is it ok now?

[Bartman]

Alright so i changed a bunch of stuff and tried to follow as much of what i was told that i understood. Sorry for the dark image but it was night and my room is poorly lit. So i have a 4 inch layer of lizard litter, water dish leveled with the substrate for easy access, humid hide that you can see in the middle burried with a hole at the top and filled halfway with vermiculite so he/she can burrow. And just some grass decor and i got another thermometre because i dont htink mine was accurate at all. I placed the probe in the substrate and after about 30 minutes of being in their it reads only 79 so i think its wayyy to low. Im gonna have to get a better bulb tomorrow. Does it maybe take longer to get a good reading? Over the substrate i get 90 but under it is only 79 or 80 ish...
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1953tankxk.JPG

[Bartman]

Also hes been in the humid hide for about 4 hours, all night id say. Is it causs he likes it or is it causs he cant find the way out. Ive never used a hide with a hole on the top. the width of the whole is about two nickles side by side. So about 2 inches in diamiter sp.

Should i make it bigger? btw, hes shedding for those who havnt seen my other threads.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I think if the little guy is shedding, you should probaby just leave him alone in his hide box.

[Tigergenesis]

Ditch the light and use an under the tank heating pad. You need to heat under the substrate so the temps are right for him when he burrows under the substrate. Be sure you have a temp gradient - different temp on cool side versus warm side.

Warm side = 90-95 (some like it hot!)
Cool side = 80s

Glad to see someone so open to advice and willing to do what they need for their snake.

[asphyxia]

What is lizard litter made from?

I argee with the UTH. As the enclosure is huge for a baby KSB I would consider feeding is in a deli cup...I actually use those disposable Glade tubs from Wal-Mart

Brian

[BoidKeeper]

What is lizard litter made from?
Lizard litter is a brand name. They offer at least three different substates that I can think of. One is made of crushed walnut shell, not warning on the bag either for people alergic to nuts either. Another is sort of a peatmoss mix. The third is some kinda plant material I think. It's white and looks like some kind of grain or seed.
Cheers,
Trevor

[Bartman]

Glad to see someone so open to advice and willing to do what they need for their snake.
Actually as jeff would know, I never argue what people tell me especially when they have been keeping something that i need help on much longer then i have. So you guys must be right, and imo who ever argues over info they are given just dont know how to take advice

THATS what i forgot..i was standing in the petshop and i told the guy i know im forgetting something...it was the heat pad. Ill be getting that in the next day or two but does it have an automatic thing where i can set two temps or do i need to buy something else. It is a heatpad made by zoomed....

[sapphire_moon]

Don't take the piece of paper off covering the sticky side, you will never get it off again.
You will need to get a lamp dimmer or a rheostat. And put the probe on the bottom of the cage, right over the UTH (with the UTH under the tank, not inside the tank :) )

[BoidKeeper]

So you guys must be right
Oh but you still need to be critical. Some people have been keeping stuff wrong for years. Just because it's still alive dosen't mean they are keeping it right. I know one of these "I've been keeping herps for years" people who finally killed his albino burm that was 4yrs old and 5' long because he wouldn't listen to me. He had been keeping longer then me so by default he knew more then me. Or so he thought.
My point is you can question advice with out arguing against it. It's important to find out why someone thinks there way will work for you. Why do people tell you to do what they do? How do they know it will work? Anyone giving advice should be ready to defend it if it is questioned in the right way.
Cheers,
Trevor

[asphyxia]

Adam....you may just want to use the cheapest Sunbeam (person) heating pad. That way you will not need to build a rheostat, and the low or medium temp. will be correct.

So, what type of substright is it you have.

BTW, Did you get the dirt yet for the Sav?

Brian

[sapphire_moon]

If you do go with a human heating pad make sure you don't get one that shuts off after 2 hours!

[Tigergenesis]

Either go with a human heating pad that doesn't have auto shutoff and has temp settings or get a reptile heating pad with either a rheostat or thermostat. The UTH's I've bought get way too hot - even with a rheostat, but are great with the thermostats. Could have just been the ones I got, but I wish I hadn't attached them to the tank - so I agree as above about not actually sticking them on the tank. Just in case you ever want or need to remove it.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Don't waste your money on a pet store heating pad if its more than $20. Sunbeam makes them with 3 settings that you can usually get for $14-17 at WalMart or London Drugs.

