How does my setup look?

Picking our little guy next week!

Here is my setup. The log hides - I have covered in the back with additional bark pieces the sides of the enclosure are to be blacked out for additional security. Substrate will be coco husk and Sphagnum moss in some areas if I need to bump humidity. I have a UTH and a CHE, both regulated with the Herpestat Z2. Background is adhered with silicone and not tape so that he cannot get behind It.

I have the VE Thermometer and Hygrometer and a temperature gun to read surface temperature. I have reptisafe for the water, and V10 to clean. We have a vet lined up locally and two feeder places that I have visited and feel comfortable about.

I want to make sure I have everything before we get him! We are going to run this consistently for the few weeks until we get to take him home, and monitor and adjust as required so he doesn't have to deal with inconsistency.

Am I missing something?? Any tips on what I do have??https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...da8df23339.jpg

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Nice looking setup so far.

A few things I'll note.
1. You may want to stick with paper towels while he is "quarantine" to help make spotting mites (if there are any) easier.

2. I'd switch to hides with a smaller opening at the front as soon as you can. Snakes do not like to feel exposed and having that large of an opening (showing his head / body) may make a snake uncomfortable. RBI hides work really well and are very reasonably priced. If you are going to a show, there may be some for sale there also.

3. I could be wrong, but the wood piece you have looks like grape wood. Be aware that grape wood will mold quickly with humidity. You can use a water-based sealer on it to prevent this . I think I used "polycrylic" for this when I accidentally bought a piece of grapewood.

Other than the points above, your setup looks great. Good luck getting your parameters in order and picking out your first snake. :)

Thank You!

I'm unsure what the wood is, so sealing is a great tip! It's all been sanitized and baked but anything to make it even cleaner is good in my book!

Would covering the hides a little more help? We intended to cover most of them with more foliage ( I have some more Magnaturals foliage not pictured until we black out sides) /moss/substrate so that very little opening is there and the backs are covered completely. If not I'll definitely adjust- I just want him to feel secure!!

Setup looks great!!! And nice job being prepared BEFORE bringing your animal home. :gj:

I would ditch the log hides, they're honestly just not good, especially for BPs. Get some cave looking ones with single entrances if you want to go natural looking. Just make sure your BP will be able to hide completely out of sight.

Other than that, it's just a small learning curve once you get your snake. Since you're so well prepared, it should be a smooth and simple learning curve for you!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scallahan1

Thank You!

I'm unsure what the wood is, so sealing is a great tip! It's all been sanitized and baked but anything to make it even cleaner is good in my book!

Would covering the hides a little more help? We intended to cover most of them with more foliage ( I have some more Magnaturals foliage not pictured until we black out sides) /moss/substrate so that very little opening is there and the backs are covered completely. If not I'll definitely adjust- I just want him to feel secure!!

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You can try covering the fronts more, I'm sure that wouldn't hurt. Just be prepared to buy new ones with a smaller opening (either caves or the plastic RBI ones) if he doesn't like the large front openings. You can also use cereal and other boxes, just cut the bottom out and cut an entrance "hole" with scissors. You will want hides that fit tightly to the BP to help it feel secure.

If you want to use the polycrylic, I'd suggest applying it in several thin coats, letting each coat dry very well between applications. I think I did 3 coats on my large grapewood piece.

If you are looking to buy more wood pieces for him in the future, you can look for manzanita, mopani, and ghost wood, as well as cork bark. All of these hold up to moisture well. It is a good bet that if a piece being sold online is not labeled specifically with one of these names that it is grape wood.

Thank you again. I do have a few pieces of Mopani wood in can swap in, I bought the piece in there at a little reptile store here but it was the only unlabeled type.

I will try with the logs, but am actively looking for nice rock-cave types. My only fear is that the edges on all the ones I've handled feel so sharp. I didn't want to scratch his little scales if for some reason I had to move It, etc.

Thank you Craig and Artgecko!

Does anyone have experience mounting their thermostats/thermometers with command hooks or Velcro? To the outside of the tank of course!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scallahan1

Thank you again. I do have a few pieces of Mopani wood in can swap in, I bought the piece in there at a little reptile store here but it was the only unlabeled type.

I will try with the logs, but am actively looking for nice rock-cave types. My only fear is that the edges on all the ones I've handled feel so sharp. I didn't want to scratch his little scales if for some reason I had to move It, etc.

Thank you Craig and Artgecko!

Does anyone have experience mounting their thermostats/thermometers with command hooks or Velcro? To the outside of the tank of course!

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You're very welcome.

Some of the hides do have some fairly sharp edges. Cleans up very easily with sandpaper and just a few minutes worth of elbow grease.

I mount my t-stats on the wall ,so no help there. I would think strong Velcro would do the trick, but if they're the hooks I'm thinking if they'll probably be better. Again, not sure on this though

http://www.pangeareptile.com/store/e...tile-cave.html

these are my favorite hides by far and a lot of other folks on here agree

i have the reptile basics black box hides in one cage and they are fine and nice for the cage I have them in but they will prob soon be replaced by these.

If I were you I’d just swap them now. Why stress the snake when you have done all this work not to. It’s worth it to do it now and right.

Id also add a beach or climb of sone sort. You will hear balls don’t climb and that’s not true. I have 3 all have things to climb and every one does and seems to love it and enjoy it.

Mia the cage staying on the floor? If so be careful of the carpet and all and the heat.

Lastyl please make aure the back drop is secure all around. I had issues with mine and it’s a royal pain.

Over all thoihh i think the set up looks so nice and really pretty and cool

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scallahan1

Thank you again. I do have a few pieces of Mopani wood in can swap in, I bought the piece in there at a little reptile store here but it was the only unlabeled type.

I will try with the logs, but am actively looking for nice rock-cave types. My only fear is that the edges on all the ones I've handled feel so sharp. I didn't want to scratch his little scales if for some reason I had to move It, etc.

Thank you Craig and Artgecko!

Does anyone have experience mounting their thermostats/thermometers with command hooks or Velcro? To the outside of the tank of course!

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No problem. :)
I've mounted a thermometer outside a tank with velcro once. I worked well. For securing probes inside the cage, I've found that hot glue works really well and there is no danger of it sticking to the snake once it has dried.