Help!! Sick ball?

I know some of the acurite thermometers have a built in digital humidity guage. Kill 2 birds with one stone, they are way more accurate than the round stick-ons.

Hi,

Also remember that the pet store is the expensive way to buy things - somewhere like the dollar store has some nice things which can be adapted with a little effort. :gj:

I use the saucers designed to go under plant pots to catch drips as hides for me babies - just cut a nice smooth opening in the side and flip it upside down... perfect tight,dark,easy to clean snake hide. :D

Plus they come in different sizes as your snake grows.

And trust me I know how hard it is to get to a wallmart. :giggle:

I don't drive or anything but managed to order a similar unit off ebay for a very reasonable price.

I also intend to invest in an infra-red temp gun soon as they are an amazing tool for herp keepers.

On altering your tank - since you have to cover the two sides and the back to increase the snakes security anyway it is a great oppertunity to put in a good looking aquarium decor background on the outside of the glass then a layer of insulating material ouiside of that. People have had great sucess with styrofoam, reflectix insulation and I have used cork sheeting as it looked quite nice when it was finished.

That should help with keeping the temps in your tank up and stable at a very low cost.


dr del

Like del said there are lots of ways to cut corners and save some $$$.

walmart, dollar stores, or craft stores are great places to save some money and find some really nifty things.

also if you are looking for a cheap way to insulate the tank you can also use cardboard and tape it to the outsides.

thanks again guys...I didn't hit until now how frustrating it can be to sort all this stuff out when I have a million assignments to do for school.

I know the sooner I get it down the better...but how long do you think the snake can wait for all this stuff before the lack of it adversely affects her?

Its not something that needs to be done tonight, but should be done as soon as you can.

Hi,

well I don't think there is any way to answer that with certainty.

The basic problem is we don't know the temps your snake is actually encountering in its enclosure - too low and it can make them more succeptible to disease and cause problems with being able to digest their meals, too hot and it can actually burn their undersides. :(

This is why it is always best if we can get the enclosures built and dialed in temp and humidity wise for at least a week before we get the animal - it lets you do all the tweaking and adjusting without any downside for the animal.

Are the DIY stores etc open late anywhere near you? The actual work on adjusting the tank shouldn't really take very long at all if you plan ahead and remember to get all the bits ( Tape is great for holding the insulation etc to the tank and I always thought the black stuff could look like a classy border if you are carefull - just remember no tape inside the tank ever for any reason nohow no sir :colbert: ).


dr del

Alright...well I got another temperature probe, better light and the readings are now:

80-ambient air
95- under hottest part...(moist cloth under plastic hide)
62- humidity

She's in blue right now...and I can kind of see some scales sticking up more than usual? My corn always shed in one piece, but I never noticed it uneven beforehand.

The results from the fecal sample should be in soon too.