I made it, finally!

[RockyTop]

So I finally made it

When I was a kid, my father had a BP. Was a fun hobby, great snake, etc. Unfortunately, he served in the USAF and we moved alot. We ended up getting transferred to Alaska, and had to drive it. This meant 2 weeks in a vehicle. Fearing that the snake may not be able to make it due to temp fluctuations, hotel policies, etc... my father decided to give it to a friend of his who was also a hobbyist.

Anyhow, I finally have the means to support this hobby I have been wanting to get into again for a long time, just wasn't able to financially care for something that would be dependent on me for food, shelter, vet bills, etc. I didn't think it would be fair to any creature, to not be able to provide 100% for it.

So I am out of college, work for the govt as a Windows system admin, so... I can finally afford to take care of one now I am working on getting a habitat setup to house one, getting the temps right, etc before purchasing one. Would rather get it all setup before ordering one (I plan on ordering one from a breeder rather than petshop. Garrick over at royalconstrictordesigns.com has some good deals, as with some other recommendations), so it has a nice home to come to instead me throwing things together all at once, desperately trying to regulate the temp/humidity etc.

I do have a question:

1) I am a bit confused about the setting up of a home for a new BP. Not the requirements, but the technicalities of it. So you have an indoor/outdoor thermometer inside the tank. The thermometer itself goes inside on the cool side, and the probe goes under the substrate over the UTh area to monitor both sides of the temp. You also want a hygrometer to measure humidity in the tank. I am reading about people using a thermostat (Repti Temp 500R Thermostat). How does this hook up to a thermometer to control the temp? Does this control the UTH to control the temperature in the air? I am just a bit confused how all this is setup. I want to ensure I purchase the proper equipment that will work together the first try. Do you also use a UTH and a heat lamp?

2) Anyone know of a BP breeder in the East TN area (N GA, W NC, Kentucky, etc)? Just trying to explore my options


Thanks!
RT

[spitfireashlea]

welcome. use the search function.

[RockyTop]

Cool thanks.

Figured since everyone elses Introduction threads had people saying "feel free to ask questions"... figured I would ask questions.

Heading to the search feature now to see if I can filter through the dozens of results for thermometer, thermostat, etc

[dr del]

Hi,

The thermostat doesn't hook up with the thermometer except via you.

Thermostats have their own temp probes that you place on the heat source outside of the enclosure to avoid the snakes interfering with them. You then set the thermostat to the point needed to give the correct temps inside the enclosure as read by the thermometer.

If you can get the right temps without having to use a heatlamp that would probably be the way to go as they are known to lower humidity.

What is the ambient temps of your room? - you might be able to get away with two UTH's.

What kind of enclosure did you plan to use as there are a few tips specific to each type.


dr del

[RockyTop]

Hi,

The thermostat doesn't hook up with the thermometer except via you.

Thermostats have their own temp probes that you place on the heat source outside of the enclosure to avoid the snakes interfering with them. You then set the thermostat to the point needed to give the correct temps inside the enclosure as read by the thermometer.

If you can get the right temps without having to use a heatlamp that would probably be the way to go as they are known to lower humidity.

What is the ambient temps of your room? - you might be able to get away with two UTH's.

What kind of enclosure did you plan to use as there are a few tips specific to each type.


dr del

That clarifies my thermostat question

Ambient temp of my room, is... on the cool side. I would say ~65-68.

I plan to use an aquarium. I know a lot of people recommend tubs, containers, etc. I just like the look of an aquarium. And I see it has been done multiple times by multiple people, so it doesn't hurt the snake or anything. Just may be a bit more difficult to control humidity if I recall correctly. Also if I recall correctly, most people recommend a 20-30g aquarium for a BP?

Thanks for the reply, very helpful!

[Vypyrz]

to the forum. The probe on the thermometer can be used a couple of ways. 1) if you are using a dimmer, rheostat, or the ReptiTemp 500. Then the probe is placed inside the tank, under the substrate, over the UTH. This will allow you to adjust the controllers to set the desired temp of your UTH based off of the readings on your thermometer. 2) If you are using a digital thermostat, such as Ranco, Johnson, Helix, or Herpstat. The probe on those goes between the UTH and bottom of enclosure. You program the temp you want and they run the UTH to maintain that temp. The thermometer probe can then be placed the same as above or you can use it to lay on top of the substrate, in the warm hide to see how much heat is actually making it to your snake. If you get the AccuRite weather station, it will have a built in hygrometer.

Hope this helps...

I'll try to PM you some of the Western Carolina breeders later tonight or tomorow.

[dr del]

Hi,

I would also recommend covering the back, bottom and both sides of the tank in insulation material (foam board works quite well ) - this will make the temps inside a bit more stable.

You can use aquarium backing paper forst to make it look better when viewed from the front if you like and I believe the board can be painted to matc room decor if needed as long as you get the right type of paint.

The size of the tank depends on the size of the snake you plan on starting with - too big of a tank can be a problem with very shy examples.

If you are planning on getting a hatchling I would say a 10 gallon would be the way to go - upgrading later isn't really that big a problem.

As for the humidity the normal recommendation would be to cover the screen top with tinfoil and then tape it down (tape on the outside of the tank only please ) only leaving gaps for any heatlamps you need to use.

But the best recommendation I can give you is to have all of this setup, tested and "run in" for a week before the snake is due to arrive. It is a lot easier to make adjustments when you don't have to worry about the health of the animal in the tank.


dr del

[dr del]

Hi,

The reptitemp 500 is also a thermostat so you would want that probe outside the tank the same as any other kind.


dr del

[lance]

welcome to the forum

lance

[RockyTop]

I just picked up a zilla critter cage tank with the following specs:

15 Gallon L: 24.00  W: 12.00  H: 12.00

I was tempted to grab the 30 x 12 x 12, but thought it may be too big for a baby snake. I have read here multiple times that you want to make sure your snake has a secure tank for it's size, where as a big one would stress it out.

I figured I would get a second snake one day anyone, so handing it down wouldn't be a problem

Is the 24x12 15g too small for a BP baby? Around how long would it take for one to outgrow it?

A few quick questions:

1) Aspen substrate. Good? Bad?
2) UTH. For a 24x12, what size would be good enough to maintain a gradient and provide the heat needed? I think it was $17 for a 12x11, and $12 for an 8x8.
3) I was going to order the following: Digital Therm/Hygro to measure ambient air around the warm side and humidity, a digital indoor/outdoor therm with probe to measure the ambient air on the cool side with the probe going under the substrate where the heating pad is to monitor that temperature, and a thermostat to keep the UTH in check. The probe for the thermostat reads the UTH directly outside the enclosure, and you adjust that temp based on what the thermometer probe is saying that is measure it on the inside from your indoor/outdoor therm right? So even though you may have your UTh set on your thermostat to say 100, by the time the heat is transferred through the tank and substrate, it could be 92 (totally arbitrary numbers). Are these all the thermometer/hygrometer/thermostats/measuring equipment I need?
4)2 hides and a waterbowl. One hide on cool side and the other on the warm side, with the waterbowl on the warm side as well?

Anyhow, going to go home and apply the foil to the screen top as shown in a sticky here.

Thanks for all the info!