My Cage setup

Hey guys, Haven't really posted here in a while. I brought home my python from school and instead of lugging around his 20 long, I just bought anew one to set up.

Heres some pics
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/snake003.jpg

Right now I"m using
Aspen
herbstat
UTH's
CHE


I've had so much problems getting the heat and humidity up to par. My room is so cold cause I'm in the basement. I ended up putting a UTH and CHE on the hot side set to 91.7 with the herb stat, and a UTH on the cold side running on a rheastat set at 80-82F. Got a waterfall and some fake leaves to fill in

Humidity didn't want to budge at all cause of the CHe sucking all of it out, I ended up putting tinfoil with some vents on it and a towel on top. In the Left side of the tank I bought a waterfall in which I thought would raise humidity especially since its on the cold side with teh UTH. HUmidity rose from 40-50, but it keeps on flunctuating so I'm prob gonna give it a few more days and if not I'm just gonna return it,

Heres some pics of Jake....the snake ( original right??? lol )
He/she is about 6 monthes old and 2 feet long. I ended up turning the lights off and putting the night vision on my digicam and watched him roam around his new surrounding...boy..does he like that waterfall.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/snake005.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/snake006.jpg

If you guys have any suggestions, please feel free to put them down, I'm still new to these things. If anyone has any humidity tricks other then wet paper towels and misting..that would be great.

Thanks FOr reading

Your set up look nice but I recomend to take the waterfall out of the enclosure unless you plan to clean and desinfect it every day, it is a great place for bacteria to grow.

Great looking snake!!

Thanks
yea I'm prob gonna end up returning it and getting a vine or something for him to crawl on. 40 dollars back into my pocket.

Any1 got humidity tricks. I can't get the humidity constant unless i spray down the cage 10 times a day...which is annoying

Try to heat with out the CHE, it sucks all the humdity. Also you can place the water bowl on top of the heat pad it will evaporate the water and push up the humidity, Cover both sides of the top with aluminum foil and leave only one segment uncover in the center.

Hope it helps!!

Get rid of the tape on the inside of the tank. that is a MAJOR NO NO!

get rid of the towel. replace it with aluminum foil and duct tape (tape on the outside!)

Try news paper instead of aspen.

Get rid of the water fall... don't replace it with anyting. He doesn't need a limb to climb on.

Just my 2 cents.

Oh gosh, everyone's always on about the climbing limbs. Sorry, mcavana it's just a pet peeve of mine; nothing against you whatsoever. It's just that if it's a display tank, then there's nothing wrong with actually putting in something to *display* -lol-. It's not hurting the snake, and some actually *do* make use of it. My larger girl always did. Getting off the soap box now... :oops:

As for humidity, the aluminum foil on the top helps. If you still need more, then I suggest making what a lot of gecko people call a "humid hide". I made some today actually. I took some tiny tupperwares (the snack sized ones for lunch boxes) and using a soldering wand, cut out a large hole in the top. You fill it with moss, and mist it every so often and it bumps the humidity up.

Sometimes in a tank set up putting the water bowl under the light to bump humidity makes it evaporate TOO fast, and then you have to be very careful that the snake has water. That's why I recommend the humid hide idea instead.

Also, Walmart is awesome for foliage. You can get a lot of neat looking plants for $1. Check out this set-up that I did. It cost me all of $5.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...s103107008.jpg

Please post pictures if you alter it. I love seeing tank set-ups. Too many people have boring tubs. Myself included. :rolleyes:

Mindibun, Oh thats cute I like the color! I did the same thing, hit the dollar store and bought TONNES of foilage for a few bux!

I personally have to cover the top of my tank with damp towels to keep the humidity around 60, but if you do that you gotta make sure you either wash them with soap and hot water every day or two, or simply change the towels. If you lose the che you can help keep the heat in by layering foil on 3 sides of the tank, as well as the bottom (between the UTH's and the glass) for insulation. Grab some aluminum tape for a uniform look, and it helps distribute the heat too.

What is wrong with having tape on the inside of the tank?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slobra232V

What is wrong with having tape on the inside of the tank?

