Recent studies suggest that UVB is beneficial for snakes’ long-term physical and mental health. Like many snakes, Dumeril’s boas are a Ferguson Zone 2 reptile, which means that they need a UVI of 2.0-3.0 in the basking area (closest location to the UVB lamp). UVB intensity decreases with distance from the source, so your snake’s basking surface needs to be placed at an appropriate distance. If it’s too close, your snake may get “sunburned.” If it’s too far away, your snake may not be able to actually benefit from having the lamp.
ReptiFiles strongly recommends that reptile owners invest in or at least borrow a Solarmeter 6.5 to measure UVI (UV Index) for proper basking surface placement. However, if you don’t have access to a Solarmeter 6.5, here is an estimate of how far away your snake should be when basking under the UVB lamp, since UVB intensity is affected by distance.
Lamp mounted above mesh (recommended for safety):
Without mesh obstruction:
The above distance recommendations assume a ~35% mesh block. For more details on estimating basking distance based on mesh obstruction, see the Facebook group Reptile Lighting > Guides > Guide 1: Using T5-HO lamps above a Mesh Screen.
Your UVB bulb should be roughly half the length of your enclosure (ex: 34″ if the enclosure is 6′ long). It will also need to be installed in a Vivarium Electronics T5 HO or Arcadia ProT5 fixture. Optimal use distance is likely to be more variable if you use something different.
Place your light on a timer to help your snake regulate its day/night and seasonal cycles:
Alternatively, you can sync your boa’s lights to your local sunrise/sunset times for similar results. I prefer using the Kasa Smart Power Strip to manage my reptiles’ light schedules from my phone.
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