HE SAID YES! Expo tomorrow, might get snake! Need answers to a few questions!

Dad confirmed I could get a ball python! :banana::dance: There's a reptile expo tomorrow that hopefully if I'm feeling well enough(been sick, think it's stress related from not asking Dad. Or at least hoping that's the problem.) and I might get the snake tomorrow!
I have the bin, and I'm sure I can just make two hides for the snake, I have a water bowl, and I have a soldering iron to drill holes.
I need a thermometer(I could actually pick up hides from walmart when I go there)
And could I just use a dimmer until I get a thermostat? It's not the most recommended thing in the world, but it will work for about a week, right? (I'd be keeping close eye on temps)
The expos should have UTHs right?
And, how many rats/mice should I get?
What should I get today before I get a snake tomorrow?

YAY congrats. I know you've been hoping for this for a long time. A dimmer will be okay temporarily as long as you watch the temps and check them multiple times a day. I found these AWESOME plastic bowls, 3 for $1 at the dollar store. I used scissors to cut a hole and used a lighter to smooth out the edges...VIOLA you have 3 hides for $1! Congrats, good luck, and post pics!!!!

Thank you! I'm so excited! I can get a dimmer at lowes, right? A dimmer+I think I'll get the accurite there.(I love those thermometers.)
Dad's not sure he wants to put his soldering iron through plastic, so I might drill the holes then melt them with a lighter.
Any certain amount of holes I should put in it? IDK, I'm so excited though. XD I want to make sure he's happy. I'll be sure to post pictures ASAP. I'm already thinking of a name(Matsuda) but I'll have to look at him and see if there's another name I like.

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Originally Posted by fluffpuffgerbil

Thank you! I'm so excited! I can get a dimmer at lowes, right? A dimmer+I think I'll get the accurite there.(I love those thermometers.)
Dad's not sure he wants to put his soldering iron through plastic, so I might drill the holes then melt them with a lighter.
Any certain amount of holes I should put in it? IDK, I'm so excited though. XD I want to make sure he's happy. I'll be sure to post pictures ASAP. I'm already thinking of a name(Matsuda) but I'll have to look at him and see if there's another name I like.

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Drilling, if you're not careful, will crack the tub. You can get a solder wand while you're at Walmart or Lowes for about $10.

Start with less holes than more. You can always add more if you need them (judge if you have enough by the humidity reading). You can't un-do holes if you do too many and your humidity is too low. Though a plastic tub isn't too expensive to replace.

Some shows will carry UTH's, some don't. Fingers crossed. And yes, you can use a light dimmer until you can get a good thermostat.

Alright! Have fun picking one out. I remember the first Expo I went to- I was like a kid in a candy store. We want pictures when you get s/he home! Good luck;)

Soldering irons work fantastic on plastic and don't hurt the iron a bit, you don't want to drill plastic tubs if you don't have to.
Start with 4-5 hole per side, you can always add holes if you find the humidity is too high.
Dimmers work if the room temperature doesn't go up and down a lot, if the rooms ambient temperature rises 5 degrees so does the snakes uth.
There is a couple of different inexpensive thermostats online for under $30 delivered, repti-temp 500r and hydrofarm digital to name 2.

Good luck shopping at the show :gj:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Drilling, if you're not careful, will crack the tub. You can get a solder wand while you're at Walmart or Lowes for about $10.

Start with less holes than more. You can always add more if you need them (judge if you have enough by the humidity reading). You can't un-do holes if you do too many and your humidity is too low. Though a plastic tub isn't too expensive to replace.

Some shows will carry UTH's, some don't. Fingers crossed. And yes, you can use a light dimmer until you can get a good thermostat.

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Yes, I had that problem once before with the drill cracking the plastic. I could just go buy my own. XD
I'll see if I can go out and get my stuff today. :3
**SO EXCITED*

YAY that is AWESOME!!!!

Thats pretty awesome!!!! I always ask what and when the BP eats, go to every vendor first and see what they have to offer then go back and revisit the ones you like, ask to hold it and check out its temperament, try to bargain with the vendor and compare. Oh yea, before it goes in the enclosure for a week take some quick pics and let us see them.

Remember no matter how tempted you are leave it alone until it's time.

