Young Ball Python Feeding Concerns

KMG, thanks for the response! Yea, I'm going to get some backing and shielding for the tops / sides asap. I already have a thermostat controlling the UTH, the coco fiber and additional newspaper was simply to place a buffer between the pad and the snake. I think I'm going to invest in a ceramic heating bulb to raise the ambient temperature also :)!

Regarding feeding him in the enclosure, any tips on how to avoid getting the mouse covered in coconut fiber before he eats it? I have heard that is extremely unhealthy for them.

I appreciate all the responses guys, I'm learning a ton!

The coconut will not harm your snake while eating. It would have to ingest a ton to cause a problem. Just make sure the rodent is dry when you offer it and all will be well.

Just wanted to post an update.

I've done the following:
- Obtained a new housing and heat bulb for my enclosure;
- Covered the sides of the enclosure in shelf liner;
- Now keeping a towel over the top of the enclosure to ensure that humidity and temps stay constant (there is plenty of space left for air to circulate);
- Purchased a new digital thermostat;
- Purchased a new larger UTH;
- Purchased the thermometer that you suggested, Cissin - It's all set up now and much more convenient than the laser.;
- Purchased some plastic shrubbery for the enclosure;
- Purchased a must smaller cold hide;
- Purchased a digital scale to measure his weight (455 grams today);
- Purchased a dimmer for the heat lamp.

He refused his most recent meal yet again, however I am going to assume this is because of the stress of his enclosure being renovated. I've purchased some smaller rats, and will try them this weekend. I'm going to monitor his weight, and if it is significantly less than 455g on Sunday (~10-15 grams), he will be going straight to the vet on Monday morning!

I have two more questions, however:

1) I've found that the temperature probe on the thermometer seems to be reading very high (~110 degrees F), however the laser thermometer reads ~80. This is likely because the probe is directly on the glass above the UTH, however the laser is measuring the temperature of the substrate. I already have the thermostat at a very low setting, so the 110 degrees makes no sense to me - should I assume that the substrate takes away a decent portion of the temperature before it reaches the snake?

2) When feeding inside the enclosure, do you just dangle the rodent until the snake strikes? Is leaving it in the cage overnight a bad practice? What do you do when the snake is hiding?

Thanks again, guys!

The temp will be lower on top of the substrate but 110 is a lil high. How thick is your substrate? If it f/t it is fine to leave in overnight :)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

The substrate is about 1/2 an inch thick, and the surface temperature is approximately 84 degrees currently. The temperature on the glass is clearly very high (110 degrees F), however I feel as though this reading is a bad representation of the actual heat exposure the snake will receive. Is this an incorrect assumption?

Thanks for the reply regarding the overnight feeding - yes I am feeding f/t :).

That's a big drop for a 1/2 inch, I'd say one of them is wrong
What is your thermostat set to?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

So, I haven't set up my fancy new thermostat yet (waiting for the new UTH to come in), but the generic thermostate is set to "Medium" almost on "Low". However, when I take the laser thermometer and place it onto the UTH directly (underneath the enclosure), it also reads 111 F. This implies that the temperature sensing probes are both correct.

This essentially makes my question different: for basking temps, should I be worried about the surface temperature of the substrate, or the temperature towards the bottom of the cage? It makes sense that I should worry about the surface temps, but in order to achieve mid 90s for the surface temperature, I have to have the UTH running at like 120F. This would be hazardous if he were to ever burrow under the substrate slightly (as the temperature on the glass would be in the 100s).

If I remove more substrate, he will be sitting on glass (essentially) so I do not believe that is an option.

I am at a loss!

What substrate are you using? Hotspot should be 90 on substrate, the pad shouldn't need to be higher than 95 to achieve that. 110 is too hot, if your snake borrows down it could result in a burn

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Yea, I've turned it down quite a bit. It's simply dried coconut fibre.

Thanks for your help bud :).

Mine is coco fiber as well hmmm..
No problem :)

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4