HydroFarm

Hey guys, some of you saw that I am new and I just set up an enclosure to let it run a few days to make sure i can keep the right conditions, so far so good! Anyway, my HydroFarm Thermostat is hooked up to a ZooMed UTH, the HydroFarm is set to 101 which keeps the hot spot under the hide 90-92.

Question is my thermostat turns on and off maybe every 5 minutes, is that normal? It makes that clicking sound when it turns on and off so thats how I know its going on and off, just wanted to check if this was normal since this is my first set up.

Yes, that is normal for a hydrofarm.

Yep, that sounds normal:)

Awesome, thanks guys!

Perfectly normal just got my hydrofarm yesterday

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Yep hydrofarm is like my zilla... it's on/off kind so it'll do that!?

If it's doing it every 5 minutes it sounds like the temperature is dropping too fast or there isn't a large enough gap between the temp you want it at and the temp you want it to turn on(make sense?). If you want a temp threshold.

I would try a couple things:

1. Read the manual and see if you can set it to turn on at a specific temperature. Like mine is set to 100 but clicks on at 95. Size of heat pad may make a difference in as well.

2. Possibly insulate it with foil tape. I've found foil tape helps make the hot spot a little larger and keeps the heat from dissipating into the air.

Sounds like a hydrofarm. Get a herpstat, it won't do that ;)

If you hear a click you know it works. Lol. Can't wait to upgrade to herpstats.

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normal;)

some thermostats regulate the temperature by just switching the heat on and off. for example it switches off when its 2 degrees above the target temperature, and switches on when its two degrees below the target temperature.


other, more advanced thermostats can actually run the heater at 25% energy output or at 50%, it doesnt switch on and off anymore, instead it plays around with the energy output.

Thanks all! I'll try the foul tape as well as eventually look into a better thermostat, but for my first reptile I wanted to try and save a little money :)

Not it to hijack my own thread but.... Just a quick question, I have a tank, UTH and over head light on the cool side, obviously humidity is an issue, I plan on foiling the top but will a humid hide help for times when I'm not available? With my work schedule, once or twice a month a go away for 1-3 days.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mike_yorkpa

Thanks all! I'll try the foul tape as well as eventually look into a better thermostat, but for my first reptile I wanted to try and save a little money :)

Not it to hijack my own thread but.... Just a quick question, I have a tank, UTH and over head light on the cool side, obviously humidity is an issue, I plan on foiling the top but will a humid hide help for times when I'm not available? With my work schedule, once or twice a month a go away for 1-3 days.

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Yes, humid hide should work fine. A lot of people use them.

One thing I've been experimenting with is a "humidity box". I took a ziploc food container and stuffed it with sphagnum moss, put about a 1/4 inch of water in the bottom, and poked holes in the top so it would release humidity more consistently and at a slower pace. I'll know when he sheds in the next couple months how well it worked or not.

He/she's here!! My baby ate this morning before picked up.

One worry i have is the last picture, i think that the one hide is too small (right side in 2nd pic and the last pic) , its hard to tell from the picture but what do you guys think?

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6dc4137f.jpg
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps055411ac.jpg
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps191a3abc.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyrate81

If it's doing it every 5 minutes it sounds like the temperature is dropping too fast or there isn't a large enough gap between the temp you want it at and the temp you want it to turn on(make sense?). If you want a temp threshold.

I would try a couple things:

1. Read the manual and see if you can set it to turn on at a specific temperature. Like mine is set to 100 but clicks on at 95. Size of heat pad may make a difference in as well.

2. Possibly insulate it with foil tape. I've found foil tape helps make the hot spot a little larger and keeps the heat from dissipating into the air.

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With the Hydrofarms, they have a temp swing as wide as ± 5 degrees of the set temp. So, probably shouldn't use them on an incubator, but for cages that's what they do and they do adjust some what.

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I don't mean to be a stick in the mud here but don't handle that snake a lot. I would say it's too skinny for a snake of that size. Try and get some consistent meals into it before you start stressing it out with handling and what not.

I personally would never sell a snake that looked like that. The triangular cross section of the snake is a sign of either:
A) a problem feeder
B) lack of care from the breeder
C) improperly cared for at a pet store

My suggestion would be to try and feed every 5 days with a rat pink. If it eats no problem, then all my points are rendered moot.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

I'd rather you be a stick in the mud :), I'm a new owner, if I post pics and something doesn't seem right to experienced owners then I want to know. The only handling done so far was picking him out of the container, snapping a quick picture and placing him in the tank.

he was received from a local pet store. According to them, they feed a mouse hopper 1 time a week, which was yesterday. When I went to the store he was squeezing the hopper so I told them id be back after work, which gave him 8-9 hours until I picked him up. When I asked about their feeding days and such they said he could have probably handled a small mouse. I am more interested in what you all have to say more though.

I was worried a little bit however that he wasn't interested in the hides at all. He explored a little bit then say behind the thermometer from 6pm until this morning 7am, of course he may have moved when I was sleeping. He's been staying on the cool side, 82-86 degrees

Quote:

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Originally Posted by interloc

I don't mean to be a stick in the mud here but don't handle that snake a lot. I would say it's too skinny for a snake of that size. Try and get some consistent meals into it before you start stressing it out with handling and what not.

I personally would never sell a snake that looked like that. The triangular cross section of the snake is a sign of either:
A) a problem feeder
B) lack of care from the breeder
C) improperly cared for at a pet store

My suggestion would be to try and feed every 5 days with a rat pink. If it eats no problem, then all my points are rendered moot.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

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He has no interest whatsoever in the UTH, he likes the cool side with the lamp so far.

