Simple snake noob questions

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Most of us feed F/t. Safer for your snake. Especially as they get older and move up in rodent size.

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A few friends I personally knew that had snakes all fed them live so I didn’t think anything of it. I’d much rather feed frozen though so thank you!

You will need a digital scale that reads to 5000g. I ordered mine from Amazon. Just a digital kitchen scale.

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

You will need a digital scale that reads to 5000g. I ordered mine from Amazon. Just a digital kitchen scale.

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Like one that would measure cups of berries and stuff right? Already got one 👍🏻

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Like one that would measure cups of berries and stuff right? Already got one 👍🏻

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Is it digital? And it reads grams?

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Is it digital? And it reads grams?

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Yep! I bought it when I was looking for a jewelry scale hoping it would do the trick but it didn’t and I lost the receipt so I kept it.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Oo I didn’t know you could switch to frozen. That’s nice because I cried watching the rat die [emoji854] I’ll look into that, thank you!

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No problem , they won’t always switch but if you can get them to it’s nice


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Oo I didn’t know you could switch to frozen. That’s nice because I cried watching the rat die �� I’ll look into that, thank you!

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So those HOURS of research really paid off, huh? This is SO LOOK basic!!!!

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Oo I didn’t know you could switch to frozen. That’s nice because I cried watching the rat die [emoji854] I’ll look into that, thank you!

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Hi

Sent you a PM showing the procedure using a hairdryer to warm thawed mice up ..




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Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

So those HOURS of research really paid off, huh? This is SO LOOK basic!!!!

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Meant to say SSSOOOOOOOOO basic, darn auto correct!!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Meant to say SSSOOOOOOOOO basic, darn auto correct!!

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Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research. and I don’t mean just the parts you’re unhappy with like when I use the wrong words.

Get over yourself. I’m not going to learn everything from researching and I wouldn’t have known about switching to thawed rats if someone hadn’t told me because as I’ve said IF YOUD QUIT BEING UP YOURSELF AMD READ MY REPLIES everyone I personally knew (so like 4-5 people I. Personally. Knew.) fed their snakes live.

How about instead of just constantly attacking me you help like everyone else did. You’re just a disgustingly rude person, honestly. Please don’t reply unless you drop your ugly attitude.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research. and I don’t mean just the parts you’re unhappy with like when I use the wrong words.

Get over yourself. I’m not going to learn everything from researching and I wouldn’t have known about switching to thawed rats if someone hadn’t told me because as I’ve said IF YOUD QUIT BEING UP YOURSELF AMD READ MY REPLIES everyone I personally knew (so like 4-5 people I. Personally. Knew.) fed their snakes live.

How about instead of just constantly attacking me you help like everyone else did. You’re just a disgustingly rude person, honestly. Please don’t reply unless you drop your ugly attitude.

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I think it's great that you're here and that you're learning. But more research (before getting the snake!) would have taught you the differences between thermostats, thermometers, heat guns, etc. The option of feeding frozen/thawed is a well known thing in the snake community as well. Most online care sheets mention frozen/thawed. Months of research would have been greatly beneficial. Since your snake has been on live for the past 2 years it may be hard to switch him over to f/t but certainly worth trying! What will you do if you can't switch him?

Obviously it's in the past so the best thing now is to continue forward. Like I said earlier, I'm glad that you're at least here now. This forum has a wealth of valuable information and insight from many experienced keepers. We all want the very best for your new snake.

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Originally Posted by Kira

I think it's great that you're here and that you're learning. But more research (before getting the snake!) would have taught you the differences between thermostats, thermometers, heat guns, etc. The option of feeding frozen/thawed is a well known thing in the snake community as well. Most online care sheets mention frozen/thawed. Months of research would have been greatly beneficial. Since your snake has been on live for the past 2 years it may be hard to switch him over to f/t but certainly worth trying! What will you do if you can't switch him?

Obviously it's in the past so the best thing now is to continue forward. Like I said earlier, I'm glad that you're at least here now. This forum has a wealth of valuable information and insight from many experienced keepers. We all want the very best for your new snake.

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Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

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The reptile hobby is an evolving place. We're always learning new things, new scientific studies are always proving aomething new about the species we keep. Keeping any animal is not a static thing. I have my snake now, and while I feel my care is adequate, I'm always looking to improve and do things that will benefit the being whose care lies solely on me.

