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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
 Posted - 03/12/2013 : 17:43:10
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I've been on here for awhile and I finally started my journey to become a proud owner of a Brazilian Rainbow Boa. I just got my cage in the other day and I'm working on getting it setup. I ended up deciding to get a tank large enough that I shouldn't need to upgrade, I'm just going to fill it with plenty of hiding places for the future little one to hide in. I know that some say this is a bad idea and that large cages can scare them, but they live in rainforests which are bigger than my tank so I figure it'll be fine.
So, onto the cage! I went with a cage from Show Case Cages because I think they make a decently decorative cage and they make them in multiple sizes. I got the largest cage they sell which is 60" x 24" x 24" and its massive. Took me nearly 10 minutes just to get it out of the shipping box and I was like a kid on Christmas. On to the pictures:
Finally freeing the cage from its plastic and cardboard shipping container.
Package came with black cover for cables in the back, more than enough silicone sealant, a door lock, heavy duty glass doors (not shown), and some catches to stick to the glass doors.
For size comparison, here it is on my bed (excuse the mess, it was laundry day), notice the indentations for the heat pads.
Where it sits now on my dresser, before the doors and everything was added.
Side view from my desk. Notice the space for the light at the top, a nice feature if I ever decide to get another cage to stack on top of it (larger space in back for heating lamps also).
And last is a pic from last night after I attached feet to raise the tank about half an inch off the dresser, attached my heating pads, filled the tank with EcoEarth, some hides, and some vines.
I plan on adding more hides to the tank, including a wet/moist hide, and some more fake vines and plants. I don't have a picture of it but there is a fogger in the back. Since I don't plan on using heating lamps which could dry the air out, I used one of the large cutouts for the lamp as a base for the fogger. I also have a Herpstat 4 on the way to regulate the temperature and humidity. Once that gets in I plan to get the environment setup and stable for a few days before I get my future friend. Any suggestions are welcome, and more pictures to come as I get more setup and get my new pet (hopefully) next week. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2013 : 20:46:29
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Hi Mike!
You are 100% correct on the enclosure size. So long as you offer sufficient hides, bigger is fine.
You are also correct to avoid heat bulbs, and to let the enclosure sit for a few days to make sure all is working well.
However, do keep in mind that everything in there will need to be cleaned periodically...the only down side of a great-looking setup!
Do you know what type (color, etc.) of baby rainbow you are looking for? Remember to ask about parent animals and how rigorously they screen for problems...many breeders fall down on one or both of these points. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
Edited by - Snakesitter on 04/12/2013 20:47:40 |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2013 : 23:07:28
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Thanks Cliff, yeah, I've been reading this forum for quite some time doing my research. In fact, I think I found the breeder through here, Rainbows R us is the name of the place. I've talked with him through email a few times about JA-MK-1311. He should be providing some records and information about the snake when he sends her next week. He'll be sending her overnight on Monday and I'm taking the day off Tuesday for when she arrives. Here's a picture from his site of her:
I wasn't looking for any special morphs, though I do love the color on this one. I probably went through all of the litters he had 2 or 3 times before I could finally make a decision.
As for my setup, with the herpstat I've been able to keep my temperatures at 72F on the cool side and 78F on the warm side. After watching it for a few hours I've noticed that it tends to waiver +-0.5 degrees but i figure that's not too bad of a fluctuation. I've covered some of the metal grate on the top to reduce airflow to keep in the humidity which helped reduce the amount the fogger turned on. The fogger is also plugged in with a hygrometer so it turns on when humidity drops to 70% and then turns off once it gets back up to 85%. I had it turning off at 99% but it would basically fill the cage and start spewing out the top way before it shut off. Shutting off at 85% it tends to fill the tank to the top then shut off and humidity continues to raise to about 90% before it slowly starts falling back down. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half to go from 90% down to 70% and about 10 min for it to go from 70% to 90%. There's still more to cover on the top so I'm planning to try some more this weekend to see if I can extend the time between fog sessions. For lights I picked up 2 22 inch LED light strips that are full waterproof and easily light the front of the tank well enough for viewing, though that's more just for my viewing pleasure.
I've also found a local herp shop which I've already talked to about getting food and he provides live or frozen and has both mice and rats of all ages. Thats where I got the hides, substrate, and everything else and so far they've proved to be a pretty decent shop.
The one thing I don't have is a good name! I've been working on coming up with one and looking for good names for a few days. In fact, if I recall, there's a list of names here on the forum somewhere; I'll have to look for that now. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2013 : 20:34:26
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Dave is probably my biggest competitor. :-) You're in good hands there. That said, if you ever look for a second baby, I'd love to help you out. ;-)
I'd push the warm end up a degree of two to provide more of a gradient. The half-degree fluctuation is no big deal.
Also push the humidity level up -- baby rainbows need over 90%...you're averaging 80%, which is not bad at all, but a bit more would be perfect.
Rainbows are noctural, so I would limt the lights on period to just your viewing time...the rest of the time, I'd use only room lights (which are less direct).
