SNAKE PROB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! plz help?

Question

ok i realy want a snake, now the one i want is only a baby, and i am wanting to get it tomorrow, shes 99$ and i have 108$, i spent the rest shopping, anyways....do you think the snake would be ok without a heat thingy for a day or 2????? and could you list anything else she might need, iv never had a snake before, well i have kinda but thats at my work, and that snake, Sheila is a columbian boa, the one i want is a rainbow boa SHES SOOOO CUTE!!!!!! ok thxs for the help!

and i already have a tank.

im going to name her Envy, it just matches a snake.

she would be in my room, the air thingy is messed up so its hot up there alot.

Answer 1

Never get a reptile/snake without having it's enclosure set up atleast 1wk in advance so you can adjust the heating elements and humidity as needed, just common sense.

You would bring a baby home to a house that hasn't warmed up?

rainbow boas need LOTS of humidity ,ESPECIALLY as a baby, it needs to be humid enough that it is dripping off the sides!

So you would need a substrate that does not mold easily.

You should have done more research, snakes and reptiles are pets that require special heating.

You need

1. rubbermaid about 4inches bigger than the baby.
2. heat pad from petstore
3. lamp dimmer from wal-mart
4.temp gauge w/probe from wal-mart
5.Humidity Gauge
6.knowledge as to what the temps and humidity should be.

What you do is, take the heat pad, put it under ONE CORNER of the cage (do NOT stick it to the cage!), plug it into the lamp dimmer, plug the lamp dimmer in, and turn it down to about the middle.

take the temp gauge, and put the probe on the INSIDE under the substrate, and OVER the heat pad, watch how hot it gets till it gets to the right temp (I believe thats 90 for a R.B, but you need to look it up to be sure).

Take the humidity gauge and put it in a corner or on the side.
Don't forget to put a FEW air holes in the cage (Like 2-4 on the sides if it is a 12x4 inch rubbermaid, you want to keep the majority of the humidity in)

Rainbow boas are NOT begginer snakes, and before taking something like that into your care, you should do more research. For baby R.B's are known for getting R.I's because of lack of humdity. That is nothing less than a $100 vet bill.

goodluck

Edit:

DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT, get a lamp for this snake, it will dry out the enclosure, make your snake ill, and over heat it!! You can keep the cage in a room where it has a natural day/night cycle. Which is NOT important, unless you are breeding the snake, and from what you seem to know about them, you don't need to be breeding them!

Snakes do not need uva or uvb, they get ALL the vitamins they need from their food sources!

Answer 2

i have 3 of my own and lots of experience so i would love to help you out! A snake should only go 4 hours maximum without a heat source.. it is very VERY important to keep them warm. You will need to purchase a heat lamp as well as the bulb (depending on the size of the tank will judge what wattage to get) You will need to also purchase a "night" bulb...this will be a red or black light. The day bulb (the basking light) will have the UVA rays that the snake needs, but should only be on for about 12 hours before switching to the night light. You will also need a heat pad, which you will place underneath the tank in order to keep it warm. You will need a temperature/humidity gauge to place in the tank so you will know that the snake is being kept at the right temp and humidity. Make sure you use indoor/outdoor carpet as a bedding, it is the safest bedding to use. Many other substrates can cause respiratory infections which is very dangerous since snakes only have one working lung. You want to keep one side of the cage warmer than the other so the snake can control what temp he wants to be in. (you can do this by placing the lamp at one end of the tank. If you dont have the money for the lamp, the 2 bulbs, the heat pad, the tank, and everything that goes in it, you should really consider waiting on purchasing the snake. You wouldnt want to spend 100 bucks on a snake and have it develop an illness and learn the hard way! If you have anymore questions you can email me at [e-mail]

Answer 3

The primary requirements for an enclosure is that it be large enough to provide the snake with exercise and that it retain heat and humidity. Babies do better in a small enclosure e.g., for first few months a plastic shoe box with holes drilled in the lid, with water dish, hide box and damp paper towels (keep damp, not soaking wet, at all times). If an aquarium is used, it should be no bigger than 10 gallons and part of lid should be covered with plexiglass to keep moisture in. Substrates that have been used successfully with rainbow boas include newsprint, paper toweling, repti-bark (orchid bark), cyprus mulch, and Astroturf (high quality, woven-backed). All have in common the ability to retain moisture. A humid-box containing damp sphagnum moss is also recommended. Because of the high humidity (see below), substrate must be changed frequently. Dry moss (lightly misted) can also be used as a substrate.
As nocturnal animals, rainbow boas probably do not need or benefit from full spectrum lighting. Incandescent lights can be used to help raise temperature, with white light being used during the day and red light at night. The red light will be lower wattage allowing the preferred drop in temperature at night. Red lighting at night has the added advantage of letting the animals movements be seen without disturbing its day/night cycle with bright light. Hope this helped.

-Jake

Answer 4

You should wait until you have everything you need before purchasing the snake. You can buy a overhead lamp(it sits on the lid of the cage) at a home improvement store that use a regular light bulb(60 watt bulb).

They only cost about $6-8. Maybe you could borrow the money from someone for that so that your snake will have the heating it needs. You don't want to get the snake and then have it end up with a respiratory infection. Once a snake gets a respiratory, they are prone to keep getting them.

As for the person who stated you will need a UV light... Snakes do not require UV lights.A regular household light bulb is fine.

Good luck with your new pet.

Answer 5

Well, you could wait a couple of weeks and get the set up and then get your snake and house it adequately.

Or you could just go ahead and get it now and then possibly spend the next month paying vet bills to care for a sick snake or possibly be putting a dead snake out with the trash.

Do you feel lucky?

Answer 6

use a light about a 60 watt bulb inside for to bask under till you can get a heat pad. It's good to have a heat light in there as well. I have 2 ball pythons and I keep a light at one side of the cage I built and a pad at the other

Answer 7

do not get the snake until you have done all the research and got the tank and everything else set up. i am a beginner and my mum and dad didn't like the thought of feeding mice to a snake. my dad likes egg eating snakes and so i researched on them. when i went to my first reptile shop in chesterfield the staff told me that the easiest snake to care for is the corn snake and that egg eating snakes are a very hard snake to keep and that they are very aggressive. one of the staff told me all about corn snakes and how easy they are to care for and how cheap they are.but please don't be stupid and buy a snake which could be hard to care for,you don't know much about and don't have the complete set up for.

Answer 8

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT get this snake until you have a completely set-up housing for it --- including the heater!! Also, go read some books about the snake. You can not get a pet because it's soooo cute!!!!

Answer 9

That is a beautiful snake. I almost bought one once. The heat is pretty important to their well-being. I could be wrong but I believe it aids their digestion. What are you going to name her?

Answer 10

hi there
as long as u have heat for it ... it wont need a light it should be ok as long as u keep ur room temps up to 80-85 F and keep it away from drafts ... u shouldn't touch her once u get her in her tank for a couple days anyways so she can get use of her new surroundings ... she will need a UV light ... and a heat lamp on one side ... check out or website for more info and the basic care sheet under boa's section....hope this helps