could use advice

kjay · 08-23-04, 05:07 PM

i just bought a female bp she seemed very well take care of the guy had like 50 snakes 1bp. i bought it for $75 canadian a good home seem to be more important than money to him. im guessing she is 2.5 pounds i will get a more accurate weight when i have a chance, any how he has had it since a hatchling it is 2.5 years and was kept in a rack system and not handle to often. What is the best way to go about getting her use to her new home and handling, i have her in a 10gal aquarium "very temporarily". Should i buy a glass aquarium or go the rubbermaid route I only have experience with my 2 hatchlings which are now 4 months. The oppurtunity just presented itself or i would have planned better. Any advice would be appreciated

hhw · 08-23-04, 05:13 PM

Wow, $75CDN for a decent sized female BP? You got a steal on that one!!!

smeagel · 08-23-04, 06:25 PM

use a 43 litre rubbermaid, with a human heating pad put on medium heat. This is what i use for my adult ball pythons, and they are feeding machines and healthy.

BoidKeeper · 08-23-04, 06:43 PM

If it's your only snake and space is not a problem you can go with a 40g breeder tank, 36"Lx18"Wx18"H. I would also go with an UTH pad but I would use a pet store type, not a heat pad. I do use some heat pads but they are not designed for 24 hour use. To adjust the heat on your pad you can buy a dimmer switch at a hardware store and a cheap extention cord. Hook the dimmer to the cord then plug the heat pad into it. By doing that you will have a much wider range of temperature control then just low, med and high. Also you wont have to adjust the amount of substrate you use to help adjust the temp. The basking spot should be between 90-95. Cool end between 80-85. At night I would not let the temp drop below 70. When you get the heat pad do not stick it to the tank, just lay it under there and use the rubber feet that come with it at all corners to allow air flow. If you stick the pad to the glass and you spill water on the glass it will crack.
Use a locking screen lid, two hide boxes, one on each side and a large water bowl placed on the cool side.
Good luck and keep us posted,
Trevor

kjay · 08-23-04, 09:58 PM

its not my only snake i have 2 hatchlings also. it's my first adult though, i just was not sure how to get her use to her new enviornment, and the best way to get her to be use to being handled and get her to start feeding seeing is she is in new surroundings.

BoidKeeper · 08-24-04, 06:47 AM

The best way to get her used to her new environment is to place her in her permenant home ASAP and leave her alone for a two week acclimation period. Then try and feed her. My rule is 4 meals back to back and one deffication before handling. That wait time usually ensures that they are eating well and are less likely to go off food because of stress. After 4 meals and one dump then take it out for like 5 minutes at a time and then move up. I feel that snakes should never be out more then 15 minutes at a time any way.
Cheers,
Trevor

justinO · 08-24-04, 07:47 AM

If it's your only snake I would say get an enclosure built (same price as a big tank pretty much) with sliding glass front........ heat pad or UTH in there and your set for her whole life.

Post on here when you want to put her out on a breeding loan, i know there's people with some high end male bp morphs that would love to get their hands on a 2000 gramer!

Jess