Restless BP that don't seem to like the optimum temps

Hey there!
My bp is restless...I think it is because it is too hot for her, she seems to like it a little cooler. I put a uth under the cool side a week or so ago; her substrate is the coconut husk, is a thick layer & since it is a wooden enclosure, I put the uth underneath the enclosure itself so I know that its not hot, her temps are (and I swear this is how she likes it, If I make it any warmer she doesn't stop moving from side to side) 85 warm, 78 cool (and she NEVER hangs out on the warm side unless she is just passing by)...humidity is good at 67-69. Since my cats love to sit and watch her moving around for hours, I covered her enclosure with a towel & now she is laying on top of her hide on the cool side, she does not like the warmth on her belly, I swear!! She has been this way since I got her about 7 or 8 years ago. So, how about it? I know some are gonna think I'm out there, but I've had her a long time with no illnesses & have tried everything to make her comfortable...remember, this is the snake that laid eggs last year with no male around (parthenogenesis). :) Oh, yeah, she eats like a champ.

Your temps are too cold!

She is moving because she is stressed out.

Normal behavior for BP's is to sit in there hide and do nothing. Cruising around is not necessarily a good thing.

Cool side should be 83 and warm 92. I will bet you have a big glass tank and your snake feels very insecure.

Read again, She only hides out and does nothing if the temps are this way, when I have them up she is restless. My enclosure is wooden & is fine btw.
Thanks

I just got mine yesterday, but she seems to be the same
Late last night she finally decided to curl up into her cool side hide, but at that point the hot side was only about 86-87 (I don't have a probe on the cold side. I've got a thermometer, but I can't really measure it while she's in there) So I have to imagine the cold side is only 78ish (the ambient temp now is about 78, but it was low 80s all yesterday when she was crawling all over, sticking her nose up towards the edges of the lid to see if there was anywhere to get out)

But then, it's all brand new to her, so maybe she's just checking everything out.

Mine all do fine at 94/84, no constant "looking for a way out", they are generally just stretched across the tub or in a loose coil on either side. Happy snakes..

Are you sure she's not stressed in the enclosure? How big is it? It may be fine for you, but might not be fine for her. She prefers smaller, dark, warm, cramped spaces that mimic a burrow or termite mound. Maybe try putting her in a smaller enclosure or a 41qt underbed box to see if she calms down? What are her hides like? How are you measuring those temps?

Just got a new snake in yesterday... went right to his hide and hasnt moved since... Its normal for a new snake to cruise and check out the new digs for a little bit but he shouldnt be out during the day... I have a couple that may poke their heads out for a lil bit but none reall come out of their hides and keep moving... What are you measuring temps/humidity with?? I thought my first snakes was just personable and liked being out... after a trip to the vet and a diagnosis of an RI my humidity was too low... My guess is your temps/humidity are off... 13$ digital Accurite from Walmart will give you the best accurate reading for hot side and cool side... Mount the unit on the cool side and the probe goes on the heat pad for warm side.

yeah I have an accurite, set up like you said, my humidity is 60+ My cool side is at 78 and my warm side is up to 89
She seems to be happy now though, so I'll leave it at the "normal" temps for her

I'm using an accurite thermometer & a JC thermostat....I have 2 exact hides on either side & 1 in the middle that she likes to rub on come shed time. I have pics from when she was on eggs last year, before I put in the new hides on either side. Her enclosure is about 24" long x 12" wide x 12" high (approx) have had her in it for 7-8 years.
Please, Please really read the post before replying...

I just took out the uth & adjusted her heat lamp, I don't think she likes the belly heat, I just put it in last week or so & it was after that she bacame restless. Don't worry people, It is warm enuff in there & I upped the temps a little; remember guys, I have had her almost 8 years & she has never had ANY problems.

I have done some experimenting with mine and found that he won't seek out the warm side until his temps drop below 75 on the cool side.
Obviously 75 is too low for optimal health, but I think that 78 on the cool side sounds perfectly fine assuming the snake is acting satisfied and not seeking out the warm side.

There are ranges of acceptable temps and it sounds like you've found what works best for your snake after many years with it.

