Kitty the BP progression thread!
I wanted to start a progression thread for my baby girl, as well as show you her new tank setup! I've had her for about two months now and I'm stoked. She hatched in October. I don't have her weight or length, but I need to start tracking it. Advice on good scales / how to measure your BPs?!
As some of you may know from my husbandry post about setting up an exo-terra, I was looking to get my BP out of her awful depressing ten-gallon set up they sent me home with (d'oh - my naivety) and into something much more suitable. I couldn't fit a hot side hide, and a cool side hide, and a water dish in her ten gallon. Once I started doing research I realized how depressing her home was. SO! Over the past few weeks I've been gathering info - and saving money lets be honest haha - and today her new home is (almost) done! I need to get some aquarium backing for the sides of her tank, and I want to fill in the tank with a few more plant-like items or decor but I'm waiting for inspiration and to see what feels right. But for now this is her new home!!
- She is now in a medium-low exo-terra at 24” x 18” x 12”
- For substrate I'm using jungle floor for humidity and I like it so far. We'll see how it holds up!
- I have the top three quarters of the screen top covered with perfectly-fit cardboard wrapped in tinfoil that fit snugly into the frame for humidity and temp control with her heat lamp on the hot side (I want a CHE eventually but this was an investment in and of itself so it'll be a bit haha [also any opinions or advice for if I should control the heat of my bulb/CHE?]).
- She has the largest zoo-med heating mat the store had under her tank with a zoo-med one hundred watt thermostat controlling it.
- Got two digital thermometer/hygrometers in her tank, one on each side, set low at substrate level so I can see what she's feeling. ( I also now have them thumb-tacked to the wall above each side and I love how easy it is to monitor!)
- Two identical hides on each side (which she's been gone back and forth once or twice since she's been in her new home today and it's so cute to see!) and of course her branch and water and plants.
- Her hot side is 89-90 degrees and 56% humidity, and her cooler side is 79 and about 63% humidity. It has been leaning more on the more humid side because it doesn't have as many heat sources on it. Is this bad? I can adjust. :)
And today for the first time, too, I tried to feed her outside of her enclosure in what was her old ten-gallon and she did wonderfully eating out of her home. She made the switch to rats three feedings ago with zero issue whatsoever and doesn't care what color they are either. I lucked out! Question, how to know when to move your snake back into their home after they eat in a separate tank? I waited until after she wiggled it down into her belly and had started to wander around the ten-gallon on her own and moved her immediately into her home and left her alone. Is this correct or should I do something else? :) I'm feeding her separate because the little weanling rat babies are amazing2 at hiding around in her plants and behind her hide and making themselves so hard to see, and also feeding live I like to be able to make sure that I can get a chopstick in the rats mouth if need be because her aim is pathetic and she often gets their lower halves and the prey is getting big enough that I'm worried it'd do damage. I've been bitten by a rat before and that is horrific.
Anyways here's her and her new home!!! :P
Re: Kitty the BP progression thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
craigafrechette
All looks good, congrats!!
Except....the feeding in a seperate enclosure. Nobody puts them in a little empty box to help them find prey in nature, and, yup, they find it.
Feeding in a separate feeding tub is old school and proven counter productive. You're just increasing the risk of the snake regurgitating it's meal or getting yourself tagged.
There is still some debate over feeding tubs, but you'll find the staggering majority of experienced keepers feed within the enclosure.
Other than that it appears you're doing a great job!!
Okay good to know! Thanks! Should I do anything like remove hides or anything when feeding? My concern being her either getting the fake plants or substrate caught when she strikes, or me not being able to block the rats mouth if she aims poorly.
Re: Kitty the BP progression thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Phillydubs
Correct me if I am wrong but do you only have one thermostat? On the UTH?
im not sure if you were asking how to control the lamp or if you should.
Either way the answer is YES. If you don’t have a thermostat for the Heat lamp you should unplug it and go get one ASAP. Heat lamps get insanely hot. And yes your snake could move away from it but Oran not ideal and could really close off that new big tank you just got or worse yet harm burn or cause a plethora of other issues.
Yes I only have the thermostat on the uth. The only thing I saw about heat lamps is haunt a lamp dimmer on it so I wasn’t sure. I believe the light is a 50 watt right now and isn’t too strong. I have the thermostat measuring the uth under where I placed her hide so I can see how hot it gets inside and a thermometer there as well. My digital laser thermometer arrives tomorrow to check all over the tank.
How ow do I use a thermostat with a heat lamp?
Re: Kitty the BP progression thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
littlemaxbigworld
Okay good to know! Thanks! Should I do anything like remove hides or anything when feeding? My concern being her either getting the fake plants or substrate caught when she strikes, or me not being able to block the rats mouth if she aims poorly.
Nope, you don't want to move the hides, especially if the snake is in the hide. I wouldn't worry about the other stuff either. Your snake will be fine.
All perfectly good questions to ask, though. It shows you're thinking ahead and a concerned new snake parent.
Re: Kitty the BP progression thread!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
craigafrechette
Nope, you don't want to move the hides, especially if the snake is in the hide. I wouldn't worry about the other stuff either. Your snake will be fine.
All perfectly good questions to ask, though. It shows you're thinking ahead and a concerned new snake parent.
Okay cool thanks! I appreciate it. I really want to give her the best life for the next twenty plus years and there’s so much to learn! Do you have any input on putting thermostats on heat lamps or CHEs?