Thanks for the info, Jedi! I can be pretty impulsive at times, but I'll be sure to ask around, and hold it, make sure it's nice. I was already planning to make sure I ask what and when it eats. I don't want a live feeder. I want a f/t feeder.

Where is the expo you will be attending?

Wow lucky. I can't persued my.mom at all...

Im excited for you. Can't wait to see what you get.

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Originally Posted by RondaH

Where is the expo you will be attending?

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The NW Reptile Expo in Willsonville, Oregon. The only one in Oregon/washington that I know of. >.> Sadly they only have them 2 X a year. The Next one is in January.

Kevinb, I wrote a letter to my dad. The biggest thing with his is that he thought the snake would stink. I assured him it wouldn't and wrote a letter, stating why I wanted them, the Pros and Cons, ect.

DellaF, I'll probably just get a normal. XD That's all I think I can afford. XD It's completely fine with me. I LOVE The normal's designs. They're all different!

I have been to the Wilsonville show several times and will be there tomorrow too!! They will have heat pads there and you should even be able to pick up a rather inexpensive thermostat there. Good luck finding your perfect new baby!!!

sweet glad he broke down and agreed.congrats.
walmart also has terra cotta pots in different sizes for like $1 you can use as hides.grab like four of those if you get em because you might ruin a couple learning how to chip away an entrance.i used a monkey wrench grasping edges and pulling off pieces.

petsmart has coconut hides for$2.50 also.you might have to break away a bigger entrance for some..

hmm if you buy hides the night before you might end up coming home with a snake that doesnt fit the hides.watchout.
also when you inspect your potential new reptilian family member look for possible symptoms of illness and injury.doubt theyd take a sick critter to an expo but just in case,ya know.

does soldering wands work on plexi glass too?

i dont use tubs,do uths melt em or have a bad effect on the plastic??

again congrats!!!!!!:snake::D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RondaH

I have been to the Wilsonville show several times and will be there tomorrow too!! They will have heat pads there and you should even be able to pick up a rather inexpensive thermostat there. Good luck finding your perfect new baby!!!

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Ooo, have fun! I already bougth a heat pad to make sure I could have almost everything undercontrol for when I buy the baby, but I don't think it's working...? So far it's not heating up. IDK how fast it heats up... I guess only time will tell.
I also got a dimmer, so I pretty much have everything I need.
I need to go buy an accurite, but for now I'm just stealing my lizard's to test temps. I'll have to get another.(though he does have a back up thermometer)


I'm just praying I won't feel too sick to go. I've been feeling nauseous for the past few days, mainly in the morning, but today throughout. Not sure what's causing it really... hopefully it won't last though. :3 I'm going to try to feel better so I can go get that snakey though! If not I'll have to wait until January or buy him online. ><

Congrats!!!! I know you've been planning for a while, have fun at the expo! I know it was mentioned earlier in this thread but I want to mention it again. If you use a dimmer you may have to watch the temps cuz they can still fluctuate a bit w/ room temps so try to get a thermostat going as soon as you can. can't wait to see pics of your new little one!

Well, I hope you do get to feeling better and get to go to the show. It is a fun one!! I always enjoy it.

Thanks for the replies. ^^ I'll be sure to keep a very close eye on the temps. I should have it about under control.(Messing with dimmer now)


And on the bright side! Mom found pills for nausea that I needed before I had my oral surgery. (I panic whenever I have to go to the doctor. XD) So I'll take one of those before I leave for the expo so I hopefully feel fine in the car. (It's about an hours drive)
I'M DETERMINED TO GO TO THAT EXPO., :salute:
Thanks for all the advice/comments!

so?


hurry up! :rofl:

you definitely sound excited about getting a snake. hope you have lots of fun.

sick in the mornings? being a mom of 3 kids thats standing out big time...but your only 14...
ah, none of my business anyways, sorry.

big tip here though, when you get your snake home & set up...leave him/her alone & only check temps or refill water for the first week, or 2.
THEN attempt to feed & if the snake eats, DO NOT handle it for 2-3 days to let it digest.
oh also, very young snakes are typically very shy & may stay balled up or they can be feisty & like to strike alot so dont be worried if your holding babies & never see a head or get hissed at or struck at. every breeder there will tell you that regular handling should help tame them down some. the babies just need to learn that we mean them no harm.

oh & um pictures, pictures, pictures! we here at bp.net loooove them pics so you better show us your baby before ya get it set up...:gj:

Heh, XD Yeah we've already ruled out /that/ type of morning sickness. XD I think it's a bacterial infection of some sorts. *eyeroll*

Anyway, I know to leave him alone for a week, feed, then wait 2 days before holding.

