Bedding, Hides, & New Tank Setup...but some problems!

[DarkEros07]

Okay, So I redid Loki's tank last night. Gave him new bedding(aspen) he was on pine untill i found out he isnt supposed to be. I gave him 2 new identical hides, new water dish, blacked out the back of his tank and the sides leaving only the front without being blacked out, new digi thermomoter that reads, "out side air" aka his tank, and "inside air" the room air, and humidity. Now that I've said that, I am having a few problems and have a question.

Okay so, he wont use his hides, I'm thinking they are too small for him now, his old one was a folgers tub tipped over, but i was told it was too tall, so i got some plastic bowls from walmart that were there and we cut them and everything. he went into it when first in there, checked it out, then decided he didnt liek it i guess. What should I do?

It was cool watching him check out his new tank set up. He seems to like his water dish & everything. He was cruisin his tank last night. Tho he seemed confused as to why he couldnt see out of the back and sides of the tank. poor Loki!

My last question of this long book is: Have you heard of Four Paws Nature Bark & Can it be used or is it too moist? I am trying to get humidity up in tank and cant seem to keep it up. Even If I used it on only one side and the other side aspen? I dont know, thats why I'm askin ya'll!

Getting UTH on monday. Tank is staying apropriate heat range for now. Thanks for everything!

-kristen-

[Simple Man]

You can put its water bowl over the UTH to help raise humidity. You're better off blocking off the top of its tank if you aren't using a tub. Blocking it off will help hold humidity. It will use the hides when it's comfortable. Just leave the snake alone. People typically worry or fret too much and it makes the snake stressed out. Just let the snake acclimate to its new surroundings. You can keep the thermometer in its tank so you can see hot side and humidity via the probe and the unit sitting on the cool side to see its temperature. This gives you more important information than the temp/humidity in your room. Overall sounds like you're moving in the right direction!

Regards,

B

[gman8585]

snakes like the real snug hides, but not too small they cant hide ther ewhole body under. i have given up on perfect humidity levels 50% to 60% percent i keep towels on top of the tanks covering about 70% of the top of the tank. those exo-terra half rock hides seem to keep my bp's happy.

[gman8585]

oh yea i just use newspaper for my bp's and aspen for my jungle carpet python cuz the lil guy needs decent humidity.

[Vypyrz]

Like they said above, anytime you make a change to their enclosure, it takes a few days for the snake to re-adjust to their new surroundings.

Something else you can cover the screen with is aluminum foil. Just leave a hole for the lamp.

When you get the UTH, you will also need a way to control it. An unregulated UTH can get way too hot. A digital thermostat is the easiest way to do this. You can order a good basic thermostat for about $25-$30 here:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7

Another option for controlling a UTH is to use a simple lamp dimmer switch. You can pick one up for about $10 at places like Lowe's or Home Depot in the lighting section. Here is a link to a thread with some photos of what they look like:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Instructions

Hope this helps...

[DarkEros07]

Thanks! I already have tinfoil over the top. I just forgot to mention it. I have the temp thing outside of the tank cuz I have a chinchillia and i need to know the temp of that room to make sure he isnt getting over heated. We are moving the Chinchillia outta there and into another rooom today tho. I have a another stick on temp thingy on the other side of the tank. It only goes to 86 but thats the cool side that I put it on. I figured that would be okay for now. I will deff be gettin somethin to controll the uth.

thanks for letting me know about the whole having to get used to it. how long should i wait before i worry if he isnt using his hides?

I cant seem to get the humidity to stay above 40% for very long. I mist his tank all the time but doesnt seem to help any. It will get up to 60 and then drop within like 10 mins. I know theres barely any humidity in my house atm tho. We arent in the humid season just yet here in fl. lol. I hate humidity! Bring on the ac! lol. anyways. thanks everyone!

-Kristen-

[Skittles1101]

Also tempguns.com is having a sale on their PE-2 temp gun, you can use it for any spot in the tank to take temps, and it's only $35.00. I LOVE mine...I use it at least 3 times a day...and you'll need a dimmer for that UTH...they definitely get way too hot.

[Raf702]

Okay, So I redid Loki's tank last night. Gave him new bedding(aspen) he was on pine untill i found out he isnt supposed to be. I gave him 2 new identical hides, new water dish, blacked out the back of his tank and the sides leaving only the front without being blacked out, new digi thermomoter that reads, "out side air" aka his tank, and "inside air" the room air, and humidity. Now that I've said that, I am having a few problems and have a question.

