BWSmith
07-14-03, 11:54 AM
I thought this would be a nice break from the controversial topics we have all been engaged in. This is a good place to post any little tidbits you hay have picked up from handling to maintenance, to husbandry. Nice Reader's Digest version ;) I think most people have little things they do that make life easier and safer and i am always interested in learning new methods. So I will start with one that I recently posted on another thread just to get it started.
Easier Watering:
For front opening cages, I place the water bowl at the front of the cage opposite the hide box. To add a little water, all I have to do is opent he cage as little as possible and pour the water down the inside of a restraining tube and into the bowl. This way the snake does not have to be removed, you stay out of strike rane, and you are a couple feet away just in case. You can also put the tube at a sharp angle so that your hands are well above the opening of the cage so they are not even in the view of the snake. Generally they will focus onthe movement of the water intering the bowl.
Cage Placement
All of my hot cages have rear vents so that I do not have to worry about fangs coming through when i am movign them or someone laying thier hand on the vent. But temp tracking was always an issue. So what I did was place the cages 2 feet off the wall so I can easily walk behind them *great for accessing wires too). I got me an infrared thermometer. So now I can check the temps on both sides of each cage in in my hot room in about 90 seconds. All I have to do is walk behind them and shoot the thermometer into the vent on each side and to make sure my hot and cool sides are within range. It is even faster than having thermometers inside the cages. This placement is also helpful if a snake gets unruly. All cages are already 18 inches off the ground so there are no tight spots for snakes to get into and this way,if they go under them, i can keep sight of them the entire time while still standing and I can walk around to the back if need be.
Pinning Babies:
I have said over and over that pinning is a last resort, but sometimes the need arises so i will get to it. A trick that hank Molt showed me when he had to force feed baby Pygmies is to put them in a deli with just enough water int here so they have to swim. Let them swim until they get tired then hook them onto a sponge so it is soft yet secure to pin them.
Pinning Gaboons:
By far one of the worst snakes to have to pin. They can wrap those 2 inch fangs outside thier mouth to get ya! Mardi Snipes shoed me a good trick though. Actually 2 tricks. The first is to pin on carpet. If they are pinned tot he capret then the first time they open thier mouth, the fangs will stick nicely in the carpet and when you release, they just lift thier head and are free. Another trick he used was to hookthe fangs of the handle of a hook or similar rubber object so it is safe for the snake.
There are countless more, but those came to mind first.
Easier Watering:
For front opening cages, I place the water bowl at the front of the cage opposite the hide box. To add a little water, all I have to do is opent he cage as little as possible and pour the water down the inside of a restraining tube and into the bowl. This way the snake does not have to be removed, you stay out of strike rane, and you are a couple feet away just in case. You can also put the tube at a sharp angle so that your hands are well above the opening of the cage so they are not even in the view of the snake. Generally they will focus onthe movement of the water intering the bowl.
Cage Placement
All of my hot cages have rear vents so that I do not have to worry about fangs coming through when i am movign them or someone laying thier hand on the vent. But temp tracking was always an issue. So what I did was place the cages 2 feet off the wall so I can easily walk behind them *great for accessing wires too). I got me an infrared thermometer. So now I can check the temps on both sides of each cage in in my hot room in about 90 seconds. All I have to do is walk behind them and shoot the thermometer into the vent on each side and to make sure my hot and cool sides are within range. It is even faster than having thermometers inside the cages. This placement is also helpful if a snake gets unruly. All cages are already 18 inches off the ground so there are no tight spots for snakes to get into and this way,if they go under them, i can keep sight of them the entire time while still standing and I can walk around to the back if need be.
Pinning Babies:
I have said over and over that pinning is a last resort, but sometimes the need arises so i will get to it. A trick that hank Molt showed me when he had to force feed baby Pygmies is to put them in a deli with just enough water int here so they have to swim. Let them swim until they get tired then hook them onto a sponge so it is soft yet secure to pin them.
Pinning Gaboons:
By far one of the worst snakes to have to pin. They can wrap those 2 inch fangs outside thier mouth to get ya! Mardi Snipes shoed me a good trick though. Actually 2 tricks. The first is to pin on carpet. If they are pinned tot he capret then the first time they open thier mouth, the fangs will stick nicely in the carpet and when you release, they just lift thier head and are free. Another trick he used was to hookthe fangs of the handle of a hook or similar rubber object so it is safe for the snake.
There are countless more, but those came to mind first.