And does anyone know how I'd keep the probe to stay on top of the heat pad? I soldered two holes so the wire of the thermometer can go outside of the tank then back inside... I can't use tape because the snake might get stuck on it somehow and I don't know how well hotglue will work. Considering I'll have to clean the cage... How do you keep the probe ontop of the heat pad?(If I just leave it, it sticks up.)

oh whew thank god...i was like :O!
i dont worry about thermometer probes & that whole mess cuz i have a temp gun & i live by it! it tells me the surface temps of whatever spot i aim it at & theres no probes & cords to mess with.
i dont imagine hot glue would be good cuz it melts with heat...
honestly you could save yourself all that grief if you invested in a temp gun. $30 for it + $10 if you want the metal case that comes with an extra battery...at tempgun.com.
you could then snip the corded probe off the accu-rite & use it to monitor the humidity & mount it to the inside of your snake's cage with some industrial strength velcro.
show you what i mean...
heres my set up (the hides have been replaced with bigger ones & my girl is trying to be a snurtle - snake x turtle)

http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...sy247/nyx1.jpg

close up...
http://i280.photobucket.com/albums/k...sy247/nyx2.jpg

see the accurite mounted on the back glass?
my snake there has slithered over the top of that & it stays put. its actually very hard for me to peel it off. that industrial strength velcro is no joke i tell ya.

yes the top pic is making the cage look lopsided but its really not as bad as it looks, its just how i was standing and the angle the camera was at.

Other people already gave you some good advices.

One more here.
Since you are so excited..keep in mind you dont need to buy the first snake you see at the show. Look around until you see "the one".

Also, consider getting a female. If one day you decide to get another ball python (even a morph) you will be able to breed them sooner, since you will have a good start on the female already.

Good luck and have a good time at the show.

Hot glue works also I've heard.

Hi,

The hot glue will work fine. :gj:

If your heat mat is hot enough to melt that it killed your animal ages ago. :P


dr del

PLZ post pics

Thanks for all the advice and info! I'm back from the expo and guess what....
I GOT ONE! I Got a girl! I wasn't going to, but there was a guy there who had a 4 year old female and a 4 year old male. He let me and my sister hold the female, the male was wrapped around his wrist.
I really liked the females, and the first ball python stand I saw, I noticed the females had brighter colours. I looked at pretty much every stand and where there were snakes I was interested in, I asked what they ate. They all ate live.
I found a female I looked at about 3 times before I decided to see if I could hold her.
I bought her! $20 normal female(amazing price. I loved her colours and she was really sweet. She coiled a bit, but never tried to strike) She was hatched 7/15, so she's just under a month. She's eaten twice before and was fed on live mouse pinkies. I was talking to another guy after I bought her about feeders and he said she could eat rat pinkies. So I'll have to find somewhere to buy day old rat pinkies, F/T. I looked at live pinkie mice. They don't move much and the guy I was talking to agreed that she would probably eat pinkie rats even if they were f/t. Just wait about a week to feed her. I was also told she might be going into blue soon, so if she does, wait until she's done shedding. I haven't measured her yet. I do have pictures, though. :P She's sitting in my lap right now since I can't get her humidity down in her cage. >< I'm still messing with temps. I almost have them right. I need to go order a thermostat so I don't have to worry about them. I'm using eco earth, so it's holding humidity too well. I just put a bunch of more holes in there. So yeah. And with the probe, it stayed down once I put the bedding over it.
I'll put pics up in the next post.

Pics nao! Lol

We are happy for ya!!!!! I been looking on here all day checking for updates and my Wife has been asking every 30 minutes.

Congrats, cant wait to see the pics. Now comes the hard part...a name.

Yea, I still have tl wait around 1 month until I can go pick up my first BP, and I already have a 16 possible names list :rofl:

Working on pics now! Uploading them to photobucket!

She's in her cage now, but she's really stressted. I think the coolside is too cool and the hotside is at 90.1F rright now, humidity 70%. It needs to go lower, I know, but I don't know how to get it lower. I guess I could go solder some more holes in there. She's rubbing her nose all over the sides of the cage. She's not very happy right now.