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It's possible that it will get stuck to the snake. When you try to pull it off, scales usually come with it.

whats a humid hide??

can anyone explain how to make one? I definitly wanna give it a try to bump up humidity

When I get back from class later I'll post pictures of mine. They took all of 2 minutes to make.

^^ nice...thanks

Quote:

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Originally Posted by slobra232V

What is wrong with having tape on the inside of the tank?

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Hi,

Here's a link to a post where I compiled a lot of the tape problem threads.


dr del

When my snakes go into blue I bump up their humidity and also put moss into their hides- viola- humid hide! I agree about offering something for low level climbing. I read a research paper suggesting that it is especially the males who like to climb and hang out on low level branches and shrubs, etc.
Great set-up and absolutely pull the tape out!!!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by starmom

When my snakes go into blue I bump up their humidity and also put moss into their hides- viola- humid hide! I agree about offering something for low level climbing. I read a research paper suggesting that it is especially the males who like to climb and hang out on low level branches and shrubs, etc.
Great set-up and absolutely pull the tape out!!!!

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Pulling the tape out as we speak.

I would love to see a pic of your or any humid hide.. Please anyone??

I did a little googling and found some ideas...I just came back from the store and got some bed a brick. From some other sites, they say it hold humidity very well....time to get a tubberware box and some sand paper

Here's the humid hide that I did.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1.../humidhide.jpg

It's just cheap-o tupperware available at publix or the dollar store or wherever. You can use any old container lying around the house. I have a soldering wand for my tubs, and I just used that to carve out the top. If you dont have a soldering wand, you can just use scissors to cut out a hole, and use an emory board (nail file) to smooth out the edges.

It's not at all difficult. As for the bed a beast, that stuff is a pain. You have to make a ton of it and then find a way to store it. It takes ages to dry out enough to use it, and if you feed in the tank it could be digested by the snake. Just my opinion.

Quik question... with these humid hides

I"m a little confused, Do these things increase humidity in the whole tank...or just inside that hide, so when my snake feels like he needs some moisture, he'll go in the humid hide??

cause if the overall humidty it low in my viv, he'll prob end up laying in there all day.

ok never mind I got it

I was looking at other hides that just cut open a door for the snake to go in and chill.

In theory, they increase humidity overall. But it could work either way. I have one snake that wraps himself around it, I guess to be close to the humidity. I've seen him sit in it once. But my other snake doesn't have any interest in it, and her tub's humidity is at about 50% all the time. (Give or take).

Mine is just a variation of the one with a door cut out. To me, since the humidity is going to evaporate upwards, it makes more sense to have the hole in the top. Not to mention, that way the water doesn't leak out. I only have holes in the sides of my tubs so when the water evaporates up, it hits the top and collects. Humidity then goes up.

(I feel so scientific... :cool:)

thanks for the help,

To reply to your other post, no I do not feed my snake in the viv, and the Block a beast stuff was the only thing i could find, this stuff should suffice until I find better stuff online. btw its non toxic, so if he does decide to taste it, prob own't ge sick

A humid hide is generally used when a snake is nearing shed or has had a retained shed. I use sphagnum moss and like mentioned earlier you can just stick it in the current hide. I would not recommend keeping one in there permenently because you could run into mold or scale rot.

Ambient humidity is much better controled by a humidifier or wider or multiple water bowls over heat source. The overhead heating devices tend to bake the moisture out of the air which causes more problems. Heating the room is better than baking the tank.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

Here's the humid hide that I did.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1.../humidhide.jpg

It's just cheap-o tupperware available at publix or the dollar store or wherever. You can use any old container lying around the house. I have a soldering wand for my tubs, and I just used that to carve out the top. If you dont have a soldering wand, you can just use scissors to cut out a hole, and use an emory board (nail file) to smooth out the edges.

It's not at all difficult. As for the bed a beast, that stuff is a pain. You have to make a ton of it and then find a way to store it. It takes ages to dry out enough to use it, and if you feed in the tank it could be digested by the snake. Just my opinion.