I'm a noob, but I've read all the books and it sounds safe to me.

Thank you...my thoughts exactly!

I will ask you this though:

how are you measuring temps?
Are you measuring surface temps with an infrared device?
if not, the temps on your snake's belly may in fact be much higher than you think.

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Originally Posted by sharilynn

Hey there!
My bp is restless...I think it is because it is too hot for her, she seems to like it a little cooler. I put a uth under the cool side a week or so ago; her substrate is the coconut husk, is a thick layer & since it is a wooden enclosure, I put the uth underneath the enclosure itself so I know that its not hot, her temps are (and I swear this is how she likes it, If I make it any warmer she doesn't stop moving from side to side) 85 warm, 78 cool (and she NEVER hangs out on the warm side unless she is just passing by)...humidity is good at 67-69. Since my cats love to sit and watch her moving around for hours, I covered her enclosure with a towel & now she is laying on top of her hide on the cool side, she does not like the warmth on her belly, I swear!! She has been this way since I got her about 7 or 8 years ago. So, how about it? I know some are gonna think I'm out there, but I've had her a long time with no illnesses & have tried everything to make her comfortable...remember, this is the snake that laid eggs last year with no male around (parthenogenesis). :) Oh, yeah, she eats like a champ.

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Okay, so this is interesting and I'd love to have more background on your snake: WC? CB by whom? How'd they keep her? Did you get her as a baby? Etc.

I keep reading different research suggesting that these snakes are highly adaptable and not the highly breakable objects that we treat them as. They are found in several different environments on the African continents including mangrove swamps!! Yes, that's right: Not all python regius' live in termite mounds though it seems that gravid females seek out the mounds (when available) for the safety that they provide for the eggs. Males prefer low climbing to strictly terrestrial life.

Anyway, I would think that along with the different environments would come a propensity to adapt to different temperature ranges. Perhaps your snake came from such a line and if WC or if first generation CB (or close to it) is still adaptive to these (relative) cooler temps. I find it very difficult to believe that there is a "one size fits all" mentality to the keeping of these snakes and I have found differences in just the few that I keep.

Thank you for sharing your snake's environmental preferences with us (some might argue that it was very brave of you ;)) and please, if you have time, maybe you could fill us in on her background. :)

hey that was a nice post :)
I tried to rep you Starmom but it's not letting me :D

Ight so you have a wooden enclosure... but your heat pad is on the outside??? I'm not sure how thick your wooden enclosure is but the heat pad prolly isnt doing too much not to mention its probably a fire hazard. I have 4 wooden enclosures and I have the pads inside the tank and then a layer of thin vinyl covering the heat pad so they cant pee/poop on the wiring and what not. You say your using a heat lamp as well? You should only need a heat pad for the warm side and if need be you can use a heat lamp to keep the cool side up to 80ish... If you have a heat pad and a light running then yea it may be too hot.

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I just took out the uth & adjusted her heat lamp, I don't think she likes the belly heat

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Your BP need belly heat for it's overall health and to help facilitate digestion.

Put the UTH back in and remove the heat lamp, the heat lamp is not an efficient way to provide your snake with the heat it requires.

Well said McKinsey...As for being brave, I knew what was gonna happen, that's why I tried to be as specific as possible about having her for so long and knowing how she is. I do not know if she was WC or CH, I would think the latter and I don't know the idiot that had her before I rescued her from death by be-heading. I did, however, put the uth back UNDER; on the warm side,with foil to distribute the heat evenly & it is not touching the enclosure since it is lifted & the wood is not thick at all, I can feel the warmth & by touch (I don't have an infared thingy) I have the lamp on the outside, just to add needed warmth in the air, without it it would only get up to 75 & that is too cold. My temp now are 87 warm & 80 cool & I tossed her in some crumpled newspaper and she seems contented, but it is feeding day & she knows it, she is ready. This snake btw, has NEVER had ANY problems since I got her 7 or 8 years ago; She has never refused a meal and even laid me some eggs by suprise. If anyone wants to jump on me cuz they think that I don't know any better...go ahead I think I am pretty well-educated & put my animals first no matter what. Thank you all for caring & feel free to ask me anything!

