hellooo!

[LLinz]

Just joined today, I was so happy to find this site! Lots of information and support from fellow critter lovers! I'm a new snake owner and am always interested in learning from pros :)

[Jay]

Welcome, Any pictures??

[Jay]

Just noticed your signature, why did you choose the name "sneezy"

[LLinz]

I have a shih tzu/cocker spaniel dog, I asked him "what should I name your new brother?" And he sneezed in my face. Soo I named the snake Sneezy!

[stephanbakir]

Thats a unique name choice! Welcome to the forums.

[sickvenom]

I have a shih tzu/cocker spaniel dog, I asked him "what should I name your new brother?" And he sneezed in my face. Soo I named the snake Sneezy!

better than naming him 'dog slobber' i guess.

[LLinz]

Lol, my horses names are Gibson and Mase, dog's name is Texass-Mickey, so I figured the most badass looking animal I have should have a sillier name:)

[sickvenom]

oh dear.....

[Jay]

lol ok j.w thats a weird name for a snkae is your horse named after A Guitar?

[LLinz]

It sure is. I don't remember how we came to name Gibson.

[Jay]

Sweet I have a few gibsons. What are your temps, humidity, tank size substrate?

[LLinz]

He is in a 3.5 foot long, 22" H 22" W glass tank, with an under tank heat pad thingy, he has a 75 W infared heat lamp, another 100(I think) W infared heat lamp, and a 75 W 'basking lamp', the 2 infareds stay on 24/7 and I turn the basking lamp on during the day to bump up the heat. Right now he has some wood stuff for substrate, I'm going to empty his whole tank to scrub it clean as soon as I decide on a substrate. I'm thinking of astroturf, any comments on that as a substrate?
With all those lamps, his warm side stays at 80 degrees, I'm sure how else I can bump the temp up another 8 degrees or so. I'm sure there is a better way to heat his tank, but as I said, I'm new to the snakey world. There is sooo much conflicting information on the internet that I have no idea what advice to take... So fire away with advice, please!

[Jay]

Go buy a che saves money in the long run but dont forget to get a thermostat as well as they can get really hot. You might wanna buy a heat gun your thermometer might be faulty w/ those lights your temps should be much higher

[LLinz]

What's a che? I will definitly get a heat gun, I've been worried about the temp, as the lights get reallly hot, but the temp on those thermometers stay at 80.. Thank you for the advice!!

[marvelfreak]

hello and welcome!

[Lankyrob]

You may want to consider upgrading your tank too - adult balls are recommended 4foot vivariums. CHE - Ceramic Heat Emitter (i use them for all my snakes) they are a non light emitting heat bulb and can be left on 24/7 but MUST have a thermostat - the bulb itself can get up to 300f or more quite easily so must also have a metal guard around it so that the snake cant touch it. Your hot spot temps should be 91f to keep the snake healthty and to aid digestion. You didnt mention humidity but Balls need 55% minimum humidity and upto 65-70% during their shed process.

Hope this helps (apologies if it sounds a little "heavy" for my first post to you)

[LLinz]

Very helpful, thanks! I do plan on building a big wood/ plexiglass front viv for him, for now, I'm just trying to gain all the knowledge I can, so I can fulfill his snakey needs :) even being a first timer in the snake department, I was positive there was a better way to heat the tank.
Humidity.. I mist it every 2nd day... Not sure how to monitor moisture levels
So... CHE, heat gun will be purchased for him tomorrow, and I am undecided on the substrate, the stuff in his tank now is pretty dirty, so I want to get rid of it and figure out what to replace it with.

[Lankyrob]

I use Reptibark for all my snakes - holds the humidity well and easy to spot clean poo too.

You can buy hygrometers (either crappy dial versions or awesome digital ones depending on budget) - we find that with our relative humidity outside being 50% that we need to spray every morning to keep the humidity correct.

I will say it again as it is VERY important - the CHE NEED both a thermostat and a guard.

The plans for the bigger viv sound great - what size is the snake now?

Also Kudos to you for asking for help - and bigger kudos for accepting that help without being arsey about it. You sound like you have the snakes best interest at heart - as we all do on this forum so you should do well!! :)

[LLinz]

He is 4 feet now, 3 or 4 years old. I'm working on a tight budget, so I'll get him what he needs, functional and nothing fancy for now! I'll get the CHE, thermostat and guard, I've been worrying about his set up since I got him, but now I'm confident enough about knowing what he needs, so I can spend some money on it now.
I am a huge animal nerd and love to learn as much as I possibly can, I am soooo happy to have found this site! I've learned so much already :D

[infernalis]

I don't even know how I missed this. My apologies, usually the very first thing all new members see is....

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

[belovedboas]

Welcome to sNAKESs!!! Lot's of helpful folks here. Wayne i think thats the most posts I've seen get in before you, lol your usually pretty quick with that mat:)

[LLinz]

Actually, I posted this first, then I posted in the "I'm new" or whatever its called. And you posted the welcome mat there :D I feel so welcomed

[belovedboas]

lots of friendly herp nnuts on here, you will fit right in haha:)

[Jay]

Ceramic Heat Emitter

[sickvenom]

Che will suck the humidity right out of the tank. Best to use efficient belly heat and bark. I like ches, but not for species that require humidity.

[Lankyrob]

We use che's for all our snakes and have absolutely no issues with humidity whatsoever.

[sickvenom]

We use che's for all our snakes and have absolutely no issues with humidity whatsoever.

yes, i'm sure you don't have problems, but they aren't the most efficient for humidity. i love ches and use them myself, but i have found that wet bark with belly heat provides the most, and longest lasting humidity. if you think about it, it makes sense. heat moving upwards through wet substrate, vs squirting water in warm ambient air. if you wet the bark and let the heat move upwards, the water retention lasts longer. squirt bottles just to not create a fine enough mist to evaporate properly. another option would be a specialized misting system.

[LLinz]

What's Flexwatt? I'm going to be building an all new, custom enclosure ( :D ) so any and all ideas and opinions are greatly appreciated!

[sickvenom]

What's Flexwatt? I'm going to be building an all new, custom enclosure ( :D ) so any and all ideas and opinions are greatly appreciated!

head over to the 'enclosure' section of this forum and you'll see some great, recent topics on flexwatt! there are a few of us here who swear by it and will probably never use bulbs or ches ever again!

[LLinz]

Ok, will do. I really appreciate all your help! There is sooo much to learn, and I can really see myself getting more snakes once I know how to really properly care for my Sneezy :)