Looking forward to watching her grow! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2013 : 21:16:10
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I'll raise the humidity limits, I was looking through some of my notes and had thought about raising it to 80-95% as the humidity levels I have now are more for an older snake. I'll also raise the temp in the warm end. I was a bit worried about going too high before I knew how much it would overshoot the target temp(not sure why, nothing in there to hurt at the moment). But I've seen multiple places claim that temps above 85 could be fatal so I didn't want to get too close to it.
Yeah, the lights, though amazing looking, will be off most of the time. I thought about getting a blue light to resemble moon light but again, I think that'd be more for me and less for the snake so I don't think I'll do it.
The wait for her arrival is killing me! And the fact that I have to leave her alone for another week after that! But at least I can look in and see her...OK, probably not as she'll most likely be curled up in a hide somewhere. But I will stand firm, and post lots of pictures once she's settled in. And maybe just one or two when she gets here :)
And I'll be sure to go to you for the next one. I know I told myself "only one" but I have a feeling that since everyone else seems to never really stick to that, and the fact that the cage I have is made to stack multiple cages, I doubt it'll stay "only one" for long. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 06/12/2013 : 21:40:16
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I think I should also mention that I currently have 2 hygrometers: The fancy (pronounced "expensive") one connected to the Herpstat and a Zilla dual Temperature and Hygrometer. I trust the Herpstat more which reads lower, but the zilla reads 85-99 and most of the time its 99. I think I'll try to raise the range for humidity to 80-85 or maybe 80-90 because right now I stopped it at 85 and its filled to the brim:
When I had it set higher it just overflowed. So hopefully if I shorten the interval it'll keep it from overworking and overflowing. Also, I need to cover more of the grating at the top, so that should help keep some of it in too. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2013 : 20:30:24
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> But I've seen multiple places claim that temps above 85 could be fatal so I didn't want to get too close to it.
Temps of over 85F can indeed be fatal...but that's if its the whole enclosure, with no escape. So long as there is a cool end to retreat to, you will be fine (and you're staying under 85 in the warm end anyway).
I would cover the grating before you up the fogger...the reduced airflow alone may solve your issue. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 12/12/2013 : 18:08:51
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Yeah, I did a bit of both. A added some covers to the grating and now the fog simply fills up and sits, it doesn't swirl around. I also increased the fogger to keep the humidity between 85% - 88% since it doesn't actually seem to read higher than 88%. I set it to turn off at 95% and turned it down after an hour of it being on and not raising above 88%. It actually uses less water now. It turns on about every 20-30 minutes, but its only on for less than 5 min now. I've hooked up a 2 liter bottle as well and it can go 3-4 days before I have to change it out.
Sadly it was too cold for shipping and Dave had to hold off till next week, so once again I'll be sitting by the door this coming Tuesday. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2013 : 01:07:21
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Well done on the humidifying front!
I know your pain on shipping -- once we hit December, all bets are sadly off. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 13/12/2013 : 21:25:38
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| Thanks Cliff, she's scheduled to ship next monday, but if its still too cold to happen then I'm thinking about having her sent same day. Little more on the shipping, but she'll go direct to the airport. Which is perfect because I work within a mile of the airport. I'm going back to the herp shop this weekend to buy some more hides and fake plants. Also need to pick up some cleaners, any suggestions on that front? Figure the cage has been running now for about 2 weeks and just due to the moisture and humidity I want to give it a good cleaning. I've read before that a capful of bleach in a bathtub of hot water is good for cleaning the hides and plants, just need to rinse them thoroughly. |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 16/12/2013 : 20:39:59
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Just be careful on those temps. Even direct to airport, it's still risky if the box gets left out.
I recommend bleach solution (as you noted, rinsed off) for cleaning. Alternatively, try chlorhexadine or mint disinfectant. That said...at only two weeks it shouldn't be too bad, so you may be able to spot-clean rather than do the whole enclosure.
Please let us know how it goes! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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SnakeNoob
Snake mite
USA
17 Posts |
Posted - 17/12/2013 : 18:02:13
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I used the bleach method for most of the hides and plastic parts. Then thoroughly rinsed multiple times with hot water. The substrate was pretty good so I left the cage open to let it dry out a bit, it was pretty moist. Then I scooped out the most soggiest parts of the substrate and replaced it with fresh stuff. Cage has been back up and running for a few days now.
As for arrival, she's on Delta flight 933 and scheduled to arrive a little after 6pm tonight. I'll pick her up after work and take her home tonight. So excited! |
Mike_______
When all else fails, find someone who knows what they're doing and try as best you can to do what they're doing.
0.1.0 BRB |
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Snakesitter
Rainbow Master
USA
2718 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2013 : 20:28:53
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| Fingers crossed for you!!! Looking forward to picts! |
Cliff Earle
Living Gems Reptiles
Premium Brazilian Rainbow Boas from a disease-tested facility
Website, Facebook |
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It's finally happening!
