Q:  Ok, my friend has a boa that he wants to get rid
of, and i really want to take it off his hands. But
i have only 1 cage right now with a ball python in it
and i heard that you should not put Boas & Pythons
together cause they will make each other sick. is there
any truth to this or is it ok to put them together as
long as they get along????

A:  It is certainly true that either snake could be carrying pathogens that could be harmful to the other. It's not that one is a boa and the other is a python; anytime you put two snakes together without an appropriate quarantine period, you are taking a risk. If these two animals are long-term, healthy captives that have not been recently exposed to any disease-causing organisms, then you may be able to put them together without making either sick. However, there are many other issues to consider when putting snakes together, and generally speaking it's best to give each snake its own home.

Q:  I'm creating a new home for my milksnake and was
wondering what would be my best bet on bedding?

A: I like to use newspaper for substrate because it's easy to clean, and snakes won't swallow it like they can if wood chips, etc. are used. For most snakes, only one or two thicknesses of paper on the floor of the cage is necessary. Make sure you fold it so it comes up the sides of the cage an inch or so. Snakes usually defecate in the corners, and by having paper folded into the corners and up the sides a ways it saves you from having to clean up waste that would get on the bottom and sides of the cage if you didn't do that. There are lots of other substrates that can be used, but most are more work and not as sanitary as newspaper. Definitely stay away from cedar products because cedar is toxic to snakes.

Placing a heat pad under approximately half of the cage floor is the best way to provide a warm zone. (That's one reason for only 1-2 thicknesses of paper, so the heat can easily come up through the substrate.)

Q:  How about 2 ball pythons in a cage (large) with
a carpet python? Would it work? They both require
basically the same things.

A:  It's true that sometimes snakes with common habitat requirements can be kept together without much problem, but it's not recommended for several important reasons. Even if you properly quarantine the animals in question and they check out to be perfectly healthy, you still would not know if either the ball pythons or the carpet python might be carrying potential disease-causing organisms that don't affect the carrier but could be very deadly to the other species of snake. These snakes would never be anywhere near each other in the wild and have developed different immunities to the pathogens that are present in their respective habitats.

Also, aside from the feeding and record keeping issues that arise when you keep several snakes in the same cage, there is the risk of one snake dominating the others such that they are unable to carry out required functions (like moving to a warm basking area or drinking water). This can obviously cause some serious problems (including major stress), and you may not notice it until it's too late because this behavior can be very subtle. There are lots of things to consider, but the short answer is that it's best to keep each snake in its own cage, and in the long run it's usually easier for the keeper, too. You may be able to get away with the arrangement you propose, but why take the risk? We owe it to our animals to give each one the best home possible.

Q:  I am building a cage for some Ball Pythons.
They were previously caged together and I am
mimicing somewhat the enclosure I saw at the
seller's house. I want to keep all three 4' Balls
in this same cage. It has a raised 1/2" plywood
bottom, sides and top and a sliding plexiglass front.
My question is, can I use heat-tape w/ a thermostat
on a plywood bottom? Can I use a bulb fixture inside
the cage attached to the underside of the top?

A:  To heat a snake cage, I recommend that you use a heat pad or heat tape under the cage to heat one-third to one-half of the floor. However, you may want to consider using a plexiglass bottom because the half-inch plywood with not allow the heat to transfer well. Alternatively, you could put a "pig blanket"-type heating pad inside the cage since those are waterproof and durable.

If you use a white light bulb in the cage, you should shield it so the snakes cannot make direct contact and burn themselves, which is not uncommon. Also make sure you turn off the light at night unless you have a bulb made for night time use.

I normally recommend a separate cage for each animal, but if they have been living this way without a problem thus far, they'll probably be okay as long as you provide the proper conditions. Just make sure you separate them at feeding time.

Q:  Since its getting colder at night, Im wondering
if its ok to continue to use the rep heat lamp
going all day & night...Do boas REQUIRE
"night" lighting i.e. black light?

I have my 7ft. boa and also a baby 3 month old
(separate tanks) and they both have really good heat
pads....under their hiding spots...plus..the heat
lamps...going all day & night.
Is this ok?

A:  It's good that you thought to ask this question before you noticed any stress-related problems associated with inappropriate lighting. You should not have a "white" light bulb operating 24 hours-a-day. Snakes do require a period of darkness (9 hours minimum should do it). If the heat pads you have are adequate and the ambient temperatures aren't too low, they will provide enough heat during the night, and no lights should be needed.

