop but the misting and moss hides will address the problem.
I mist mine every other day or if the humidity is below 88%.
I only have one moss hide which I have towards the warm side, it does dry out but I just keep spraying the moss.
I intend to put another in so they have two, one at each end (I need to finish off some more spreadable butter so I can use the empty plastic tubs)
As for temps - I go with the 'experts' advice on here, no higher than 28 at the hot end and like corns the cool end I leave to room temp.
Substrate questions I will leave to the 'real' experts as currently I am using newspaper - it makes it easier to monitor poo whilst they are little, but once in larger homes I will probably use eco earth, orchid bark or coconut husk based product.
The depth question I will interested in the answer - as I have no idea, but would guess about 2-3 cms |
1.1.0 BRB's 0.0.2 CRB's
0.1.2 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 House snake
0.1.0 Crested Gecko |
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MrBD1980
Snake mite
United Kingdom
45 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 15:46:00
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Hey,
I can answer some of your questions....
The holes in the lid of the faun will be a problem....even misting a lot won't help as humidity is highly reliant on limited air flow. You may be able to cling film the top to cover the holes though...leave some uncovered for air but not many!
Brb's will burrow and therefore you may find it a good idea to only provide a thin layer of substrate, I use orchid bark, although remember they burrow to be out of sight therefore with thin substrate you must ensure There are plenty of ways to hide ie hide on both hot and cool side and some decor around the tank/floor. Some keepers do provide deeper substrate but I find that a) it is hard to get good temps in the substrate and therefore could be too cold and b) when you haven't seen your snake in a few days cos she is buried you begin to become a bit panicky about the snakes hea
Th and end up digging through substrate to do welfare checks...this can frighten the snake fuher!
For humidity it will work best if you can get your setup to work for itself and therefore you will have to mist less, remember humid and wet are different things! I would get a large surface water dish and place partly over/under the heat source along with the use of moss, I find sphagnum moss effective!
Temp wise I use 82f at the hot side and anywhere between 72-74f on the cool side.
My girl likes to climb so I have some branches and some hanging plant decor which she often disappears up!
I would suggest that you get the faun all setup ad running for some time prior to buying a snake as this way the snake doesn't suffer any 'learning lessons' you take while getting the humidity and temps right! Once it's setup you may have more specific questions which I'm sure everyone will be more than happy to help with.
Hope this helps.
Brian
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IncurableFlirt
Yearling
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 18:31:42
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I definitely agree with what Brian has said. :) With the plastic faun lids, they can be more of a problem than anything when it comes to maintaining your humidity. To hold the proper humidity without covering the lid somehow, you would have to be misting several times a day and night! My suggestion is to either do like Brian said, and cover it with plastic wrap and poke just a few little holes in it....or get yourself a heavier towel that just fits on it and leave a tiny, tiny part of it uncovered. RBs need the humidity to keep from getting RIs, bad sheds and other problems. I'm not very good with Celsius temps, but as Brian said....82F on the warm side should be the max. These snakes are not too keen on temperatures that are too hot and it can really stress them out. Room temp on the cool side should suffice. I keep Marius' moss box closer to the warm side, but not directly over his heat. I have found by doing this the moss stays moist longer. ;)
Not too long ago I had Marius on Eco Earth (1 and 1/2 inch deep) and he seemed to love it. However, he did burrow a lot. While this wasn't a big issue with me, I began to find he would "hide" his poops beneath the substrate and it became a hunting game to spot clean. So...to Marius' chagrin I decided to switch him over to orchid bark. He doesn't burrow in it, and now uses his hides more frequently...and best of all, no more hunting for hidden "treasure". ;D I would definitely avoid aspen woods for substrate, though. Stick to either the newspaper/paper towels, Eco Earth, Orchid or Cypress bark. Just keep in mind that with the humidity, the newspaper/paper towels will get damp and mushy and will need to be changed frequently. ;) As for the caresheet here, I think that Snakesitter had tried to get them to change it at one point, but so far it hasn't been updated. Maybe we need to drop another "birdie note" in a moderator's ear. *coughhintcough* lol!
Anyway, I hope this helps some and I'm sure some of the better experts on here will be coming along soon to give their advice as well. Best of luck with the setup and I hope you are able to get your RB soon! |
Jenn.