Firstly, congrats!

Secondly, I am glad s/he's in your care now. 1 mouse hopper a week is definitely not enough... clearly (as seen in the photos). Once you start feeding properly, s/he should gain weight no problem :)
Rats all the way! Of course if s/he doesn't take rats you can always do mice... but they require more of those, as they don't have the same fat/nutritional content for ball pythons as rats do.

My guess is that s/he didn't really have hides in the pet store. You can always try adding in some cardboard box cutouts (like half or 1/3 of a tissue box) or plastic containers with a doorway cut in, to save money on hides - especially with a young BP who will outgrow them quickly.

A humid hide/box is a great idea! Both my BP and corn love them. The BP is in there now, actually, in blue.


As for the Hydrofarm, as with everyone else pretty much, I agree that that's just what they do! I have two of them (one for each snake). What concerns me is that it's set to 101F but stays around 90F only... do you have a digital probed thermometer (apart from the probe attached to the thermostat) to check? I apologize if you've mentioned this already and I missed it.

Best of luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mike_yorkpa

he was received from a local pet store. According to them, they feed a mouse hopper 1 time a week, which was yesterday.

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Sounds underfed. Mouse hoppers are tiny, usually used for the first couple of feedings and that's it.

I can't judge his size (weight in grams would make it easier), but I would bet he can easily eat at least an adult mouse every 5 days now. Might be big enough for rat pups.

He looks a little thin, but nothing that can't be easily fixed with a regular feeding schedule.

NH93, I have an accurite which is under the substrate to check glass temp, usually 90-93.


i know he fed yesterday, should I give him something else today or just wait 5 days? Looks like everyone is thinking he could do some sort of small rat, I'll give that a shot. Is this a good exams of a rat pup?

http://dnuvbh1nr3n9b.cloudfront.net/...SUID9MMUBL.jpg

Also, sometime this week I will pick up a scale and post the results for you guys. Seems like a scale is one of the necessities to have.

You're snake looks fine. I wouldn't worry about her. A lot of snakes will look like that after putting on a growth spurt, they'll lengthen out and get skinnier then will bulk up again when they stop growing. Personally I'd start feeding small adult mice, she's beyond the hopper stage now.

Nice looking display cage btw, though I would dump the heat lamp, they tend to dry out the air.

It does dry it out, I've been misting 2x a day but I cant get rid of it because I can't keep the temp up. Any ideas? I wouldn't mind getting rid of the light.

I personally would try rats still (yes that looks like a good size. S/he can probably take rat fuzzies - without a scale, the best you can do is feed to the widest part of the snake's body. When you get a scale, the general rule is 10-15% of their body weight as hatchlings). You can try live or frozen/thawed, whichever you prefer and/or your snake will eat. Keep in mind that if you do switch to f/t and your snake isn't on them, it may take some time to do so as BPs can be picky eaters.

I have yet to find a better solution to heating my BPs vive without a heat lamp... I am just misting and using the moss hide/box right now.
(I am switching to PVC caging this weekend, actually).

Have you looked into RHP (radiant heat panels) at all? They can be pricey but might be worth a look. I have never used them so I haven't much to tell you :P
There's a few different heating options out there though, which is nice.

:)

I just use heating pads, it's enough. Some people worry about the ambient heat on the 'cool' side but I've never found it to be a problem as long as the room the cage is in is warm enough for you to be comfortable.

He weighed in at 77 grams

Also, he has a little blue tint to him on the body, not on the eyes yet, so Im assuming shedding is coming soon?

Yes it sounds like he will shed soon. 77 grams is a little light for what I'm assuming is a several months old hatchling, but it's still not horrible.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Yes it sounds like he will shed soon. 77 grams is a little light for what I'm assuming is a several months old hatchling, but it's still not horrible.

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Heres some pics of him. So should I go to rat pups?

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc60574b3.jpg
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps6e1a2ce0.jpg
http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/a...psc9760727.jpg

No pups would be too big unless it was on the small side. At 77 grams the 'rule of thumb' would be a rodent between 8 and 12 grams (ie: hopper mouse)
I've never weighed rodents in my life and I personally would go with a small weanling mouse though you could also do a rat fuzzy if you wished.

looks quite skinny in the pictures, some more weight would definitively be good. its not so skinny that it would be a health issue.

there are other links that do the same, but somehow i just use this for weight comparisons of rats and mice:
http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_mice mice
http://www.rodentpro.com/catalog.asp...el=frozen_rats rats

according to that, and considering that your BP weighs in at 77 grams, i would aim for a food item of maybe 10-12 grams or something, that would be a pinkie rat, or a hopper mouse. maybe a fuzzy rat. at least according to that one rhodent vendor, a rat pup might be a bit too large. but if he manages to swallow a rat pup, that would of course be nice, so you can try.

Should I stick with 1 day a week or 5 days?

Larger food items once a week, smaller food items twice a week. As long as it continues growing at a steady pace you'll be doing fine.

Thanks! May have to stick with mice, thats all thats sold live around here, unless i can get him to eat frozen. Ive seen a few times on here where people say rats are better than mice.

I appreciate your patience with the new guy everyone! This forum is really helping!

Well i did the zombie dance for 45 minutes and no strike. Dropped a live hopper in and it was an instant stike.

Feed him what hes use to for a few feedings, so he gets comfortable with you & then try to make the switch.

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You can also try heating up the frozen mouse with a hair dryer (I put the rodents in a pastic deli cup and float it in hot water) Their heat pits will 'see' the prey better and you'll have a better chance of getting them to strike.