New here, with a baby bp, few nervous questions.

Okay!!! Hello everyone ^_^;

Ive done alot of researching and just because i don't put blind faith in the internet, Ive come here. I even asked the pet store a few things about him/her?
Not sure yet. Vet visit is tomorrow :D Lets call my BP a she for now.

So I chose her because... well, she seemed shy. I should have known better than to go straight to the least active one, but i have a thing for those who are shy. and her colors are a bit mor yellow and vivid.

Things ive noticed though is her breathing seems to be rather hastey. Like quick deep breaths in patterns of 4-5 then a pause for a bit, rinse repeat.

I hope its not a respitory infection or anything like ive read about, and maybe she's just nervous. I'll get back to the nervousness later.

Other thing is her skin seems.. too big. Its not wrinkled or wripple, but in some places it just seems like theres just a pinch extra. Pet store says that can happen with babies sometimes. But again... Vet visit tomorrow. Any word on this?

Ive been having trouble keeping her humidity at 70% so i just bought some tropical substrate dirt mix (just add water stuff) and plan to mix that in with the dry wood shavings as recomended by the pet shop. But while ive been asleep the past 3 nights her humidity drops to 40-50% and her temp stays at about 80, but i put a towel over the tank last night to try and keep the moisture in, and all that did was raise the temp to near 100, and I almost had a heart attack. Never doing that again, I should have known better once more.

I wanted to make sure she was okay, so i picked up her crawl rock and revealed her, she seemed nervous and when i began misting the other side of the tank she made a few quick strikes from the other side of the glass. I probably woke her up and scared her half to death...

But there it is, you guys now know everything, it hasnt come feeding time yet so i dont know if she'll eat, when she's comfortable she'll explore and climb up the glass sides, so she seems pretty active.

Opinions please if you don't mind? >_<;; sorry if i sound like a terrible owner, i promise im trying D:

Well my first word of advice would be to leave her alone completely for over a week, like no checking, touching, petting, uncovering..nothing. She is stressed. Going from one place to a whole new home is a big thing for a snake. How long have you had her? As far as her skin seeming "big", she may be ready to shed, she may be dehydrated, or she may be underweight. It depends on where you got her from, if it's Petco or the sorts she is probably a mix of dehydrated and underweight. They have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to husbandry.

As far as the humidity, are you using a heat light? What is your heat source? The lamps dry out humidity, what are you using to measure humidity? Analog guages are not accurate, for humidity or temperature. They make these neat digital ones, they are cheap at Walmart or online that you should definitely get.
http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...6265089&sr=8-3

If she active anytime except for a small window at night, that means she is stressed out. A hiding ball python is a happy ball python.

I don't advise you to feed her until after you've left her alone for a week. Give us more info on what you use for heat, measuring heat and humidity, how many hides does she have, etc. And don't be sorry, we all start out somewhere, we were all new once. You learn as you go, just let us know what your setup is like and we'll do our best to help you change it if needed. And welcome to the site :D

first off, congrats on your new baby!
alright, a lot of your concerns are actually normal python behavior. Most species of snakes only have one functioning lung, and the way they breath is a rhythm close to what you described, with a small period of apnea. The skin is normal, even my 3 year old has loose skin; especially after eating. The humidity in your tank does not need to be as unchanging as your temps (though 100% isn't good). In fact, most owners like to offer their snakes higher humidities (70%) only during shed. To help with the taming process, only use slow and measured movements around her for now (never touch her head unless she really calms down with you). Do cage maintenance in steps, allowing her to deal with the intrusion. But for the most part, leave her alone until after she gets used to her new home

There have been some good points made here already, but a picture of her "pinched" skin will help us identify that problem, if there is one. What comes to mind is dehydration. Sometimes they'll appear a bit wrinkly in places if their humidity was too low, which is very common in pet stores. It should be kept between 50-60% while not in shed, closer to 70% during entire shed cycle. You can cover the majority of the top of the tank with a towel or aluminum foil, just be sure you have the under tank heater on a dimmer or thermostat so you can lower the temperature after covering the top.


Sounds like this new baby is in good hands :) Glad to see you're trying so hard to get everything right. It will probably take at least a few days to get temps/humidity stable, which is why most people recommend setting up the enclosure before bringing home the animal, but that can not always be done. All you can do is keep tweaking it a bit at a time until it's in the proper ballpark. :)

Congrats on the new 'girl.':gj:
I don't have anything to add. You have great advice from everyone:)
I know that you're still wrangling things but when she's ready we would love to see some photos of her.

the bulb is a 65W daylight heat bulb, its a mere 5.5 galon tank at the moment, was going to purchase a $159 one today with front opening doors, but Im a tattoo artist and my income fluctuates, so I figured Ide give it a week and make sure my bills are stable for the moment.

