Howdy!

Welcome to the divorced snake club!!! Ain’t it grand !!!!

no need for anything between substrate. Just get a good substrate and keep it damp but not tooo wet and a water bowl.

Get that themrostat asap!!!

also do yourself a favor and get a ceramic heat device to heat. Ditch the bulbs. I’ve been using one for a month and it stinks I’m going to full pvc and radiant heat soon.

Hang the CHE On the warm side w the UTH or to the middle then there will be a gradient hot hide middle and cool. Also make sure you have hides on at least each side or more if it’s a big tank

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Originally Posted by Phillydubs

Welcome to the divorced snake club!!! Ain’t it grand !!!!

no need for anything between substrate. Just get a good substrate and keep it damp but not tooo wet and a water bowl.

Get that themrostat asap!!!

also do yourself a favor and get a ceramic heat device to heat. Ditch the bulbs. I’ve been using one for a month and it stinks I’m going to full pvc and radiant heat soon.

Hang the CHE On the warm side w the UTH or to the middle then there will be a gradient hot hide middle and cool. Also make sure you have hides on at least each side or more if it’s a big tank

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^^^ this. Get a CHE as lights are no good as far as in concerned. You can leave the CHE on 24/7 and not have to change lights etc...Snakes want darkness and get normal light from Windows in your home during the day.


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Originally Posted by bhsurf4

Getting my list together for some shopping tomorrow! I know I need a bulb to keep temps up at night, a temp gun, thermostats for lights and uth, and a humidity gauge. I'll get rid of repti-carpet but should I put anything between substrate and glass? Newspapers or paper towels maybe? And what is a good way to increase humidity? I've got a good size water dish and I live in Houston, Texas so humidity shouldn't be a problem, but the A/C in my house has a feature to lower humidity so I want to make sure she's healthy and happy. And I want to thank y'all for giving the advice without making me sound like a horrible stupid person! A lot of times in forums, noobs get ROASTED! So I was a little hesitant to get on here and ask advice, but I'm glad I did. I love animals, and just want to make sure I'm not doing anything that could cause my snake any problems.

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Don't be conned / seduced into paying over the odds for an expensive digital temp gun - they're only ten dollars on eBay or Amazon..

I've saw something a while ago that showed that the expensive digital temp guns have basically the same 'innards' as the ten dollar ones and they've just repackaged or rebadged .


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Isn't it great the freedoms that you re-gain when she becomes the Ex-wife :)

CHE, gotcha! I just looked them up. Should I use the same wattage as the bulb I've been using (75W) or do they produce more/less heat than bulbs.

Also, I'm using aspen shavings right now, but plan on changing to the coconut type when I do a complete change over. But for now I'm wondering if it's ok to feed him in his tank on the aspen, I don't have another tub or dedicated feeder tank and yesterday I heard that you shouldn't feed them on the aspen, which I have already done once. And should I invest in a tub or something as a dedicated feeding place?

Howdy and welcome from another Texan! GO 'STROS!!!

What size of enclosure do you have? Is it a glass tank, tub, or pvc? (i think i saw glass referenced above). Depending on the size of your tank, your CHE wattage may vary. If the 75W is doing the trick for you now, then that's probably a safe bet.

Just to echo what's been said...REGULATE ALL THE HEATS! That's UTH and CHE - both must be on thermostats. Jumpstart thermostats are pretty affordable, Herpstats are the ones you'll want to save up for. Both can be found on Amazon. I use two Jumpstarts for my uth and che, but will eventually move on to the Herpstat 2 once my guy is ready for his bog-boy pvc cage. Keep the t-stat probe between the UTH and the bottom of your glass. That's OUTside of the encosure, not inside. Don't want snake movement and fluids interfering with the probe.

Ditch the light bulbs - no lights needed. Ambient lighting from nearby windows for day/night cycle is perfect

Identical hides, one on cool side - one on warm side. BPs are super finicky and will choose a preferable hide to preferable temp. So in order to ensure they are thermoregulating appropriately, give them the same hide on each side.

I like ReptiPrime for substrate. Maintains humidity well, minimal dust, no smell. It is a little pricier than others, but if you only have 1 snake, it'll last a long time. No need for additional lining between substrate and tank.

The temp gun Zinc linked is awesome and also what I use.

Nothing sticky EVER anywhere inside your enclosure. No sticky-backed accessories, thermometers, nothing. If you're in the mood to google more horrific images, google what happens when snakes get stuck to enclosure tape. Stuff of nightmares.

That's a lot of info, but once you get this husbandry stuff down - it's smooth sailing from here on!! And again, welcome!

EDIT TO ADD: Always feed in enclosure. Never move to feed.

GO 'STROS!!!!!

Its a 20 gallon glass tank.

Glass tanks are a little trickier to maintain temps and humidity in, but it can be done. If it's a screen top, try covering 1/2 - 3/4 of the screen with foil or damp towel. CHE over the other 1/4. Fortunately, Houston climate works in your favor so you hopefully won't have to work too hard at this.

BPs love privacy, so most folks who use tanks will cover 3 of the 4 sides with black paper or aquarium backing, leaving just the front of the tank exposed. Remember, nothing adhesive inside the tank. Hit up the dollar store or Hobby Lobby for some inexpensive fake plants, leaves, and/or vines. Give lots of ground cover for your little one to feel concealed in. If you have too much open space, they can feel vulnerable and go off food. Just be sure the plants don't have any sharp pieces, wire or loops that could entangle or hurt your little one.

Also, if you haven't done so already, download the free app Tapatalk. It allows you to upload photos to your thread with a single button/click. Super easy! And we virtually insist upon pictures. :D

A lot of Texas folks on here, love it! What about water? I've read it has to be distilled and I've read that you should use a special water conditioner for reptiles. I've been using bottled water but if there is any other info on water type I'd love to hear it.