Help-A-Noob :)

Okay so I'm a tad overwhelmed with all the very helpful and informative threads, and having read through some of them I have a few questions:

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray)

How easy is connecting a thermostat to a new rack system? Electricity scares me, lol.

Which is more prefered: professional racks like Animal Plastics, or homemade ones?

If you get snakes from different sources, can/do you QT them in the same area?

Is deworming necessary? And can you do it at home?

Does anyone here keep their snakes in the basement? How do you keep the ambient temp up other than overclocking your home heating system?

Also, I have a sweet normal female who hides a lot. I've had her for about two and a half months now, and she's very well hand tamed, and likes to snuggle and watch Lost with me. But in her tank she hides under her water dish all the time. Granted, it's warm (heat pad under it) and humid, but her tank is too. Her hot spot is near 90* daytime/75* night and is right over a rocky hide, and her tank humidity is between 60-70%. Sometimes she lays with her head poking out from under her dish, but I never really see her exploring her 20gal long tank. Suggestions? or is she just shy?

Thanks in advance!!

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Okay so I'm a tad overwhelmed with all the very helpful and informative threads, and having read through some of them I have a few questions:

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray) Provent-A-Mite by Pro Products - It kills snake mites (and just about any other bug around).

How easy is connecting a thermostat to a new rack system? Electricity scares me, lol. The higher-dollar therms (Herpstat, etc.) are easiest. None of them have any bare wires that expose you to electricity.

Which is more prefered: professional racks like Animal Plastics, or homemade ones? This all depends on how handy you are. I have one homemade rack that any BP over 200g is strong enough to escape (I'm not very handy). I have a few other homemades (not by me) that are escape-proof. If you aren't very precise at building, then the AP Economy racks aren't that much more expensive than the supplies you'd buy to build one.

If you get snakes from different sources, can/do you QT them in the same area?
In a perfect world, new additions would always be separate from other animals. I try to at least keep them on opposite sides of the QT room if they didn't come in at the same time.

Is deworming necessary? And can you do it at home? I haven't needed to deworm. I feed mostly F/T, so the chances of picking up worms is slim. You could take 1-2 samples a year to a herp vet for peace of mind, especially if you feed live. I'm sure you could probably deworm at home, but it depends on how comfortable you are with administering meds.

Does anyone here keep their snakes in the basement? Nope.How do you keep the ambient temp up other than overclocking your home heating system? I have the vent and door cracks sealed in a room heated by a radiant oil-filled electric heater, so it stays warmer than the remainder of the house.

Also, I have a sweet normal female who hides a lot. I've had her for about two and a half months now, and she's very well hand tamed, and likes to snuggle and watch Lost with me. But in her tank she hides under her water dish all the time. Granted, it's warm (heat pad under it) and humid, but her tank is too. Her hot spot is near 90* daytime/75* night and is right over a rocky hide, and her tank humidity is between 60-70%. Sometimes she lays with her head poking out from under her dish, but I never really see her exploring her 20gal long tank. Suggestions? or is she just shy? A hiding BP is a happy BP. Roaming (or "exploring") is typically a sign of stress.

Thanks in advance!!

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Okay so I'm a tad overwhelmed with all the very helpful and informative threads, and having read through some of them I have a few questions:

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray)
PAM is Provent-A-Mite, used for the treatment of mites and keeping them away.

How easy is connecting a thermostat to a new rack system? Electricity scares me, lol.
I honestly don't know as my man does that stuff...sorry!

Which is more prefered: professional racks like Animal Plastics, or homemade ones?
All my racks are homemade. Much cheaper in the long run :)

If you get snakes from different sources, can/do you QT them in the same area?
Some people have a specified QT area, but everytime you add a new snake the countdown starts all over again for all snakes in QT

Is deworming necessary? And can you do it at home?
I've never dewormed

Does anyone here keep their snakes in the basement? How do you keep the ambient temp up other than overclocking your home heating system?
Our entire basement is our reptile room, though it is fully finished, and we have a lot of wall units that help keep the temps up, and a wall gas heater

Also, I have a sweet normal female who hides a lot. I've had her for about two and a half months now, and she's very well hand tamed, and likes to snuggle and watch Lost with me. But in her tank she hides under her water dish all the time. Granted, it's warm (heat pad under it) and humid, but her tank is too. Her hot spot is near 90* daytime/75* night and is right over a rocky hide, and her tank humidity is between 60-70%. Sometimes she lays with her head poking out from under her dish, but I never really see her exploring her 20gal long tank. Suggestions? or is she just shy?
It is normal for a bp to hide most of the time. As the saying goes "A hiding ball python is a happy ball python.
Thanks in advance!!