[Bartman]

Alright thanks!

Btw whats a rheostat? And how would i attach it to the dimmer. Ive never used a UTH so i have no idea how they work...

[Bartman]

Just checked the temps, still under the substrate...and after getting the temps for about 20 hours or so..all night and day...it is at 88.

Do you still suggest a heating pad or is this alright? Id rather use an over head heat. So if its still not ok i think id rather just get a 100 W bulb instead...

[Tigergenesis]

Sand boas burrow - they need to have the proper temps available to them when they burrow. They don't bask. Warm side under the substrate on top of the bottom of the tank should be 90+. My 3 boas have their warm side at a minimum of 92. I've found that I've had better feeding success at the warmer temps. A rheostat is like a dimmer in that it let's you lower the temps a bit. You keep mentioning only one temperature - are you checking the temperature on one side or the middle? Are you providing a temperature gradient?

[Bartman]

I have the lamp on one end of the tank...so im putting the probe under the substrate on that side because i wanted to see what temps im getitng on that end.

[Tigergenesis]

Ok, well what are the temps on the other end (under the substrate)? Those are important as well.

[Bartman]

from 80 to 82 ish..sometimes lower...

[Matt_K]

hey man, Have you considered dumping the whole aquarium thing for now?? As Roy stated in one of his posts before, keeping them in a small container is do-able.. When i purchased mine from Roy, i kept them in the same Deli Cup that he gave them to me in (the same one's he raises his babies in) and i had no problems with them at all when it came to feeding or anything. Has your little one eaten as of yet for you??? If not, maybe you should considering just dumping the tank until he gets bigger.. By the looks of your pics, that tanks what, a 15 gallon?? And your snake is just a tiny little thing, i personally would switch to a deli cup or even something like a shoebox rubbermaid until he gets bigger (or a bit smaller).. Just a thought. :D

Tigergenesis: could you please do us a favor and shorten your signature, we only allow 4 Lines of text in them :D Thanks..

[Bartman]

Nope, hasnt eatin...I think your right, ill just do that..but how would i heat it..still with a heat pad from the outside right? But wouldnt it be to small to get a gradient??

[The Green Mile]

The Graduient would be achieved vertically use about 2-3"of betta chip, for optium results (as I said before)

Brian

[Bartman]

Okay so instead of using a rubbermaid i thought to use this tiny, i think 5 gal tank i have. Its half the size of the 10 im using now in width and length and is only a little bit lower in height. So could i use this to house the sand boa?

If i was, id get the UTH and put about 3 inches of substrate. Is that fine?

heres pics of the possible new small tank on top of the current sand boa tank.
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1953Tank_Comparison.JPG
http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1953Tank_Comparison_1_.JPG

[tHeGiNo]

I think what they are trying to say is that the smaller enclosures permits a more secure environment for your snake. Even your 10 gallon is functional, however it ill be easier to establish the snake in something such as a deli cup or small deli. So therefore my opinion is yes, that tank is sufficient - however a smaller enclosure may make the job easier. As mentioned, a thick layer of substrate is necessary to permit a gradient.

[Bartman]

Can i just do this so i dont have to buy a UTH and make a lid for the smaller tank. I think its a great idea and it gives a heat gradient of sides instead of height.
Heres a really bad pic i made in paint..



Also if i used a uth, imo it really wouldnt make sense. If a sand boa was in the wild if it wanted to get warmer wouldnt it move up toward the ground where the surface of the ground is warmer from the sun..and then if it wanted to cool off it would dig deaper into the ground where the suns heat doesnt hit? So i didnt use the lamp at the side of the small tank, would it make sense to still go from the top?

Btw, im getting the right temps now so i dont think i need UTH, and its not that im stubborn but id rather save the 20 bucks and just use what i already have if i can, and to me it makes sense..anyone agree?


http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/1953tank_plan-med.JPG

[asphyxia]

*bangs head against table*

Brian

[Bartman]

alright, so im guessing its a bad idea?

[Matt_K]

Bro, Deli cup ALL the way.. If you want something a little bigger, go to your nearest dollar store and grab one of the sandwich containers.. Trust me, you WONT be sorry man... It will save you a world of headaches..