When I'm not doing other things, I'm often looking into studies about pythons and how environmental factors affect them, or natural range surface temps verses air temps, or how much UV they would naturally get from the sun, etc. There's a ton of information out there that I still haven't read about this fascinating species and where they're from, and plenty of science being done that we will see in the future that may affect how we keep our animals.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

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It's better to over research than to under research. Better to have everything completely sorted out ahead of time so you won't get confused. Personally I researched for months because I wanted to soak up as much info as I could especially since I have never owned a reptile before. It's never a bad thing to do more research. Most people need a lot of time to figure out: how to properly setup an enclosure, what substrate to use, how to thaw a frozen meal, how often to handle the snake, proper temps + hot spot, how high humidity should be, what breeder to go to, what heating to use, how to hold in humidity, what kind of water dish, etc. It's a lot of info so it's good to take it slow.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research.

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If I want to be frank, I think you rushed your research, even with the given circumstances. You keep asking how research could take months. I dedicated 10 months of research before getting my ball python and I’m glad I did, because the extra time really allowed me to let new information sink in and make good decisions. When you marathon new information in short time, coupled with excitement, it can be VERY easy to overlook critical information and questions you may not have realized you needed to ask!

There were honestly times I didn’t even realize the things I still needed to know until several weeks (even months) rolled by, because more in depth details and situations don’t really enter your mind right away. Sometimes you really need to make sure you’re properly digesting all the new info AND making calls how to evaluate what you learn. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, there are tons of conflicting info out there! It can be overwhelming to take in all at once with such a short time frame, which is why pacing things out can be very important without being under pressure.

Kinda like, you know back in the day when we were in school and you have this horrible test you’re not familiar with, and you CRAM ALL NIGHT STUDYING LIKE A BEAST but day of the test you kinda blank? Or realize you got the wrong answers because you misunderstood a bunch of stuff you thought you were familiar with.

However I will give you credit for being willing to listen and learn from the feedback you are getting now. Moving forward is good! Which is more than I can say about other new, more stubborn members.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Okay like I said the owner offered me his snake, I said yes, he told me to get it a week later. I had a week that I dedicated all my free time not sleeping or working to. Please stop treating me like I did 0 research because I mixed similar sounding terms up and had apparently been misinformed. I assure you I’d mix up terms even if I was a pro because my brain does that. And I’m sorry but I still don’t see what part of a snake takes multiple months and I’m still waiting on someone to tell me. Like a month diligently? Sure. Months? please share.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Starscream

The reptile hobby is an evolving place. We're always learning new things, new scientific studies are always proving aomething new about the species we keep. Keeping any animal is not a static thing. I have my snake now, and while I feel my care is adequate, I'm always looking to improve and do things that will benefit the being whose care lies solely on me.

When I'm not doing other things, I'm often looking into studies about pythons and how environmental factors affect them, or natural range surface temps verses air temps, or how much UV they would naturally get from the sun, etc. There's a ton of information out there that I still haven't read about this fascinating species and where they're from, and plenty of science being done that we will see in the future that may affect how we keep our animals.

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hey OP! i've been a silent observer of your thread but now i wanna chime in! :)

unfortunately you did not have a bunch of time to learn what you need to, but that's okay as you've found us! my first ball python was a depression-fueled impulse purchase, so i know what that part of this journey is like. i now own 6 beeps and a corn, who are all thriving and growing up so well. i actually took almost 3 years of solid research and real-life practice before i even considered a second snake (that's a LIFETIME in this hobby.) so yes, there are people who take years to absorb all the info they can before getting more animals. i've been in this hobby for almost 4 years.

since these animals require such specific husbandry, there is no "one-size fits all" method, as everyone's homes and where they actually live is totally different. i can't just spit out a bunch of numbers and steps for you and everything will end up perfect on your end; a LOT of this hobby is trial and error. this is why we push independant research, and coming on here when you have more specific questions. you are absolutely allowed to make mistakes and try different things than what others recommend! but you also need to go into it armed with the knowledge of what you're actually doing (not implying you don't) to back up your testings and trials and KNOW that it works for you and more importantly the snake.

we are a passionate bunch, and i've been interacting with @craigafrechette on this forum longer than you've owned a snake ;) he has the best intentions but i agree he came in a bit hot. let's work together now! for your new noodle's sake!

