Newbie.... feedback on my Habitat please

Hey all.... My wife gave this little fella for Father's Day. So I've been reading as much as I can in hopes to do him justice. I now have his 'home' setup and was just wondering how it looked. Originally I only had the one hide in there and that was about it. :( Poor guy.... but now I added the other hide, some plants and a bigger water bowl in case he wants to soak a little. He seems to really like it now. Temp is pretty much staying at about 84. Got the lamp and UTH heater on the right side. He seems to favor the left (cooler) side now, since I added the other hide over there. I'm still working with the humidity.... I try to keep it above 60 but sometimes I catch it trying to drop on me. That's the main struggle I'm having. I have tin foil on the top, except for where I have the light shining in. Should I maybe cover it all and have the light just shine in from the glass? Here are some pics. :snake:

Current setup
http://a79.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/...5859897bd6.jpg

Peeking out from his new hide on the 'cool side'
http://a771.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...a92fb6e662.jpg

Before the renovation... when he was a 'poor snake' with only one hide
http://a761.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...2f04f26e18.jpg

Looks good! :gj: I have a couple comments/suggestions though... The new hide looks a little too big for him which might be why he prefers the cooler side. They like small, tight, confined spaces that they can curl up in and feel around them. The new hide seems a little too exposed. Also, have you measured the temps in the cool hide? With the UTH and lamp on the same side, it seems like the cool side might not get warm enough.

UTH can definitley get to HOT without being controlled

other than no thermostat the setup looks awesome!

I purposely didn't tape the UTH to the bottom of the tank after reading some things in here. I have now put a towel under it to press it up against the bottom though. The rack is vented so not too much heat buildup on shelf. I figured it it was too hot inside I could remove towel and that would move the pad away from the glass bottom cooling it a bit more.

Just got out a thermo and checked. With the towel pressing the pad to the bottom the temp read about 97 in the hot area. :( no wonder he is likin the other side! :oops: I'm going to move the towel out and see what it drops to.

I turned the overhead heat lamp off..... while checking
Ambient on the wall is about 80. Temp inside the cool hide is about 78 it seems. So it seems ambient is about 2 over hide temp... and now I'm checking the 'hot side' after it's cooled off a bit. Crappit. It's still like 92. I will pull the pad out and put it on the underside of the rack. Since it's got holes, the heat should still get through and hopefully drop a little more.

The hide does look rather large, but just inside and to the left is a cubby hole he likes. Curls up and seems quite content. Those are his two spots. Do you think I should still get some tiny ones? I was planning on putting a dowel rod in between the two so he could climb on it. :D I see what you mean about exposure... I think I may turn them 1/4 turn so it cuts him off more.

Thanks for the advice and help everyone!!! I NEED IT!

I didn't realize the UTH wasn't being controlled. The towel might work temporarily, but it may end up insulating the UTH and making it either fail or cause a fire down the road. I would strongly suggest that you get at least a rheostat (lamp dimmer) to regulate the UTH temps, but preferably you should use a quality thermostat. You can pick up a Johnson or Ranco for around $70 which might seem like a lot, but it's peanuts if you consider your snake will live for 20+ years. ;)

With it under the grate/shelf, the temp is at about 85. I will get a thermostat soon. I'm tapped out right now. Just had a couple unexpected bills. Maybe I'm just being a bit paranoid. :rolleye2:

Does anyone use just a heating pad (controlled naturally) and keep theirs at the right temps? Do i have to use the overhead lamp?

Why didn't you attach the UTH to the glass?

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Originally Posted by TheKingInYellow

Why didn't you attach the UTH to the glass?

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I thought I had read somewhere in here that they were almost impossible to get back off when you needed to replace one. I'm going to have to get a rheostat or thermostat so will probably peel back small portions of tape and stick on there then.

What about a Repti-Therm 500R ? Anyone use one of those?

I have two running UTHs on my un-occupied new tank. They seem to be okay, but without a numerical display, you need a good way to check the temps. I bought an IR tempgun, adn between the two it's a pretty good combination.

As for removing the UTHs? I imagine a razor will work on it just fine, maybe some isopropyl alcohol to take off the sticky residue and you are good to go.

Congrats on the new snake!!
You do need a thermostat; there is no getting around that.

Also, those little dials you have way up at the top of the tank are useless. Not only are they reading temps and humidity at the top of the cage (where your snake isn't) but they are also very inaccurate. A good choice would be a digital thermometer/hygrometer. Accurite makes one and is available at Lowe's, Wal-mart, etc. for about 12 dollars.

