Aspen shavings good … cedar and pine shavings bad.Īquarium gravel (or any type of gravel for that matter) is financially impractical for use with snakes. It is widely believed that the oils found within cedar shavings (and possibly pine shavings in general) have a harmful effect on snakes over time. Cedar shavings, pine shavings and aquarium gravel all fall into this category.Ĭedar shavings should be avoided for health reasons. There are also certain types of substrates you should avoid. My best advice, again, is to be logical about it and choose what works best for you. Aspen shavings look nicer, but they are harder to swap out. Newspaper isn’t very attractive, but it sure is easy to replace. So the type of substrate you choose will be partly determined by the type and size of cage you use.Īlso remember that a simple boa habitat is much easier to clean than a naturalistic one. You will either have to turn the cage over and dump it, or use a shop vacuum. Just keep in mind there are only two practical ways to remove these substrates at cleaning time. If you really want to showcase your red-tailed boa, you may wish to use aspen shavings, cypress mulch or Carefresh bedding, rather than plain old newspaper. You’ll have to replace it more often than other materials, because the moistness can lead to bacteria growth, but it does wonders for a snake with shedding problems. It’s a key component of red-tailed boa care and keeping - in my snake room, at least. In my experience, cypress mulch can be the perfect solution to this problem. If the snake sheds in a lot of little pieces and retains skin on its body, the relative humidity is too low. If it sheds completely every time, then the humidity is good. Cypress mulch is a good option if your house is very dry, with a low relative humidity. There are several ways to provide these conditions, and the substrate is one of them. Most breeders recommend that you keep 50% – 60% humidity inside your boa habitat. In order to thrive in a cage environment, these snakes need a certain level of humidity inside their habitats. They are native to parts of Mexico, Central and South America. Red-tailed boas come from areas with fairly high humidity. What does this have to do with red-tailed boa care, and cages in particular? It means you can scratch that particular requirement off the list, when choosing a substrate for the cage. In the wild, they will sometimes seek shelter in existing burrows created by other animals, but they don’t do much burrowing for themselves. But as adults, they’re simply too big to burrow into anything. As babies, they might exhibit this kind of behavior. In my experience, red-tailed boas aren’t big on burrowing. Some snakes, such as milk snakes and kingsnakes, will burrow in the wild and so should have the opportunity to do it in captivity. Here are some tips to help you choose the right cage materials. This is a critical part of your red-tailed boa care program, because it affects everything from respiration to to skin condition. Are you planning to buy a red-tailed boa constrictor to keep as a pet? If so, you need to think about the type of substrate you’ll use inside the snake’s cage.
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