I did research and set up a tank over six months. When I got boop and came here I had stuff that was still wrong. I didnnt know about thermostats. Even with six months of research I didn't know. Also I fed out of the enclosure and also didn't know because I was taught to feed in a feed box. Any research at all is better than none. Happy you're here. It is all a learning process. Hang tight.

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Wether she did her research or not , she’s now in possession of her new snake . She’s doing the right thing and trying to ask us for help. When I purchased my first bearded dragon I knew nothing about them and I learned from the forums how to properly care for her. The person I purchased her off of knew nothing and miss informed me but thanks to some kind people I ended up perfecting the husbandry and had multiple successful clutches of bearded dragons all of which turn out healthy and ended up in good homes .
Let’s all take a breath and just try to help her out, she clearly wants to learn and be a good owner so let’s help her do just that .

End rant [emoji23]


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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Im ignoring you until you ACTUALLY read ALL my posts and tell me what about a snake takes months of research. and I don’t mean just the parts you’re unhappy with like when I use the wrong words.

Get over yourself. I’m not going to learn everything from researching and I wouldn’t have known about switching to thawed rats if someone hadn’t told me because as I’ve said IF YOUD QUIT BEING UP YOURSELF AMD READ MY REPLIES everyone I personally knew (so like 4-5 people I. Personally. Knew.) fed their snakes live.

How about instead of just constantly attacking me you help like everyone else did. You’re just a disgustingly rude person, honestly. Please don’t reply unless you drop your ugly attitude.

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Alright OP, I'm going to do the right thing and apologize for coming off harsh.

I started my first reply trying to help, and you went on the defensive. I came across straight forward and only spoke facts to try to steer you in the right direction. You immediately went on the defensive with your reply. You then went on to say that you've done research and if you hadn't you would have more than 4 questions (trust me, I've read EVERY word more than once). Yet you never heard about a thermostat or F/T prey. I just googled "ball python care" and opened the top 5 links: 4 mentioned a thermostat and all 5 mentioned F/T prey. Took less than 5 MINUTES. You also said you read the links I shared, one of which was the BP Caresheet from this forum. Guess what, it talks about thermostats and F/T prey...

I get that you only had a week, but the bottom line is, you could've researched more. And you didn't HAVE to take that snake. You could have researched properly and got a snake when the time was right.

I'm in the early RESEARCH stages of my next snake, which I won't be getting until late this year maybe not til next year. Because it takes time to properly research a living animal that will be in my care for 20+ years. And although I've been keeping snakes for years, I have way more than 4 questions.

You said you didn't like being accused of not doing research like you see happen to every beginner. NOT TRUE! There are plenty of beginners who have their enclosures set up properly with the proper equipment BEFORE bringing the snake home, sometimes months in advance, and those people are always praised.

All that said, if you feel I came of as rude, I'm sorry. That was not my intent. My intent was straight forward without sugar coating.

You say I'm a "disgustingly rude person", well I disagree, but we'll agree to disagree.

Lastly, I stand by every word I said. You did NOT do ample research, as many others have pointed out as well. Since you're BRAND NEW to snakes, maybe have a more open mind to constructive criticism moving forward...

I truly hope we can squash this little beef and move forward. I'm happy to help you with a more friendly tone moving forward if you're willing to be open to learning and willing to put in the time.

Again, I truly wish you and your snake the best.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Alright OP, I'm going to do the right thing and apologize for coming off harsh.

I started my first reply trying to help, and you went on the defensive. I came across straight forward and only spoke facts to try to steer you in the right direction. You immediately went on the defensive with your reply. You then went on to say that you've done research and if you hadn't you would have more than 4 questions (trust me, I've read EVERY word more than once). Yet you never heard about a thermostat or F/T prey. I just googled "ball python care" and opened the top 5 links: 4 mentioned a thermostat and all 5 mentioned F/T prey. Took less than 5 MINUTES. You also said you read the links I shared, one of which was the BP Caresheet from this forum. Guess what, it talks about thermostats and F/T prey...

I get that you only had a week, but the bottom line is, you could've researched more. And you didn't HAVE to take that snake. You could have researched properly and got a snake when the time was right.

I'm in the early RESEARCH stages of my next snake, which I won't be getting until late this year maybe not til next year. Because it takes time to properly research a living animal that will be in my care for 20+ years. And although I've been keeping snakes for years, I have way more than 4 questions.

You said you didn't like being accused of not doing research like you see happen to every beginner. NOT TRUE! There are plenty of beginners who have their enclosures set up properly with the proper equipment BEFORE bringing the snake home, sometimes months in advance, and those people are always praised.

