Hang Out Time...? How long is too long?

[Jay_Bunny]

I know snakes need thier heat so here is my question....

When you take a snake out of its enclosure to hold and just spend time with, how long is a good amount of time? Also, how long is too long? Don't want to stress them out.

[recycling goddess]

well if the room is cold... don't take them out. i never keep mine out longer than an hour max... usually more like 30 minutes but i don't know what would be considered too long...

[Jay_Bunny]

Normally we keep the house at around 70-72. Is this considered too cold?

What if I was using a small space heater to heat the room in which the snake's enclosure is in?

[recycling goddess]

personally i wouldn't bring mine out to a room that temp. i'm pretty fussy about keeping them warm though.

[bigballs]

if you have a space heater the room should be warmer than 72 right??


i wouldnt think it would be too bad to take him out especially if your cold end of the enclosure is 78-80....

[Rascal]

If your room is 72 then the tank air is probably not much higher and the temp needs to be raised.

A space heater doesnt seem like the best way to heat up the tank. But what do I know.
I would recommend insulting the top somehow to keep what heat you do have. Read the Glass Tank setup thread.. that should help you out.

[Jay_Bunny]

well I don't have the snake yet, so this is just research before I get one. I won't be using the space heater to heat the tank. I'll be using other means such as the heat tape. I'm used to having a warm room (in college the dorm was not air conditioned and from August to the beginning of October, our rooms stayed at around 80-85. Perfect for a snake.) and I will not mind having a room that warm again. (Plus, the townhomes give you free heat, so whenever the other two people are out of the home, I can crank up the heat to make it warm enough for the snake to come out. Would this be ok?

[bigballs]

if your temps would be 80-85 then you could keep him out all day if you wanted...


he could bask under your desk lamp while your doing an assignment...

well if your room temp is high like that then it wouldnt hurt to take him out for a bit. like aleesha said 30-60 at different intervals. when he starts to get too nervous put him back. its all a matter of your own judgement.

[rabernet]

if your temps would be 80-85 then you could keep him out all day if you wanted...

What about the stress factor that should be taken into consideration as well? All day is entirely too long to be handling your snake.

To the OP, I limit mine to 30 minute handling sessions for the longest. Most times, just 15 minutes.

[Jay_Bunny]

I wouldn't keep the snake out all day, even though I'd be so tempted to do so. I'll get a space heater then as part of my BP Supplies list. Walmart should have some cheap ones.

Thanks for your input! For a starting out snake keeper, I'll need all the facts, advice, and suggestions I can get.