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Quick question, do you have your heat pad hooked up to a thermostat now?

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray) PAM is Prevent -A-Mite...basically it gets rid of mits but read and follow instructions on it carefully.

How easy is connecting a thermostat to a new rack system? Electricity scares me, lol. Easy. The heating element (Under Tank Heater (UTH), flexwatt or whatever you use) gets plugged into the thermostat, the thermostat probe gets taped to the heating element, and then the thermostat gets plugged into the wall. You set the thermostat to the temp you want the hotspot to be. The setting is usually set at a slightly higher temp than desired warm spot temp inside the enclosure to get the enclosure right.

Which is more prefered: professional racks like Animal Plastics, or homemade ones? It's your personal preference.

If you get snakes from different sources, can/do you QT them in the same area? Someone with more experience can answer this one

Is deworming necessary? And can you do it at home? and this ine

Does anyone here keep their snakes in the basement? How do you keep the ambient temp up other than overclocking your home heating system? That's about the only way to do it or get some sort of room heater

Also, I have a sweet normal female who hides a lot. I've had her for about two and a half months now, and she's very well hand tamed, and likes to snuggle and watch Lost with me. But in her tank she hides under her water dish all the time. Granted, it's warm (heat pad under it) and humid, but her tank is too. Her hot spot is near 90* daytime/75* night and is right over a rocky hide, and her tank humidity is between 60-70%. Sometimes she lays with her head poking out from under her dish, but I never really see her exploring her 20gal long tank. Suggestions? or is she just shy? A hidden BP is a happy BP. I would say try to get your humidity closer to 50-60% unless in shed or you could risk a respiratory infection (RI). You want the keep the hot spot around 90 all the time and cool spot/ambients around 80.

I have an additional question reference QT. What is the average QT time for a new BP?

Everyone else has already answered your general care questions, so I'll throw in my two cents on your "saving money on heating bills" question.

I use a thermostat controlled space heater in my bedroom (where my BPs tank is) to keep that room warmer than the rest of the house, which is at 65 during the day.

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Originally Posted by RetiredJedi

I have an additional question reference QT. What is the average QT time for a new BP?

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The norm is 3 months, but some people swear by at least 6 months to a full year. I do the standard 3 months of QT and reset it once I get new snakes into QT.

No, my heat pad isn't hooked up to a thermostat, but I use it more for just warmth. Through the tank glass, it's simply warm to the touch, not hot. The herp vet I took her to suggested a humidity between 60-70%, but everything I read says 40-60% so I'm a little confused.

I keep my humidity at 50%. When their snakes are in shed some people mist to bring it up to the 60-70%

Your UTH needs to be regulated or it can get way too hot, it might be warm to you but it could be a LOT hotter to your snake. If you don't want to deal with possible burns, get a thermostat or at least a lamp dimmer in the meantime for it.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

No, my heat pad isn't hooked up to a thermostat, but I use it more for just warmth. Through the tank glass, it's simply warm to the touch, not hot. The herp vet I took her to suggested a humidity between 60-70%, but everything I read says 40-60% so I'm a little confused.

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If you dont have your uth on a thermostat i suggest unplugging it asap. Your snake will get nasty burns which will lead to a costly vet visit. Just order at the very least a dimmer for now. If you can, buy a quality thermostat like a vivarium electronics or herpstat.

Okay thanks :) I unplugged it... does it help if there's substrate over it? That's how I had it set up just to warm up the water dish (I didn't intend for it to be her hide, LOL).

is in on the inside or outside of the tank?

substrate will keep some of the heat from reaching the surface (depends what type of substrate and how much of it there is) but your snake can still dig down and get burned. You do have a second heat source right?

Be warned that the thermostats sold in pet stores are no good, here are 2 that are

the hydrofarm thermostat is a good starter thermostat f you are on a budget, but you should plan on replacing it with a better thermostat when possible

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

The herpstat line of thermostats sold by spider robots is the best you can get, they cost more but do a much better job and are safer.

http://spyderrobotics.com/

What are you using to measure temperatures/humidity?