All that said, if you feel I came of as rude, I'm sorry. That was not my intent. My intent was straight forward without sugar coating.

You say I'm a "disgustingly rude person", well I disagree, but we'll agree to disagree.

Lastly, I stand by every word I said. You did NOT do ample research, as many others have pointed out as well. Since you're BRAND NEW to snakes, maybe have a more open mind to constructive criticism moving forward...

I truly hope we can squash this little beef and move forward. I'm happy to help you with a more friendly tone moving forward if you're willing to be open to learning and willing to put in the time.

Again, I truly wish you and your snake the best.

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[emoji106]


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I should have chimed in earlier but since things got a little chippy I kept silent. :) OP, I see you are from my neck of the woods. I don't know what part of Pittsburgh you are in but I am over in the South Hills. I can try and help you out if you need assistance. I assume you are probably setting up a tank for your enclosure so there are some things you can do to help with humidity, temps and your snakes overall security. Feel free to PM me if you want. Also, everyone here means well. Sometimes they will give answers that you may feel are derogatory, however they only have your snakes best interest in mind.

Going over to frozen thawed food animals is a great idea. I hated doing live feeds.

When you do your first thawed feed:

1) Make sure the rat is fully thawed. I let mine sit in a zip lock bag inside a thermos of hot water for a good half hour. The zip lock helps keep them dry (hopefully).

2) IMPORTANT use needle nose pliers, hemostats, or LONG tweezers. Do not attempt to feed bare handed!

I've been reading over your thread, and I'm convinced you'll soon develop into a much better snake keeper than the clown who gave your new pet. You're already learning a lot.

We all make mistakes, even people who do months of research. I've said it many times and will continue to say it, snake keeping is a practice.

Good luck and don't let the critics put you off. Pay attention, keep reading, watch your husbandry, and enjoy your snake!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Alright OP, I'm going to do the right thing and apologize for coming off harsh.

I started my first reply trying to help, and you went on the defensive. I came across straight forward and only spoke facts to try to steer you in the right direction. You immediately went on the defensive with your reply. You then went on to say that you've done research and if you hadn't you would have more than 4 questions (trust me, I've read EVERY word more than once). Yet you never heard about a thermostat or F/T prey. I just googled "ball python care" and opened the top 5 links: 4 mentioned a thermostat and all 5 mentioned F/T prey. Took less than 5 MINUTES. You also said you read the links I shared, one of which was the BP Caresheet from this forum. Guess what, it talks about thermostats and F/T prey...

I get that you only had a week, but the bottom line is, you could've researched more. And you didn't HAVE to take that snake. You could have researched properly and got a snake when the time was right.

I'm in the early RESEARCH stages of my next snake, which I won't be getting until late this year maybe not til next year. Because it takes time to properly research a living animal that will be in my care for 20+ years. And although I've been keeping snakes for years, I have way more than 4 questions.

You said you didn't like being accused of not doing research like you see happen to every beginner. NOT TRUE! There are plenty of beginners who have their enclosures set up properly with the proper equipment BEFORE bringing the snake home, sometimes months in advance, and those people are always praised.

All that said, if you feel I came of as rude, I'm sorry. That was not my intent. My intent was straight forward without sugar coating.

You say I'm a "disgustingly rude person", well I disagree, but we'll agree to disagree.

Lastly, I stand by every word I said. You did NOT do ample research, as many others have pointed out as well. Since you're BRAND NEW to snakes, maybe have a more open mind to constructive criticism moving forward...

I truly hope we can squash this little beef and move forward. I'm happy to help you with a more friendly tone moving forward if you're willing to be open to learning and willing to put in the time.

Again, I truly wish you and your snake the best.

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i never said I didn’t hear of a thermostat, I just never understood what one was and google didn’t help me. When I think of thermostat I think of the thing that sits on the wall in your house and just tells you the temperature, which is why I got it confused with thermometer. I mean I know it controls the temp and everything, just couldn’t understand how it would do that for a snake without it being explained that things plug into it. Since I saw someone mention a temp gun, and I was familiar with that, I was close minded to thermostats. I did see mention to a thermostat in probably everything I read, was just intimidated by something I struggled to understand and didn’t want to admit because I feel really stupid about it.

im sure you’ll all be happy to hear that I’m actually really considering to go ahead and purchase one of those herpstats day after tomorrow on payday. My only question is what do the different numbers on them mean? Because I still don’t fully understand them, even reading their descriptions. Please tell me they’re easy to use. I do want what’s absolutely best for mr Noodles and have no issues spoiling him (or any of my animals) with nice things, but I also have bills due so I would like to avoid spending over $250 if possible.


also I’ve always, always, been aware of the fact that you can feed a snake f/t prey, just was told by friends that if they eat live they’ll eat only live. Since I’ve known I had wanted a snake in the future, I asked friends why they fed live anyway, because I didn’t think I could stomach watching a rat die. So I was misinformed there too.

