Hides

Alright well I've looking this up by searching and found some good info but not everything I needed. Here is the situation:
My pastel is in his cage now for 4 days now. I handle him once a day or so. ( I know some places say not to touch him for a week but he's my pet and doesn't seem to be stressed and very active!!) Now when I put him in a hide, normally the hot hide after handling he chills and doesn't leave til night when he wonders. But other than that I haven't ever seen him in his hides. ( I did just get new ones today that fit better the other ones were to big) He really doesn't wonder all that much but rather during the day I'll catch him curled up on the side of the hide next to the vines and sorta hidden and places like that. I know if he's all over the place all the times that means he is stressed but he chills, bask and goes in his hides for a LONG time when I aid him into them. Is this bad or is he just not like hides.
Temps are as follows:

Ambient all around is about 81-83
Cool hide is 74-77
Hot hide is 90-94
Humidity is 59%

It's ALL perfect idk if I'm just paranoid or what. It's 12:23 and I'm doing HW and he is "basking" under the red light in his tree watching me. :)

Also just to throw this out there he being fed tom at around 9 so I haven't handled him since 9 for the 24 hour thing. And won't after feeding either. I hope he eats. The breeder told me he ate 2 fuzzies last week and it has been 4 days with me and I know about 6 days sine he last ate. I hope he eats or I'm gonna think something is wrong.

Well dont freak out... 94 is a bit high for my liking... but if your temps are good, I wouldnt worry about it much... balls all seem to have different personalities.... I have some dont like to be held much others climb out on you while you are trying to clean up or water everybody.... I wouldnt stress over him not using his hides... You said fuzzy I am assuming you mean rat, if for some strange reason your not get em on rats... better for em... other than that dont stress it very low maintanence animals....

How are you heating the enclosure?

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Originally Posted by joshn6805

How are you heating the enclosure?

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10-20 gallon UTH for the hot side/hot hide.
Over head lamp for the ambient temps. Use the Sun Glo bulb 75 watt during the day and the Inferred Night bulb 75 watt at night. I'm liking the red one better now a days it's keeping my humidity at an awesome %.

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Ambient all around is about 81-83
Cool hide is 74-77
Hot hide is 90-94
Humidity is 59%

It's ALL perfect idk if I'm just paranoid or what. It's 12:23 and I'm doing HW and he is "basking" under the red light in his tree watching me. :)

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IS it just me or do those cool side sound weird. Theres no way your going ot have a ambient of 81 and still have a 74-77 cool side. You need s 80 cool side and ambeint in the 80s. Achieved by heating your room with a space heater or adding another Heating pad to the cool side.



Also constant roaming for a younger ball is signs of stress. What size tank is he in and how big the snakes(weight). You cant know if the snake is stressed cause you think everything is perfect. You need to learn to read the snakes body language to know for sure. And handling him in the first week is just adding to that stress each time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vader6

10-20 gallon UTH for the hot side/hot hide.
Over head lamp for the ambient temps. Use the Sun Glo bulb 75 watt during the day and the Inferred Night bulb 75 watt at night. I'm liking the red one better now a days it's keeping my humidity at an awesome %.

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No need for the lights, they don't benefit the snake at all and just mess your humidity up and use up energy.

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Originally Posted by jjmitchell

Well dont freak out... 94 is a bit high for my liking... but if your temps are good, I wouldnt worry about it much... balls all seem to have different personalities.... I have some dont like to be held much others climb out on you while you are trying to clean up or water everybody.... I wouldnt stress over him not using his hides... You said fuzzy I am assuming you mean rat, if for some strange reason your not get em on rats... better for em... other than that dont stress it very low maintanence animals....

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Thanks I'm just a worry wart when it comes to my animals. As for food I think they are rat fuzzies. Breeder gave me like 3 for his next feeding. They are about an 1.5 inch long and .3 or so inch wide. I know I need to feed him 2 of these but I wanna shoot for 3. While I'm at it I feed him these all at one time right? Like he gets the first one down then give him another then the last one?

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Thanks I'm just a worry wart when it comes to my animals. As for food I think they are rat fuzzies. Breeder gave me like 3 for his next feeding. They are about an 1.5 inch long and .3 or so inch wide. I know I need to feed him 2 of these but I wanna shoot for 3. While I'm at it I feed him these all at one time right? Like he gets the first one down then give him another then the last one?

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One rat that is as big around as the snake at its biggest section, thats the general rule I go by when feeding.

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Originally Posted by flameethrower

IS it just me or do those cool side sound weird. Theres no way your going ot have a ambient of 81 and still have a 74-77 cool side. You need s 80 cool side and ambeint in the 80s. Achieved by heating your room with a space heater or adding another Heating pad to the cool side.



Also constant roaming for a younger ball is signs of stress. What size tank is he in and how big the snakes(weight). You cant know if the snake is stressed cause you think everything is perfect. You need to learn to read the snakes body language to know for sure. And handling him in the first week is just adding to that stress each time.

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Yea I'm going to stop handling him for a bit. And when I said cool hide. I have 2 acu-rites on is on the cool side reading 83 for the "inside" temp and the probe is in the hide reading a 77 degree. The hot side is set up the same way just with the acu-rite for that side more toward the center to get more or an ambient reading for the cage for the "inside" temp.
Snake is 76 grams at last weighing by the breeder and he is in a 20 gallon long tank. Hides are from Reptile Basics and fit him soooo great now. They are the small ones. And I know the 20 gallon long is sometimes to big and may stress the snake out but I've seen some ppl on here having it and don't have issues except for temps. But I got those good now.