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i did exactly this, but with bed A beast. It doesn't seem to working, and u r right, it is a pain to store..I have no idea what I'm gonna do with the extra, its just sitting in my shower in a bucket. Humidity right now is at 40. bringing up humidity and maitaining it is driving me crazy,

Try what Raul suggested - a wider water bowl. Keep the humid hide in there, and add a larger water bowl. Just don't place it directly under the lamp or it'll dry up very quickly.

Don't get me wrong... there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with having a branch in the tank. If you like it, by all means go for it!

I just find that the traditional setup... two identical hides, and a water bowl is what works for me.

I am telling you... all you have to do to fix the humidity is put the foil / tape on your top. cover the whole top except where the CHE hangs.... then experiment with water bowl sizes and location. If humidity is still too low, switch the aspen out for some news paper. Try it. Total investment if it doesn't work is 30 minutes of your time, and and 2 dollars worth of tape and foil.... and quater for the news paper! With my setup humidity is always 50 - 65 percent. I never have to mist. When they are in shead I place one damp wash cloth on top of one of the hides... that quickly raises it to 80%.

Mike

I thought the OP already had foil on the top of the tank. If not, then a lot of trouble can be saved by doing that before anything else.

yea I'mma give it a try. If that doens't work..I'm gonna look into a humidifier or switcing off aspen to like eco earth.

For some reason people are always saying have the UTH thermostates b/c it can hit 100 degrees easily. I unplugged my CHE from the thermostat to see if I can hit 92 degrees with just the UTH so Ican geet rid of the air drying CHE. but it wouldn't budge over 84.

I have four ball python tanks set up. all identical, all perfect. I have the UTH on the hot side, set to a constant 94 degrees with a simple 10 dollar lamp dimmer from home depot. it covers approx half of the tank. I have the CHE Off center towards the cold side. I have it hooked up to a $20 500R thermostat. the thermostat probe is on the floor of the tank, in the back corner of the cold side. It is set to 82 degrees. Water bowl in the middle... 2 identical hides. for a 20 gallon long you should be using a 60 watt CHE. For a 30 gallon long you should be using a 100watt CHE. put foam board on sides and back of the tank. Cover the top with foil, then duct tape, leaving only a hole for the CHE. Your origional pic looks like the acutal CHE lamp is too big. you may be able to use it... but the whole in the foil may be too big. ( you may need to get a smaller lamp)

You must have the CHE on a thermostat. a 60 watt CHE at full power is about 130 degrees an inch below the bulb.

I"m using a 50 watt CHE. The lamp housing is pretty big, they didn't have any smaller ones at the store, so i bought one just cause I needed one.

Yes I am running a thermostat..my room is cold so i have UTh's on both sides...One is running on a rheostat set at 82, and the hot side is regulated by a herbstat set at 92. Herbstat was the best thing I have bought for my enclosure, so easy and efficient


Edit- I have now also tapes down tin foil on top.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcavana

Cover the top with foil, then duct tape, leaving only a hole for the CHE. .

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Theres so much contradicting info on the net. Some sites say this, some sites say that. It gets alittle frustrating to read different info from diff sites. I've actually read somewhere that u should not cover the whole top with with tinfoil (leavingg room for the lamp of course) because it will cause stagnant air

yeah, the whole stagnant air thing... That is what held me back from foiling my top at first. Basicly, in this case, it is BS.

As you probably already know, Many ball keepers use tubs in racks... including myself. yes there are holes melted into the tubs... but bottom line, there is VERY LITTLE air flow. a tank with a huge CHE hole in the top (screened of course) provides MORE THEN ENOUGH air flow.