I have a 20 long with two lamps (one day and one night. Day is 100 watts, night is 75), I have a rocky style hide under the lamp and a log on the cool side. The substrate is coconut husk (the fine soil type). The water bowl is on the cool side over a small sticky heat pad that's outside the tank on the bottom. I have a strip thermometer for temps and a humidity gauge on the side in the middle.

ok, you need to get a better thermometer as the ones that you are using are only telling you what the temperature of the glass is plus they are known to suck anyway.

This is what you want, they cost $12 at Walmart and will measure both the hot and cool side temperatures as well as humidity:

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

What types of bulbs are your day and night? (white red, UV?)

you really should have 2 identical hides, and just FYI Log hides aren't the greatest as BP's won't feel as secure in them and they tend to mold. (but the hide issue can wait for now)

how thick of a layer of coco husk do you have?

UTH's do not effect the temperature of the air so you also will have to keep that in mind.

Nice thermometer! I'll pick that up tomorrow. Um... I have to say the day bulb I'm not entirely sure but it's a white basking bulb. The night is just a blue night bulb. The log I left in mostly to take up space lol, she never uses it. The husk is at least an inch and a half... it's a thick layer but not enough to burrow in. The UTH was a suggestion from the vet (since I had it already anyway) to put under the water since when I first got Tokyo she had a stuck shed and I had humidity issues.

Ok, I would replace the 2 heat bulbs with a single bulb that can be run 24/7. Infrared bulbs put out a wavelength of light that is barley visible so it doesn't bother the snake.

These are the best: http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...ptile#carousel

Substrate that thick will render the UTH practically useless. I would keep it 1/2" or less if you want the UTH to be useful.

It is down to about half an inch under the water dish, because I figured any thicker would be pointless :) Makes sense on the bulb (I work at petsmart, yay discount lol!), we just got a night bulb because she's in our bedroom and I didn't want a lot of light on at night.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray)

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I haven't posted this tutorial in a while, but, I occassionally do it to help clear up any confusion when referring to PAM. It's not meant to be funny or condescending. When I had my very first mite outbreak, the forum that I found, at the time, recommended spraying with PAM. I went to the kitchen and got the cooking spray. It sort of made sense to me. I mean, it keeps food from sticking to pans, so maybe it keeps mites from sticking on your snake...right? So there I was, with my little BP in one hand, and my PAM in the other, about to let him have it, when something caught my eye and made me pause. I jumped back on that forum and posted the question,"Does it matter if it's butter flavored?" I got alot of responses at that point. Anyway, here is my post about PAM...

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A Tale of Two PAMs... by Vypyrz

One of the most common misunderstandings that I see is the confusion caused when PAM is recommended in regards to Mite treatment. Most people are familiar with PAM, the cooking spray. However, in the reptile world PAM is the abbreviation for the mite treatment product Provent-A-Mite.

The two PAM's...

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/...t/HPIM0651.jpg

This is the PAM that you use for reptiles...

Provent-A-Mite is a Permethrin based spray made by Pro-Products. It is used to eradicate and prevent mite and tick infestations on reptiles.

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/.../HPIM0649a.jpg

Not this...

PAM is a Canola oil based spray made by Con-Agra Foods. It is used to allow that fried egg to slide all around the pan while you chase it with a spatula, only to have it end up on the floor :(

http://i1019.photobucket.com/albums/.../HPIM0655a.jpg

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

I haven't posted this tutorial in a while, but, I occassionally do it to help clear up any confusion when referring to PAM. It's not meant to be funny or condescending. When I had my very first mite outbreak, the forum that I found, at the time, recommended spraying with PAM. I went to the kitchen and got the cooking spray. It sort of made sense to me. I mean, it keeps food from sticking to pans, so maybe it keeps mites from sticking on your snake...right? So there I was, with my little BP in one hand, and my PAM in the other, about to let him have it, when something caught my eye and made me pause. I jumped back on that forum and posted the question,"Does it matter if it's butter flavored?" I got alot of responses at that point. Anyway, here is my post about PAM...

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This cracks me up every time I see it!

Does it say on the can how long to wait before you can return insects to a room that's been sprayed?

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Originally Posted by John1982

Does it say on the can how long to wait before you can return insects to a room that's been sprayed?

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You spray the snake's enclosure, not the entire room (unless you have a God-awful infestation, I guess). I think once it's dry and you can no longer smell fumes, you should be good, but I always treat tubs outside so I've never had to figure that one out.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

You spray the snake's enclosure, not the entire room (unless you have a God-awful infestation, I guess). I think once it's dry and you can no longer smell fumes, you should be good, but I always treat tubs outside so I've never had to figure that one out.

