few questions

A few questions I need to get straightened out...

The probe on my digital thermometer, should it be placed underneath the hide and underneath the substrate, or just underneath the hide?

Is it safe to have a heat lamp sitting directly on the screen top, I have done the foil treatment and I need the lamp to keep my ambient temps up...

Should the lamp be on the hot side, the cool side, or in the middle?

It seems like my snake is spending a lot of his time on one side of the tank...but my temperatures are fine. Is he retarded? lol. Nah but he spent the majority of the day on the cool side until I moved the hide to adjust my placement of the thermometer and that disturbed him so he moved.

Thanks
:rockon:

The probe should be directly on the UTH. If you leave it on top of the substrate then the actual will be working harder(aka putting out more heat) till the heat the probe senses is the correct temp. This is unsafe because if the snake pushes the substrate away then he/she could be burnt by the UTH.

What i did was put tape the probe on the UTH but under the tank not in the enclosure so that the snake can't mess with the probe and i get the most accurate temps possible.

Putting the lamp on top of the screen is not a big deal. You can really place it anywhere you like except on the cool side if you say you ambient temps are correct. If you have humidity problems with using the lamp you can try and put it directly on top of the water dish to try and alleviate that problem.

Lastly, no your snake is not retarded lol. My snake really only goes on her cool side to poop it seems hehe. Otherwise she is cuddling on the warm side. I wouldn't worry about that. Good luck with everything, i think i answered the questions hehe.

Probe for the THERMOMETER should be under the substrate, above the UTH inside the enclosure.

Probe for the THERMOSTAT, should be under the enclosure, sandwiched between the enclosure and the UTH.

The thermometer probe should be all the way under the substrate. You just have to keep in mind that the temp on top of the substrate will be a few degrees less than what your thermometer says.

As long as the heat bulb is being held an inch or two away from the screen (by the actual lamp/fixture itself) then yes it should be fine to put it right on top. That's how I use mine and I haven't had any problems. If you're concerned, then let the lamp run for an hour on top of the cage and then feel the screen under where it was. If it feels hot to you then it's probably not safe for your snake either.

I have my heat bulb over the cool side, but different things work for different setups. I definitely wouldn't put it over the hot side though if you already have a under tank heater. I would try it over both the cool side and the middle and see what works best for keeping your ambient and cool side temps where they need to be.

And no, your snake is not "retarded" haha :P The cool side is probably just the temp he wants to be at right now. As long as your temps and humidity are fine than he is just doing what ball pythons do :)

Hope this helps!!

Alright thanks for the help guys.

I have another question.

Should I bump up the humidity during the entire shedding process, or just during the final stages?

I always just wait until my animals eyes clear up, and then I up the humidity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 2kdime

I always just wait until my animals eyes clear up, and then I up the humidity.

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Sounds good. :gj:
Wow thanks for the fast response!

Wont let me edit my post...so

Whats the best way to measure the cold side temp with an accurite indoor/outdoor?
Is putting it right next to the hide sufficient or does cold side temp refer to inside the hide on that side? I ask because I moved my heat lamp to the cold side and had the thermometer resting on top of the hide, and it read 90degrees, and I wasnt sure if that would be the same as inside the hide too.

Also where is the humidity input on these? Is it the little open area on the underside of it? seems like a bad place for it if you want to lay it on substrate

The probe should be used for the hot side and the actual thermometer should be placed near the cool side hide. I wouldn't put it right on top of the hide, but next to or in the general vicinity of it should be fine. I lean mine upright against the glass.

Yeah 90 is a little too hot for the cool side, but it is probably a couple degrees cooler inside the hide as opposed to where you had the thermometer. If it the temp continues to read 90 on the cool side even with moving the lamp around then I would maybe switch to a lower wattage bulb :)

Ok this thermometer is kind of annoying me. I hang it on the cold side of the tank , and it only measures the humidity of that side, because if I move it to the warm side it changes. My heat lamp is near the middle, closer to the cold side. For example, I sprayed the tank, and the humidity didn't change, so I moved the thermometer to the hot side and it shot up by 30%...

Also is it ok to feed ball pythons during the cloudy eyed stages of shedding?

Okay I don't know why but it wont let me edit my posts in this thread...

Anyways, My hot side temp says 95, and the probe is taped down to the glass with aluminum tape. However when I feel the top of the substrate, its not warm at all. Should I be concerned?

Hi,

You can only edit posts for about 9-10 minutes after they are first made.

