New Baby Hog Island Boa Questions

[KaiBlue]

Hello All!

https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13775447_10154279802484477_3932647526235901604_n.j pg?oh=41341eb8251d8fb9f76902687254052f&oe=582C8865

I purchased a 4 month old female baby hog island from a breeder last friday on the 15th. The breeder said handling shouldn't really bother her but that I should give her maybe a day to settle in before trying to feed her, though I figure the adjustment period is a bit longer than that. He told me she was being fed on live fuzzies too, so I have to convert her to eating frozen somehow since I don't have access to live feed.

I ashamed to say that made the mistake of not resisting handling her the first day and now I'm concerned that may have stressed her out. I haven't disturbed her since though, just to occasionally mist the terrarium and replace her water.

I have her housed in a 20 gallon glass terrarium with a UTH and basking lamp on one end. The hot end temp is around 87-90 while the cool end is around 78-80. Ambient temp is around 80. I want to get a thermostat soon to help control the temps better since I can't be home all the time to monitor. There are hides on either end with the water dish in the middle of the tank. I'm thinking that the hide on the cool end may be too big for her and that I may want to add some moss or something for her to crawl around in in there to feel more secure. The other hide on the hot end is one of those "U" shaped log ones, and I don't really like it and want to replace it with something she may feel more secure in.

She's primarily hangs out on a vine I have between the large hide and the wall of the terrarium on the cool end, that seems to be where she feels the most secure. I have seen her explore and wander around the hot end during early morning/late at night and I'm wondering if that's because the temps are cooler at that time and she prefers those temps/is looking for the warmth of the UTH. She always goes back to the vine though, even when they basking lamp is off, never stays on the warm side.

The breeder told me he fed her the weekend of the 9th so I tried to feed her on tuesday the 19th, a f/t fuzzy, and she showed a little interest at first but then started to retreat from it. I even tried "braining" but she didn't go for it.

I'm thinking she may still need some adjustment time before she's ready to eat, especially if she's used to eating live prey. I'd much rather her be consuming frozen for the obvious reasons, but I understand the transition for that may be a challenge as well.

My question is: Do you think I should change anything in her environment to help her feel more comfortable? I don't want to disturb her too much for risk of reseting her adjustment period, but I want to make sure her environment is comfortable so she starts to feel comfortable eating and wandering around more.

She may just need more time to adjust I realize, and I also don't expect her to be too active during the day since she's a nocturnal animal. I'm just a little alarmed that she spends so much time on the vine in the cool end.

So another question: Do you think she just prefers cooler temps and should I lower the temps by turning off the basking light to see how she responds?
I have a vine on the other side to give her the option of going to it, but so far she's stayed hanging out in the one on the cool end.

Thank you all for your help in advance, I realize I may be just a nervous new snake owner but I want to make sure I have everything right for this little girl. I want to take good care of her for a long time. :)

[DLLNP]

It can take up to a month for a snake to adapt to a new environment, even in perfect conditions so as long as husbandry is appropriate the only solution is time! So I wouldn't mess with it too much. Although you didn't mention anything about humidity? So make sure you are between 60-80%.

Boa are usually great eaters, so I am guessing she will eventually take a F/T after a few tries. Don't panic about the amount of days between feedings... boas can go a long time without feeding, especially the dwarfs localities. Even though she is young I'm sure up to 3-4 weeks without feeding is safe... if you start getting close to that you may want to figure out a way to get a live feeder and try the process over again.

Boas tend to gravitate towards the cooler side most of the time so that is nothing to worry about. You don't need to turn the basking light off, it seems to be helping you maintain a good ambient temp although you'll want to make sure it isn't drying out the air... which with a glass tank it may very well be!

Long story short, check your humidity and give her more time to settle in!

[KaiBlue]

It can take up to a month for a snake to adapt to a new environment, even in perfect conditions so as long as husbandry is appropriate the only solution is time! So I wouldn't mess with it too much. Although you didn't mention anything about humidity? So make sure you are between 60-80%.