Q: I'm keeping a Brazilian Rainbow Boa in a 50 gal.
I'm able to maintain 70% relative humidity during
the day pretty easy. My temperature gradient, cool
end to warm end, is 78 F to 84 F.

Should I be doing more to raise the humidity a little
higher? I have 2 water bowls inside already, one on the
cool end and one on the warm end. Should I consider a
misting system?

A:  You are correct to be monitoring the humidity since it's so important with this species. What I've found is that if it gets too dry for a Brazilian Rainbow Boa, the snake will start to produce an audible "wheezing" sound when it breaths. This is not a respiratory infection that "gurgles" due to excess mucus, but rather sort of a dry whistling sound. I suspect that with the humidity you are currently providing your snake is doing well, although slightly higher levels wouldn't hurt.

Even though BRB don't require what would be considered "high heat" compared to many other snakes, the temperatures you mention are only marginally adequate if they are ambient air temperatures and there is no warmer zone available to the snake. To ensure proper thermoregulation, you may find it beneficial to provide a heat pad, producing a substrate temperature of 90°F, that operates 24-hours-a-day. This heat pad should go underneath the cage and heat no more than one-half of the cage floor, but be at least large enough that the snake can comfortably get its entire body on the warm area. The heat pad could be turned down at night if you observe from the snake's movements that it's not acceptable then, but that shouldn't be necessary since at least half of the cage is cooler. By placing one of the water bowls on the cage floor above this heat pad, you will be producing the added benefit of raising the humidity in the cage without going to the expense of a misting system.

If you want to be sure that your BRB isn't choosing high humidity over temperature considerations, you could create two similar hide boxes with some moist moss inside and put one on the cool side and one on the warm side. That way the snake can have high humidity when it's cooling off and when it's warming up. Some  Brazilian Rainbow Boas don't seem to spend much time in the warm areas of their cages, and I've come to the conclusion that if you provide a temperature gradient (with humid conditions on both sides), you don't have to worry much about the snake's temperature. With proper humidity, they will stay healthy at relatively cool temperatures, and the warm zone that should be provided will be there when they need it. Just one last note, Brazilian Rainbow Boas can live in very damp conditions and not develop the skin problems that many other species of snakes would.

Q:  I have some tree boas. Would it be ok to use a
heating pad for the daytime, and a low wattage red or
black bulb for viewing? How do you heat and light yours
in the day and at night?

A:  Your tree boa will not get much use out of a heat pad that warms the floor of the cage because they spend the vast majority of their time perched on a branch. You should investigate using an infrared panel or bulb, mounted in the ceiling of the cage, pointing down to their favorite perches. Infrared provides heat, but produces no visible light, so these units will not affect your snake's light cycle. For lighting, you can use pretty much whatever you want. Just make sure you shut off all "white" lights at night and provide the snake with a minimum of 9 hours of darkness.

Q:  I'm going to build a new terrarium so that I can
get a new snake (or 2). It's going to be approximately
200 gallons. If I put in large logs and rocks, would
this be cool for a python or 2?  I will probably
build in an optional separator to separate it into 2
equal sides...

A:  There are a few issues you should think about with regard to your caging plans. First off, if you're building this cage and acquiring a large (adult) snake to put in it, then you can build to the size your snake research has shown you that you will need. However, if you're going to buy a baby snake (even a species that gets big), it can best be housed in something much smaller initially, and probably have a couple of progressively larger cages as it grows, before it would be ready to go into the cage you're planning.

Naturalistic vivariums, with "large logs and rocks" (your words) can look nice. However, don't forget about the effort required to clean the cage after your python takes a "dump" the size of which is equal to that of a Saint Bernard (no joke). There are other, less labor intensive, ways to keep a large snake. Maybe you are prepared to dismantle the cage and wash the large logs and rocks on a regular basis, which is fine as long as you can keep it clean. One alternative may be to install a drain in the bottom of the cage. That way you could use a hose to wash the furnishings in place and catch the runoff with a bucket or funnel it away with a pipe.

One a final note, I recommend keeping one snake to a cage in most cases, so the "separator" you mention would be a good idea. Before you put in all the work of building that cage, maybe it wouldn't hurt for you to do more reading about what a snake requires. That will help you plan an awesome cage that you can be proud of and, most importantly, one that will also provide everything required by the animal you're going to put in it.

