What size tub's for boa hatchlings?

[Boakepper]

Hi i amplaning onkeeping them for up to a year in the tub's so what size tub's would be right?
Where can i get them? im in the eastrand!

[Kev]

I found some nice shoebox size tubs at the plastic shop in Stone Ridge Mall.
Not sure if they will be happy in that size for a year but they have plenty of tubs to choose from.

[Boakepper]

Ya i think a shoe box size is a bit too small.

What about a tub about the same size as a A3 paper,will that be ok for a year?

[bubblesharp]

keep in mind that they can reach 1m or more in a years time. I wouldn't go smaller than Addis 26l tubs, and even that is going to get cramped. Why do you want to keep them that long? Feeding 30 or more hungry mouths is going to get expensive, never mind the cost of the setup etc. Addis tubs are going for around R100 each so you looking at possibly R3000 just for tubs, no heating or anything else in there yet.

I'm building a rack to keep them for 2 months, have a buyer for all my babies lined up, and will deliver after 2nd feeding. Other wise I'm gonna go broke. Work out what it will cost to keep them healthy for a year before you set your mind in stone. It will be fun, won't disagree there but still.

[Boakepper]

I am planing on keeping them cause i want to breed them and those that i don't want im going to sell, while they in the tubs im going to start building cages for them so they mite be out of the tubs before a year.

Now wood i get for good prices and i don't use melamien(spelling) it looks pretty but is cr@p and over priced and with humidity it doesn't last long, i use shutter boards(exterior ply as they call it) and then i just seal it, it doesn't swell and i like the look of natrual wood!

AS for the costs i know its not pretty but i got a load of fish tanks im not using so im thinking of breeding my own rats and if not i will make a plan, my pets are living better than me, got 8 guinea pigs 1bird lots and lots of fish as i have 4 tanks running and 2 normal redtails and 1 hypo redtail and they get just what they need.

[Bushviper]

Bubblesharp feeding boas is not that expensive. If you start your price off at say R450 each and add R5 a week to cover food etc then you will still be making your money. Some people get desperate and sell boas for R175 each because they cannot look after them. This then screws up the whole boa market. Using the system mentioned here the snake will be 6 months old with 26 feeds in them and they still only cost R580 compared with R450 as a baby.

I have never kept a boa for more than 8 months using this method and the customers are happy to pay a bit more when they are older and established. That way you get the reputation of selling good stock and then next year you have more buyers. Some of them have also coloured up and look better at this age.

Most pet shops only feed a maintenance diet and this is understandable. Your snakes will be far bigger than theirs and will sell more easily. One or two racks do not take up that much space and feeding does not take that much longer. You also get to sell your snakes when there is less competition after the winter. If you keep proper legit feeding charts, people who want to buy will see exactly what they are letting themselves in for and will spend their money with you.

[Boakepper]

Thanks alot bushviper
I'm planing on selling the ones i dont wan't after 6 months cause i wan't to see if they become better.
Now as for feeding charts do you weight each mouse you feed or do you just feed and make note of it?

[bubblesharp]

Thanks BV,

I struck a "barter" deal with a person for when my babies come, that's why I will only keep until second feed. I won't trade problem feeders until they are established. I just figured that if I can move them early and get a different breeding pair early in the year, I will be better off at the next season. I'm am spending quite a bit on new cages etc. so that I can move into lizards and geckos also.

@Boakepper Good luck with your venture. Like BV said if your feed them like you should they will grow a lot faster than those at the pet shop's they can increase in size about 300% in the first year. Just keep that in mind, after the first year they start growing slower.