New BP and I'm ansty

I just got my first BP, and i know i cannot hold him for atleast 2 weeks, and im going insane. I just brought him home this morning and i just wanna hold him. anyone else ever feel this way?

Also im so worried about making sure hes ok, new mom and all thats what we do. He has been in his hide on the side where the temp is 80, just switched the day light off and have the red light on. waiting to see if he switches sides.

Congrats on your new arrival! There is no need to wait two weeks or more. Give him a few days and you can handle him for short periods of time - 10 minutes or so - for the first few sessions gradually increasing holding times as you go along.

Also your BP won't move back and forth between the warm and cool sides nightly. You will learn his pattern the more you observe him. I have some that always stay in the warm hide, one that is normally found on the cool side, and others that go back and forth on their own schedules.

Lastly, you don't need day or night lights unless that is your only source of heat. Under the tank heating (UTH) is best. Above lighting tends to kill your humidity.

ya they are my heat source. Im not quite comfortable using the UTH's yet. want to learn more about them first. I have owned other reptiles in the past but very first snake.

If you have a bp switch to a UTH. You may not be comfortable but it's better for your snake. They are no big deal. They are even better to control temps then a bulb. Is you tank just 80 or do you have a basking spot around 90 as well?

You don't need to wait 2 weeks. 1 is good. It will seem like a long wait but it's good for the snake. And don't over handle right away either once the week is up.

basking side is set at 90, side he is in is at 80. humidity fluctuates between 40-60.

I know a UTH was mentioned, but I wanted to mention that you need a thermostat to regulate it.

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Originally Posted by Skittles1101

I know a UTH was mentioned, but I wanted to mention that you need a thermostat to regulate it.

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Yes, second on the thermostat too. Also what are you using to check the temperatures? Lots of people use the wrong style when they are new to snakes but seeing as you have had reptiles before I would guess you probably have proper ones.

hes slowly coming out of his hide. i dont want to go to sleep. i want to watch him all night. ive never been this excited about a pet before lol

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I bought the same ones i used when I had BDs before. Just ones bought at petsmart that stick to the glass. will be getting a temp gun when I have the money

i know others have said it as well but dont forget the thermostat as well for the UTH, mine get well over 130 degrees unregulated

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Originally Posted by shortysheree

hes slowly coming out of his hide. i dont want to go to sleep. i want to watch him all night. ive never been this excited about a pet before lol

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Which is exactly what I do when I'm watching mine at night. I work at 530 in the morning but sometimes I'll be up till midnight watching her lmao. (I'm glad I'm where people understand me or that might have sounded really wierd)

I agree with what most are saying. UTH with Tstat. Prec comes out when it gets dark outside, that's when I turn off her LED strip that back lights her cage. I only gave Prec 48 hours then short times in my arms until she got comfortable. She has become a very social snake "asking" to come out most evenings. I try to keep humidity at 50-70...so far her sheds have been perfect. Have fun with your baby! I'm so in love with mine!


Molly & Steve
0.1 Normal BP. PRECIOUCESS
0.1 Normal Columbian BCI. LUNA

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Originally Posted by shortysheree

hes slowly coming out of his hide. i dont want to go to sleep. i want to watch him all night. ive never been this excited about a pet before lol

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I bought the same ones i used when I had BDs before. Just ones bought at petsmart that stick to the glass. will be getting a temp gun when I have the money

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Get the temp gun asap and throw away the other ones. The stick on kind don't work for what you need. They measure the air temp, you need to be able to measure the direct temp in the tank. If you have a light on and the sticker thermometer reads say 90 the spot on the substrate directly below the light could be 100+ degrees.

I have thermometers in top corners and bottom corners. So air temp and ground temp are monitored

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Originally Posted by shortysheree

I have thermometers in top corners and bottom corners. So air temp and ground temp are monitored

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Again if the thermometer isn't directly where you want the temp measurement it won't be accurate. Leave one in the bottom corner and put one directly below the lamp or directly above a uth and you will see what I mean.

From my experience I have never had any issues with them becoming stressed when handling a new snake, but I guess YMMV!

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Originally Posted by albinos_rule

From my experience I have never had any issues with them becoming stressed when handling a new snake, but I guess YMMV!

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Mine was a rescue with a badly retained shed so she ended up being handled the minute we got her home. Settled right in and never seemed bothered by it. Guess it just depends on the snake.

I was told by the breeder to wait until we have him on a feeding schedule before handling so as not to stress him out

I really wouldn't worry about not handling her etc. I would try feeding her and see if she'll take it. It really doesn't matter if you use a uth or heat lamp just get a temperature gun. You need to use it in conjunction of the thermometers to get the surface temp.

If you're using a tank and lamp and don't want to put plastic or foil at the top I would use a bioactive substrate. Minimal maintenence and kept humidity up is easy