I'm uploading pictures currently, i didn't wish to disturb her so i didn't take her out of her thing for the pictures. but I hope you can kind of see what i'm talking about with her skin ^^ Pictures may be about 5-10 minutes

EDIT!

Forgot to mention, i have a dual temp / humidity meter thing, its like 2 spedometers.
and i bought her from B&B they seem to be REALLY good with their care for animals.

The people there will not let you purchase an animal if you seem unfit. But i bought her when i went in for some crickets for my girlfriends beardy, and they were having a reptile show/convention. and many baby snakes and monitors, and... roaches. *shrug* but i think they said she's about a month old.

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

the bulb is a 65W daylight heat bulb, its a mere 5.5 galon tank at the moment, was going to purchase a $159 one today with front opening doors, but Im a tattoo artist and my income fluctuates, so I figured Ide give it a week and make sure my bills are stable for the moment.

I'm uploading pictures currently, i didn't wish to disturb her so i didn't take her out of her thing for the pictures. but I hope you can kind of see what i'm talking about with her skin ^^ Pictures may be about 5-10 minutes

EDIT!

Forgot to mention, i have a dual temp / humidity meter thing, its like 2 spedometers.
and i bought her from B&B they seem to be REALLY good with their care for animals.

The people there will not let you purchase an animal if you seem unfit. But i bought her when i went in for some crickets for my girlfriends beardy, and they were having a reptile show/convention. and many baby snakes and monitors, and... roaches. *shrug* but i think they said she's about a month old.

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She definitely needs a bigger tank...if you are going to have a tank a 20 gallon long will suffice. I wouldn't go much smaller as she will grow out of it quickly, and I wouldn't go much bigger as she will not feel secure enough. Those guages are junk...they are inaccurate. Like I said in the last post you will need the digital thermometer/hygrometer. As far as your heat source, not only are they tough to get the temps right, but they will kill any humidity you do have.

I advise you to get an under tank heater connected to a thermostat/rheostat/dimmer. The lamp dimer is the cheapest, you can find one at Home Depot or the sorts for under $10. You will need to check the temps multiple times a day. Thermostats are more expensive, cheapest being $30 on amazon to about $120, but all you do is set the temp and leave it. Belly heat is more beneficial to the snake as it helps with digestion, and keeps all humidity inside the tank.

You should have two identical hides, one on the cool side and one on the hot side. This allows the snake to thermoregulate their body temp without feeling insecure.

Edit: Also when you get your new tank (which you can probably find cheap on craigslist, they are everywhere with the locking screen lid for dirt cheap) you should get some black Con-Tact adhesive paper from Home Depot for about $6...black out the sides and back on the tank, it helps them feel more safe and can help with her skittishness.

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

Im a tattoo artist and my income fluctuates, so I figured Ide give it a week and make sure my bills are stable for the moment.

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On a side note...I'd love to see pics of your work! I love tats:D

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6223004_n.jpg


http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3302496_n.jpg


Perhaps you can sort of see the wrinkle in this one? the lengthy one in direct focus, then just a little above where she bends, its hard to see, but its there.

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i1..._7228246_o.jpg

Her terrarium is kindof pathetic looking now that i'm posting it... @_@;; one more good tattoo and i can upgrade to something much better, but i'll not move her anymore for atleast a week as was guided, but i'll set up the terrarium and make sure its perfect long before the move!

she says " Oh hai..."
http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...8_510284_n.jpg

Honestly, she can do fine in that (not happily, but fine, I've seen ball pythons survive in much, much, much worse), but once you change it you'll have to wait another week before handling or anything, so there is no harm in doing it asap. Especially since you don't know the temps or the humidity, which is a very important thing. Those lights get hot, especially for such a small tank, and the guage is not accurate.

2 identical hides? cool side, hot side. gotchya. will do.

oiy, I don't like the prices mentioned. But its not a pet rock, its actually alive, so whatever needs to be done.

my tank set up now is a temporary, and always was, didn't intend to keep it more than a week or two, but not having two hides sounds like a big mistake on my part.

Thankyou for all of the advice. yeah, I believe the tank i was looking at earlier was a 20 gallon. Are you saying i shouldn't purchase a 20 gallon yet? or if i do, should I just section it off until she grows up a bit more?