I wouldn't stress too much right now, she's really just stressed from the transportation and being stuck in an unfamiliar environment. Don't go crazy drilling holes just yet either. Once you drill them you can't put them back lol. Relax, leave her be and she'll calm down. I think everyone here is confident that you will be a good owner, and your husbandry is as good if not better than most newbies. Congrats...looking forward to PICTURES!! :D :banana:

Edit: To make you feel better, I just got two new ones shipped to me on Tuesday and they were really stressed until Wednesday night....they have been happily hiding since then...but it's totally normal for them to have a panic attack in their new homes...

Congrats on your new little girl! We look forward to seeing her! :gj:

Heh, I just put more holes in the lid. I put her back under her hot hide since she's kinda cold. She was drinking water, so that was nice! :3 I'll try not to stress. (Hotside is now at 87.3*F) You think I'll be a good owner? Well, thank you! I try to research a lot and do the best I can to make them healthy and happy.
She's yawned three times since I got her, so I just recently checked her mouth and good news, nice healthy pinkish mouth! (No signs of URIs, she might be just a little stressed so she's yawning, or she just felt like it. XD She sure does have some sharp little teeth though!)
OKAY: PICTURES!
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp1.png
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp2.png
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp3.png
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp5.png
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp6.png
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b2...mmySue/bp7.png

YYYYYYYAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!! She's so effing cute!! :aww: :love: 87 is a little cool, I think it was good at 90/91. Congrats!! :love:

She's a sweetheart. Now you have to change your signature. Seems like everyone here has adopted you and are cheering right now.

I agree to just get her in the tub and monitor the temps and humidity the next couple days. If humidity is high just make sure there's no condensation in the enclosure.

I also vote for the pictures to go in a new thread in BP pictures :)

Thanks!
Alright, I'll monitor it closely,. The heat's at 88.3 now. I'll keep an eye on it to make sure it gets around 90/91. She's still roaming around.
And I'm glad you think she's cute! I updated my signature!
She's such a sweetiepie! Humidity is at 69%, no condensation.
I'll go make a new thread!

She's a beauty! Congratulations :)

Thank you! :3

A big congrats on the new little girl! She is a beautiful normal- just like I like them. We're all happy for you:gj::gj::gj:

I like her spots and stripes on her back!

Thank you all so much! :P I feel pretty welcome here with my new girl! You were all super helpful with questions I had about her and everything!
(temps at 92.5*F *sigh* oh well, I tried to lower them a bit. Humidity is still at 73%. IS that okay? It seems too high...
The cool side is at 75.2*F... seems too cool to me...
Right now she's hanging out on top of her hide, head resting on her waterdish. Hopefully she'll start actually going UNDER her hide eventually. XD But I've only had her for about 4 hrs, so I won't freak out over anything right now.
(92.1*f on hot side! Seems good there, IMO, but I'd like it to stay around 90-91)

Oh, she also has this really BEAUTIFUL belly pattern! I couldn't get a good pic of it yet though.
I need to keep a log of her weight/length/temperment/ect...
I don't have a digital scale yet though I do have a food scale that measures ounces that I can convert into grams on the computer, but it's not digital either.
It should work for now. When would be an appropriate time to pull her out and measure/weigh her?

So glad you got your new baby!!! She is a beauty. Congrats and have lots of fun with her.

After the first week of getting her settled. Some say dont mess with her until she eats also but I usually just wait the week to handle, weigh, measure, then try to get them on the feeding schedule.

Alright, thank you, Jedi! I'll do that.
Is 75.4*F too cool for the cool side? Hotside seems to be holding at 91*F, humidity 72% still, no condensation. She looks like she might be sleeping on top of her hide and on her water bowl. She's partway on her heat pad too it looks like, so that's good. :3
I should be ordering a hydrofarm thermostat too. I'm using the cardboard-foil-heatpad technique right now. It seems to be working fine. I can't wait until I get a hydrofarm though. >.> Dimmers are more work to keep an eye on and keep adjusting so the temps are good.

Just hang in there and let that heat circulate. It should get your cool side heat up to about 80, that's where you want it. When I first set up Memphis's tub the hygrometer only read my humidity as "HI" and then it registered to 51% later the next day, so hang in there.