Like I said, I spent as much time as I possibly could researching. I tried to ask the owner if I could think about it for a few days before I made a decision but he said he was trying to get rid of it ASAP. I did want more time to research, but I also wanted the opportunity while I had it or I would have kept putting it off and probably wouldnt have been able to budget for everything ever because I’m horrible with impulse buys 🙃. (Another example would be how I’ve been without a PC for 3 years and finally got one TODAY because my father sold me his old high end one for $200, and I could never budget to build myself a new PC) He gave me literally everything he had including the snake for $100, saying it was because he paid $300 for the tank itself. The following day I was so excited I went out and bought a second hide, a stick and some leafy decor things. I can see how you’re right about it being rushed, with the conflicting information I’ve came across and been confused by, and I know I was reading posts on this website from back in 2012. Now that I hear there’s things that change over time with care for them, I can see where my errors are. I just really don’t like being told I didn’t do any research when I really dedicated every second I had to reading about snakes, even when I had a few free minutes while I was at work.

I also plan on taking him to a vet on the following paycheck, just to make sure he’s healthy (which I’m pretty sure he is but again, I read that you should still take them for a check up to be sure)

i appreciate all the additional information ive gotten from posting this.

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Originally Posted by PghBall

I should have chimed in earlier but since things got a little chippy I kept silent. :) OP, I see you are from my neck of the woods. I don't know what part of Pittsburgh you are in but I am over in the South Hills. I can try and help you out if you need assistance. I assume you are probably setting up a tank for your enclosure so there are some things you can do to help with humidity, temps and your snakes overall security. Feel free to PM me if you want. Also, everyone here means well. Sometimes they will give answers that you may feel are derogatory, however they only have your snakes best interest in mind.

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I actually noticed your name a few days ago and gave your Facebook page a like so I could see all the different snakes there are if I’m to end up interested in getting another some day 🙂 I’m over in the Rocks, I’ve traveled through the south hills once though. It reminded me of a 2 lane twisty McKnight and gave me road rage 😂 I’ll do my best reach out when I need it, thank you.

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

i appreciate all the additional information ive gotten from posting this.

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hey again, OP! i'm so glad to see you back! this reply makes me so hopeful for you and your new noodle! craig did a big thing admitting he was wrong, so i hope you cut him some slack! [emoji4]

from this reply, you're well on your way to proper husbandry and are truly understanding what that means. that's awesome!!!

other people have given you such good advice so please just listen to them. we want your noodle to grow big and strong!!! [emoji3]

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

hey again, OP! i'm so glad to see you back! this reply makes me so hopeful for you and your new noodle! craig did a big thing admitting he was wrong, so i hope you cut him some slack! [emoji4]

from this reply, you're well on your way to proper husbandry and are truly understanding what that means. that's awesome!!!

other people have given you such good advice so please just listen to them. we want your noodle to grow big and strong!!! [emoji3]

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i thought I did ^^; but I’ve been listening and am definitely taking literally all of the advise. Like I said, I really love my snake and do want what’s absolutely best for him.
Sorry for the late replies, it’s just difficult for me to respond while I’m at work sometimes.....and I do sleep a lot..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

i thought I did ^^; but I’ve been listening and am definitely taking literally all of the advise. Like I said, I really love my snake and do want what’s absolutely best for him.
Sorry for the late replies, it’s just difficult for me to respond while I’m at work sometimes.....and I do sleep a lot..

