Help!!! Big Problem!!! Might get burned!

Okay so here is the deal I just cleaned out the tank and changed his bedding I put in aspen bedding, he browsed around and cruised around the walls went in his cold side hide for about two seconds and now hes stuck here and wont leave I turned off the light so he doesnt get hurt but I dont know what to do he is wrapped around the lines in the back and wont let off! aaah! im worried.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...MAGE_00015.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone013.jpg

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone015.jpg


Please help,

this is the first time he has ever even gotten close to the light!!! I am confused

I dunno.

Good thing there are turned off. If they are still really hot you may wanna get a fan on low and face towards.

Can you softly pry him off?

You shouldn't have exposed lamps in your enclosure. You need to cover those with cage thingies or set them up outside of the enclosure!

I personally would completely re-adjust his enclosure to where the heat source was outside of his viv, where there was 0% chance that he would get burned at all. My theory with all 6 of my reptiles is that if there was anything in the enclosure that could potentally cause them harm, then you might as well not even put it in there in the first place. If your snake can wrap around the power cords, it's highly likely that it will wrap around the bulb in the future as well.
I would stick with an UTH or flexiwatt tape plugged into a thermostat to prevent any kinds of burns.

First you need to carefully retrieve your BP to avoid the worst, while you are at it make sure to check him out looking for burns.


Then you need to get read of those light/heat lamp provide belly heat to your BP and if additional heating is needed because you cannot achieve proper temps you need to place the additional heat source outside the enclosure not inside.

In addition to making sure the lights are turned OFF....go ahead and UNPLUG them completely...to minimize any risk of electrical shock to either of you while you try and get him out of there.

And consider this a bargain of a lesson...he CAN get to those exposed lights and could have been severely burned. Time to find another way to heat the enclosure, as has already been said.

I understand all that but the main concern to me is that he has never acted like this I just added aspen bedding an he is up there and wont get off I figure he doesnt like the bedding or something because he has never wrapped up there at all. I know those lights are bad because I got F***** over at the darn pet store that sold it to me with NO REFUNDS writen in the back of the receipt and dont worry I will hit that guy so hard in the face that his mother is gonna feel it. But till then I really dont know what to do. I might take out this bedding and put back his old one till I figure out a different option. I have my ranco coming in sometime today. But I dont know how I will instand an UTH in a wooden tank thats about one inch thick I dont know how the UTH will heat trough the tank and the aspen bedding I will post up a pic of the size and shape of the tank and you guys tell me where to put the uth.

http://www.reptilesdownunder.com/rep...lightguard.php ... you can look at some ideas here. or what i did was went and got some metal mesh baskets that are used for desk stationary ( office supplies) and added a strip of wood to them and attached them to the ceiling. I hope this helps you out. good luck

Here is some more pics where should I place the UTH thanks.




http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone070.jpg


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone071.jpg


http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone072.jpg

The aspen is way too thick, even if you didn't have a wood to heat through as well.


Why not just get a tub set-up for him and use that enclosure for another reptile that can't climb?

just place the UTH on the bottom of your tank, or if the side walls are thinner , side mount it. you can always thin out the bedding that's directly above the UTH to increase heat.

I would go with a radiant heat panel. It would be safe in the top of the enclosure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Why not just get a tub set-up for him and use that enclosure for another reptile that can't climb?

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I second this. If you have a ranco coming, get some flexwatt or an under tank heater for reptiles and use that with a tub setup. Belly heat is more effective in aiding the digestive process anyway.

One thing I would add is throughly researching how to properly set up the enclosure before you get something else to fill that other cage. You now know that some petstores are just out to sell you stuff. I'm glad you found the forum so we can help you fix this issue so that it doesn't happen again. As for getting him down, reach up there and slowly unwind him. It may take some coaxing, but i'm sure you can do it. I have faith in you. :D

Okay all almost fixed Ive been sweating my butt off working lol I can barely type :) but I got a guy coming to trade me either a 30 or 35 gal tank for my 55 gal that I have sittin in the garage I will set up that 35 gal for my bp wit hthe ranco and uth. But till then I just fixed the light situation I will have pics up shortly snake is off the light and happy :) I stapled those lines down to the wood so he cant hang on them anymore. He is chillin in his try in his humid environment. I will update you guys shortly on whats going to happen next. :)

if he's a juvinille I would avoid putting him in such a big tank. they get stressed in such big spaces. I'm tellin ya, a tub is the way to go!