No, she will do just fine in the 20 gallon long tank as long as you have two tight fitting hides and black out the sides and back. Here is a thermostat from amazon, I actually use it at the moment for my boa and have heard a lot of people use it with no issues, it's 26 bucks and free shipping...
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...6272118&sr=8-1
You just tape the under tank heater to the bottom of one side (on the outside of the tank..) and then tape the probe of the thermostat onto the center on the heat mat. You set the temp (mine's at 92 I think at the moment) and it keeps the UTH from getting too hot. You won't even need the lights with that.

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Originally Posted by Cendalla

On a side note...I'd love to see pics of your work! I love tats:D

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http://www.facebook.com/Iaunu

there's my facebook, I don't think my photos are private.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

No, she will do just fine in the 20 gallon long tank as long as you have two tight fitting hides and black out the sides and back. Here is a thermostat from amazon, I actually use it at the moment for my boa and have heard a lot of people use it with no issues, it's 26 bucks and free shipping...
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...6272118&sr=8-1
You just tape the under tank heater to the bottom of one side (on the outside of the tank..) and then tape the probe of the thermostat onto the center on the heat mat. You set the temp (mine's at 92 I think at the moment) and it keeps the UTH from getting too hot. You won't even need the lights with that.

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Awesome, yeah. Ive had turtles, a beardie, and a corn snake, everything so far has been super easy, with the exception of water turtles, they can be a pain in the butt. However this is the first pet where humidity has actually been a factor.

Any word on the wrinkles? or are they too hard to see?

if you are concerned about prices, then use a tub for now. The only reason my python has a 55gal tank is that I got it for the fair price of free :D
Get a plastic sweater box with the lid, poke holes along the perimeter of top
get one about 1.5-2 times the snakes length
And a UTH
And a thermostat

For hides with a baby snake, anything from a empty paper towel roll (sliced down middle) to a empty tissue box is fine. Maybe even go to the dollar store and get some fake plants
Caring for these snakes does not have to be an extremely expensive endeavor.

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Originally Posted by nachash

if you are concerned about prices, then use a tub for now. The only reason my python has a 55gal tank is that I got it for the fair price of free :D
Get a plastic sweater box with the lid, poke holes along the perimeter of top
get one about 1.5-2 times the snakes length
And a UTH
And a thermostat

For hides with a baby snake, anything from a empty paper towel roll (sliced down middle) to a empty tissue box is fine. Maybe even go to the dollar store and get some fake plants
Caring for these snakes does not have to be an extremely expensive endeavor.

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haha! I bet all of that works just fine, However my funds are not quite that low, I simply have a savings i like to keep at about 4000 incase i hit a slow season, and it just so happens its down to 2500, but I can afford the expense, worse comes to worse i'll just sell off my gaming systems, and advertise myself a bit more. Money is a tool. :P besides, a beautiful snake like this diserves a palace, soon as tomorrow comes around.

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

Awesome, yeah. Ive had turtles, a beardie, and a corn snake, everything so far has been super easy, with the exception of water turtles, they can be a pain in the butt. However this is the first pet where humidity has actually been a factor.

Any word on the wrinkles? or are they too hard to see?

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As far as the wrinkles, it's semi normal for babies to have them, however from the pictures she doesn't look too underweight (it's hard to tell sometimes with babies, I have a 2010 "baby" who's only 105 grams...not because she's starving but because she's a picky beech lol), could be dehydration which is easily solved by keeping a nice supply of water in her tank, which you have. I don't think it's anything to be concerned with. Once your husbandry is correct and she has time to settle down, then try and feed her. I bet she won't have a problem (hopefully...they are kind of known for being less than great eaters lol).

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Originally Posted by LGray23

As far as the wrinkles, it's semi normal for babies to have them, however from the pictures she doesn't look too underweight (it's hard to tell sometimes with babies, I have a 2010 "baby" who's only 105 grams...not because she's starving but because she's a picky beech lol), could be dehydration which is easily solved by keeping a nice supply of water in her tank, which you have. I don't think it's anything to be concerned with. Once your husbandry is correct and she has time to settle down, then try and feed her. I bet she won't have a problem (hopefully...they are kind of known for being less than great eaters lol).

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So ive read. I have faith in her... *crosses fingers* I hope her vet appointment tomorrow isn't going to be too much for her >_<;;; I'm so worried about that at this point. I mean... I hate to overload her with stress, maybe i should cancel the appointment?

If she's acting really active especially during the day, IMO I think you should reschedule. And honestly...if you want to save some money...here's a tip..

If you bring a fecal sample to the vet, they can test for parasites without seeing her (and spending the extra $60-$80 or however much it's going to be) and if she has a clean stool sample, they don't have to see her. Most medical issues with snakes are visual, like you can see the symptoms, except parasites. If she's negative, she should be good to go :)

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Originally Posted by LGray23

It depends on where you got her from, if it's Petco or the sorts she is probably a mix of dehydrated and underweight. They have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to husbandry.

