A few questions! Feeding, thermostat, etc.

Thank goodness for this forum!

So my cheap crappy thermostat from ZooMed broke after only about a month of use, and I really need to get something to regulate that UTH! I'm looking to buy online since I'm not happy with any of the local pet stores' options. What brand/model do you recommend for $50 or under? I only have 1 snake in a glass tank with a UTH and a 60 watt bulb, so I don't need anything crazy, just something that won't break.

Second question! I have had Sansa for a few weeks now, and she seems to be doing well. She has eaten normal sized F/T meals on a regular schedule, shed, drinks water, does normal snake things. The only odd thing is that I have never actually seen her eat. I offer her the rat pups once a week, she isn't interested, then I leave them in her tank overnight and they are gone by morning. What is up with that?

I think it would be kind of rewarding to see her strike and eat them when I first put them in the tank. I don't even know if she does strike and constrict them when she eats them at night, or what goes on, but I can definitely tell she eats them! In the morning they are gone and she is fatter than before, haha. Is she stressed out? Not hungry enough? Scared? Why won't she eat in front of me? She came from a big breeder where she was fed live, so presumably she was used to eating in a location that felt pretty sheltered in a tub, and now she's in a glass tank so I bet that is part of it. When I offered her live the first two times I fed her, she was totally uninterested, but she will take the F/T overnight. I am just wondering if those of you with more experience can give me some insight.

I think I had another question too, but now I've forgotten what it was. *sigh*

Well, thanks anyway!

1. The hydrofarm thermostat is going to be your best bet. these still aren't the best, but they have a good record.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

2. BP's are nocturnal, and hunt at night. Perfectly normal.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

1. The hydrofarm thermostat is going to be your best bet. these still aren't the best, but they have a good record.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

2. BP's are nocturnal, and hunt at night. Perfectly normal.

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Thanks Aaron! I know you always recommend the Hydrofarm one, but I couldn't remember the name of it.

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Originally Posted by paperaith

Thanks Aaron! I know you always recommend the Hydrofarm one, but I couldn't remember the name of it.

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Yeah, it is a decent unit, but I still advise replacing it with a better thermostat like a herpstat when possible

http://spyderrobotics.com/

Some snakes are weird and won't eat in front of people. Quetzal's the opposite; if I'm not there doing the zombie mouse dance with my tongs, he just ignores them. Tried leaving it overnight like you do, next morning he was on top of it like it was an inconvenient fuzzy rock.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Yeah, it is a decent unit, but I still advise replacing it with a better thermostat like a herpstat when possible

http://spyderrobotics.com/

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x2

Yeah. For a budget, the $30 Hydrofarm works great.
I've used one and it hasn't failed me yet.
It just takes more than a few tweaks to get the temps correct though.

I would still save up for the Herpstat though.

We've had great luck with Sypder Robotics. Very intuitive.