Now onto the meat and potatoes of the post.:)

Firstly I hate the idea of tape inside the enclosure - low tack painters tape might be alright but anything stickier than that is a nightmare waiting to happen. :(

Secondly - here is why you don't want to tape it down at first anyway. :P

Once you have checked the temp on the glass under the substrate is not hot enough to burn your snake you move the probe to the surface inside the hot hide. :banana:

You then adjust the depth (and possibly type ) of the substrate until the reading inside the hide is between 90-94f and you're golden. :gj:

I also check the temps inside the cool hide once the warm end is dialed in to double check the temps where the snake will be hiding when he isn't in the hot hide.

But if the temps ever feel warm to your touch they are possibly too warm - I just temp gunned my hand and got a reading of 94.1. Your skin might vary but generally the tank should not feel hot to the touch for you most of the time I suspect.

Once you are happy that the temps are within range you can then fix the probe of the thermometer down somewhere that would let you see any changes you might need to react to. :)

I suggest something like a hot glue gun - no danger to the snake once it has set and cures and easy to remove later if you need to.

And yes humidity will change in different spots and heights in your enclosure - but as long as the snake has somewhere to go where the humidity is right and he feels secure then you have no real need to worry.

Hope this helps a bit.


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

You can only edit posts for about 9-10 minutes after they are first made.

Now onto the meat and potatoes of the post.:)

Firstly I hate the idea of tape inside the enclosure - low tack painters tape might be alright but anything stickier than that is a nightmare waiting to happen. :(

Secondly - here is why you don't want to tape it down at first anyway. :P

Once you have checked the temp on the glass under the substrate is not hot enough to burn your snake you move the probe to the surface inside the hot hide. :banana:

You then adjust the depth (and possibly type ) of the substrate until the reading inside the hide is between 90-94f and you're golden. :gj:

I also check the temps inside the cool hide once the warm end is dialed in to double check the temps where the snake will be hiding when he isn't in the hot hide.

But if the temps ever feel warm to your touch they are possibly too warm - I just temp gunned my hand and got a reading of 94.1. Your skin might vary but generally the tank should not feel hot to the touch for you most of the time I suspect.

Once you are happy that the temps are within range you can then fix the probe of the thermometer down somewhere that would let you see any changes you might need to react to. :)

I suggest something like a hot glue gun - no danger to the snake once it has set and cures and easy to remove later if you need to.

And yes humidity will change in different spots and heights in your enclosure - but as long as the snake has somewhere to go where the humidity is right and he feels secure then you have no real need to worry.

Hope this helps a bit.


dr del

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Ahh, thank you so much. I was just wondering because usually my snakes feel warm to the touch when I pick them up, but he wasn't.

Another question or two (ya..again)

How far would temperatures need to drop for a snake to be at risk for an RI?
How high would temperatures have to be for a snake's skin to burn?

Well I guess the burn would be more from prolonged exposure to a temp.

Thanks.

Hi,

To be honest I am not completely sure.

I know the burn would happen faster than the RI.

I would play it safe and avoid temps above 100f and below 75f if you can for prolonged periods of time.

High temperatures can also cause severe neurological problems - which do not go away afterwards.

My snakes at the moment seem to be trying to regulate their body temps to around 86 - gord I love shooting things with that temp gun, I think I am slipping into my second childhood. :oops:


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blushingball419

The thermometer probe should be all the way under the substrate. You just have to keep in mind that the temp on top of the substrate will be a few degrees less than what your thermometer says.

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I find that this more or less works with plastic tubs, but glass seems to work as an insulator. With glass enclosures, I put the probe inside the enclosure. (Actually, I have a tempgun (which I reccommend), but that's what I did when I used a digital thermometer.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

To be honest I am not completely sure.

I know the burn would happen faster than the RI.

I would play it safe and avoid temps above 100f and below 75f if you can for prolonged periods of time.

High temperatures can also cause severe neurological problems - which do not go away afterwards.

My snakes at the moment seem to be trying to regulate their body temps to around 86 - gord I love shooting things with that temp gun, I think I am slipping into my second childhood. :oops:


dr del

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Ok this is the second time today that I have heard mention RI .... What is that?

Hi,

OK I know I am about to spell this wrong but here goes.

RI stands for respiratory infection - sometimes you will also see URI - upper respiratory infection.

Signs include bubbly mucus in the mouth and the back of the throat, sounds when breathing (clicks pops and wheezes ), open mouthed breathing and sitting with the head elevated to try and help with the breathing.

You can also sometimes see traces of the mucus in the waterbowl or smeared on the cage furnishings.


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

OK I know I am about to spell this wrong but here goes.

RI stands for respiratory infection - sometimes you will also see URI - upper respiratory infection.

Signs include bubbly mucus in the mouth and the back of the throat, sounds when breathing (clicks pops and wheezes ), open mouthed breathing and sitting with the head elevated to try and help with the breathing.

