Gemma's home.

[Gemma]

I'm a first time BP owner. I love my snake very much & just want to make sure she's as happy as possible. Any & all comments are welcome & greatly appreciated!

[thejennabird]

Looks nice! Can you give us a little more info about her conditions? What are the hot side/cold side temps and humidity? What sort of heating method are you using?

Also, you'll hear this from a lot of people on these forums... but those wall-mounted thermometers are widely considered unreliable and useless. Plus, way up there, it's not measuring the temperature of where your lovely Gemma is normally sitting! Instead, I would recommend investing in a nice digital thermometer that also measures humidity (these Accurite ones are great and very inexpensive). That way you can be sure you've got things so Gemma will be happy!

[dr del]

Hi,

The main thing that jumps out at me is the circular gauges - those aren't really accurate and are measuring the temps in the wrong place. I like to use a digital temp probe with a long wire probe to measure the temps inside the hides where the snake will spend most of its time.

[Gemma]

Her cool side has a digital thermometer/hydrometer that she, of course, loves to hang on. x] Her humidity stays between 50 & 80, though every once in a while it'll bump up in the 90's. Her warm side thermometer (probably inaccurate because I'm a cheap-o; I'll get a digital thermometer for over there, too) usually stays around 90-95. She's got a UTH as well, but when I change her substrate or move stuff around, I can hardly feel any heat. I don't know if me & Gemma feel things differently, but she doesn't spend much time on it (it's under the log), even after she eats. Over all, she's a very active, curious, friendly snake. I love her to pieces!

Oh, just another concern. Probably gonna be gross, but I've had her for a little over a month now & she hasn't defecated yet. She eats & drinks regularly. Should I be concerned?

[thejennabird]

I know, I know... One of those questions everyone always asks: is your UTH regulated by a thermostat? If so, what temperature is your thermostat set to run your UTH at?

That digital thermostat on the hot side floor will really help to tell you if you're hitting the ideal "hot side" temps (90-92 where she's basking). And infrared laser thermometers are helpful, plus aren't that expensive either! I'm a worrywart mother and bought one for my little girl so I could make sure temps were consistent around the entire cage.

Overall, I'm really glad to hear you're taking such a good, vested interest in her health! She seems to really love all her enrichments.

[Gemma]

The UTH isn't thermo-regulated. It's the kind you just stick to the bottom. I was thinking about getting a bigger one to cover half her enclosure so the warm side would actually be a whole side that's warm.

She loves it, & in turn, I love it. I've been moving things around in her terrarium to see where I want everything & where she likes everything to be. She loves her tree the most. Stays in that thing 90% of the time. But when she's out of it, she really likes to climb. So, boom. Suction cup plastic tree limbs. & of course I want her to feel safe & secure, so 3 sides of her terrarium are covered with static forest wall paper. On the warm side she's got a log hide with moss completely covering one side & half covering the other. Ultimate secrecy.

Currently, though, she's double-wrapped around her digital thermo/hydrometer. I think she wants some play time! ♥

[thejennabird]

Oh yeah, I would strongly recommend getting a thermostat to control the temperature of the UTH (and I bet many others here would recommend the same!). The concern is, running unregulated your UTH might get too hot. After all, nothing shows how hot it is right now. What if Gemma burrows into the substrate, as BPs are wont to do, and ends up in contact with the glass at the bottom of the cage? If the UTH is too hot, she might get burnt!

Besides, Hydrofarm thermostats are so inexpensive, there's really no reason not to get one for the safety of your snake. Just place the probe between your UTH and the outside bottom of the tank (between the sticky side and the glass). Then you'll know for sure everything is as it should be.

Outside of that, I really love all your touches and veg. It's so fun to watch them explore their surroundings! When I get Gloria her "forever home" T10 I want to dress it up just like yours.

[Kamerick]

I use a analog as well as a digital thermometer. I had another analog one as well, but my BP kept climbing on it, and eventually it came off the side of the tank, and got stuck to him (thankfully he wasn't hurt. Scared the crap outta me though) so just watch out for that.

On another note, i do like the set up. A thermostats is highly recommended for the UTH as stated above.

[Mr. Misha]

The UTH isn't thermo-regulated. It's the kind you just stick to the bottom.

As thejennabird already said, having a thermostat controlling your UTH is VERY important or you might run a big risk of burning your snake.



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[Gemma]

Thanks for all your advice, guys! I'll definitely get a thermostat for the UTH. Like I said before, I want to get a bigger one. For now, she doesn't really go on that side of the tank. She stays in her tree 90% of the time, & the other 10% she's climbing on the bridge or branches. For a cold blooded animal, she likes to stay on the cool side of her tank. But I will definitely add that to my shopping list. Digital thermostat for the inside of the tank on the warm side, bigger food, & a thermostat (& a bigger UTH) for the UTH. Anything else you guys can think of that would be beneficial?

Thanks for the compliments on her set up! I definitely wanted to be able to see her go around her enclosure, but I wanted her to feel secure, too. Also, I didn't want her to be bored. x] & I put the water dish right in the middle for a couple of reasons. 1st, she likes to just poke her head out & drink. 2nd, it definitely helps with her humidity, which is awesome because I had a problem keeping it up at first (she had a spotty shed her first time around & I'm guessing that's why). I just want her to be super happy! Plus, I plan on getting a boa constrictor later on when I have more experience (I'm a big snake kinda gal), so if I can make her happy, it'll give me confidence in making a boa happy. :]