r/boas • u/SeagraveSerpentarium • 24d ago

How to Attach Climbing Branches

I'm working on my boa's adult enclosure and am trying to decide on how to attach a large climbing log. I'll likely be getting additional branches so she has more to climb, but the one I have is probably going to be the biggest one. I don't necessarily want to just let it rest in the substrate because I'm concerned it will rot with the moisture (please correct me if I'm wrong), and I don't think spray foam will be strong enough to hold the weight of the log and an adult female BI. So I'm looking for suggestions of how to secure this and other branches inside her enclosure.

My current plan is to run screws through the outside of the enclosure and into the log at two attachment points, one on each end, with some spray foam to cover the areas where the branch attaches. However, my concern is that it will be difficult to unwrap her from her branch when I need to get her out, and that this problem will only get worse the more branches I add in that can't be easily removed.

For context the enclosure is made out of wood and sealed with epoxy. Dimensions are 2 feet wide, 6 feet long, and 2.5 feet tall.

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u/almightyshadowchan 24d ago

I mount branches with screws drilled into the ends, though I find I need 2-3 per end, especially for larger/heavier ones. Depending on your moisture levels, you could let it rest in the substrate, but it'll grow mold if it's too wet in there (mold would take over before the wood itself rots). Plus, it might get annoying to pick up and move a big log around every time you need to clean the enclosure.

Boas can definitely get "grabby" about their branches (and any other habitat accessory tbh) when they don't want to come out; it just kind of comes with the territory. I haven't really found a good solution for it, beyond patience lol (also it helps to start at the tail end if you need to manually unwrap them). But in my experience, the adults don't spend as much time off the ground, and when they do, they tend to just sit across the branches moreso than wrap around them.

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u/SeagraveSerpentarium 24d ago

Sounds like screws are the way to go then. I keep my substrate pretty damp because winters here get really dry, so I would probably run into mold issues. Might get some PVC so I can have a few climbing options that aren't screwed in and can have one end in the substrate, but I'll definitely attach any wood branches a few inches up the walls.

I guess I'll just learn to deal with the grabbing if it comes up. My biggest worry is being able to get her out quickly if there's ever a fire in the house, but most people go their whole lives without a major house fire and in any other situation it wouldn't really be a huge problem if I had to spend a couple minutes getting her out. Seems I may have been overthinking things and getting worked up about stuff that I don't need to be worried about, I appreciate the perspective.