Good move switching to a safe substrate!

Okay so, he wont use his hides, I'm thinking they are too small for him now, his old one was a folgers tub tipped over, but i was told it was too tall, so i got some plastic bowls from walmart that were there and we cut them and everything. he went into it when first in there, checked it out, then decided he didnt liek it i guess. What should I do?

Did he investigate both hides or just one of them? How big/long is your BP? The way I choose my hides, is if they are slighty snug fit in their hides. If curled up, and his body touches the sides of the hide. Then that would be a good fit, cause if the hide has too much space while in it. He/she might not feel comfy/safe. I had to change my hides twice, he ended up using a hide I made for him using one of my exercise supplements. Then had to toss that one because it didn't look right. And now he's using a cereal bowl. Try looking for a hide that could be a bit snug for him. And since he's not using the hides you made. Where is he currently hiding?

It was cool watching him check out his new tank set up. He seems to like his water dish & everything. He was cruisin his tank last night. Tho he seemed confused as to why he couldnt see out of the back and sides of the tank. poor Loki!

What size tank are you using by the way? If your snake is roaming around more often then usual, mainly daytime. It can usually be an indicator of being stressed or not comfortable with his environment. Just might to be too big for his size.

My last question of this long book is: Have you heard of Four Paws Nature Bark & Can it be used or is it too moist? I am trying to get humidity up in tank and cant seem to keep it up. Even If I used it on only one side and the other side aspen? I dont know, thats why I'm askin ya'll!

You can try moving your water dish closer to your heat source. Might increase humidity, misting your enclosure several times a day will also help. I was having this issue as well. And fixed it recently with the use of a small Tupperware and sponge, then placing it on top of the hot side hide. Which sit's directly under my heat lamp. And now my humidity is much better than before.

Getting UTH on monday. Tank is staying apropriate heat range for now. Thanks for everything!

Don't forget to buy a T-stat or a dimmer switch(Home-Depot/Lowes) to control the heat of the UTH, if you don't have one yet.

-kristen-

[DarkEros07]

Loki is in a 20 galon tank.

I mesausred him tonight. Got him to stretech out as much as I could and marked a spot in his bedding and measured it and added about an inch and hes 21 inches now! Yay for him! lol.

He doesn't really roam during the day, I did his tank at night just for that reason. i didn't want him to get confused and think hey imma roam during the day! He is snug in his hides, but doesn't want to use them still, he burrows into his bedding. He used his hide all the time when I had the folgers thing in there. Would it be okay to cut the folgers can down and let him still use that? He seemed comfy in it. He was a lot more active when he had that to. Now he just hides in his bedding all day and night and wont roam. He seems unhappy now that i have changed his tank setup. He also only checked out his hide on his "cool side" I hardly see him on his hot side. Actually it seems like if I have it the correct temps in his tank, he wont do anything but burrow and sleep. What the heck? I check on him at all tiems of the day & night & I never see him out and roaming anymore.

[Raf702]

Loki is in a 20 galon tank.

I mesausred him tonight. Got him to stretech out as much as I could and marked a spot in his bedding and measured it and added about an inch and hes 21 inches now! Yay for him! lol.

He doesn't really roam during the day, I did his tank at night just for that reason. i didn't want him to get confused and think hey imma roam during the day! He is snug in his hides, but doesn't want to use them still, he burrows into his bedding. He used his hide all the time when I had the folgers thing in there. Would it be okay to cut the folgers can down and let him still use that? He seemed comfy in it. He was a lot more active when he had that to. Now he just hides in his bedding all day and night and wont roam. He seems unhappy now that i have changed his tank setup. He also only checked out his hide on his "cool side" I hardly see him on his hot side. Actually it seems like if I have it the correct temps in his tank, he wont do anything but burrow and sleep. What the heck? I check on him at all tiems of the day & night & I never see him out and roaming anymore.

Similar to my BP, he likes to stay in his cold side hide. Even though temps/humidity/husbandry are properly met. Cutting down the Folgers container into a proper size shouldn't be a problem. He probably still has his scent in that folgers container so I'm sure if you reintroduce to him. He will utilize that hide again. Give him some more alone time in his new enclosure. He'll eventually settle in and get comfy.