Boa are usually great eaters, so I am guessing she will eventually take a F/T after a few tries. Don't panic about the amount of days between feedings... boas can go a long time without feeding, especially the dwarfs localities. Even though she is young I'm sure up to 3-4 weeks without feeding is safe... if you start getting close to that you may want to figure out a way to get a live feeder and try the process over again.

Boas tend to gravitate towards the cooler side most of the time so that is nothing to worry about. You don't need to turn the basking light off, it seems to be helping you maintain a good ambient temp although you'll want to make sure it isn't drying out the air... which with a glass tank it may very well be!

Long story short, check your humidity and give her more time to settle in!

Thank you so much for your response and helpful tips!

I'm happy to hear boas tend to gravitate toward the cooler end. She does seem to change how close she gets to the heat, but yes, definitely favoring mid-tank to cool end of tank mostly.

Sorry, I guess I forgot to mention I have a gauge recording the humidity too, and it's falling between 60%-80%, recording at 72% at this moment. I'm mostly keeping humidity up with misting and keeping a damp towel over part of the screen top, which is working for now.

So I have some super good news I'm happy to report: she ate her first f/t last night!

I noticed her exploring and flickering her tongue a little bit after I turned the lights out on the tank, so I decided to try feeding her again, thawed the fuzzy out and then stuck it in a zip lock bag with some warm water. It took a little dangling and dancing but she snatched it right up! I'm so happy and proud, she seems to finally be settling in. :)
She's such a badass too, caught the mouse from the tongs while she was hanging from the vine. I thought she was going to drop it because of how she was positioned on the vine, but she just hung on until it was consumed, even pushed the mouse off her water dish on the ground for a little leverage lol. I'm so stoked she's eating and made the transition from live prey well.

One more question: I obviously want to wait a few days before handling her since she just fed, but I'm wondering, do you think I should I wait until she's fed twice to handle her? I've read some recommendations for that so I just want to be sure.

Thanks again for your help! :)

[dannybgoode]

Nice snake. As above suggest leaving her alone for a couple of weeks before trying to feed and handle. Boas are usually not fussy about food so no reason not to try frozen thawed straight away-chances are she'll take it. Also be careful not to overfeed. Boas are greedy snakes and this is sometimes mistaken for hunger.

Oh and please please please get a thermostat as soon as you possibly can. It is potentially very harmful to your snake if the temperature gets too high.

Any questions as you go along just ask-there's plenty of experienced boa keepers on here.

[KaiBlue]

Nice snake. As above suggest leaving her alone for a couple of weeks before trying to feed and handle. Boas are usually not fussy about food so no reason not to try frozen thawed straight away-chances are she'll take it. Also be careful not to overfeed. Boas are greedy snakes and this is sometimes mistaken for hunger.

Oh and please please please get a thermostat as soon as you possibly can. It is potentially very harmful to your snake if the temperature gets too high.

Any questions as you go along just ask-there's plenty of experienced boa keepers on here.

Hi Danny,

Thanks for the suggestions and heads up on how hungry boas can be! I just fed her last night and could tell she was looking around for more, but I'll stick with one fuzzy till she gets a little bigger.

Yes, totally! I just got my thermostat in the mail last night, it's working great, though it's not proportional so just shuts the heat off. It works for now though.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yup, you want to give a snake a week before offering food, and it should take at least 1-2 meals without hesitation before you start handling. If it refuses, I'd go 3-4 meals in a row without handling. Any time it refuses, you should wait 1-2 weeks before offering again. Offering too often can stress them out and lower your chances of getting them to eat.

Glad to hear she ate! Boas normally aren't hard to switch. :)

Boa constrictors are crepuscular, they'll be up at dawn and dusk, as well as throughout the night.

She also probably likes the vine because they're semi-arboreal, especially as babies, and that's where she feels safest. All my boas climb at least from time to time, she knows how to regulate herself so if your temps are within range (which seems to be the case) she'll be fine.


It can take up to a month for a snake to adapt to a new environment, even in perfect conditions so as long as husbandry is appropriate the only solution is time! So I wouldn't mess with it too much. Although you didn't mention anything about humidity? So make sure you are between 60-80%.