Throw a turtle in that enclosure and and get another for the BP. Turtles are great! JK, you could make a cage for around the lights.
~Mike

The tank that hes in right now is a whole lot bigger :( I am downgrading him to smaller.

alrite this is what I kind of got going here so far.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone076.jpg

I will put electrical tape around the edges so he doesnt get cut on the extra hanging wire.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone075.jpg

Its not 100% complete yet still working on it. :) And this is what its going to cover .

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t...raphone074.jpg


Sorry for bad pics its off my cell phone :( I will update you guys more as I go along right now going to go get some electrical tape be back later. :)

Seriously, you should just spend the six bucks and buy a tub. Get some flexwatt and give it a try. If you don't think that it is a lot better, then go back to the aquarium. You'll only be out the six bucks as you can use the flexwatt on the aquarium.

Where can I get the flexwatt?? Besides online :) I am just doing this because I will someday need to do it in the future.

Also is aspen bedding good, should I use something else ??

......................going to go get some electrical tape be back later.......... DUDE please dont put tape in the enclosure either, your snake could get stuck in the tape and that could get ugly also. IF you have to use that set up, turn it inside out so the mesh edges are on the inside.

Listening to the people on this forum, I switched to newspaper and I love it. Just so easy to clean and inexpensive. However, the aspen does look better. Also with the newspaper, you don't have to worry about pieces of aspen getting in the mouth while feeding. Carpet is not bad either. Looks good, just not quite as easy to clean.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KingPython

Where can I get the flexwatt?? Besides online :) I am just doing this because I will someday need to do it in the future.

Also is aspen bedding good, should I use something else ??

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That or an under tank heater like zoomed makes. Make sure you hook it up to the thermostat though. Most petstores sell those. Flexwatt is the way to go if you're considering cost. I dont' know where to get it except online. reptilebasics.com is great. rich will wire it for you for no added cost.

Alrite everything is fixed the light is covered with the screen, King is happy in his new home lol and he cant wrap around the light anymore. I got my new tank preparing it for the flexwatt that I will order im just gonna go with the 11'' piece and then I will be done. How bad is it if the aspen gets stuck in the bps mouth?? Could he get hurt really bad??

it is very stressful on them and I would think mouth rot is an issue if it gets stuck in there for any extended period. If there is a piece stuck in there, get it out right away.

How would I get it out my BP is very head shy and how do I open his mouth to get it out?

This is better shown and not explained..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

This is better shown and not explained..

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I totally agree. I've seen my vet do it a couple of times and i wouldn't attempt it. I know where to put my fingers. But no... I'd be 2 scared of the damage i may do.

Even with the screen blocking the light I would assume that the screen will still heat up to the point it could still burn the snake. It looks like you have a nice enclosure there and even if you switch to a smaller tank or tub I would assume you will want to use that enclosure in the future.

As another poster mentioned a RHP would be a great option for heating that tank while not posing a risk to the snake. A Radiant Heat Panel screws to the top of your enclosure and directs heat downward. They throw off a ton of heat yet the panel itself never heats up enough to burn your snake. You can touch them no problem. They are a little more expensive than most other heating options but well worth it.

Here is a picture of my enclosure with RHP.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...il152007-1.jpg

Where can I pick up one of those RHP's???

Here is the link.

http://www.pro-products.com/

When you call talk to Bob and place your order over the phone. The website is a little wacky so this would be easiest. He is an awesome guy and will get you setup with what you need. Just tell him your cage dimensions and he will tell you what size RHP you need. It will give you your basking heat as well as the ambient temp.