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no worries! we love having you here. [emoji4] just keep us posted and we'll help you as much as we can. [emoji3]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

i never said I didn’t hear of a thermostat, I just never understood what one was and google didn’t help me. When I think of thermostat I think of the thing that sits on the wall in your house and just tells you the temperature, which is why I got it confused with thermometer. I mean I know it controls the temp and everything, just couldn’t understand how it would do that for a snake without it being explained that things plug into it. Since I saw someone mention a temp gun, and I was familiar with that, I was close minded to thermostats. I did see mention to a thermostat in probably everything I read, was just intimidated by something I struggled to understand and didn’t want to admit because I feel really stupid about it.

im sure you’ll all be happy to hear that I’m actually really considering to go ahead and purchase one of those herpstats day after tomorrow on payday. My only question is what do the different numbers on them mean? Because I still don’t fully understand them, even reading their descriptions. Please tell me they’re easy to use. I do want what’s absolutely best for mr Noodles and have no issues spoiling him (or any of my animals) with nice things, but I also have bills due so I would like to avoid spending over $250 if possible.


also I’ve always, always, been aware of the fact that you can feed a snake f/t prey, just was told by friends that if they eat live they’ll eat only live. Since I’ve known I had wanted a snake in the future, I asked friends why they fed live anyway, because I didn’t think I could stomach watching a rat die. So I was misinformed there too.

Like I said, I spent as much time as I possibly could researching. I tried to ask the owner if I could think about it for a few days before I made a decision but he said he was trying to get rid of it ASAP. I did want more time to research, but I also wanted the opportunity while I had it or I would have kept putting it off and probably wouldnt have been able to budget for everything ever because I’m horrible with impulse buys 🙃. (Another example would be how I’ve been without a PC for 3 years and finally got one TODAY because my father sold me his old high end one for $200, and I could never budget to build myself a new PC) He gave me literally everything he had including the snake for $100, saying it was because he paid $300 for the tank itself. The following day I was so excited I went out and bought a second hide, a stick and some leafy decor things. I can see how you’re right about it being rushed, with the conflicting information I’ve came across and been confused by, and I know I was reading posts on this website from back in 2012. Now that I hear there’s things that change over time with care for them, I can see where my errors are. I just really don’t like being told I didn’t do any research when I really dedicated every second I had to reading about snakes, even when I had a few free minutes while I was at work.

I also plan on taking him to a vet on the following paycheck, just to make sure he’s healthy (which I’m pretty sure he is but again, I read that you should still take them for a check up to be sure)

i appreciate all the additional information ive gotten from posting this.

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Look, we're going to just have to agree to disagree. You said you did research, I disagree. I think you read a few caresheets, retained what you wanted to and brought home a snake you were not properly prepared for. Now you're making excuses.

"Research" as defined by Merriam webster is: : 1 : careful or diligent search. 2 : studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.
3 : systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

That means instead of just moving on from something like thermostat confusion, you read and learn about it! It wasn't in every caresheet just to be read. It's there because your snake needs it. So just because you were "close minded" and "intimidated" and felt "really stupid" (all ypur words) you figured screw it...and the snake would be the one to suffer. That's not an acceptable excuse.

Since we're talking about a living creature I feel research, yes months worth, is required. Since you didn't have to take that snake you could have done research. If finances are in issue, then taking on a new pet, which could require hundreds of dollars worth of vet care at any point, may not have been wise at this time.

But, since you've already got the snake it's time to swallow your pride and actually dig in and LEARN ABOUT YOUR PET.
You can't just disregard terms you don't understand, nor can you just take advice from a few people. Cross reference your sources, explore options. If you don't understand something ask, because it's not about you, it's about the living, breathing life that now relies on you.

Yes 51 sucks. One of the worst roads in Pittsburgh lol. Don't know anyone outside the South Hills that hasn't said exactly what you did [emoji23]

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

I actually noticed your name a few days ago and gave your Facebook page a like so I could see all the different snakes there are if I’m to end up interested in getting another some day [emoji846] I’m over in the Rocks, I’ve traveled through the south hills once though. It reminded me of a 2 lane twisty McKnight and gave me road rage [emoji23] I’ll do my best reach out when I need it, thank you.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Look, we're going to just have to agree to disagree. You said you did research, I disagree. I think you read a few caresheets, retained what you wanted to and brought home a snake you were not properly prepared for. Now you're making excuses.

"Research" as defined by Merriam webster is: : 1 : careful or diligent search. 2 : studious inquiry or examination; especially : investigation or experimentation aimed at the discovery and interpretation of facts, revision of accepted theories or laws in the light of new facts, or practical application of such new or revised theories or laws.
3 : systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

That means instead of just moving on from something like thermostat confusion, you read and learn about it! It wasn't in every caresheet just to be read. It's there because your snake needs it. So just because you were "close minded" and "intimidated" and felt "really stupid" (all ypur words) you figured screw it...and the snake would be the one to suffer. That's not an acceptable excuse.