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I'm pretty sure if you sprayed the whole room you would die along with the mites. That stuff is nasty.

It does have through instructions on the can

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

the chances of picking up worms is slim

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:irkd:

I have never even hit on worms, much less picked them up....that bench warrant in Anson, Texas was all a misunderstanding!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by Slim

:irkd:

I have never even hit on worms, much less picked them up....that bench warrant in Anson, Texas was all a misunderstanding!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Originally Posted by Slim

:irkd:

I have never even hit on worms, much less picked them up....that bench warrant in Anson, Texas was all a misunderstanding!

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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silly, silly :D

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Originally Posted by John1982

Does it say on the can how long to wait before you can return insects to a room that's been sprayed?

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

You spray the snake's enclosure, not the entire room (unless you have a God-awful infestation, I guess). I think once it's dry and you can no longer smell fumes, you should be good, but I always treat tubs outside so I've never had to figure that one out.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I'm pretty sure if you sprayed the whole room you would die along with the mites. That stuff is nasty.

It does have through instructions on the can

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This is straight from the can label...

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Before spraying, remove amphibians, water and any desirable or food arachnids or insects from the vicinity. Vapors will kill spiders and insects. Do not use within the vicinity of any arachnids or amphibians. Do not use until these specimens are removed to another location. Do not apply to heating devices or heating device covers. Do not allow reptile to breathe vapors. Do not use in bare cages without substrate. Treated substrate/enclosure will kill any feed insects introduced for at least 2 weeks. Treat or feed any insectivores in a separate cage. Do not spray directly in/on eyes, mouth, or genitalia of pets. For direct application to tortoises only. Do not apply directly on snakes, lizards, or other reptiles. Vacate rooms after treatment and ventilate before reoccupying. Avoid contamination of feed and foodstuffs. Do not allow children or pets to contact treated areas until surfaces are dry.

To Kill Mites and Ticks in Snake, Lizard and Tortoise Cages or Enclosures: Spray substrate, holding can 12" to 15" from surface being treated, at the rate of 1 second per square foot. Ventilate the enclosure well until the spray has completely dried and all vapors have completely dissipated. Replace reptile and water. Reapply this product every two to four weeks to prevent future reinfestations.

To Treat Tortoises Only: Hold can a few inches from skin. Spray directly into each opening using two "1" second burst for large tortoises (plastron length of 6 inches or more), and one "1" second burst for small tortoises (plastron length of less than 6 inches). Avoid spraying eyes and genitalia area. Do not exceed recommended dosage.

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One great thing about ball pythons is, they don't need a UV or basking bulb like many lizards do. The ceramic heat emitter works great, but be warned it will wreak havoc on your humidity.

One reason to always monitor your UTH is the difference in your body temp and your snakes body temp. Your body temp is 98. Your hands are a cooler spot on the body, but you can bet they are still around 95-96. Something that feels only warm to you could easily be 104-110, and that is hot enough to burn your snake. Think about it, most of us set our hot water heater to 120-130, that is hot to us, and it would also cook your poor snake.

And I would bet the reason she hides under her water bowl is that the hides you have provided are not snug enough to suit her, so she made her own.

Gale

Alright, silly question (but getting help at WalMart is impossible): where in Walmart would I find those thermometers? I found something similar on amazon but I'd rather just go get it.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Alright, silly question (but getting help at WalMart is impossible): where in Walmart would I find those thermometers? I found something similar on amazon but I'd rather just go get it.

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I think it's the same aisle as air conditioning filters (near paint department). If not, it's one aisle over.

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Originally Posted by moonlightgdess

Alright, silly question (but getting help at WalMart is impossible): where in Walmart would I find those thermometers? I found something similar on amazon but I'd rather just go get it.

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I have found them in the light bulb section, but they have also been found in the paint section (if your walmart has one), the automotive section, and even with the duct tape

Look for the outdoor thermometers. If you can find them, these will be right there. They can be with paint, lightbulbs, trashcans, all kinds of places. I look for those big, unmistakeable outdoor thermometers, and they are always there.

Gale

I am at walmart in Ontario Canada as I type. They do not carry the acurite but they do have a?BOIS wire digital. For 10.00 each I'm going to try it.. If not Massena ny this weekend

The ones I got do not do humidity..... So I got a separate one to measure humidity on the cool side