.: JimiSnakes care tips and other frequently asked questions

.:Basic husbandry-

 Boas require a hot spot of about 90 degrees and a cool spot of about 80 degrees to thrive in. The humidity should never go under 60% and should be upped to around 70-80% during shed cycles. The key to keeping a happy boa is to keep him/her feeling secure. Each boa is different. Some will feel easily secure in a tub with proper heat and humidity and newspaper substrate. Others need hides and a more cushioned substrate like crumpled newspaper or aspen shavings 2-3" thick to feel secure. I keep all my boas in plastic enclosures/racks with cardboard or newspaper substrate and a water bowl. I never recommend aquariums as a proper enclosure for a boa, but if you were going to use one please make sure you cover 90% of the screened top by leaving 2-3 inches over the cool end uncovered. The heat and humidity flux way too much in tanks and that can cause serious problems with your boa. It's much easier (and cheaper) to use a Rubbermaid bin with some heat tape. Yes, it's not as aesthetically pleasing but the boa will appreciate it much more than your eyes will. It's also a necessity to use a proper thermostat like a Ranco or a Helix. They are costly, but they are the only true way to house a boa safely. Some rheostats work well, but they will flux on you from time to time, so please make sure you monitor your temps daily with a digital thermometer or a temp-gun if you decide to go this route. You should always check your temps randomly with or without a good thermostat, but more so with a rheostat. Clean water is also a good boa keeper's responsibility. Boas should have clean water available at all times. Never let the water get stale or "filmy", this will cause bacteria build up in the water and eventually inside your boa as well. Always check the water bowls daily because some boas think its fun to defecate in their water dishes.

.:Settling in your new Boa-

Please remember that when you purchase a boa from me, he/she will be coming from a hospitable-like environment with little to zero changes in the daily environment. If they are put into a less than adequate or equal housing, they will become very stressed out. To make this transition easiest for them, there is a few guidelines to follow: Do not offer food for at least 4-5 days after receiving your new boa, make sure you have a suitable enclosure already set up and pre-monitored a few days before you receive your new boa, always give your new boa ample time to settle in with little to no stresses (handling them or putting them in a noisy living environment like a living room or family room), and give them plenty of places to feel 100% secure in their new enclosure. Another thing to remember is that I have a LOT of Boas here. I sometimes don't have the time to handle each one to acclimate them to being a docile pet. If you email me about a particular boa, I can give you an honest idea of how their temperament is. It's your job as a keeper to acclimate your new boa to act the way you would like them to act.

.:Bad Sheds-

Every now and again I get a baby boa that simply doesn't shed its shed. It sucks, but it's not the end of the world and it's not a symptom for something worse. It's simply a bad shed. It could be a cause of humidity being too low when it was trying to shed and it simply gave up, it could be a cause of a slight under-bite, or it could easily just be a bad shed with no underlying reasons. I hear time and time again about people soaking, coating, and peeling this bad shed off. DON'T DO IT! It's the worst thing you can do because you'll just get another bad shed the next time around...and again... and again, plus you will stress the boa out exceedingly. I leave it be and keep an extra attentive eye on it when it goes into shed again, which it will rather quickly. When the boa goes into a shed again, pay special attention to misting it daily or twice daily to ensure a clean shed. The boa will shed both sheds off perfectly and NEVER have an issue thereafter, if humidity is controlled properly. One time I had a boa that repeatedly had bad sheds from birth. I kept trying to peel it off, soak her, etc. Eventually I just let her be after the 4th or 5th bad shed. I kept an eye on her and when she went back into shed I kept her enclosure moderately misted. And guess what? She shed perfectly in one piece and hasn't had a problem since. I've been through this hoop a few times with different boas and this is what has always worked best for me. I'm a firm believer that assisting shedding is the root cause for continuous bad sheds and other stress related issues.

Regurgitations-

One of the biggest concerns for snake owners is regurges. Boas regurge for many reasons: stressful atmospheres, improper husbandry, too large a meal or overfeeding, etc. I've had boas regurge for whatever reasons and it's always a terrible experience. The key to stopping a regurgitation issue is to stop feeding. Don't feed for two weeks and then feed a very small meal. For instance: if a boa is eating a small rat and it regurges; you should wait two weeks and then feed it a small/medium mouse. If the problem persists after that, you should try a nutritional supplement called NutriBAC-df. Again, wait two weeks after the regurge and then feed a smaller meal coated in this dust-like supplement. The key is to get SOMETHING in its stomach and keep it there. When a snake regurges it loses its balance of stomach acids and it needs something to settle it down. Most of the time just waiting a few weeks and feeding the smaller meal does the trick, but sometimes it needs something else to help out...this is where the NutriBAC-df comes in. When using the NutriBAC-df you should always wait another 2 weeks to feed and slowly bump up the meal size so that after a few feedings its eating the appropriate sized meal again. It helps get the stomach acids balanced. I've had great success using this supplement, but if this doesn't do the trick it's time for a trip to a well experienced herp vet.

.:Thank You

Thank you for choosing JimiSnakes! I appreciate your support and hope you find my products to be among the finest available. If you have any questions or need help, visit the Care Tips guide or contact us.