I understand your frustration. Problem is there are even plenty of books out there with mis information. Your best bet is to come to this forum and talk to lots of people. I have studied every resource available... and NONE of them compare to the combination of folks I have learned from on this site.

yea thanks for the support. Im just hoping to find a reliable setup with proper 82/92/55-60 humidity. I was thinking more about eco earth kind of stuff....stuff looks to messy and if he pisses...I wont be able to see it and spot clean. lol

Whats your take on humidifiers. If I can a way to keep humidity up with something other then misting, I would want to switch to a cheaper newspaper substrate

Heres the humidifier i am looking at
Link to Humidifier

I think a humidifier would be great. It'd improve the air quality too. Personally, I've been looking at getting one for myself for my bedroom (which is where the snakes are so we'd all benefit). But people sized ones are pricey. :mad:

you shouldn't need a humidifier. what is your humidity now that you folied the top? where is your water bowl located? give us an updated pic of your setup.

the eco earth crap... that was one of 20 different substrates i tried. it was my least favorite. it was just plain messy. it is basicly wood and dirt. the dirt will get everywere. when you pull the snake out to handle, even he will have dirt on him..... not to mention the tank walls that you will have to clean often. the only way to really get the stuff out when the snake poops and peas is to break down the entire tank and spray it out. WAY too much trouble for me!

Have i mentioned news paper? :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mcavana

the eco earth crap... that was one of 20 different substrates i tried. it was my least favorite. it was just plain messy. it is basicly wood and dirt. the dirt will get everywere. when you pull the snake out to handle, even he will have dirt on him..... not to mention the tank walls that you will have to clean often. the only way to really get the stuff out when the snake poops and peas is to break down the entire tank and spray it out. WAY too much trouble for me!

Have i mentioned news paper? :)

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LOVE eco earth!!! (if that's the coconut substrate, I dont remember names very well) Love the compressed coconut substrate!!!!

I loved the look for the tank, loved the ease to spot clean, loved the color change when it was dry. It kept humidity perfect for me.

I have nothing but good to say about eco earth!! (again, if that is indeed coconut fiber)

I just loved everything about it and still use it :D:D:D

my humidity is steady at 40. Tin foil on top, water bowl in the middle but favoring the hot side with the CHE.

yea, the eco-earth is one of those things that is just personal preference. if you find something that works for you, then go for it. as long as your snake is happy, its all good

ok... your getting close! Now you can either try a larger water bowl, a second water bowl, or switch the substrate out for news paper. I believe your aspen is sucking up too much of the humidity. Give eco earth a chance too if you want... just because I hate it does not mean that you won't love it!

I'mma try newspaper and try that out. Eco earth looks nice, but looks too messy.

what happened?????

tried newspaper, it didn't change anything. Humidity still stuck at around 40-45. I put another water dish in the cage..I can see all the condensation in the water bowl since its clear and I can see the water level decreasing but to no avail humidity wont budge.

You sure the hydrometer works???!!!!


try unplugging the cool side UTH... You don't need it with a warm side UTH and a CHE. Once you unplug that... you will have the same setup as me... with the exception of that BIG CHE lamp..... do you have the big water bowl under the CHE?

hmmm I'm up at school right now, so I have a different setup somewhat from back home, I got 2 pages of newspaper covering the bottom and just a little layer of aspen on top of it. Probe on my herbstat is right outside his hide on the hot side. As you cans see I tinfoiled the top and i have the smaller lamp CHe up here with me, the big one is previous pictures is back home. It rained up here, so i opened the windows which raised the humidity to 60...the day after, humidity dropped to a staggering 35. I ended up tryin a tropicaire humidifer with pump that i will show in the following pictures.. it broughte humidity up to 53 which is pretty good and the pump isn't on a low setting right now. He definitly notices the change. I handled him for a little while i cleaned out his whole cage and installed everything. I put him back in and for past hour he just sits next to the humidifier output rod. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or bad thing.
Here are the pics,
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0460.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0461.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0462.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...1/CIMG0463.jpg

THe humidifier pump and jug thing was only 50 USD, so I thought it would worth a shot.

your tank looks good, a tip I can give you is to buy some stirofoam panel from Home Depot or wherever and put it around your tank .It makes a whole lot of difference especialy if you live in a cold basement.Also move the waterfall to the hot side of the tank, that will increase the evaporation rate.And if you have still humidity issues switch to Nature Bark substrate (make sure it is heat treated ).The bark holds humidity better than aspen