Spunky or Cranky?

Omg no idea why the title was a thumbs down when it's all thumbs up! Wrong button sorry!

Glad things are settling out! I actually hadn't even looked at the 11 pound limit - what I meant by it not being big enough is that the bowl that comes with the scale might be too small to put an adult ball python into, but it's perfect for the young snakes I've got now, and for my kingsnakes. I love it because it's quick and easy to disinfect between snakes, and works perfectly to store the scale between weighing by just turning the base part upside down inside the bowl and setting it in the storage bin with my spare tank furniture.

It's late but I am restless playing stalker around Chompy's tank (he's my first grandbaby!) so I just wanted to drop in with a BIG Thank You for all the help and quick update, and I wanted to double check on a few things:

Chompy's been super calm these last 24hrs, he ended up having 4 Fuzzies instead of just two because he sniffed around his new feeding log for so long I caved and offered more and he excitedly took them - he even played Anaconda in his water dish with one! I suspect this was a perfect amount to satisfy him since he hasn't returned to his feeding log since and he's been bumming around his enclosure in a real slow relaxed way hardly minding the kid faces smooshed against the glass jabbering at him. Total attitude turn around! He's eaten so well my husband commented that he looks like a completely different snake, yay!

He is 163 grams (don't know exact length yet) so I got him 18 gram mice which was the closest I could get to the 10% to 15% without moving on to something frighteningly huge compared to fuzzies, the package reads Large Mice and they seem slightly thinner than he is at his thickest point. I am honestly not feeling nervous about this new prey item because his head is so small, but snakes have been doing this for longer than we've been down from the trees so I'll have faith in nature! I had been thawing his prey in hot tap water in a little disposable cup, can I assume the same method using a larger cup to thaw the larger mouse-cube would be fine?

Temps and Humidity are an all day long battle with a large aquarium type set up, the glass seems to suck the heat from everything and the screen at the top ensures desert-like conditions... is this something where we will eventually find a balance or do I need to start over with a Rubbermaid shoe box lol? I spent hours running around town shopping for him today and unfortunately only about half the things I got him are working as they should, my biggest complaints are: the zoo med super large under tank heater made zero difference at all. I can't seem to get the temp to nudge 90F with out turning the cutie into snake jerky, 85F is the max day time for some reason, and all the timers I have tried for the day/night lighting system have been complete garbage, 5 sent back and I still have 3 to return. Omg I have more wires and wet towels hanging off Chompy's damp/drippy tank than dead mice in my freezer, what has my life turned into? You guys make it look so simple and tidy on YouTube videos and the posted pics!


I just have to get this off my chest as because this is a Parent PSA that I wish someone had told me beforehand (by grabbing me by the shoulders and shaking me preferably) and I think it should be stickered to the forehead (for a week minimum) of everyone considering a BP for the first time: Snake keeping is pretty hard if you suck at technical/electrical things and if you do things the "PetSmart" way using their tidy top of the line snake set ups you'll make yourself a wonderfully expensive mess and have yourself a seriously unhappy (if not seriously sick) pet snake!

I'm anything but an expert - however, I keep my little slithers in tubs. 12.2 quart, I think - right around there. I'm actually fighting to lower the humidity in them right now, and I live in norther Nevada - the high desert. Of course, part of that is because I have small tubs (my snakes are all young), and I have cat-food size water dishes, in case they want to play in them. I use un-printed newsprint paper from newspaper end rolls as cage liner for my ball pythons, since it's wonderfully easy to clean up, and neither of them seemed comfortable on the aspen shred I use for my kingsnakes.

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of moving Chompy to a plastic container where he will be consistently comfy and in the future getting a very low humidity snake for the glass tank like a Rosy Boa (a snake for me this time, I just might be hooked despite how bumpy it's been!) and have them on opposite feeding schedule so one is usually available to be handled the kids are crazy about Chompy even if he bites them. But getting Chompy happy comes first!

Just be sure the bin latches securely. Miqula is only 173g at her last weighing, a few days ago, and she's already been trying to figure out how to open the lid - and she can move it a little, even though it latches down at both ends, so I've started putting a weight on top to ensure she doesn't push it up enough to get her nose out and end up getting hurt.

If you're having humidity problems and the tank has a screen lid, you can put aluminum foil over part of the screen on the outside and place the water bowl under the foil side. It should help a ton with keeping in humidity. Start with 2/3rd covered and adjust from there based on your humidity. As for the heating...I may have missed it, but how are measuring it, where are you measuring from, and what type of substrate are you using?

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I'll try the foil, I admit I was sort of avoiding testing that method even though I read about it on another recent post because the damp towels add a lot of needed moisture. Right now I am using the gauge that came with the whole set up it looks like this http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Econom...rds=hygrometer but I have this one on order from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=ATVPDKIKX0DER but let me know if there is a better pick I'll go with that one. The one I currently use is down at snake level in the middle of the tank and for substrata I am using 2 - 3 inches of Aspen shavings with a reptile carpet/mat under it.

It sounds like you are really getting a handle on things for Chompy. :)

On the handling front I would suggest explaining to your son that he is biting more out of fear than anything else. Since the bites don't really hurt much it ( hopefully ) will help him to react with "aww I'm not trying to hurt you" rather than "my snake is being nasty"

It sounds odd but the more confident he is the less he will make the movements that make the snake insecure. :weirdface

I find having something moving in their field of vision can distract them away from biting the hand holding them - the tv seems to work for most of mine oddly.

The good news is they tend to settle quite quickly. Tell him to try avoiding bringing his hand down from above ( like a predator ) and more scooping them from below.

I'm glad to hear you're getting a different thermometer - those little dial ones are garbage. 😝 I don't have any experience with the one you ordered so can't give an opinion on it. I personally use an acurite indoor/outdoor thermometer from Walmart that is only 12$. Since it measures humidity and temps from 2 places it can monitor your hot side and cool side both at once.

As for the substrate - I'd say pull out the repti carpet. Some people like them some people hate them. Some people have had bad experiences with them. From the standpoint of heating and sanitization, it's working against you. I would also say you can reduce the amount of aspen you're using. I would suggest around an inch.

Is your hear mat regulated with a thermostat?

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