Two questions: Heating & F/T mice

[DylantheVillain]

Hi there,

So I recently moved from FL to NJ with my beautiful Juju and have a two questions.

1) I'm now getting her frozen mice at Petsmart and I've noticed that a lot of them have fecal matter coming out. I remove it with the tongs, but sometimes they have bloody faces too. I use to get "Artic Mice" from Petco and they were pre packaged and looked better. Is that bad?

2) Right now I have two lamps for her. A day lamp and a night lamp. Do I need a heating mat as well? I have one, but not sure weather to use it with the day lamp. It does get cold here in Jersey, but I also don't want her to be too hot.here's a pic of her current setup.


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[CarrieAnnx3]

I feed live, so I'm not too much help with the rat question.

but heat lamps are generally not recommended for BP's. They require belly heat to aide in digestion and they are not a basking snake. A UTH is recommended. They also make it harder to keep your humidity in check.
Why do you have a day lamp? BP's are nocturnal, so they don't need the UV that most day lamps provide.
What are your temps on the warm and cool sides?

[Pythonfriend]

with BPs, the light is basically just for you, not for the snake, many people simply use LED lighting because its so energy-efficient and durable.

belly heat is recommended. and to check if the setup is right and if everything is working, a temp gun is really useful. with an UTH or heat mat, you definitively need a thermostat.

i dont know about the frozen rats either, but as you describe it, i would say its quite clear that the arctic mice are of better quality.

[Mr. Misha]

I can't help on the f/t part because I feed live as well.

Here's a question for you, how are you heating the tank right now?

A heat lamp should always be on because it provides ambient temperatures in the tank. A light lamp doesnt do anything except provide light for you. BPs dont really care about light. UTH provides belly heat but does absolutely nothing to provide ambient heat.

I'd suggest using a UTH (with a thermostat) for belly heat and a heat lamp to keep ambient heat. You can either use red/violet heat lamps or you can use a CHE bulb (ceramic heat emitter) which provides heat with no light.

I also suggest getting an Acurite thermometer. You can pick them up for like 12 bucks at walmart.

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rit...mometer/896347

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[CptJack]

A lot of times frozen mice and rats have poop and/or bleed when they're thawing. The only difference I have noticed is that the snake hits about a hundred times more accurately and harder when they're bloody.

[kylearmbar]

I used to buy from both of those places before I got sakes and did some research, as its the only local source without breeding your own. My petmart sells the boxed arctic mice, and my petco sells some kind in a bag that ate a real terrible quality that the guts fall out half the time and my snakes won't touch. I recommend the boxed arctic mice more they seem to be alot better. As for the heat I'd recommend a uth as well as the light, just keep an eye on that humidity.

[creatism]

What your describing with the frozen mice is the reason I started raising my own!


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[leylaraks]

My f/t eater prefers arctic mice rats over the zombie apocalypse variety as well. I don't blame her. Lol


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[purple python]

As others have mentioned, using a heat mat is recommended for your hot spot around 88-low 90sF with ambient temps (basically the room temperature) in the low 80s. The lights aren't necessary, the bp will probably prefer the natural lighting of your room or darkness. I have all of mine in darkness and they eat, shed, and poo without issue.

On the mice subject - I was buying my "Gourmet" f/t from petco and noticed the poo and blood. Overall they were bad quality, fell apart or smelled and the price was ridiculous. Now I breed my own or buy live although all my snakes are f/t. The quality is a lot better this way, no smell or falling apart, and my feeding rates have greatly improved. But I'll agree that I've noticed my snakes respond more quickly if there is a bit of blood.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I'd suggest using a UTH (with a thermostat) for belly heat and a heat lamp to keep ambient heat. I also suggest getting an Acurite thermometer. You can pick them up for like 12 bucks at walmart.

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rit...mometer/896347

This right here.
What are your current hot spot temps?
The analogue gauge you are using just look perty but serves no use.