High School Herps

[abuja]

Today I went to Freshmen orientation at my high school, and noticed that in the Biology room there was what appeared to be an Aztec Black and White Kingsnake. The snake was maybe 2-3 feet long and look like it could only swallow a hopper mouse. It was in a glass 10 gallon cracked enclosure with what looked like aspen but was in small squares. There was a water bowl with a diameter of 3 inches maybe, and 3 rocks with NO WIRE coming from the cage, implying that there was NO heat source; no lamp, no mat, etc. The point is, how do I point all this improper husbandry requirements out to my biology teacher??? I have Abuja's old 10 gallon enclosure, a small hide, a water bowl, some cypress mulch, and the heat mat on the bottom on the 10 gallon enclosure. If I were to sanitize this stuff, a) how do I sanitize it? and b) would it suffice for the kingsnake???

[tbowman]

There was a bp in my biology class and it wasn't very healthy. I tried to get him to stop feeding live.

If you were to sanitize it spray it all with a 10% bleach solution(not the mulch, or the mat.)
Then rinse it really good.

[abuja]

There was a bp in my biology class and it wasn't very healthy. I tried to get him to stop feeding live.

If you were to sanitize it spray it all with a 10% bleach solution(not the mulch, or the mat.)
Then rinse it really good.

Thanks! So cypress would be just fine?

[tbowman]

Well I've never used loose substrates but I don't think it would be that easy to get bleach out of. I have heard of people baking substrates but I'm not sure.

[abuja]

No I have some old substrate still in the bag that made the humidity too high in Abuja's tub. So here's what I have:

10 Gallon Tank
Bag of Cypress Mulch
Snug Hide
Plastic Plant
Kidney-Shaped Water Bowl
Log
Heat Mat over 1/3 of the Cage

I know I need a temp control knob, but anything else? I know CoolioTiffany has lots of colubrids, so I'm hoping she'll chime in?

[abuja]

Okay, I'm gonna bump this. I really would appreciate some advice on how to approach my teacher about this!

[wilomn]

"Hey Mr. Teacherman, I was researching on the internet and found all this cool stuff out about kingsnakes. Did you know we could......."

And take it from there.

[abuja]

"Hey Mr. Teacherman, I was researching on the internet and found all this cool stuff out about kingsnakes. Did you know we could......."

And take it from there.

Thanks! I'm a little worried though, since I don't know her that well; tomorrow's the first day of school. Good news is, though, I sanitized like tbowman said earlier so everything is clean! I'll let y'all know how it goes tomorrow.

[wilomn]

Thanks! I'm a little worried though, since I don't know her that well; tomorrow's the first day of school. Good news is, though, I sanitized like tbowman said earlier so everything is clean! I'll let y'all know how it goes tomorrow.

In that case, unless you've got an interesting twist in your sense of humor and enjoy the unknown, I'd go with Hey TeacherLADY, for the first go round.

You've got decent information, you care, just be confident and present yourself as if you know what you're talking about. That way, whether you do or not, at least you have conviction, which can lead to all sorts of wonderful things, not the least of which is intimate knowledge of the interior decorations of the dean's office.

That's another story entirely though.

[CoolioTiffany]

(Since I'm in 8th grade) If I had a Science teacher with a Kingsnake that has improper husbandry, this is what I'd most likely say (and this is just me, I normally don't take good approaches I just let out whatever is on my mind):

Hey, I have a Kingsnake at home and I've owned Kingsnakes for quite some time now and it seems like your Kingsnake doesn't really have a proper setup. When a snake/reptile does not have a proper setup, it can become stressed and as well as catch diseases or parasites. When reptiles do not have a heat source, they cannot get the body heat they need since they are cold-blooded animals. They need a heat source to be able to maintain correct body temperature but if they don't and they are cold it can lower their immune system allowing bacteria to enter the body causing a disease like a respiratory infection which is fatal if not treated with proper antibiotics. I suggest that the best thing to do would be to start researching the specific snake you have to learn how to properly care for it.

Ya, I think that would be sort of a rude approach, but maybe from that you could get some ideas on what to tell your teacher.