BCI Enclosure size

[guitrage]

Howdy, folks. I've been thinking about getting a BCI (yes, I know how big they get) and I wanted to know what size enclosure they do best in. I don't mean the minimum cage size, but the ideal cage. I know lots of people house 6 foot boas in 4 foot cages, but would a larger cage be more comfortable for the snake?

Would housing a 25-30 inch boa in a 4 ft cage be stressful? I know they grow very fast.

How much height do they need?

Here's what I was planning on doing:
Start the baby off in a 16 X 26 X 6 rubbermaid. When it reaches 25-30 inches, I would move it into a 4 X 2 X 1 plastic cage. When it reaches 4-5 feet, I would move it into a 5-6 foot plastic cage. Would this be OK?

Thanks

[Invictus]

Boas are not ball pythons. They do not care how big their environment is, as long as they can hide, and even then, not ONE of my boas, baby or adult, uses a hide. They prefer to perch on top of it.

The IDEAL cage for a boa is one that they can stretch the entire length of their body in. However, any more than a 6 foot cage is kinda overkill anyway.

[guitrage]

So it would be OK to start a baby (about 6 months old) off in a 4' X 2' X 15" custom?

[BOA68]

I don't see anything wrong with that. I would probably put 3 or 4 hides throughout the enclosure so that he can hide where ever her wants and he can be close to a hide when he is out in the open. He can also stay in a tank that size until he is a about 5-6ft. My BCI is 5 1/2ft and she is in a 4 x 2 x 2 ft enclosure. She has plenty of room and to tell the the truth the only time she utilizes the entire enclosure is at night when she is active and stretches out.

[guitrage]

Thanks, I really appreciate the help. One more thing - how much height should a boa cage have? Do they enjoy branches and stuff?

[JAdkins2451]

Why is that alot of people tell you not to put young snakes into big cages, as they will get stressed out.

[BoidKeeper]

I have a 6' female Colombian that I built a 5'x2'x18" cage for. Looking back I wish I had gone with a 6' cage.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Bartman]

Im in the process of building a 6x2x18" cage. I was told 18" is the minimum, and 2 feet would be perfect. So id say if you can make it 2 feet high.

But why make a 4x2x15 if your going to need to make another one in short time?

[guitrage]

Oh, when I said custom, I meant a plastic cage like AP or something. I thought they were considered custom enclosures. I would buy a 4 ft cage for the baby boa, and when I upgrade to a 6 ft cage, the 4 ft cage would be for an adult BP.

So everyone agrees that 4' X 2' is not too large of a cage for a baby BCI?

Thanks much for all the advice

[BOA68]

Yup thats fine.

Originally posted by JAdkins2451
Why is that alot of people tell you not to put young snakes into big cages, as they will get stressed out.

Some snakes, such as BP get stressed if they have an anclosure that is too large. Its just the nature of the snake they prefer to be in smaller spaces.

[Invictus]

Yes, but if you go down to Colombia, you're not going to find boa constrictors hiding. In fact, you won't find them on the ground very much at all. You'll find them up in the trees, basking very much in the open. This is why I think it's a waste of time to put 4 hides in an enclosure - they will NOT use them. The only problem with a 4x2 enclosure for a baby boa is the wasted space.

To answer your question about height - it's totally up to you. Boas will utilize climbing areas, especailly when they are young. As they get older, obviously a branch won't cut it anymore, and you may have to use a shelf, BUT, it's not at all necessary. Boas do just fine in terrestrial environs as well.

[BoidKeeper]

All of my Colombians and Hogs use hides.
Cheers,
Trevor

[BOA68]

When i had my baby columbian, he hid constantly and when i took his hide out he would burrow under the woodchips. And now my big BCI uses her hide all day and only ventures out at night.

[ncwilson]

My baby boa has a hide on each side of the cage, but really only uses the one one the warmer side that has a heat pad underneath. It is very infrequent for the other one to gets used other than for, as 'victus said, perching. He did use it for the first week or so I had him though. And it is does use its branch also.

[chappy]

4'x2'x1' is sufficient size for an adult boa aslong as it's not a monster (under 8'). Obviously the bigger the better, but most adult boas don't move too much even when given the oppurtunity. None of my boas have hides because they don't use them. One thing I would recommend is a heavy bottom water dish, because they tend to tip over their water dishes.

[thunder]

i house my adults in a 5 x 2 x 18"
i found that they used hides until about 2 years of age, at which point they began to ignore them completely.

[guitrage]

ncwilson, if you're using a UTH the hide directly above it is quite possibly too hot, unless your probe is inside the hide. But if your probe is on the outside of the hide, you may find that there is a huge difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the hide. This was true with my setup (not for a BCI), but it may not be for you.

Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

[BOA68]

To solve the problem with tipping water dishes, i am now using a cat litter box for water. It 12 x 16 inches so it is big enough for the snake to get inside if she wants and it can't be tipped because it has fairly low sides and it is wide and long.