Repti-Glo Light Made My Boa Sick?

[oOSpOOkYOo]

About 3 weeks ago I purchased a 18" fixture and Repti-Glo 5.0 bulb for my 3-4 month old boa. I have a glass tank until my boaphile comes, and since I have been using this light he absolutley will NOT eat. He hasn't eaten since 2 weeks from this tuesday. Usually he was eating every 4-5 days. I tried everything from the thongs (witch was normal for him), leaving it in over night, hidebox method, and feedbox method. And nothing. Now last night I thought of this so I used an extra lamp and used a normal light bulb about 2" away aiming at the cage. I get home this morning, and he's squirming around like normal! Before it was soak in bowl all night- then hide under log during the day, and then back to the bowl occassionally. He does not have mites and all of his levels are normal using a che & a uth. Anyone else have any input? -sTEVE cwm14.gif

[Panama_Red]

The light is too bright get a low wattage bulb, boas don't care to be out in the open under the spot light, it sound like the boa is stressed by the intense light, tone it down untill he is comfortable, boas don't benifit from uv so dont waste your money on expensive bulbs.

[Doug]

hi,
Is the light also raising the ambients in your tank to an unpleasent level .
  I don't use any addtional lights in my boa cages. They like it a little dim and so do I..
      Proably because they are pre-dusk hunters in nature,
my boas will eat in the morning , pm , and night.
  is your humidty around 60%,
   are you feeding in a box, I throw my male guyana in a feed box, and he turns into a feeding machine donot put your hand in that ice chest when he thinks its time to eat
http://photo.redtailboa.org/albums/my-pets/Anybody_seen_a_rat.thumb.jpg
by conditioning him to feed in the box he is less likely to tag me when I enter his cage
http://photo.redtailboa.org/albums/my-pets/Rudee.thumb.jpg
a pre-shed boa usally dosen't want to eat
same boa a bit bigger in that blue phase, pre-shed he's a bit grumpy pre shed.
http://photo.redtailboa.org/albums/my-pets/Rudee_Pre_shed.thumb.jpg
unless your really like the light I'lld take it off that cage..
     doug
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[oOSpOOkYOo]

I took the light off a couple weeks ago and since have also switched to live feeders for the time being. It seems like one day he just didn't want to eat f/t fuzzies, but he goes to town on the live ones, he made the last one bleed out of its nose he was squeezing so had, kinda gross. I used an extra clamp lamp and put a halogen bulb in there and set it about 2' away from the cage (and he'll coil up next to his tree stump/between the glass and sit infront of the light). This works out perfectly because humidity stays at 60%, the added heat from the blub (with a che set back above the cage, and a uth) makes for daytime basking temps of about 93-95 degrees, and once it turns off at exactlly 8pm it drops to about 87-89 (ambients drop accordingly). He's been fine since then. He's going through the milky eye stage right now, but still seems just as active. How many stages are there to the shedding process because without the last 2 feedings of live hoppers I don't think he'd be shedding right now. -sTEVE b30.gif

[cb76]

i happen to use really bright full spectrum bulbs in many of my enclosures! i have had no problems at all.

i believe they do benifit from light! not to metabolize anything, but on a different level!

the part i do agree with panama is that it may feel out in the open! i have hides in my enclosures. althought i see them on their branches alot of the time- the rest is either buried or under the substrate!

i think security has alot to do with it.