Boa are usually great eaters, so I am guessing she will eventually take a F/T after a few tries. Don't panic about the amount of days between feedings... boas can go a long time without feeding, especially the dwarfs localities. Even though she is young I'm sure up to 3-4 weeks without feeding is safe... if you start getting close to that you may want to figure out a way to get a live feeder and try the process over again.

Boas tend to gravitate towards the cooler side most of the time so that is nothing to worry about. You don't need to turn the basking light off, it seems to be helping you maintain a good ambient temp although you'll want to make sure it isn't drying out the air... which with a glass tank it may very well be!

Long story short, check your humidity and give her more time to settle in!

As a baby, she could go months, even half a year without food with no ill effects. She may grow a bit slower, but she'll catch up. The basking light also really should be turned off at night, you don't want any light on at night. Boas do perfectly fine with a temp drop as long as it doesn't go far below 75F, so I wouldn't really worry about that.

[Ian of Oldham]

WEll everybody says give them time to settle in but the snakes that I have rescued all eat one or to hours after me getting them home, having said that they may not of had food for a long time most have been neglected and are glad to just eat.

0.1.1 Royals 1.0Corn 1.0Boa 1.0Carpet and a mad Cat.

[Andy_G]

Let it settle in as the others said.

WEll everybody says give them time to settle in but the snakes that I have rescued all eat one or to hours after me getting them home, having said that they may not of had food for a long time most have been neglected and are glad to just eat.

0.1.1 Royals 1.0Corn 1.0Boa 1.0Carpet and a mad Cat.

Almost every ethical breeder that I know of, myself included, would have issues selling to someone who is knowingly doing this. So many complications can result, and as I have said, you have not encountered problems because of pure luck...not because it's correct. This isn't advice that should be passed on or followed even if these mistakes have worked for you. Not looking to pick a fight but there is no debate about it and just calling a spade a spade, here...

[Andy_G]

Double post.

[KaiBlue]

Yup, you want to give a snake a week before offering food, and it should take at least 1-2 meals without hesitation before you start handling. If it refuses, I'd go 3-4 meals in a row without handling. Any time it refuses, you should wait 1-2 weeks before offering again. Offering too often can stress them out and lower your chances of getting them to eat.

Glad to hear she ate! Boas normally aren't hard to switch. :)

Boa constrictors are crepuscular, they'll be up at dawn and dusk, as well as throughout the night.

She also probably likes the vine because they're semi-arboreal, especially as babies, and that's where she feels safest. All my boas climb at least from time to time, she knows how to regulate herself so if your temps are within range (which seems to be the case) she'll be fine.




As a baby, she could go months, even half a year without food with no ill effects. She may grow a bit slower, but she'll catch up. The basking light also really should be turned off at night, you don't want any light on at night. Boas do perfectly fine with a temp drop as long as it doesn't go far below 75F, so I wouldn't really worry about that.

Thanks for the advice snakegirl! Yes, I think I'll make sure she has another feeding in her before handling, just to be on the safe side.
Oh yes, and I turn the light off at night for sure, just have the UTH on and that works for the evenings. The cage doesn't get hot enough during the daytime just with the UTH though (blame the glass terrarium), so the basking light has been helping with that. I noticed her on the warm side of the tank this morning, so I'm happy she seems to be regulating her temperature nicely as well.

[Mad Max]

I'd try adding more cover (fake plants, split logs, etc.) and removing the light. Can you use a ceramic heating element instead of a bulb in your light fixture? Either way it's important to use a thermostat. An infrared thermometer would be another good thing to buy both for measuring tank temperatures and for verifying that food items have been warmed to the correct temperature. Low humidity may be a problem as well in a glass enclosure with a heat lamp. You'll want to monitor that closely to avoid shed and other health problems.

[ThirteenRavens]

She's gorgeous! I will be getting a sunset male from a breeder whenever it decides to cool off enough for him to be shipped :) I've not owned a boa before so I'm glad I took the time to read this thread. All of my snakes I let acclimate (no touchy) for at least a week (aside from water changes, etc) before feeding and handling and they've all done great.