New BP owner needs help and suggestions!!

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

[DooLittle]

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

Take a poll, see how many experienced keepers would put tape INSIDE their enclosure...

Again, do not put tape inside your enclosure. Take anything this guy says with a grain of salt...

[tayloriero]

thank you guys very much! this is all very helpful. i'm making a list of things to buy as we speak, and i'm also looking at Serpent Merchant's stuff, it's very good and i'm learning a lot! thank you!

[Kodieh]

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

Unfortunately, snakes are a lot more intelligent than you seem to think. I remember a member posting about watching their snake turn the locks of the screen top they had, and being able to get out. That situation was remedied by weight on the lid.

That example is a perfect example of how snakes learn, adapt, and tamper.

It may not be today, but in the future, your snake will find that tape. It will get stuck on it, and you will have to pull it off. It is not a good idea. The best, safest way to secure a thermometer probe is with hot glue. Be intelligent and let it cool some before sticking the probe down.

Tape is never a good idea, ever.

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[tayloriero]

So i just ordered 2 identical small hides, a Hydrofarm digital thermostat, and tomorrow I'm going to go to Walmart and buy an Acu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer and then go to Home Depot and buy a lamp dimmer, then i'm going to get an Infared bulb to use instead of the daylight bulb. Also, an update on the feeding situation: after making him a smaller, more secure hide a couple of days ago, I tried feeding him again tonight and he ate!! I'm very happy about this, and I'm really glad he finally did eat. I tried a new technique in how i fed him, and i guess it must've worked!!
Thank you all so much for your input and help, hopefully with the new purchases I've made I'll be able to set up his enclosure right this time around. I can't thank all of you enough!! <3

[pbyeerts]

Oh honey, I know how you feel! These first few days with Oliver have been nerve wracking! He's such a precious little boy, and I'm scared to death of making a terrible mistake.

Take a deep breath, and know that it will all be ok. You are doing your best, which is all that anyone could ask of you. Make some of the recommended changes, and Salazar (great name!) will be a happy boy. We're all here to help and support you! Cheers, pamela




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[dr del]

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

Not to overbeat this dead horse but tape will be a problem.

The heat and humidity of the enclosure will inevitably cause it to begin to lift at the corners as will cleaning etc.

Low tack painters tape is possibly going to be semi-ok but a couple of drops from a glue gun do the job far better with zero risk to the animal.

I once made a post listing some of the threads about tape from people who knew it wouldn't be a problem despite our advice. I only listed the first 19 or so iirc.


dr del

[200xth]

I've been reading up on how people have set up their enclosures, and I'm beginning to get very overwhelmed with all the choices there are. I have a glass 20 gallon terrarium with a sliding screen top, a mini ZooMed UTH, and a lamp with a sunshine bulb in it, which I believe to be 60w, that is sitting on top of the sliding screen. I'm using Aspen substrate, and I have one smaller hide on the warm side on top of the heating pad, and a larger hide on the cool side with paper towels stuffed inside so it would feel smaller for him. (I know that they should both be the same size, so I plan on going and buying two identical containers tonight). After reading about all the things I need to have to properly care for my 5 month old baby Ball, I'm not even sure what I should buy now. I'm so worried about Salazar, because I know that the conditions he's been living in have to be stressing him out a lot, and I know that he's uncomfortable and that kills me. I just don't really know where to start, and this is a huge problem because he's been living like this for about 2-3 weeks. I guess I kind of did know where to start, since I just ordered a Infrared TempGun. But I have so many questions, like, should i buy a Ceramic heating bulb? and would that be compatible with the lamp I have now? Would that be okay with sitting on top of the screen, or would I have to buy a lamp stand? Or should I buy a night bulb and switch out the day bulb for the night one every night? And what about thermometers/hygrometers? Which ones would you recommend I buy, and where should i place them in the tank? (Because all I have now is one of those cheapo sticker ones, and I now know that that isn't good for reading temps at ALL, and I have a hygrometer, but it's one of those analog stick-on ones. Not good.) And then how do I control the amount of heat my UTH puts out? What's an effective way to make a heating gradient? This is all so much, and it's all my fault. I should've delved deeper into what I needed and got all of this set up before I brought him home.
Not to mention he's not eating, probably due to all the stress of not having the proper environment. I can't believe I took this long to reach out for help. So if I could have some assistance and advice and pointers and all that, that would be really, really helpful in getting all of this figured out. Thank you so much.

Regarding the mismatched hides, they don't need to be identical sized. Stuffing the larger one with paper towels is fine. I've done almost the same thing when I had hides that were too big...fill the bigger one with stuff to make it smaller inside. He's not measuring the hides to see if they're the same size.

For the temp and humidity, a lot of people seem to like the Acurites. Something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Heat gradient is relatively easy. Put the hot spot and/or heat lamp at one end of the enclosure. The further away he gets from the hot spot, the cooler it will get.

Relax a little. He'll be fine. They're tough. They can survive long periods in bad conditions (witness a typical pet store snake that lingers in too hot, too dry, underfed conditions for months). Your's will hang in while you get things fixed and when you have it all sorted out, he'll pick up quickly.

[tayloriero]

Regarding the mismatched hides, they don't need to be identical sized. Stuffing the larger one with paper towels is fine. I've done almost the same thing when I had hides that were too big...fill the bigger one with stuff to make it smaller inside. He's not measuring the hides to see if they're the same size.

For the temp and humidity, a lot of people seem to like the Acurites. Something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Heat gradient is relatively easy. Put the hot spot and/or heat lamp at one end of the enclosure. The further away he gets from the hot spot, the cooler it will get.

Relax a little. He'll be fine. They're tough. They can survive long periods in bad conditions (witness a typical pet store snake that lingers in too hot, too dry, underfed conditions for months). Your's will hang in while you get things fixed and when you have it all sorted out, he'll pick up quickly.

Thank you very much. It's reassuring to know that he'll be okay, I just love him a lot and I'm one of those that tend to worry. Thanks again.