Q:  We just got a baby ball python, and had a few
basic questions. It is in a 30 gallon tank. It stays
about 85-90 degrees during the day with porcelin heat
source, but we were told not to use a heat rock/undertank
heat source for night (or any other time)? What do you
think? Also is there a way we can tell the sex of our snake?

A:  There are just so many things a new snake owner needs to learn, but let me at least answer your questions. A 30-gallon tank is very large for a baby snake, and it may feel overwhelmed if you don't have the correct cage furniture, especially hide boxes. If you have trouble getting the snake to eat, you may want to consider a smaller cage to start. Snakes like to feel "closed in" much of the time and may feel exposed and not safe if you give them too much room.

The key with heat is to give the snake a choice. Stay away from hot rocks totally. However, under-tank heating pads are widely used and are definitely among the best methods. You put it under one-half to one-third of the cage at one end and provide hiding places that the snake likes in both the warm and cool zones. Having a temperature gradient with multiple hide boxes is one of the most important things you need to do for your snake, whatever the source of heat may be. If by "porcelin heat source" you mean infrared, that could work well, too. However, if you are using a bulb that gives off white light, that's not as good, and you must turn it off at night so the snake has a period of darkness.

As far as sexing the snake goes, that is best done by an experienced breeder or the occassional veterinarian you may find that is experienced at sexing snakes. You could seek out a professional in your area and pay just a few dollars for them to sex the snake if it's important for you to know, but it's not something you should try to determine yourself.

Q:  I have a few questions. First of all I would
like to use news paper for my cage, but I am
concerned the ink might cause harm to my snakes.
Secondly, is there a way to obtain unprinted news print?
And, where?

A:  Good questions. Newsprint has been widely used for many years as substrate for snake cages without apparent harm. People often get the inks on their hands while reading the paper, and many people also lick their fingers to facilitate page turning. I would think that the issue has been considered, at least relative to humans, and that gives me a measure of comfort because I use and recommend newspaper.

It is possible to buy the unprinted paper from some newspaper printers/distributors.

Q:  I have a 2yr old alb. cal king. and have questions.
1.what is a good daytime/night-time temp.
2. how do you regulate and monitor the temp.
Note: i have a temp strip, is it reliable?
3.how long should i leave the light on.

i know i should read a book but my pet shop is all out.

A:  When heating a pet snake's cage, it's best to provide a choice of temperatures. For a California Kingsnake, I would use a heat pad under half of the cage to provide a thermal gradient of mid-70s on the cool side to 90°F on the warm side. Temp. strips are not very accurate. They only give you a general idea of the temperature range. You'd be much better off with a digital thermometer that has a remote probe (temperature sensor on the end of a long wire). That will give you an exact reading. If you have a "white light" in the cage, make sure you turn it off at night and give the snake at least 9 hours of darkness.

Q:  I just put my milksnake in a smaller cage and
he seems to be fliped out should i put him back
in his other cage or wait for him to calm down?

A:  Did you move him from a cage that was too large or one in which he wasn't doing well? If you feel you've put the snake into an appropriate-size cage, and his actions are not doing him physical damage, I would want to give him a chance to calm down and settle in. You could try covering the cage with a blanket or something to make it dark. Even if he has hiding places in the cage (as he should), this may help.

Could there be something about the cage that isn't as it should be? Was it just washed with bleach, and if so was it rinsed, dried, and aired out enough? Whatever you do, be careful that the snake doesn't rub his nose raw trying to push his way out. Even a small abrasion can be serious if it gets infected and isn't treated properly.

Q:  Does the tank size for a corn need to be more length
or surface area. Example, a 20L is 30x12 which is 360"
square. So would a tank that is 20x18 be the same? My next
question would be is there a tank that you would recommed
that could have a divider put in the middle and one snake
be in each side? I want two corns but would rather have
only 1 enclosure.
Thanks,
Dave

A:  Dave, given the choice of the two cages with the same floor space, I'd recommend the longer one because it will be easier to produce a "thermal gradient" (one end being warm from the heat pad, with the temperature decreasing towards the other end, so the snake has a choice). There are professional style cages available with dividers, but most are fairly expensive, and you say you want a "tank", which I take to mean "aquarium". You may be able to secure a divider into an aquarium with silicone and use one heat pad in the middle to simultaneously create a warm zone in both sections of the cage. I think in the long run, though, you'd be better off with two separate cages. I'm glad you want to keep your snakes in separate enclosures because that's almost always the best way to keep them, by far.