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Originally Posted by joshn6805

One rat that is as big around as the snake at its biggest section, thats the general rule I go by when feeding.

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Well if I put 2 of these guys together that should be what he needs.

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Well if I put 2 of these guys together that should be what he needs.

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Sounds like a plan, 76 grams is tiny!!! I hatched out this little one at 83 grams.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...91122-1705.jpg

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Originally Posted by joshn6805

Sounds like a plan, 76 grams is tiny!!! I hatched out this little one at 83 grams.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...91122-1705.jpg

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Hey don't be hatin'. :colbert: jk. I know he is small but not unhealthy looking take a look:
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...6/SSPX0171.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...06/Mike026.jpg

Birth date is 9/25/09

He is very pretty!!! Its a shame they brown out when they get older though.
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...57568ae698.jpg

Thanks! I love em! Yea I hope to have my guy at around 100 grams in a month. Also for the feeding do I just give one after the other?

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Thanks! I love em! Yea I hope to have my guy at around 100 grams in a month. Also for the feeding do I just give one after the other?

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Since you don't have anything bigger I guess you will have to feed them one after another. Once I start having to feed more than one a feeding I usually go up a prey size. Your baby should be able to handle a adult mouse.

Well took him out today to give him a feeding. He's been in his cool hide all day he actually figured it out last night. w00t! But now he shows NO interest in food. Took him out and put him in a little container and thawed the fuzzy in to sent it. Finshed thawing and danlged it in front of him and pushed it up to his nose but nothing. No tonge flick or anything he just curled more tightly into a ball???!!!

FEED in the enclosure. Removing the snake just to feed is enough to stress the out to not eat.

Well I'm going to try again tom or should I just wait til next wed again to feed?

Must wait 5-7 days between refusals before you offer food again.

Alright next wednesday it is. I just need more food for him thawed what I had and can't refreeze them. Oh well. Also I'm not touching him until he feeds on Wednesday maybe that will help out as well. He is uses his hides now though. So I'm happy for that.

Bump! New qeustion....

So today is feeding day for my ball, going to buy the mouse tonight. He has been in his hides ALL the time during the day with no help from me and roams at night for about a few hours then hides. Well I wake up this morn (earlier than normal) and he is chilling on the Accurite meter stareing at me. I'm like w/e it's earlier than normal so I put the sun glo light in and take out the red light so he know's it's day time and take off the blanket i put over the front part (so he knows it's night) so he now knows it day time. Well HE DOESN"T CARE, like at all. He has moved like twice since 7 am but mainly he stays near the hot hide but on the accurtie stuck on the wall. Is he just hungry?
It's been the week of Thanksgiving since he ate (for my breeder) and I haven't touched him since his first refusal on 12/3.

Edit: He's become a roamer now. Looks like he is trying to go into the forest background but the glass is there. lol

If it is close to feeding day then he is probably hungry.

Just wait until tonight and then offer him food in his home enclosure.

All my snakes roam on feeding day....Its like they know..

He probly didn't eat last week due to the f/t and being stressed out. When you try again, buy a live rodent. Baby balls typically won't eat f/t.

Thanks guys. Yea I just came back from my exams and he is hiding again. So at 8-9 o'clock he is getting a nice live mouse.

Are you controling the lamp at all ? 75 watts sounds a little high uncontrolled. I uses 60 watts on my displays, they're all adjustable and at about 75%. I get 82 deg. when they're at 75%.
Dbl checks yoyur temps with a temp gun. Feed appropraite sized rats if possible. And always Pre-scent.

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Originally Posted by trott

Are you controling the lamp at all ? 75 watts sounds a little high uncontrolled. I uses 60 watts on my displays, they're all adjustable and at about 75%. I get 82 deg. when they're at 75%.
Dbl checks yoyur temps with a temp gun. Feed appropraite sized rats if possible. And always Pre-scent.

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Yep it came with a dimmer and normally never above 50 percent. Temps for the amibent range from 81-83 with the lamp. It's actually off now.
Trying to find a place with rats but I really just want him to eat for me. So doing a live mouse today. And will do the pre scenting, I want him to hit this mouse hard and gobble him up.:taz:

I would say feed him 1 pup and be happy for this week, you will have plenty of time to feed him all you want once the snake is comfortable.

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Originally Posted by Vader6

Yep it came with a dimmer and normally never above 50 percent. Temps for the amibent range from 81-83 with the lamp. It's actually off now.
Trying to find a place with rats but I really just want him to eat for me. So doing a live mouse today. And will do the pre scenting, I want him to hit this mouse hard and gobble him up.:taz:

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Ok. Good cause alot of times people that do use some type of overhead heat device(lamps and heat emitters) dont realize how hot they get even some of the lower watt bulbs. Always good to have all your heat sources adjustable if your not running a thermostat and keep your room temps consistant. :gj:

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Originally Posted by trott

Ok. Good cause alot of times people that do use some type of overhead heat device(lamps and heat emitters) dont realize how hot they get even some of the lower watt bulbs. Always good to have all your heat sources adjustable if your not running a thermostat and keep your room temps consistant. :gj:

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Will do when I'm back to the tank. Getting the tub set up this evening.;)