Snabitat Build

Well she’s looking pretty rough and she still needs a lot of work but I think it’ll serve for the moment! I have a bunch of fake plants and sticks from my crabitat that I will put in as soon as I have the chance to give them a good wash. Since snaby came today I kinda had to make it work as they say. I literally just crumpled up this paper bag and spread it around to give him some cover in there as you can see and as it turns out the box from one of the heaters makes a pretty much prefect snake tunnel. It’s got holes on both ends! The gray hide on the left is from his old enclosure so I’m really glad he has a known hide that is familiar to him in here, although he actually went into this big hide pretty much right away. As I’m typing this I can see that he’s digging under it lol. I prefer to have enclosures completely set up before bringing my animals home but in this case it wasn’t possible unfortunately.

Questions:
1. Can anyone reccomend a digital hygrometer, ideally gun style?

2. I have a digital temp reader, like a little point and shoot. Where exactly should I be pointing it? Like, at the sub? The sub inside the hides? The outside of the hides?

I’ll keep you guys updated as the build develops, which will for sure be rapidly!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...3bfc9babff.jpg

Another pichttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...b5c241fea8.jpg

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Originally Posted by ROSIEonFIRE

Questions:
1. Can anyone reccomend a digital hygrometer, ideally gun style?

2. I have a digital temp reader, like a little point and shoot. Where exactly should I be pointing it? Like, at the sub? The sub inside the hides? The outside of the hides?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...3bfc9babff.jpg

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1. I use an Accurite. I don't know anyone that uses a gun style hydrometer. I don't know that they make them.
2. You should point it wherever you want to know the temperature. Overall, you'll want to make sure that the max temp in your enclosure is ~90F. This should be your basking spot.

I see you have two lamps. Is one a halogen and the other a CHE? If the back lamp holds the CHE, I'm concerned that the hammock is too close to it.

Don't worry about appearances for now. Focus on meeting your heat and humidity targets. Once your confident that you can maintain those, you can start slowly upgrading the furniture to make it look nice.

Yeah that’s def my focus for sure. Re: the heat lamp safety, I have been periodically touching the screen under the heaters and they are not uncomfortable to the touch but I’ll probably move that hammock anyways. I got the tall domes and I’m hoping that will keep the screen cool, which seems to be working so far. Thanks for the help as always!

Do I need more than one hygrometer? Like one for each end of the tat?

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Originally Posted by ROSIEonFIRE

Do I need more than one hygrometer? Like one for each end of the tat?

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You don't need two. For a long time, I only had one that I would move from side to side periodically. I, now, have two because they're cheap. So, why not?

What's holding the hammock? Suction cups? If so, I wouldn't place it so high in the enclosure until I was sure that it won't fall.

Enclosure set up aside, how's it feel to finally have your ball python? This has been a long time coming for you.

So about my old crabitat accessories, I’d like to reuse most of it. I let it soak in a bucket with soapy water for about 30 minutes and washed it all. Is this sufficient for plastic and fabric plants?

I have this plastic aquarium stump that is super realistic looking and pretty. I have 2 concerns though: 1, can I clean it sufficiently to make safe? 2, is my snake likely to get stuck in it? With hermit crabs you really never had to worry about them getting stuck, they are basically living grappling hooks. But what about snakes?

In terms of cleaning the stump, I soaked it in soapy water, rinsed the inside out as thoroughly as I possibly could, and scrubbed the outside with dish soap and a scrubber brush. It definitely appears pretty clean. I don’t think there’s anything I can do to clean the inside other than soaking it. Do you think that will suffice or should I try to soak it in a bleach solution?https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...05f763bb4d.jpg

People whose opinion I respect have recommended this hand held hygrometer (I have not used it). I use Accurites myself, but only as a backup for my own eyes (since hygrometers are prone mechanical failure and user error).

Not knowing anything about crab pathogens, I'd personally consider a bleach soak for reusing materials. One part regular Chlorox bleach in 19 parts tap water, soak for ten minutes, then rinse under tap water and allow to dry for 24 hours.

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Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum

People whose opinion I respect have recommended this hand held hygrometer (I have not used it). I use Accurites myself, but only as a backup for my own eyes (since hygrometers are prone mechanical failure and user error).

Not knowing anything about crab pathogens, I'd personally consider a bleach soak for reusing materials. One part regular Chlorox bleach in 19 parts tap water, soak for ten minutes, then rinse under tap water and allow to dry for 24 hours.

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Do you think I can do this with the fabric decorations as well?

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Originally Posted by ROSIEonFIRE

Do you think I can do this with the fabric decorations as well?

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Depends on what the fabric is -- that's a strong disinfecting solution that will likely seriously damage natural fibers. Another disinfecting option is heat (boiling, baking, microwaving), which is safe for some materials and not others. A temp approaching 200F for less than a minute should kill anything interesting.

Again, I don't know anything about crabs so there may be no concerning pathogens at all.