new milksnake question

[mrbass111]

i am a new milksnake owner. its a one year old honduran. i notice that it has not gone near the heat side of the aquarium. and didnt know if milk like it cold, cuz when i pick him up hes like a popsicle. i dont want him to get sick. and the only other thing i could think of was he was in a pet store for a while with a lamp. and liked to hang out by his water bowl. should i move the water bowl by the heat. any help would be great

[Tim_Cranwill]

What temps does he have access to?

Generally, snakes are quite capable of figuring out the proper temperature for the tasks they are trying to accomplish. Barring any illnesses, if the proper temps are offered, you shouldn't need to worry about where your snake hangs out. They've been making those decisions for 1000's of years.

[mrbass111]

i just didnt know if it was normal for a snake to be that cool.

[Tim_Cranwill]

When they are off the heat, they can feel pretty cool/cold to the touch. And vice versa; when they are on the heat, they'll feel really warm… more so than you might expect.

[mrbass111]

thanks alot thats makes sense cuz i also bought a ball python and it sits on the heat all the time and when you pick it up its very very warm and i was a little worried about that also.

i was wondering if i could ask you another question. the hondo i bought is bi colored its a dark blood red with black bands. ive only seen one other pic of one close to it. is it a rare color? is there a special name for that kind of color pattern? would it be a good breeder color? thanks!!!

[Auskan]

What are your temps? How are you measuring them? If he hangs out on the cool side, it might be because the warm side is too warm for him.

Edit: Also, does he have a hide on the warm side? Because a snake will always choose security over warmth, so if his only hide is on the cool side, that's where he will hang out.

[Tim_Cranwill]

The bi-colored ones are called Tangerine Hondurans....

Does it look anything like this...
http://www3.mb.sympatico.ca/~cranwill/net_pics/02hondo.jpg

[mrbass111]

i have not put a hide in yet, any suggestions on a cheap easy one to put in. that why i was worried him hanging around the water dish! and your pic is close but mine is darker red and solid black bands no orange in the middlepic11.jpg

[mrbass111]

how do i post a picture to a reply

[Tim_Cranwill]

Click on the reply to post button, Click on the IMG button and paste your picture url in the box that appears... :)

[mrbass111]

i dont have a pic on a web site i got one in my picture files

[Tim_Cranwill]

Upload it to your gallery on sSnakeSs.com

You get 1meg.... I think.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11224

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8512

Now you're set! :)

[mrbass111]

thanks ill wait till tommarrow when i have pics of my snake not one that looks like it.

[mrbass111]

sorry to bother ya again, but can flash photography hurt them?

[Tim_Cranwill]

Nope.

[vanderkm]

I will just mention the need for a hide area again, hondos seem to really prefer being hidden, especially when young and he may be choosing to be close to the water dish because he can press himself up next to it and feel secure. They like a tight spot - for cheap hides you can just use cardboard boxes (Kraft Dinner comes to mind) or if you prefer something a bit nicer - we use inexpensive dog dishes (couple bucks each) that have a hole in the side so the snake can crawl underneath. The weight of the water makes the dish stable and they can cram themselves inside. I would put one on the cool end and one on the warm end, or add a tubular hide (paper towel tube or PVC pipe) that extends the full length of the tank from the cool to warm end and let him choose his best temp, and still feel secure.

Most of our colubrids have a body temp of about 85 degrees, so they feel a bit cool to the touch since our body temp is about 98 degrees.

pic of the dog dish and tubular hides we use

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/63hatchling_tub1.JPG

and an adult tangerine hondo (they change color a lot as they age).
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/509/63Rumba_56.jpg

Looking forward to seeing the photo of your new one,

mary v.

[mrbass111]

i couldent post a photo file size was to big. so i posted a pic in the photo section of my fishing website. if you would like to check it out go to www.palmbaybassmasters.com and look in photo section. and let me know if you have seen this before?

[mrbass111]

i like that dog dish idea. i made him a cardboard box one yesterday. but so far he still preferes to hide under the aspenhttp://www.palmbaybassmasters.com/sitebuilder/images/Picture_157-465x350.jpg

[mrbass111]

hey i did it. let me know what you guys think?

[vanderkm]

Gorgeous little guy - a tangerine that has very wide, even bands - the bands that are narrow on my female above are really expanded on you male - you can see that the first red band behind the head is quite a bit longer on yours than on mine. These are the bands that would be white on a tricolor hondo. The wide, even bands make for a very nice appearance!

thanks for sharing the photos - will expect to see more of him as he grows,

mary v.

[mrbass111]

its a female, and i have not seen any other pics that look like her. does this make her a more valuble snake, and for breeding?

[mrbass111]

heres another pic that gives a better look at the patternhttp://www.palmbaybassmasters.com/sitebuilder/images/Picture_175-360x265.jpg

[Tim_Cranwill]

I like it! :D