Since we're talking about a living creature I feel research, yes months worth, is required. Since you didn't have to take that snake you could have done research. If finances are in issue, then taking on a new pet, which could require hundreds of dollars worth of vet care at any point, may not have been wise at this time.

But, since you've already got the snake it's time to swallow your pride and actually dig in and LEARN ABOUT YOUR PET.
You can't just disregard terms you don't understand, nor can you just take advice from a few people. Cross reference your sources, explore options. If you don't understand something ask, because it's not about you, it's about the living, breathing life that now relies on you.

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Lol alright dude I’m done with you don’t bother giving me advise ever cause I don’t want any from you. I swallowed my pride in my past reply to you and you couldn’t even be bother to drop it and just give me an answer on the herpstat so thanks for absolutely nothing but giving me garbage through this entire thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

i never said I didn’t hear of a thermostat, I just never understood what one was and google didn’t help me. When I think of thermostat I think of the thing that sits on the wall in your house and just tells you the temperature, which is why I got it confused with thermometer. I mean I know it controls the temp and everything, just couldn’t understand how it would do that for a snake without it being explained that things plug into it. Since I saw someone mention a temp gun, and I was familiar with that, I was close minded to thermostats. I did see mention to a thermostat in probably everything I read, was just intimidated by something I struggled to understand and didn’t want to admit because I feel really stupid about it.

im sure you’ll all be happy to hear that I’m actually really considering to go ahead and purchase one of those herpstats day after tomorrow on payday. My only question is what do the different numbers on them mean? Because I still don’t fully understand them, even reading their descriptions. Please tell me they’re easy to use. I do want what’s absolutely best for mr Noodles and have no issues spoiling him (or any of my animals) with nice things, but I also have bills due so I would like to avoid spending over $250 if possible.


also I’ve always, always, been aware of the fact that you can feed a snake f/t prey, just was told by friends that if they eat live they’ll eat only live. Since I’ve known I had wanted a snake in the future, I asked friends why they fed live anyway, because I didn’t think I could stomach watching a rat die. So I was misinformed there too.

Like I said, I spent as much time as I possibly could researching. I tried to ask the owner if I could think about it for a few days before I made a decision but he said he was trying to get rid of it ASAP. I did want more time to research, but I also wanted the opportunity while I had it or I would have kept putting it off and probably wouldnt have been able to budget for everything ever because I’m horrible with impulse buys [emoji854]. (Another example would be how I’ve been without a PC for 3 years and finally got one TODAY because my father sold me his old high end one for $200, and I could never budget to build myself a new PC) He gave me literally everything he had including the snake for $100, saying it was because he paid $300 for the tank itself. The following day I was so excited I went out and bought a second hide, a stick and some leafy decor things. I can see how you’re right about it being rushed, with the conflicting information I’ve came across and been confused by, and I know I was reading posts on this website from back in 2012. Now that I hear there’s things that change over time with care for them, I can see where my errors are. I just really don’t like being told I didn’t do any research when I really dedicated every second I had to reading about snakes, even when I had a few free minutes while I was at work.

I also plan on taking him to a vet on the following paycheck, just to make sure he’s healthy (which I’m pretty sure he is but again, I read that you should still take them for a check up to be sure)

i appreciate all the additional information ive gotten from posting this.

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Here is another thermostat you can look at that is under $100 and would work fine for your setup. I have the VE-200 on two of my racks and they are not hard to use. They come with easy to understand instructions.

https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/...4aAr5gEALw_wcB

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Originally Posted by PghBall

Here is another thermostat you can look at that is under $100 and would work fine for your setup. I have the VE-200 on two of my racks and they are not hard to use. They come with easy to understand instructions.

https://www.pangeareptile.com/store/...4aAr5gEALw_wcB

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

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Perfect thanks so much!!

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Originally Posted by Queenofredlions

Lol alright dude I’m done with you don’t bother giving me advise ever cause I don’t want any from you. I swallowed my pride in my past reply to you and you couldn’t even be bother to drop it and just give me an answer on the herpstat so thanks for absolutely nothing but giving me garbage through this entire thread.

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Fair enough. Ignorance is bliss I guess. I wish your snake all the best.