# New BRB is a digger



## steveblanchet0 (2 mo ago)

Hey everyone, I just got my Brazilian Rainbow. My temps are all right and humidity is at 85% - 90%.
Is it normal that he never goes in his hides? but prefers to dig in the substrate instead?
Man, he is hard to find as I have him in a 4 x 2 x 18 PVC enclosure.
Substrate is a Blend of Jungle mix and coco fiber. I have a hide on the hot side and 1 on the cool side, A huge dish for water for him to soak and a small drinking dish.
I think I should be good but what do you all think.?


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## Swindinian (May 4, 2020)

Lovely species!

Good to hear you are starting with a plastic viv 🤘

Are the hides quite big for his size? If so, he might feel more secure burrowing for now?

You can make the hides more secretive by partially filling with sphagnum moss.

If very young, they are much more vulnerable to excessive heat, or getting dehydrated quickly. 

Plenty of cover and climbing branches will help him to feel more secure.

Enjoy!


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## steveblanchet0 (2 mo ago)

Swindinian said:


> Lovely species!
> 
> Good to hear you are starting with a plastic viv 🤘
> 
> ...


Yes, He is very young. The hides I have might be a little big for him, as for overheating, I have a hot side of 85 and a cool side of 80. Humidity is very high as he is very young like 99%.
I will add some branches and give him time, He's only been in here for a week. so that might be it also.
Thanks for the response. Cheers


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## steveblanchet0 (2 mo ago)

Swindinian said:


> Lovely species!
> 
> Good to hear you are starting with a plastic viv 🤘
> 
> ...


Just checked the temp on where he is burrowed with the temp gun. He is at 72 ? Isn't that a little cool for such a young Boa ?


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## Swindinian (May 4, 2020)

steveblanchet0 said:


> Just checked the temp on where he is burrowed with the temp gun. He is at 72 ? Isn't that a little cool for such a young Boa ?


They seek security over comfort.

That is possibly a little cool for a sustained period of time, and I would guess not ideal for when digesting.
Once the boa has settled in a bit, he might move towards a more preferable temp location…….. any additions to faciliate this are encouraged (more cover etc).

But avoid handling, and minimise disruptions.

Perhaps share a pic of the setup, if you are wanting pointers, and list what equipment you are using, how it is set up.

Personally, I have started them off in 7litre, or 9.67litre sistema food grade tubs, with holes drilled at either end, damp kitchen roll, a water dish and at least two hides. I now add an oval section of plastic mesh which they can climb through and on top of.
I would check the kitchen roll regularly and change as soon as soiled. They seemed to wee quite a lot, but that was at least conveying they drank regularly.

Heat source being a heat mat to one end, or underneath, and the stat probe towards the hot end.
This gave a fairly stable temp and gentle gradient. I would typically observe a preference for the cool end except during digestion.

At least two breeders had advised me on hot ends being up to 30 or even 32’C (86 - 90’F), but many recent sources of guidance have strongly argued against these higher temps due to potential overheating/ neurological effects and organ failure.

I have one sub adult male who has previously displayed a bit of Derpy behaviour (he twice bit himself a year or 2 ago during feeding), which I wondered was a sign of dehydration, or ‘overcooking‘ in early years.

Once they are a year old they are a lot less vulnerable, and you can them move them onto bigger, even full size vivs, and include basking lamps, UV, broad spectrum lighting. I use DHPs for heat, although I gather halogens can work well for daylight warm.
But earlier on, those items (bright lights and focussed heat sources) can contribute more as stressors than health benefits, if not balanced quite right.

Hope that helps.


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

I had a couple of BRBs in decent sized glass vivs years ago .. 

I had a dampish mix of 30% orchid bark x 70% Eco-Earth ... with a thick layer of lush green , rooted moss ( from the local woods) .

Loads of branches ( also from local woods) 

I had a large heat mat underneath one end and a small heat mat under the middle .

I went with this set up after reading loads of accounts online -I had no blue-print to follow and I’m not suggesting for one minute it was a perfect set up but they absolutely thrived and that was enough for me .

They both slept under the moss through the day and explored above the moss and climbed in the branches late evenings ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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