Snakes that eat all year?

[smoothie4l]

My room is a lot colder due to it being almost December (already) the cold side of their cages are at 70 degrees and the hot side 95.
Their humidity is really hard to keep up now though :/
Here are some pics of my crappy/ghetto setups, they work well but look like garbage :P

Evra's and Coraline's cages are at about 60% humidity

The reason for the duct tape is so that he doesn't scratch off more scales... Just clearing that up before someone asks :P

[LiL Zap]

My corn eats all year like a beast. She's 10 years old.

[Chris72]

Funny you mentioned about the duct tape....jumps right out if the pic!

Question: How are you heating & how do you know the hot side is 95?

(I don't see a thermostat, probe wires for a thermostat or a digital thermometer reading either end)

For humidity: to start you can put some moss in a bowl or Tupperware such that 1/2 is fluffed up out of the water. Put that on the warm side and it should help "wick" moisture into thier tanks. You did say it was at 60... But it's a fight to keep it there.

Also on the tank with the towel try fitting some plexiglass (or at least tin foil) under the towel. Cover almost the entire top. If it works in your household & that room has a door that stays closed - take a Tupperware (about 10 x 6) keep it across the heat register on an angle. May help limit how dry the room gets.

For the Ball (can't comment on Womas)
Cover the back, both sides and the top with something dark. (Black construction paper) I think your issue is heat / humidity but giving the animal greater comfort can only help. They like to feel tight and secure. If I have an issue with feeding I move the animal to a tub blacked out with Krylon (save for 3x5 peep) and that gets them going ever time.

Temp:
The cool side is too cool now.
You want 75-80 range on the cool side for at least the day time. Consider getting a portable oil radiator for the room. I think mine came from Rona for 65bucks. We have a control that keeps the radiator putting out about 78/79 and runs a vaporizer to keep RH up.

[EL Ziggy]

Originally Posted by MBK Boy

Kingsnakes for the win. The only time they stop eating is when their dead.

I wish this were the case. My Cal King was just off feed for 9 weeks. Im guessing it's due to breeding season. I offered him a live hopper tonight and he finally broke his fast. Before that he was a monster eating machine though.

[smoothie4l]

Thank you so much Chris~!
I'll take immediate action

I don't know what their really called but I use a "temp gun"....

[Chris72]

Originally Posted by smoothie4l

Thank you so much Chris~!
I'll take immediate action

I don't know what their really called but I use a "temp gun"....

.... Usually called... A temp gun ....

To clarify:
You use the temp gun to check temps, but you have have a thermostat on whatever provides heat? Right?

.

[smoothie4l]

Originally Posted by Chris72

.... Usually called... A temp gun ....

To clarify:
You use the temp gun to check temps, but you have have a thermostat on whatever provides heat? Right?

.

You mean like something you plug the heat pad into and then plug into the wall? No I don't D:
I can tell by your reaction that I really should be ordering two online tonight...
I have "Exo Terra: Heat Wave Rainforest" heat pads for both of my snakes and I've never had any problems with them...
But I'm looking at prices right now... What kind do you use?

[Terranaut]

Canadian Tire has one with a laser sight and it is regular $60 but goes on sale when their other tools do for $30. I have had one for 3 yrs and it is perfect. As far as your heat setup goes, the heat mat you have will not adjust its output to keep the temps in your viv the same. So if your house warms up so will the viv temps. Locally you can get many different types of thermostats from about $40-$300 depending in your budget. Well worth it.

[Chris72]

Originally Posted by smoothie4l

You mean like something you plug the heat pad into and then plug into the wall? No I don't D:
I can tell by your reaction that I really should be ordering two online tonight...
I have "Exo Terra: Heat Wave Rainforest" heat pads for both of my snakes and I've never had any problems with them...
But I'm looking at prices right now... What kind do you use?

One of the Cheapest (on/off type...no bells and whistles)
Hydrofarm
Hydrofarm: Digital Temperature Controller for Heat Mat

One of the top of the line proportional pulse / fully featured:
Spyder robotics Herpstat-4 (I have a bunch of these on my racks)
Spyder Robotics

High end proportional pulse (Have one of these running a 6 enclosure pvc stack that I have my biggest girls in:
Vivarium Electronics "VE300 x2"
Vivarium Electronics VE-300x2 Dual Zone Thermostat


It seems from your white board you have more snakes? Depending on what you have you should consider function and cost per probe. If you are not limited by any current financial challenges go with the Spyder Robitics stuff! You can use it on your UTH's, set your night drop, adjust for swing (makes probe placement easier) and on and on. You can also control a humidity unit with the optional RH probe.

Speaking of humidity - when was the last time the fasting animals had a shed?

[smoothie4l]

I took your advise with the plexiglass under the towel and it's helped the humidity a lot~!
The whiteboard is actually my wishlist :P I only have the two pythons
I used to wright it down when they shed but I don't anymore.. I know they tend to shed within a week of each other and I think it was around the end of summer...

[Robin.M]

Snakes of mine that eat all year...

Boa Constrictors, Woma Python, Green Anaconda.

Rob

[Hurrok]

If you are interested in something a little different but doesn't get that big (2-3 ft), I'd recommend a Western Hognose. Mines a total pig and she won't stop eating! They have fast metabolisms as well so I feed her 2x per week (she's a baby). These guys definitely behave differently compared to a ball or even a corn, mine will hang out or explore depending on how hungry she is haha. Worth a look and they are affordable as well

As for a thermostat I'd also recommend the Hydrofarm, I've used it for the past few years and I haven't had any problems. The reader might be a few degrees off but it's not a real worry as long as you use that temp gun.

[Chris72]

Originally Posted by smoothie4l

I took your advise with the plexiglass under the towel and it's helped the humidity a lot~!
The whiteboard is actually my wishlist :P I only have the two pythons
I used to wright it down when they shed but I don't anymore.. I know they tend to shed within a week of each other and I think it was around the end of summer...

So about 3 months since last shed?

Seems like that matches timing for outside temps going down, furnaces coming on and overall RH nose diving.

In the fall we went from warm to frozen before I had my the vaporizer set up in the snake room (and right before a feeding) and subsequently everything dried out and I had lots of animals refuse that week.

There is even a chance that your 2 snakes might have stuck shed. If you can ensure RH is up, and stable, you might get a shed and then the feeding animals you seek.

The greater issue with stuck shed is that it will stress the animal out which I know you don't want.

Consider getting something like this for the snake room:
EZI Digital LCD Humidity Hygrometer Temperature Thermometer Indoor Outdoor US | eBay

You get a temp reading at the unit.
You get a temp reading at a probe.
You get a reading or RH% in the snake room.

Two or three days in the last month my house dipped just under 30%. (I like my house warm). If your snake room has had roller coaster RH and sharp drops the snakes are going to feel it and you might not know until afterwards. Know where your room is, stabilize it, then you can stabilize the enclosures.

.....and...get more snakes....part of the answer is almost always...more snakes!