[Lighting] Red light on all the time or not?

[motorhead1980]

Hello,

Just wanted to get some feed back on the following. Here is some background info: I currently have a 7 month old Boa, and will be re-homing a 6.5' Boa tomorrow. Both will be housed in tanks (I know this is not optimal, and will be short term, as I hope to pick-up PVC enclosures at a reptile show later this month). I'm very anal about keeping conditions correct in my tanks, it's more work, but not impossible. The tanks are heated by overhead basking lights, one daylight for the daytime, and a red light for the night time.

I was wondering if it is better to have the daylight on during the day, and the red light on at night? Or should I just have the red light on 24 hours a day? From what I understand they cannot really see red, or that red would be easier on them then a bright basking light. I know a CHE would be better, but I don't want to have to buy them just to hold me over for two weeks

Let me know what you think of the above, as I want to provide as optimal of conditions as I can until I get the the PVC enclosures.

Thanks,

[jOHNNY t]

Re: Red light on all the time or not?

I will tell you what I know . Boas don't really need a particular light, UV..... so the red would be ok during the day. I would just let the temperature dictate whether or not you need a heat light on at night. When I used a glass tank temporarily, It needed a heat element at night. I could not maintain the proper humidity at all. You are on the right track by getting a PVC cage. Have you read the Ultimate Care Guide yet? RedTailBoas.com Main Menu - Part 1 : The Ultimate Boa Constrictor Care Guide - View On Line It has all of the info you need. Hope this helps. Enjoy your boa.