11.8 Ball pythons
1.0 BCI boa
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow boa |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2012 : 00:56:28
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Hi again Smart Bunny!
Size: give a young rainbow at least two square feet of floor space.
Holes: cover as many as you can to start. The more exit points you have, the lower the humidity will fall, and the more work you will therefore have to perform to maintain it.
Substrate: I'd recommend orchid bark or coconut husk. I've heard eco-earth gets everywhere, even outside the viv. Depth can be whatever you like, though these snakes will burrow if given the right type and depth. They you too can play "treasure hunt." :-)
Moss: will dry out eventually. Just check and if necessary mist it once a week.
Temps: 28C warm end (=82.4F for us US peeps), room temp cold end...provided your room is below 28C. ;-)
Good luck! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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smart bunny
Hatchling
174 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2012 : 13:52:28
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Thank you all so much for all the info - 2ft for a baby? oops right - better get a bigger home then lol! That's cool though because the larger faun was supposed to be for my corn to move into but I was keeping it empty in case we needed it so I'll get her moved up now :) I think I'll go for a RUB as although it feels 'wrong' to me to use a storage tub rather than a 'proper' faun for my corns (I know it's personal preference and lots of people do without any problems lol), it sounds like in the case of a BRB it is actually a lot better from the humidity point of view.
I didn't have any problem with burrowing... until I read about burying packages, and I don't want to go treasure hunting so will leave it thin lol!! (Of course this is supposedly hubby's snake so maybe I won't mention it at first  )
Oh and - daft question sorry  , but - how many holes??!! How many did you put in your 12L RUB Blackcat? I don't want to put too many in, but I don't want to risk suffocation either! |
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Edited by - smart bunny on 06/07/2012 14:12:33 |
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Blackcat
Hatchling
United Kingdom
341 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2012 : 16:07:12
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Not a daft question at all 
I drilled small holes on the short sides of my RUB (used a 5mm 3mm drill bit).
At one end I drilled them at the bottom and at the other end at the top, this allows for good air circulation if you have the holes at the bottom at the hot end - hot air rises and will then be pushed out the holes at the top and fresh air drawn in the holes at the bottom - makes sense to me, but then I'm strange
I drilled 4 rows of holes each end, but on hind site think less would have been ok, you can always add more, but difficult to take away, lol.
The digging for 'treasure' was my main decision to put them on newspaper whilst little, not pretty but easy to find poo and wee and easy to change
Bet you are excited for the weekend - I really hope you have a brill time at the show and find a lovely BRB too
(Edited to change the size of drill bit used) |
1.1.0 BRB's 0.0.2 CRB's
0.1.2 Corn Snakes
1.0.0 House snake
0.1.0 Crested Gecko |
Edited by - Blackcat on 06/07/2012 18:05:32 |
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IncurableFlirt
Yearling
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 06/07/2012 : 18:11:50
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| Just wanted to mention that sometimes it is a game of "what works best" to hold the humidity in, while providing enough air flow. :) As Blackcat said, adding more holes is easy.....however, getting rid of them is the hard part. The good thing about a RUB, though, is if you do add too many holes, you can just cover some over with clear tape. ;) It only takes a few holes to provide good air exchange and I actually like Blackcat's idea to put the warm side holes lower to keep the warmth in. I bet you are so excited and can hardly wait to go to the show. Best of luck, hope you get to bring home a new friend! :) |
Jenn.
11.8 Ball pythons
1.0 BCI boa
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow boa |
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smart bunny
Hatchling
174 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2012 : 11:39:55
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| Just a quick check - setup is all exactly the same for a CRB as a BRB, right? If not please let me know what should be different lol! |
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IncurableFlirt
Yearling
USA
516 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2012 : 17:07:56
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| I believe they are the same, but I'll wait for our resident experts to chime in. ;) |
Jenn.
11.8 Ball pythons
1.0 BCI boa
1.0 Brazilian Rainbow boa |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2012 : 20:51:34
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| I've heard, but never verified, that Columbians can tolerate slightly higher temps than Brazilians. I would double-check that though. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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smart bunny
Hatchling
174 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2012 : 15:32:25
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| Thanks snakesitter, I'll just keep everythiong as it is then :) |
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Preparing for a new BRB
