Newbie questions

[jenaero]

Hi all. I've been lurking for a bit and finding a lot of great info but I still have some questions.

First, I've been thinking of upgrading my bp from her 20gal. She's just over 2ft long, 350 grams as of last week. I was going to have a friend build an enclosure either from an old dresser or from scratch but if I'm going to that kind of trouble, I'd like to have it large enough to accomodate her as an adult. So how big is too big of an enclosure for a 2 footer? How will I know when she's outgrown the 20gal?

Secondly, every time she passes urates, it's accompanied by a good amount of brown stanky liquid. Is this normal? It's enough liquid to totally soak one end of her tank and the smell is just putrid.

Next, I want to make sure she's not growing too fast. A month ago she went to the vet just for a checkup and so they'd have her on file already if anything were to happen later on. She measured an even 24in and weighed 282 grams. As of last week she's 350 grams but I didnt have an extra set of hands to measure her ...does that sound about right?

I'll tell you about her setup...20gal, hot side is 90-92 with a hide, cool side 80 with a hide, large water dish in the middle, paper towels as substrate and a plant just for kicks. The hide on the cool end is perched atop an old turtle ramp that I had on hand. She loves to climb on it but has been falling off the last couple days. Should I take it down to avoid her falling? Could she get hurt?

That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure I'll have more questions at some point. Any help is appreciated.

[ddbjdealer]

The 20g is fine for probably the next year or better.... say... 4 to 4.5 ft.

The brown putrid liquid is likely just the actual liquid that passes after the urates... maybe mixed with a little poop. What's she eating? If pinkies or something with little to no fur, you'll get some nasty poop too.

The paper towels are fine for right now... and they're a great identifier for if her cage needs cleaning, but you could put some shredded aspen down for substrate and the smell/floods will stop for ya. (hopefully)

Good luck, and welcome!

[jenaero]

I switched to paper towels from reptile carpet because I got sick of washing it. I'm hesitant to use any kind of bedding because I feed her in her tank and don't want her ingesting any of it.

She's on small rats right now. The poop is already funky.

[Freakie_frog]

Have you had it checked for paresites by a vet ??

[jenaero]

No...If all this is 'normal' is there a reason to?

[Freakie_frog]

No...If all this is 'normal' is there a reason to?

True just a question

[sidhe]

I aleays thought that if the waste smelled bad, it could be a sign of parasites. Has the snake regurged ever? I guess if it's gaining weight and eating regularly it's possible that it is fine. If it were me I'd have a fecal done. Since you already took it to the vet once, it should be pretty cheap (mine cost 16 dollars for fecal). I just like to have a little peace of mind.

[jenaero]

I suppose I could. She's never regurged and eats every 5 days right now. She's only ever refused based on the color of the rat. I don't bother feeding during shedding because it'll probably just go to waste.

[Freakie_frog]

if her normal poo is ok and its only when she expels Urates then I wouldn't worry unless you just want to have her tested

[daniel1983]

Secondly, every time she passes urates, it's accompanied by a good amount of brown stanky liquid. Is this normal? It's enough liquid to totally soak one end of her tank and the smell is just putrid.

Beside the material that accompanies the urates, is her feces generally firm?