newbie snakes - Page 4

NennaMeerkat · 04-15-11, 03:12 PM

What Lanky said...that is what I would generally have said. So I would go with that since it is what I did with my girl. And she was VERY jumpy when I first got her. Now I get her out about once a week (besides feeding day) with no problem.

Lankyrob · 04-15-11, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mistersprinkles

You can technically let some snakes out when they're on patroll with zero stress provided the temperature and environment are right. A ball python under a red night light hunting for food won't be stressed if you gently let it out and let it move around the (dark) room for an hour then put it back. They actually enjoy hunting prey in a bigger space like that but you want to stay out of the way as they're not smart enough to tell you from a rat once they smell it. Picking up a snake that's 'blanked out' under it's rock for the second day in a row is stressful though.

I used to have a Ball python that was more like a pet rock. It was really unstressable. I fed it in the car once.

Why would you have the snake in the car and even worse why would you feed it in the car?

thomas1123 · 04-15-11, 04:23 PM

ok and my friend is letting me use some of his fake plants out of his lizards cage. should i use them? will the bacteria on them hurt my snake? and how should i clean them? i have this spray called wipe out 1 but i think its only for the glass part of my tank.

mistersprinkles · 04-15-11, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas1123

ok and my friend is letting me use some of his fake plants out of his lizards cage. should i use them? will the bacteria on them hurt my snake? and how should i clean them? i have this spray called wipe out 1 but i think its only for the glass part of my tank.

You can use any decor you want as long as it doesn't have sharp or jagged edges, anywhere the snake could get caught or stuck, and is non toxic. Just remember that plastic plants are usually more for you than him and he'll still need places to hide.

Plastic plants from a lizard tank are no problem at all. Just wash them in hot water and give them a good scrub. If you are very concerned add a few drops of bleach to water and scrub them in that. Make sure to rinse them super well after. I would not suggest using any cleaning products anywhere on your enclosure/tank for your reptile. Warm water, isopropyl alcohol, and vinegar are all great non toxic choices that evaporate and leave no dangerous residue. If things get really gross you can take the enclosure to the tub and wash it with a shower head and a mild bleach solution and scrub brush or use the back yard if the enclosure is too bulky to get into a tub easily.

thomas1123 · 04-15-11, 05:06 PM

thanks for letting me know. i just put the decor and plants in the tub to soak and the cleaning stuff is made by zoo med but i didnt use very much of it and i let it sit out in the sun for about four hours so im sure the it all evaporated. thanks for replying!

NennaMeerkat · 04-15-11, 05:14 PM

So far thomas you are doing a good job

I want to see this setup when you are done.

thomas1123 · 04-15-11, 07:07 PM

alright i could show it to you if i knew how to upload pictures lol

mistersprinkles · 04-15-11, 09:08 PM

photobucket.com create account find picture on hard drive upload it go to your album, highlight the picture, click on the text that has (img)fjeifjeojoiwjoewfjweofjwoifejf(/img) then paste it here.

They let you upload a lot of pictures. I have like 2000 on there and movies too. It's good for linking to forums.

HDreptiles · 04-15-11, 09:13 PM

+1 on the photobucket thing. I use it on all the forums I am part of, and it is great.

thomas1123 · 04-15-11, 10:24 PM

ok thanks ill try to upload some pics tomorrow sometime.

NennaMeerkat · 04-15-11, 11:23 PM

Thanks thomas

thomas1123 · 04-15-11, 11:44 PM

yep i put a bulb on it and it looks great imo lol. i just have one question. will my heating pad warm up my substrate? i know its supposed to but i just finished setting my tank up and the substarte still seemed cold but ill feel it tomorrow morning and see if its warm or not.
Thanks for the help!

NennaMeerkat · 04-16-11, 04:37 AM

Yeah it should warm the substrate just fine. And remember hoggies love to burrow even in their hide...so feel the substrate closer to the pad. If it isn't strong enough you might have to get one that produces more heat OR get a low wattage heat lamp to go along with it. As long as your temps in the tank stay around between 75-85 degrees you will be doing good. You can go a little hotter than 85 but I wouldn't push it much further than that.

Stated from TheHognosesnake.co.uk- care sheet, description, breeding and more

The ideal temperature for you snake's vivarium is a temperature gradient of room temperature at one end up to around 30-33°C (82-85°F) near the heat source.

Heat mats should only cover between a third and a half of the floor space to allow your snake to thermo-regulate. This heat mat should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure that it does not overheat. Since a heat mat should provide sufficient heat to keep your Hognose snake happy, a basic mat stat, like the Microclimate Ministat 100 or the Habistat Mat Stat, should be appropriate. These thermostats are available from reptile shops and online, are relatively cheap, and will ensure the heat source is regulated at a safe level.

So a mid range temperature of 75 should be acceptable.

thomas1123 · 04-16-11, 11:08 AM

ok so hot side should be around 85 and cool side should be 70-75? i am not able to check the temp yet because i fogot to get a heater but im going to the petstore today to get one. any suggested types of thermometers?

NennaMeerkat · 04-16-11, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomas1123

ok so hot side should be around 85 and cool side should be 70-75? i am not able to check the temp yet because i fogot to get a heater but im going to the petstore today to get one. any suggested types of thermometers?

Mid Range (middle of tank) should be around the 70's and cold side shouldn't be to much colder than that.