The theory behind a hide is to give a dark hiding place for the snake to escape to and feel safe and secure. The hides you have, while pleasing to the human eye, are not very good for ball pythons. They really need a small and private place to be.

Also, snakes like this don't soak. They do like to drink though! A smaller water bowl would do nicely!!

Lastly, humidity just needs to be kept at about 50-55% :gj:

if you stick on the heat pad and use a razor to remove the stuck heat pad it ruins the pad and it cant be used anymore. your better of taping the heat pad to the tank with duct tape or aluminum tape so that you can remove the heat pad and re-use it if need be.

heat pads should always have some sort of control device attached to them. they create a surface area hot spot that can get dangerously hot if it is not regulated.

This is GREAT~! :taz: I'll get some small bowls and cut a hole in 'em for him to use. I also already have a small water dish that my wife got when she picked him up. I read somewhere about a larger one for soaking but guess that was for another type snake? Will get a better temp/hygro meter for ambient and put it down low, where the snake is.

Also... does it piss 'em off when you get them out during the day? I want him to be use to me and others.... socialized I guess you could say. How often do ya'll get yours out to say 'hi' to? He seems to enjoy moving around a lot and is curious about me when I get him out. Or is this a no no with young ones :colbert: and I should not get him out much??? Just want him to be people-friendly and I'm being selfish cause I LIKE getting him out.

I work out of the house and call them my 'snake breaks' now. ha

Thanks to you all!! Keep the suggestions rollin'!:bow:

Leave him alone for a week or two so he can establish security in his new home. Feed him every week and change water and substrate though. After that, they seem to not get overly stressed if taken out a few times a week, or more, or less, depending on the individual snake ;)

How the heck do I tell if a snake is 'stressed'???? :confused:

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Originally Posted by ThuSandman

How the heck do I tell if a snake is 'stressed'???? :confused:

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He'll let you know. ;) A BP will show stress in different ways such as aggressive behavior, active during the day (they're nocturnal), or lack of appetite. A mellow, hungry Ball Python is a happy Ball Python. :)

DUDE, you need a thermostat

http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora....ture%20Control

the Alife one works pretty good

Better thermostats: Helix or Herpstat :gj:

Have I got a slow snake? :snake:
He seems to prefer the cool side during the day.... it's only 75 in there where he is now. The other hide is a nice toasty 85! Humidity is 60..... Why would he not be over there? Isn't 75 a bit cold for him? Do i need to buy him a sweater? :weirdface

How BIG of a heat pad are ya'll using? This Zoo Med is rather small for a 20 tank.... but it said it was for 10-20.

I have my BP in a 30 gal tank. Then again my BP is a year old. Get a thermostat. You can get them at www.bigappleherp.com for around $39.99 and they ship in two days. Very reliable and will save you on the electric bill too as it regulates the UTH. The one I have is adjustable up to 98F degrees I also recommend you get a digital thermometer with a probe that you can stick right on the glass where the UTH is so you always have a constant reading. Very helpful because it takes over 6 hours for most UTH to heat up to their regular temp.

Your UTH should be 1/3rd the tank size

He's probably on the cool side because the hide is smaller and so he feels more secure.
You need 2 small hides and you need to get your temps up to 82 cool side and 92 warm side with ambients of about 80; failure to do this could result in your snake becoming ill.
Like everyone keeps saying, you need a UTH connected to a thermostat.

Thermo is on the way. I should have mentioned that yesterday. :)
Had his first meal today. That was amazing to watch. He hit it in the middle though.... wrapped around for a while.... then ate. He ended up swallowing it from the butt end though. I thought they always swallowed them head first. Is he "learning" still? :weirdface

I've found that when they swallow prey from the wrong end it is usually because the prey item is too small. What size mice/rats are you feeding him?

From the picture, it looks like he can easily eat a rat pup or a small adult mouse. Do you know how much he weighs?

No one else has mentioned this but I would suggest you replace the white light with a red one. He will get enough ambient light for his light cycle with just regular room light and it will keep the cage a constant temp both day and night. As was mentioned before, cool side should be 80-82 and hot side should be 92-94.

I haven't weighed him yet. Shop said to feed him 'fuzzies' so that is what I got. I will weigh him day after tomorrow since he just ate today. (See.... I'm learning from all you out there). I have a red light I put in at night, and then put the white one back in the morning. However, I am hoping that I can adequately heat and stabilize humidity using UTH with my new thermostat. That way I can cover up the lid and keep humidity in better. When I turn the lamp on it seems to just suck all the moisture out.

Boy.... after he ate.... he pretty much curled up right there and hasn't moved. He isn't even IN a hide!! I guess that means he feels pretty secure and likes his new home and owner, eh?