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Not all Petco employees are ignorant to proper husbandry. I am the aquatics/reptile specialist at my Petco and feel that I know what Im talking about :) Thanks

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Originally Posted by kb1290

Not all Petco employees are ignorant to proper husbandry. I am the aquatics/reptile specialist at my Petco and feel that I know what Im talking about :) Thanks

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I did not mean all, I have met quite a few on here that work at Petco/Petsmart and genuinely care for the animals and know what they are doing, but a majority do not. Which is what I meant, I apologize if it came out wrong.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

I did not mean all, I have met quite a few on here that work at Petco/Petsmart and genuinely care for the animals and know what they are doing, but a majority do not. Which is what I meant, I apologize if it came out wrong.

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I understand where your coming from and I'm not holding it against you. I just hate generalized statements, they are never really 100% correct. I know that my work place and other Petco employees do the best with what they are given. I've been reprimanded at work more than once for not selling our supplies to people on a tight budget, and recommending tubs, accurites, and paper towles instead. I also tell all of them to go to BP.net for their care sheets and questions.

Just me but I like the sweater tubs so much better than tanks. They hold the humidity so much better. They also take up less space. Congrats on your new baby.

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Originally Posted by nachash

if you are concerned about prices, then use a tub for now. The only reason my python has a 55gal tank is that I got it for the fair price of free :D
Get a plastic sweater box with the lid, poke holes along the perimeter of top
get one about 1.5-2 times the snakes length
And a UTH
And a thermostat

For hides with a baby snake, anything from a empty paper towel roll (sliced down middle) to a empty tissue box is fine. Maybe even go to the dollar store and get some fake plants
Caring for these snakes does not have to be an extremely expensive endeavor.

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Actually, an enclosure in which the length is 1.5-2 times the BP's length would be way too large.
If you do end up switching to a tub (which I highly recommend), a 28qt should be fine for your size Ball Python. An adult male and smaller female ball pythons can be housed in 32qt tubs. Females larger than 1500g can be housed in 41qt tubs.

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Originally Posted by Kymberli

Actually, an enclosure in which the length is 1.5-2 times the BP's length would be way too large.
If you do end up switching to a tub (which I highly recommend), a 28qt should be fine for your size Ball Python. An adult male and smaller female ball pythons can be housed in 32qt tubs. Females larger than 1500g can be housed in 41qt tubs.

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I've kept all of mine in 34 qt at some point (my quarantine rack). Even my small 105 gram female did fine in it as long as she had her two hides. Although the 28 qt may be better for smaller ball pythons.

I'm going with a tub =D you guys convinced me!~ sounds easier anyways.

So, Lets talk about Tub setup! (i did a search and didn't actually find a thread, would someone like to start one on the instructions of setting up a tub? I'll provide pictures of the steps if you want as i get to them ^_^

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

I'm going with a tub =D you guys convinced me!~ sounds easier anyways.

So, Lets talk about Tub setup! (i did a search and didn't actually find a thread, would someone like to start one on the instructions of setting up a tub? I'll provide pictures of the steps if you want as i get to them ^_^

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Well my tubs are on a rack from Walmart (like $50 bucks I think) and they are the 34 qt Sterilite tubs they sell there too. I use Flexwatt as the heat source (It's a flexible heat strip that you tape down to the bottom of the shelf, then the tub goes on tob of it). I use a Herpstat thermostat ($118) but you can get a cheaper one, especially if you're using a UTH instead. I like to spray paint the sides and back and lid of the container, it makes them feel more secure, but you'd have to let it air out for like 3 days before you put her in it. I just used the black satin spray paint from Home Depot. I use Aspen in my quarantine rack, and newspaper in my regular rack (much easier to clean I must say...) Here is a picture, I just have two Reptile Basics hides and a water dish in each.
http://i55.tinypic.com/2welw14.jpg
I use binder clips to secure the lids more, but I've seen people use luggage straps too. Since your little girl is so small, you could easily get away with a smaller tub, however you may need to upgrade in a year or so. My whole rack (not including the thermostat) cost me under $100...and that holds 3 ball pythons ;) It's now used as my quarantine rack, but it works well.

Tubs are ridiculously easy.

My personal thing is, I don't like the shallow ones, they are only 6" tall. I like my snakes to have some headroom, so I go out of my way to find ones that are between 9 - 11" tall. BUT that is MY and I stress MY thing. Hundreds of snakes are kept in 6" tubs just fine.

If this is your only snake at the moment, you can hold off on the rack. I get my tubs at Wal-mart. they have sterlite brand tubs with latching lids that I love for under $15. My favorite size is 12" wide X 11" tall X 20" long. The lid locks in place with handles on each end.

The basic floorspace is what is important. My rack tubs are 18" squares that are 9" high, and they work fine for all but my biggest girls.

Once you have your tub, you'll need to punch some ventilation holes in the sides. I use an X pattern myself, but it really doesn't matter. Start with 5 on a side, you can always add more if you need to. I use an inexpensive little soldering iron to melt the holes, you run less risk of cracking the plastic that way.

Get yourself a heat mat, you will want it to cover no more than 1/3 of the floor of the tub. Get yourself a thermostat or a rheostat { lamp dimmer }, you'll plug the heat mat into that. Get a digital thermometer, those dial things are POS. Accurite makes a thermometer/hygrometer you can pick up for around $15 at Wal-Mart, Lowe's or Home Depot. Look in the indoor/outdoor thermometer area.

I use Aspen shavings for my tubs, they hold humidity so well you don't need that "just add water" stuff. One water bowl, two identical hides and you are good to go.

Gale

There are actually quite a few threads with DIY directions, pictures and everything on tub setup. Helped me set mine up, but I'm on my phone right now so it's difficult to search and send them to you. :oops:

haha, thanks, I suppose i'm off to walmart XD I'm always afraid i'm going to buy the wrong stuff. and for that i wish my smart phone was.... smarter. anyways! Guess i'll give you guys a new picture of mysetup when i'm all done.

Just adding that I drill holes along the top of both sides, about 1-1 1/2 inches apart. It seems to be more than enough ventilation.

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

haha, thanks, I suppose i'm off to walmart XD I'm always afraid i'm going to buy the wrong stuff. and for that i wish my smart phone was.... smarter. anyways! Guess i'll give you guys a new picture of mysetup when i'm all done.

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Just be sure you bought the right size tub before you start melting holes into it ;)

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6318341_n.jpg

@_@;;; I put the probe on the hot side and the insidel thing on the cool, but its saying that the cool side is hotter? Guess it needs time to actually get warm >_<; I'm keeping a close but distant eye on it.

On a side note here's a picture of that Tat i did the other night :D

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3914580_n.jpg

update! one side of the setup stays at about 94 degrees, and the other 85. I hope that's good, pretty sure it is :O

Humidity is a bit too high currently though, looking at about 90% when i woke up this morning, I added 3 holes to the top to see if that tones it down some. (whats funny is the humidity where I live during the day is about 70% naturally XD so i may have to cover the top with holes lol.

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

update! one side of the setup stays at about 94 degrees, and the other 85. I hope that's good, pretty sure it is :O

Humidity is a bit too high currently though, looking at about 90% when i woke up this morning, I added 3 holes to the top to see if that tones it down some. (whats funny is the humidity where I live during the day is about 70% naturally XD so i may have to cover the top with holes lol.

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Looks good 94 is a tad high, the highest I let mine go is 92. If the humidity is too high and it's retaining that much heat you can try a couple more holes on the sides. I would also black out the sides and back of that thing, it's giant for that little girl but I think she'll do better hopefully if you black them out. I use spray paint...but you have to let it air dry for like three days befors she can go in it. Black Contact paper from Home Depot $6, but it's a PITA to put on the tubs (in my experience...I swore a lot lol). I've seen people just tape on construction paper, or use electrical tape. Whatever works lol.

I think i'll use electrical tape. washing it with paper on it will likely be a pain in the ass, but a little bit of water isn't going to kill electrical tape. I put a towel over half of it last night to give her a more secure feeling until i had time to do something else about the sides.

It's a process, but its much better than being 100 degrees and too small to get away from the heat ^^; In general, much happier with this than what she was in. I also have felt the bedding where she likes to sit, and its not very hot, i mean its a good warmth, but i honestly don't think 95 degrees of heat... then again, considering our natural body heat, 95 probably wont feel "Hot" to the touch, just a good comforting warmth. eh? just worried if my temp gauge is off.

Yeah you won't feel how hot it is since out body temp on average is 98.6, but for a snake that's hot, especially if they are laying on it. Did you get that rheostat thing? Just turn the dial down a little...

Yeah, I turned it down a smidge this morning. Trying to get my girl to check on the temps currently though >_<;; however, not asnwering lol

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Originally Posted by Iaunu

Yeah, I turned it down a smidge this morning. Trying to get my girl to check on the temps currently though >_<;; however, not asnwering lol

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That's why I dislike rheostats, it takes forever to find the right temps lol. 95 won't harm your bp at the moment, so just have her check and adjust as needed when she can.