Re: rescued snake...ned advice please
Now that you have the essentials, there are a few other things to look at that will help you and your new little guy.
-Humidity: Screen tops will let all of your humidity out, and being in a dry place like Arizona will just make it worse. The easiest way to fix this is to cover most of the screen. Aluminum foil, wax paper, and plastic wrap work great. Or, if you choose, you can go to Lowes or Home Depot and have them cut you a piece of plexiglass to fit over it. That works too. When I ws using screen top tanks, I cut some cardboard into strips that fit across the screen and wrapped them in aluminum foil. That way I could add or remove the panels as needed to raise or lower the humidity. This is what it looked like...
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/file.../ztank0053.jpg
To keep the humidity stable, you may have to use one or more of these methods:
1) place the water bowl partially over the Under Tank Heater.
2) use a bigger water bowl.
3) use a spray bottle to lightly mist the tank once or twice a day.
4) if you're still having humidity problems it might be necessary to switch to Cypress substrate since it holds humidity better.
I keep my humidity around 55%-60% and my snakes shed just fine without adjusting it,but some snakes need a little more humidity when they go into shed, and there are a few different ways to raise the humidity if need be:
1) mist the tank more frequently.
2) make a humid box, which is basically some kind of Tupperware container with a few holes poked in the lid with a wet sponge or damp sphagnum moss inside, and it is placed over the Under Tank Heater to help with evaporation. I think sponges are better because they are cheaper and can be re-used alot longer than the moss.
3) remove some of the covering on the screen, fold up a wet towel (not dripping), and place it on the screen. Then just re-wet or replace it when it dries out.
-Thermostats: The lamp dimmer can work, but it requires more frequent monitoring and adjustments to keep the temperature correct. I would recommend at some point getting a digital thermostat to control the UTH. You basically plug the heater into it, attach the probe to the heater, and set it for the temp you want. You can order them online starting around $30 for a basic thermostat, and depending on the model and features you want, they can run up to over $300. If you decide that at some point you want to get one and need a list of websites, just ask.
-Security: Ball Pythons, in the wild, live in burrows and termite mounds, which is why they prefer snug hides and smaller enclosures. They are not fond of big open spaces. Something you can do to help you little guy feel more secure and relaxed is to cover both ends and the back of the tank. You can use anything like colored poster board, construction paper, foam board, aquarium scenery, or even fabric if you choose. Anything to make the tank seem not so open and spacious.
I know this is a long post, but I hope it helps some and gives you some ideas.
Oh! You might as well give the little guy a name, then I won't have to keep calling him "Little Guy"...:D
