(Semi) newbie here with many, MANY questions!

That was fast! ^ ^ ^ :gj:

The "caged lamp" option feels like the best course of action. RHPs look very expensive to upgrade to and having a screen hole cut out of the top of the enclosure would just wrap right back around to my humidity woes that I've already been constantly dealing with.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

The "caged lamp" option feels like the best course of action. RHPs look very expensive to upgrade to and having a screen hole cut out of the top of the enclosure would just wrap right back around to my humidity woes that I've already been constantly dealing with.

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The down-side of having a "caged lamp" within a snake's living space is that many try to climb on it, or manage to splash water on it, & the cage, while cooler than the lamp/CHE itself, will also get hot simply because it's metal, or it may be abrasive. (some are likely way better than others)

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

The down-side of having a "caged lamp" within a snake's living space is that many try to climb on it, or manage to splash water on it, & the cage, while cooler than the lamp/CHE itself, will also get hot simply because it's metal, or it may be abrasive. (some are likely way better than others)

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Did a little more digging and, yeah you have a point. Also there's an option with the T8 to simply have an 8 inch screen circle cut out at the top instead of a large chunk, that'd be far more accommodating and it's cheaper than buying a wire cage from what I've seen online.

Ultimately it's up to you, but I'm glad to see you asking good questions & searching for the best way to go. I've seen posts about snakes climbing & having issues with caged lamps, & even though BPs aren't big climbers, you never know...they don't all "read the manual" on how they're supposed to be.

It's as I've said. The last time I had a snake I wasn't taking care of it to the best of my ability and made a number of mistakes, so this whole experience has been something of a "redemption arc" where I'm doing everything in my power to amass knowledge and do it all by the book to give my new banana boy the best life he deserves.

And it's not just him either. My 125 gallon aquarium project has been a massive labor of passion, a mission to prove to myself that I can do things in a correct manner. Should start a thread on it here now that I think about it. ;)

The rats arrived today, conveniently it was also feeding day. Took a rat pup and ziplocked it with a mouse and did the usual thawing routine to mix their scents.

He grabbed the rat and downed it without hesitation. :D

Had an inkling he would just out of his sheer feeding response, but I'm still quite pleased. The rats are also bigger than the mice (about a inch or two longer and wider) so it's a perfect step up from what he's been feeding. Have a few more mice to mix with and he should transition over completely without issue.

My chickens will eat the mice. They eat almost anything and are surely grateful for a richer snack during this ghastly winter season (tons of snow and ice, eugh). Until the day comes where I have the resources to accommodate more snakes, they're my "garbage disposals." ;)

Hey, that's great news! :gj: I LOVE snakes that have good feeding responses. The ones that are fussy can be so frustrating.

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Originally Posted by Snagrio

The rats arrived today, conveniently it was also feeding day. Took a rat pup and ziplocked it with a mouse and did the usual thawing routine to mix their scents.

He grabbed the rat and downed it without hesitation. :D

Had an inkling he would just out of his sheer feeding response, but I'm still quite pleased. The rats are also bigger than the mice (about a inch or two longer and wider) so it's a perfect step up from what he's been feeding. Have a few more mice to mix with and he should transition over completely without issue.

My chickens will eat the mice. They eat almost anything and are surely grateful for a richer snack during this ghastly winter season (tons of snow and ice, eugh). Until the day comes where I have the resources to accommodate more snakes, they're my "garbage disposals." ;)

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Chickens eat mice ??

I always thought they were herbivores !?!
:)

Kinda reminds me of England a while back when we had mad cow disease.. pretty sure the food manufacturers had started adding meat products to the cow’s dried food to keep costs down ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Chickens eat mice ??

I always thought they were herbivores !?!
:)

Kinda reminds me of England a while back when we had mad cow disease.. pretty sure the food manufacturers had started adding meat products to the cow’s dried food to keep costs down ..


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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I've never raised chickens but my sister used to. Chickens will eat almost anything. Free-range chickens eat insects along with grains & all that- hard to picture them eating mice but apparently they will? I remember "mad cow" disease too, & as I recall, that was how it came about- feeding cows improperly...pretty sad. :(