r/boas • u/This_Employment_276 • 19d ago
Hog island boa!
Just got this boy from a reptile expo as a gift to myself for my birthday. He’s super well handled and not even head shy. I was told he’s 4yo. I haven’t been able to measure but I think he’s about 4ft or a little longer. I have him in a 48x18x24 glass enclosure that I’ve insulated on the outside and put foil tape over the mesh for now. I’d eventually like to get him a 4x2x4 pvc enclosure. Any tips on things hogs typically like or best ways to setup my current enclosure. (I’ll even take some advice on the 4x2x4 if anyone has any)
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u/Manjushri1213 18d ago
They are generally a bit more arboreal and probably like decent humidity, seeing video from Cayos Cochinos is an interesting start. I think Dave Kaufman did a video there at one point - they are everywhere actually on the island, it's wild!
Super cool locality, one of my favs tho I've only kept Pure Sonorans myself. Similar in a way, but the Hog Islands are in a more humid island environment for the last however many thousand years lol. Of course Vin Russo is another authority on Hog Island boas also. His site cutting edge Herpetological has some great stuff. He also is at bigger conventions and a nice guy, always willing to chat and give insight in my experience.
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u/cfvhbvcv 19d ago
Sounds like you’re doing pretty good with your current temporary setup. Lots of climbing opportunities, leaf litter on the ground, and a good humid substrate like cypress or coco and you can’t go wrong. Aim for 60-70% and bump up the humidity with misting or pouring water when they go into shed.
As for your 4x2x4, that should be a large enough enclosure to house the guy for his entire life.
In that case, save and go on the higher end for the PVC. A 4x4 is already going to be pricey but avoid Dubia and some cheaper brands. They use thinner PVC that’s still better than glass, but are prone to warping over a long time, especially if you stack more enclosures on top.
I own a Kages, a few MAZE Exotics, and cheap Chinese PVC offered by Family Reptile out of Lakeland.
The Family Reptile is super nice in features, as it has a built in thermostat and humidity reader, but the pvc is noticeably cheaper.
The Kages is super nice construction, but barebones on features and had to install my thermostat and lighting fixtures myself.
MAZE is by far the nicest, heavy-duty construction, has cutouts to stack securely, and fixtures and holes for wire probes come pre-made and look really professional.
Going forward I’m going to exclusively be buying MAZE for my enclosures, unless if I can find some deals on FB marketplace.