You can also sometimes see traces of the mucus in the waterbowl or smeared on the cage furnishings.


dr del

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Ok.....thank you for the information..... does not sound fun....typing one handed since the baby is out hanging with me right now:banana:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,
You can also sometimes see traces of the mucus in the waterbowl or smeared on the cage furnishings.

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...Or on your hand. When my girl had an RI, I was her kleenex. Trust me, RIs are something you want to avoid. Lots of vet bills plus a suffering baby.

Quote:

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typing one handed since the baby is out hanging with me right now

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lol I do that all the time!

Yeah.. I think that I end up retyping everything when I let the baby hang with me on my lap, cause it always ends up wrapping up around my hand.

So I havn't seen my snake drink since I got him over a week ago. He is in shed currently so he isn't moving around much. How deep should I have his water? Do snakes fast water like they do food, I assume not?

They don't need much water at all. They get most of their fluids from their food. That's why BPs that are fasting are sometimes dehydrated.

The water should be about halfway up the thickest part of his body.

Alright I don't know about anyone elses experiences with the trex sani chips bedding, but this stuff doesn't let any heat through whatsoever. The glass temp was 95 degrees, and then I relocated the probe to the top of the substrate and it only read 84! I ended up putting paper under the hot hide instead of the chips.

I still think my snake has a mental deficiency lol. He took a frozen/thawed today for the first time, eventually. He struck at its middle section, didn't even wrap it. Then proceeded to play with it for another 10 minutes, carrying it around the feeding container trying to find the mouse's head. Finally he found its head and is now chomping down on it. xD

Hi,

Did you heat the prey items head more than the rest of it? That seems to help mine tell which end is which. :)


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Did you heat the prey items head more than the rest of it? That seems to help mine tell which end is which. :)


dr del

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Ahh, good idea, thanks, I will try that next time.:gj:

Holy crap, why didn't anyone tell me I have to call the hazmat people every time he decides to take a poo. :O

Man, he destroyed his cage

He peed and pooped and urates
And shed all in one night

Full shed :gj:
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/365/snakeshed.th.jpg

I have not seen him yet today to see how shiny he is, though.

My girl rarely makes a mess of her poo. It may be a sign of stress in a new home, though. After my beardie's first poo, I had to clean every inch of the 8 square feet of floor. But now he's better about going in one spot.

That's kind of funny. My girl shed last night too. :) I just had her out a few minutes ago. I love freshly shed snakes! :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps

My girl rarely makes a mess of her poo. It may be a sign of stress in a new home, though. After my beardie's first poo, I had to clean every inch of the 8 square feet of floor. But now he's better about going in one spot.

That's kind of funny. My girl shed last night too. :) I just had her out a few minutes ago. I love freshly shed snakes! :D

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Yes sadly I can't handle him today as he ate yesterday.:(

However he didn't mess all over the place, it was all in one spot, under the warm hide,quite easy to clean up. It just stunk somethin horrible, the heat didn't help the cause either.

He still wont leave his cool side hide unless disturbed...
Temp is 94 on warm, 84 on cool.

He has been in there for two days straight, no signs of him having moved into his warm side at night either(i can tell because I have paper under that hide and there are no pieces of sanichips in there. sanichips don't allow heat through, i need to change substrates!!!!!!!!!)

I change his water every day. I check for waste every day. I mist regularly and his humidity is never below 50%. Both hides are identical inside and out, and the surroundings of the hides are the same on both sides.

I took the cool side hide out to clean it today and directed him into the warm side while I was doing this, and he stayed in there for about 30 seconds...and then proceeded to crawl out and just side on the cool side out in the open!:8:

Hi,

Can we double check how and where you are measuring the temperatures?

Is he showing any signs of an impending shed?


dr del

I believe that snakes, like us, have preferences that vary, depending on the individual. According to the books and caresheets, 90-95* is perfect for underneath the warm hide. My girl spends most of her time under her warm hide, but if it gets a tenth of a degree above 93, she moves. And I use a tempgun which works very well.

If I were you, I'd try bumping the warm hide temps down a few degrees to 90 or 91 and see if he starts using it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Can we double check how and where you are measuring the temperatures?

Is he showing any signs of an impending shed?


dr del

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The way I have my warm side hide set up, since the sani chips weren't letting any heat through...I have a sheet of paper laying over the heat pad so he can't touch the glass, then I have the probe on that,and then another sheet of paper to hold the probe in place, and a few of the chips on top of that for texture. So the probe is sandwiched between two sheets of paper. The actual thermometer unit is hanging off the side of the tank via a few paperclips bent into a hook shape, it hangs near the bottom and near the cool side hide.

I have the uth at 92-93 degrees and he is actually in the warm now and has been most of today. I think maybe it was too warm for him earlier when it was at 95, since the paper probably doesn't dissipate any of it.

He shed Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, he ate Tuesday morning.

Thanks :salute: