Burrowing?

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Hey guys, one of my BP's,Sabbra, Just LOVES to burrow under her towel. (I use a towel as substrate). She continually does this and refuses her hide box.. Is this an alright thing to do? She usually burrows right under the heat lamp too so I'm not worried about her temp. Will she be able to breath alright? Thanks guys.

-Trevor

[dead bob]

Your hide box could be too large and she doesn't feel secure in it but burrowing under the towel is not a problem. Now for a couple of questions.

1. Are you still using a basking light on one end and a UTH on the other?

2. If so, have you got that basking light turned way down now so she can have a cool side?

She could also be burrowing to get away from all the heat. In our prior conversation you had the heat way too high so that could be a problem. I would also suggest using something other than a towel as substrate. Aspen would be a good choice, it's cheap, and would dissipate the heat from the UTH better. Your BP would also have less of a chance coming into full contact with the glass over the UTH and thus suffer thermal burns.

[Pixie]

A towel is definitely not the best substrate. Even if it's changed regularly it could easily harbor some bacteria that could be detrimental to your snake's health.

Like dead bob said, your bp could be going under the towel to escape heat or find a comfier snugger hiding spot.

A different substrate would be key as well as appropriate sized hide boxes.

Good luck,
Pixie

[Stalabros]

I'm not sure how big your hide box is, but most snakes are thigmotactic, which means that they like to be in contact with their environment, and when hiding they feel more secure when they are able to touch (feel) their surroundings.

[Linds]

I'd be willing to bet that, like everyone else metnioned, your snake doesn't feel as secure in her hide. There is nothing -wrong- with her behaviour, she is just going to the spot that is most comfortable to her. You could abandon the use of hides if you wanted to if you use a substrate that permits hiding/burrowing. In the wild balls often use leaf litter as a hiding spot, so this type of behaviour is natural.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

She's a lil baby in a 10 gallon, so I dont use a UTH. The only reason I dont like her burrowing is because she gets cold when i pick her up. Today I'll pick her up some bark. I used aspen with my other ball and it went all inside her heat pits and nostrils, i DO NOT like it. I'm gunna need a 20L pretty soon, then I'll get a heat pad as well...Thanks guys, I'll keep you informed.

[snakemann87]

really? I use aspen and i have no problems what so ever. My ball loves it. Also, maybe the light is too hot and hes looking for a cooler place???

[dead bob]

Originally posted by ThEmAdHaTtEr
She's a lil baby in a 10 gallon, so I dont use a UTH. The only reason I dont like her burrowing is because she gets cold when i pick her up. Today I'll pick her up some bark. I used aspen with my other ball and it went all inside her heat pits and nostrils, i DO NOT like it. I'm gunna need a 20L pretty soon, then I'll get a heat pad as well...Thanks guys, I'll keep you informed.

No big deal if she's cold when you pick her up. She'll come out and warm up if she gets too cold. But I do suspect that it is probably just too hot in the small 10 gallon with a basking light. Getting her into a 20L with a UTH set at 88-90 for a hotspot and then using the basking light for the cool side ambient temps of 80-84 should do the trick. That way she has a choice so she can properly thermo-regulate. I have my two BCI's on Fir bark and they do well. It should work good for you.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Lol, I just got her fir bark, and now I come back to a recomendation of it. Yeah, this weekend I'll try and pick her up a bigger tank and a heat pad. Do you guys use human heat pads for your BPs? I have a human heat pad witha towel wrapped around it set on medium under my other Bp's hide. It works great.

[Linds]

Keep in mind that snakes will usually feel somewhat cool when you pick them up, because their ideal temperature range (80-90) is much cooler than our body temperature (which is 100 degrees), hence they feel cooler to us. She shouldn't be too cold if her temps are adequate (80-90 degree gradient). Is she provided with the proper temps?

Human Heat Pads: I recommend going with a UTH w/ dimmer to control the heat output. Although many people have used human heaet pads sucessfully over the years, there are still some that have lost their herps and homes to them as well. The fact remains that these were not designed to be left on 24/7, and under those conditions. They are an increased fire hazard.

Fir Bark: All softwoods contain oils which are toxic to herps (and many other animals) on different levels. Pine is quite mild, it is more of a respiratory irritant, while cedar is fatally toxic, causeing severe neurological damage. IMHO I would steer clear of the fir bark...

[dead bob]

Had not heard that about fir. Knew about it for pine and cedar. Have had my two BCI's and a Corn on it for quite some time and they are growing like weeds. Very active, foracious feeders and absolutely no signs of illness. I've kept my male BCI on it for over a year and a half now, no problems.

I know a lot of people use newspaper but my wife said absolutely not. And she's the boss..:D Her quote was "I am not having nasty looking enclosures."

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Bleh, kay guys...I rearranged her tank. I kept the box I got at the petstore my beardie came in. its approx a 6 inch long, 4 inch wide, 4 1/2 inch tall box. It put at the left side of the tank and next to the sqeezes in her waterbowl. They fit just perfect in the tank, providing some space behind the waterbowl to act as another hide. At the other end is her normal hide.Its 8 inches long, 6 inches high, 5 inches wide. Theres a hole cut about half way up and half way across the front to act as an entrance. She has all the room in the middle to stretch out and the hide boxes to climb on. I hope this works out...:-\

[Lisa]

Cypress mulch is great for nice looking substrate. provides adequite humidity and is easy to spot clean.

[dead bob]

Originally posted by Lisa
Cypress mulch is great for nice looking substrate. provides adequite humidity and is easy to spot clean.

Yup, use that for my ATB's..:)

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Hey all! GREAT news!!! I got Sabbra a 20L tank. I also bought a heat pad for her. Heres how it is...The left side has about 8 inches of heat pad on the bottom. That 8 inches is covered by a hide box. Then about a foot of nothing. Then theres a small hide turned sidewyas with a small (but big enough hole) in it. The waterbowl is right on the outside of the entrance to that. Then Theres a 4 inch high, 11 inch long, 8 inch wide box with a hole on top of it. It used to be a heat lamp box so the hole on top is from the top of the heat lamp. Thats the warm end. The heat lamp sits right over the water bowl keeping the water luke warm. I must say myself, this cage is AWESOME. Plenty of hide boxes and crevices. Just thought I would let you all know! Now all I need to figure is some better substrate. Any suggestions? And BTW: Thanks to everyone for all their help and support. These forums rock!

[Linds]

As forementioned, cypress mulch is a great natural substrate to use. You can mist it to assist with your humidity levels, and it also looks appealing. Some also use aspen, but I would be careful using this, as it is quite drying and tanks are hard enough to maintain humidity. If you get aspen wet it molds pretty quickly. Personally, I prefer to use newspaper or papertowel for mine. It isn't particularily attractive, but it is sanitary, easy to clean, cheap to use, and you don't run any risk of impaction, unlike and loose substrates. Hope this helped :)

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Hey, with cypress..Would I still have to worry about her getting impacted even though I dont feed her in her tank?? The only stuff I have ever used as substrate was Repti-bark with fir and normal towels..Thanks for the suggestions.

[tHeGiNo]

Well the chances of impaction will be very rare if you dont feed him in the cage, which is what your supposed to do.

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

Cool. Thanks a lot for the help. Petsmart doesnt sell cypress, where can I buy it online?

[ThEmAdHaTtEr]

I just got a gallery up. Check it out for the pic of the enclosure. Thanks for looking!