Just to add my 2 cents... At least a few of the BIG breeders recommend temps lower than we recommend here.

If your snake has been doing well for EIGHT YEARS, and only became restless when you changed the heat source and temps, thats telling you something. She is accustomed to the environment she has been in for eight years, and changing it up now has made her restless. In fact, I would go so far to say that trying to elevate temps to the 92/82 range COULD actually be unhealthy for YOUR snake.

I'd say put back like it was. But you might want to do it somewhat gradually. Don't want a sudden drop in temps.

Steve

I'm gonna add this tid bit just for the heck of it...I tried to add 2 new hides; smaller hides since snakes "can fit in small spaces with no problem" I used 2 big cereal or salad type (Jethro bowls). Anyhow, she is a rather large girl, I'd say pretty close to 6 feet long...she is about as long as I am & I'm 5'10-1/2" She was trying so hard to get into these bowls & finally gave up with her neck & some of her body inside of the bowl & her head & the rest of her rear-end wrapped around the bowl. She can't even get her whole body inside of a LARGE half-log. She really likes the crumpled up newspaper tho. But I really want to get her a couple of nice new hides that she can actually fit into. So I put her trusty logs that she likes back in until I can spend more money on something nicer. Any suggestions for good hides for large balls?

Thanks, Steve; I appreiciate your 2 cents!

Just a suggestion for your hides, some things I use are bowls with the holes melted out of the side, or another is the dark plastic meat trays walmart now puts its meat in. They have all different sizes. And I just melt my hole in the side .

Kitty litter pans flipped upside down with holes cut out work well and are cheap:) Or you could try some bigger salad bowls from walmart. Get creative, check out the dollar store;) I found these adorable green clay pots and chipped out a hole in each, and they look great! Hey, thats another thing you could try, plastic pots for plants.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Your BP need belly heat for it's overall health and to help facilitate digestion.

Put the UTH back in and remove the heat lamp, the heat lamp is not an efficient way to provide your snake with the heat it requires.

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I totally agree with the belly heat issue but I wouldn't ditch my lamp in a million years, simply because without it ambient drops to 70....with it 77 cool, 82 warm (ambient that is) but it does require more humidity maintenance. But it all depends on the situation I would say when it comes to lamps. Lamps alone mind you, are not enough to provide the right temps.

I just read the post in the breeding forum of the latest case of parthenogenesis, if you remember I had the same thing happen to me last year with a sad outcome. Well, I thought that maybe well...hopefully it is getting ready to happen again & that could be why she is so restless. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for eggs to develop or how the process goes once a female is fertilized?

I found and bought 2 big super jethro bowls that Mila will fit nicely in...waiting for my hubby to dremel holes in the top for me!! Dollar store a buck fifty a piece.

I'm willing to bet that the floor is much warmer than the air temps you're measuring. Turn down the belly heat until she's comfortable. I really recommend an infrared thingy. The prices have come down quite a bit and they really are the best way to measure what your snake is feeling on the floor and in the hides.

Does Petco carry them? I can put the probe on top of the floor under the substrate to measure the temps. But I wouldn't mind getting an infared thingy. LOL @ thingy.

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Originally Posted by fishmommy

I'm willing to bet that the floor is much warmer than the air temps you're measuring. Turn down the belly heat until she's comfortable. I really recommend an infrared thingy. The prices have come down quite a bit and they really are the best way to measure what your snake is feeling on the floor and in the hides.

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Agreed, make sure you know what the belly heat (UTH) is inside the enclosure under the warm hide preferably, using a probe. If your measurement of this temp is off, it may be warmer than you think. Sorry I can't recall if you said you had measured this temperature directly. Infrared heat sensors start at $25 (proexotics) and you can buy them on ebay or right from a few reptile sites. These sensors can help you find hot spots, or really any surface temperature in your enclosure:)

Uh-Huh....e-bay, now why didn't I think of that!! Thanks!!

Here's the one that I have... The size of a pen and works great, plus pretty cheap, $25 plus shipping.
http://www.reptilebasics.com/RBI-201-p-16245.html

I got my infrared thingy at Radio Shack. More expensive, but convenient!

Steve

Thank you!!