Heat Lamps and snake behavior

[TheInkpen]

Hi!
I just got my first snake, Dexter, a ball python from petco, three days ago. I have been reading all that I can to make sure that he stays happy and healthy, but I am having trouble keeping the tank warm enough, i have a glass aquarium which I read is not the best option but until we need a bigger tank I cannot get a new one. I use an under tank heater on the far left side and during the day i keep a heat lamp on to top. A few things a read said that I shouldn't be using these lamps, is this true, and how do I heat my cage properly with out them?

Secondly, and this one is just my curiosity, do ball pythons like to wrap around bracelets? We took mine out, it was circumstantial, we had to take him out for handling the day we got him, and he seemed very calm. Over the past two days my boyfriend and I have been handling him regularly and he seems to know that we are safe, when other people walk in the room he will go under my or my boyfriends neck and hide, then when they leave he will get relaxed. Today he started to wrap around my arm and explore but I notice he only wraps around my left arm which has a few fabric concert bracelets on it, but will not fully wrap and relax anywhere else. Is there any reason for this?

I am pretty excited to have a snake and I want to keep him in the best conditions that I can, so any tips would be fantastically appreciated!
Thanks,
Jess

[TheInkpen]

Also, he did this funny thing last night where he kept opening and closing his mouth, like yawning, but he did it about six or seven times. It was pretty funny and he looked like he was talking to us. Is that just him re adjusting his jaw? Or what?

[The Serpent Merchant]

First off, it is generally advised to leave a new BP alone for a bout a week to let him/her settle in. This helps ensure that the snake will eat for you and not stress out. You and start handling him again then.

Does your UTH have a thermostat?

What are you using to measure temperatures/humidity?

Heat lamps kill your humidity that is the issue with them. but you will have issues with humidity if you are using a glass tank anyway. White heat bulbs can stress your snake as they are nocturnal animals. I suggest that you get an infrared heat bulb. These can and should be left on 24/7. The red light does not bother them. You should not drop the temperatures at night.

The PVC cages I use do not have heat lamps, they are very well insulated and have a UTH. UTH's do not affect the air temperature in the cage though. they simply heat the floor of the cage. I live in a hot environment so the air temperature is high enough anyway (the air temperature can be as low as 78 as long as you have a UTH to provide a 90 degree basking spot.

[tlich]

Use and infrared heat bulb 24/7, you shouldn't have night time temp drops, which will happen if you only use the heat bulb during the day, zoo med makes a good infrared bulb sold at most pet stores also you might need a rheostat/light dimmer, and you shouldn't really handle the snake for at least a week so It can get settled in

[The Serpent Merchant]

Also, he did this funny thing last night where he kept opening and closing his mouth, like yawning, but he did it about six or seven times. It was pretty funny and he looked like he was talking to us. Is that just him re adjusting his jaw? Or what?

Did you see any mucus/bubbles? if not then it was probably nothing.

[TheInkpen]

Thank you all for the input.
My UTH does not have a thermostat. I am measuring my temp/humidity with two gauge type things on the side of the tank.
I have been using coconut fiber for the bedding and it has kept the humidity up, almost too high sometimes. Keeping heat is my only real problem. I will get the UV though and see if that helps.
And there were no bubbles or anything when he did the mouth thing.

[Ashleigh91]

You definitely need to have a thermostat when using a heat mat, if not it can severely burn your snake - even if it doesn't feel hot to you. Also, the little dial thermometers that stick onto the glass of your tank are highly inaccurate. You can get digital thermometers that have a probe (typical indoor/outdoor ones) from walmart or home hardware for really cheap. Some of these will also read humidity for you.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Yes you need a thermostat, here are 2 that are good (the ones sold in pet stores are not worth your money) without a thermostat your UTH can kill your snake.

The hydrofarm, these are sold on Amazon for $30 and will do what you need it to do. Hydrofarms should be replaced with a better thermostat when possible but are a good option if money is tight

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000NZ..._bxgy_ol_img_b


The Herpstat is the best thermostat you can get they start at $99 but are much more accurate and have additional safety features.

http://spyderrobotics.com/

You also need a different type of thermometer, UTH's do not affect the air temperature in the tank so the dial thermometers can't tell you how hot it is. (they aren't very good anyway and tend to be inaccurate)

These are sold at Walmart for $12, and will measure 2 temperatures (hot side and cool side) as well as humidity.