New to snake ownership - advise needed

[Davidpearl]

Hey guys,

I hope you are well,

As my thread Title suggest my Girlfriend and I are new to snake ownership and we just had a few questions to ask to make sure we can provide the very best home for our little man.

Firstly, I think he needs an introduction - This is Arnie, he is a 5 to 6 Month old Pastel Orange Ghost and he is super adorable!





We just wanted to clear up a few things and make sure that his house is as best accommodating as possible

Below are pictures of our viv - its a 3ft Viv with a heat mat controlled with a thermostat (Microclimate B2), the Heat mat is situated on the left side of the viv under a sheet of glass with substrate on top of it with wood to make the hot hide. on the far right he has a cold hide and a long piece of wood along the back to climb over. In the middle is the water bowl

Viv:



Hot Hide:



Arnie curled up in the Hot Hide:



Full Viv:



from what you can see is his Viv ok? in terms of lay out and what not? I can get him more stuff to go in there if he needs or would be more beneficial.

1. I read conflicting arguments around Heat mats and possible damage they can cause Arnie. I have read that as a youngster he is fine but when he becomes Sub-adult/Adult it may cause issues, any advise or further understanding of this?
2. My Heat mat is controlled around 86c - I have read that between 82-86c is the sweet spot but then also that 90-91c is where you need to be? What temperature does his Hot hide have to be?
3. I have read mixed articles around feeding within his viv, both with Pro's and con's, As we have substrate down would it be best to feed him outside his viv? or could we put some newspaper down with his food on it and then remove that after he has eaten it?

I think this is all I can think of for now but I am sure I will have more questions as time passes

This is so exciting and I think I have really got the Snake bug now!

I hope to hear from you all soon,

David

[SKO]

The cage looks good. I would suggest getting a good digital thermometer/hygrometer to monitor your temps and humidity. Also, those temps should be in Fahrenheit not Celsius if that's what the c meant. 90-95f is good for a hot spot, 80-85 is good for cool side ambient temps. My Hotspots are 92 with ambient temps at 82. You can feed in the cage no problem. If you are feeding pre killed or frozen you can use paper towels or something if you want but it's rely not necessary. They can digest it along with all of the bones, fur, and guts.

[SKO]

Oh and as far as heat mats go, they are fine no matter what age of the snake as long as you have a good tstat. As they get bigger though, you are going to have to get a bigger heat mat.

[egosnell2002]

Answer to question 1: A UTH (under tank heater) will not burn your snake as long as there is a thick enough layer of substrate between the heater and the snake, in my tank I also put a layer of "repti-carpet" to be sure no burns are caused. At first I tried heating my viv with a UTH, but I found that it wasn't hot enough so I switched to a ceramic heat emitter, but that depends on the wattage of your UTH. Keep in mind that having the Viv resting on the ground with UTH attached is a fire hazard, seriously consider constructing a stand to raise the Viv off the ground.

Answer to question 2: On the cool side of the viv(day), it should be between 80f and 85f. On the warm side of the viv(day), it should be between 85f and 90f. On both sides of the viv(night) it should be between 70f and 80f. Changing day and night temperatures is optional, and should occure naturally. Seriously consider purchasing 2 thermometers(one for the cool, one for the warm side) and 1 hygrometer(humidity sensor).

Answer to question 3: I personally feed in the viv(without the newspaper), just as long as you watch the snake feed, it should be fine,

I hope this helps.

[SKO]

Answer to question 1: A UTH (under tank heater) will not burn your snake as long as there is a thick enough layer of substrate between the heater and the snake, in my tank I also put a layer of "repti-carpet" to be sure no burns are caused.

You mean as long as it as regulated by a thermostat. It doesn't matter how much substrate there is, they will burrow to the bottom. Repti carpet is terrible for hygiene reasons and should not really be used. Ever.

Also, get a temp gun to measure your hot spot

[frostysBP]

Answer to question 1: A UTH (under tank heater) will not burn your snake as long as there is a thick enough layer of substrate between the heater and the snake, in my tank I also put a layer of "repti-carpet" to be sure no burns are caused. At first I tried heating my viv with a UTH, but I found that it wasn't hot enough so I switched to a ceramic heat emitter, but that depends on the wattage of your UTH. Keep in mind that having the Viv resting on the ground with UTH attached is a fire hazard, seriously consider constructing a stand to raise the Viv off the ground.

