Hey guys!
I'm a proud owner of 6'6", 7 yr old, male red tail boa named Bubba. I just recently moved him from my house in RI to a new home in Boston. In Rhode Island, he was living in a 60 gallon tank for approximately 5 years and I have now moved him into a new, 125 glass aquarium gallon tank. I have improved this new tank to be both enriching and temp/humidity stable. I currently have three 18" x 11" ExoTerra Desert heat mats, one 250W ceramic bulb, one 15W fluorescent Tropical UV bulb, and the back as well as half of the cover has reflective bubble-wrap for insulation. The previous 60 gallon tank only had a 150W nocturnal infrared heat lamp as the primary heat source.
It has been two weeks since his last meal. I feed him large pre-killed rats weekly/biweekly, but I never have a problem with him rejecting food. Right before the move, I walked into room to find that his bulb had expired and he was extremely cold to the touch. I quickly got him back to the appropriate temp and placed him in his new environment. I tried feeding him twice now, once at 72hrs post-move, and again 48hr after that. Both times, he has investigated the rat, but refuses it when "danced" in front of him. He seems more active and comfortable than he was in the 60 gallon terrarium.
How long do snakes typically need to acclimate to a new environment? Does anyone have any advice on how long I can wait before trying to feed him again? Or any suggestions on how to entice him to eat a pre-killed (heated) rat? He's beginning to look thin and I am worried about his overall well-being.
Any suggestions for humidity control would be helpful too.
I'm a proud owner of 6'6", 7 yr old, male red tail boa named Bubba. I just recently moved him from my house in RI to a new home in Boston. In Rhode Island, he was living in a 60 gallon tank for approximately 5 years and I have now moved him into a new, 125 glass aquarium gallon tank. I have improved this new tank to be both enriching and temp/humidity stable. I currently have three 18" x 11" ExoTerra Desert heat mats, one 250W ceramic bulb, one 15W fluorescent Tropical UV bulb, and the back as well as half of the cover has reflective bubble-wrap for insulation. The previous 60 gallon tank only had a 150W nocturnal infrared heat lamp as the primary heat source.
It has been two weeks since his last meal. I feed him large pre-killed rats weekly/biweekly, but I never have a problem with him rejecting food. Right before the move, I walked into room to find that his bulb had expired and he was extremely cold to the touch. I quickly got him back to the appropriate temp and placed him in his new environment. I tried feeding him twice now, once at 72hrs post-move, and again 48hr after that. Both times, he has investigated the rat, but refuses it when "danced" in front of him. He seems more active and comfortable than he was in the 60 gallon terrarium.
How long do snakes typically need to acclimate to a new environment? Does anyone have any advice on how long I can wait before trying to feed him again? Or any suggestions on how to entice him to eat a pre-killed (heated) rat? He's beginning to look thin and I am worried about his overall well-being.
Any suggestions for humidity control would be helpful too.
Comment