Question about lighting for Peublan Milk

[gecko5]

I just received a beautiful yearling peublan. Eats very well and hides all day, but I've read they need full spectrum lighting. Is this true? I keep his cage between 75-80 during the day and about 72 at night. This is my 1st peublan and I want to make sure I'm not depriving him of UV lighting. Any help would be greatly appreciated. If I do need UV how high do I have to go 2.0 - 5.0 etc....

[gecko5]

BTW Thanks, I'm new here =)

[Scotty Allen]

Your new Pueblan will do fine at those temperatures. UV lighting is not necessary for most species of snake including your new one, they spend most of their lives under cover.

[Classic]

I guess your local pet store conned you into buying a light fixture and uv bulb? Some stores will do that to new herpers. UV lighting although not required, can still be used if you have it already. It will not do any harm to you pueblan. Your temps are good and you could even go farther in both direction by 5 degrees if you wish. Watch where he spends most of his time. If he stays in the cool end all the time, you might want to lower your warm end by a few degrees. This is the same if he stays in the warm end alot , it may be too cold in the cool end. You'll need to keep an eye on him for the first while. Pueblans are very finickey and flighty. You might want to leave him alone in his new enclosure for a week or two to accustom himself to his new surroundings. You can then take him out for short periods as to let him get used to being handled. You will most likely be musked and this is normal for a pueblan. Most pueblans will settle down after a few minutes/seconds. They are fast little snakes also. When taking him out of his enclosure, try to get him from underneath and hold on to him for a minute before removing him from the aquarium. Most will calm down a little once they are actually in your hands for a minute. Don't get complacient though, they can make a leap of freedom very fast. I have not come accross a biter so you might be safe in that respect. Aspen shavings make great hiding places for pueblans and/or a small butter dish inverted with a small door will make him feel safe. They are very shy snakes and are rarely seen in the wild. This might give you the train of thought for the mindset of your pueblan. They like small cramped hiding places. Hope this helps a little.

[Linds]

Removed for the reason Jeff stated below. I've attached the lost reply from that thread.

Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
Even though you posted this twice and it was answered already in your other post, no your Pueblan does NOT need UV light. Don't bother. They are nocturnal animals and the beneficial aspect of a UV fixture would be negligable. Belly heat and good places to burrow are things that are going to make your Pueblan happy.

And you don't just keep a cage ONE tempertaure. Snakes need a warm side (for basking) and a cool side. Its how they thermoregulate. Keeping the cage one temperature is a recipe for unhealthy and unhappy snakes.