Answer to question 2: On the cool side of the viv(day), it should be between 80f and 85f. On the warm side of the viv(day), it should be between 85f and 90f. On both sides of the viv(night) it should be between 70f and 80f. Changing day and night temperatures is optional, and should occure naturally. Seriously consider purchasing 2 thermometers(one for the cool, one for the warm side) and 1 hygrometer(humidity sensor).

Answer to question 3: I personally feed in the viv(without the newspaper), just as long as you watch the snake feed, it should be fine,

I hope this helps.

Worst advice in the world would be to fallow answer number one... It is well know they can and will burn snakes snakes can and will burrow and with a heat pad running Full bore at 120 degrees will burn ur snake please don't ever tell anyone that again.

Sent from my A521L using Tapatalk

[Davidpearl]

Thanks for the advise everyone!

I have a digital thermometer just below the substrate Arnie sleeps on so I can monitor the hot hide and have ordered a manual exo terra thermometer to go on the cool side to measure the ambient temps.

I did mean 'f' not 'c' for the heat used to Celsius and went into autopilot.

From the comments I would assume that a ceramic bulb is better but I don't have space for a ceramic bulb in the viv I have. Is this maybe something I should think about as Arnie grows? When he grows think about expanding to a larger Vic with a ceramic bulb installed? I guess it is easier to monitor ambient temps with a ceramic bulb.

I am just really excited to give him his first feed..he will be eating frozen-thawed rats and think I might just put a small square of news paper down with the rat on it in his Vic just to alleviate any risk of engulfing too much substrate.

I also order a manual exo terra hygrometer to monitor the humidity and an infra red thermometer to do spot checks every now and then on temp around the viv.

[Penultimate]

Everything looks good to me. However, your hot spot should be around ninety, so you should probably change that. It helps with digestion. Since you have a thermostat, your heat mat is just fine for your snake. That part about them being bad for older snakes is not at all true, you just need a thermostat and you're perfectly fine. I would get a temperature gun (you can pick one up at home depot) and check temperatures with that, it's easier. Do you know what your cold side temperature is? What temperature is the room?

Also, I feed all of my snakes in their cages and haven't had a problem, regardless of substrate. Nothing to worry about. They are more likely to eat inside their cage than out of it as they are more comfortable. I wouldn't even bother with the newspaper. I've had one of my snakes on aspen for almost a year now and I've fed in the cage the whole time. It would only be worrying if they somehow got a rat sized amount of substrate in their mouths, which I don't think would be happening.

[Davidpearl]

Everything looks good to me. However, your hot spot should be around ninety, so you should probably change that. It helps with digestion. Since you have a thermostat, your heat mat is just fine for your snake. That part about them being bad for older snakes is not at all true, you just need a thermostat and you're perfectly fine. I would get a temperature gun (you can pick one up at home depot) and check temperatures with that, it's easier. Do you know what your cold side temperature is? What temperature is the room?

Also, I feed all of my snakes in their cages and haven't had a problem, regardless of substrate. Nothing to worry about. They are more likely to eat inside their cage than out of it as they are more comfortable. I wouldn't even bother with the newspaper. I've had one of my snakes on aspen for almost a year now and I've fed in the cage the whole time. It would only be worrying if they somehow got a rat sized amount of substrate in their mouths, which I don't think would be happening.

Thanks so much for your reply - this is all great!

I have not had a chance to check the cold side yet, my Infra Red thermometer and Manual temperature/Hygometers will arrive tomorrow so can post up my findings then!.

I think I am going to feed in his home, as you said its less stressful for the little guy.

Thanks for your help.

[Penultimate]

Thanks so much for your reply - this is all great!

I have not had a chance to check the cold side yet, my Infra Red thermometer and Manual temperature/Hygometers will arrive tomorrow so can post up my findings then!.

I think I am going to feed in his home, as you said its less stressful for the little guy.

Thanks for your help.

No problem. If your cold side is below the mid seventies, you'll want a different heating method eventually. Even if it's below that right now, you're fine for the time being. Sounds like you have a great start on things.