Temperatures. And feeding

[ailey_kr]

Hello. So I got a BP not too long ago and my terrarium temperatures have been really odd. So first off with my tank I have an UTH and a suspended heat lamp (my family likes the house really cold all the time usually 65-72F). The highest surface temp I can find in the hot spot is about 103F but mostly it's in the low 90s. Then the surface temp in the cold spot is around 70F. In the hot spot my air temp is only about 80F and in the cold spot its usually 70 sometimes a bit lower sometimes higher. I use cypress mulch for bedding, a daytime/nighttime regimen for my lamp. I am buying a thermometer for my UTH tomorrow to regulate that but I am worried that my ambient is too low and my surface temps are too high and how I could regulate that? My little pied hasn't seemed to mind too much. Has only refused a meal and that was right after a bad shed. But I would like to fix it before it becomes a problem.

I use a laser grip infrared thermometer to measure surface temp and a little zoo med thermometer to measure ambient.

Now for feeding

i got my BP from a pet store. I had good experiences there before but after I bought the snake I realized it was underweight. She weighed 133g, spine was very visible and there were streaks down her body where her skin sinks? I can't find the right word for it. I'll attach some pictures of her

[PitOnTheProwl]

I am buying a thermometer for my UTH tomorrow to regulate that but I am worried that my ambient is too low and my surface temps are too high and how I could regulate that?

Thermostat.

Overhead or room heating is for ambient, an UTH is only for a small spot.

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http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-Post-Pictures

[ailey_kr]

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[DennisM]

yup, the snake looks thin. don't know what she's been eating but she should be feeding on small adult mice or fuzzy/pup rats. Something in the 15-20 gram range every 5-7 days.

since you're going the glass tank route, see this useful link.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures!

[ailey_kr]

yup, the snake looks thin. don't know what she's been eating but she should be feeding on small adult mice or fuzzy/pup rats. Something in the 15-20 gram range every 5-7 days!

Thank you! The pet store was feeding it only one mouse fuzzy every seven days. Since I got her I have been feeding 2 of the fuzzies which she has taken well. I'll order some other mice today.

[Sauzo]

86F for ambient should be fine. When Dottie was a baby, I only used a CHE on a Herpstat set for 86F on the coolside and it worked fine. I don't use UTH as I use about 2" of aspen as substrate and a UTH is but worthless then. This was just over a year ago when I got her at about 12" little worm. Now she is about 4' and a complete destruction machine who destroys her cage stuff nightly. I was feeding her every 3 days 10% of her total weight for about 6 months, then dropped her down to a rat alittle thicker than her. Now just over a year old, I feed her every 2 weeks on a small or medium rat. I just vary it in size. Of course now that's its winter, she has decided she isn't hungry so my big boa gets the medium rat she refuses and my small boa gets the small rat. And as stated, that BP is pretty skinny. Should look like a cookie dough tube or at the least, not have its spine standing up.

[DennisM]

Thank you! The pet store was feeding it only one mouse fuzzy every seven days. Since I got her I have been feeding 2 of the fuzzies which she has taken well. I'll order some other mice today.

Yeah, fuzzy mouse is too small for any BP even right out of the egg. I encourage you to try rats (I'd go fuzzy rather than pup under the circumstances). nonetheless, the important thing now is to get the snake an improved diet.

[Sauzo]

Oh and yeah try to switch to rats asap. Some BPs will imprint to a certain rodent be it mice or rats and having one imprint on mice can end up being an expensive feeder as it will eat like 5 mice per feeding. My girl eats small and medium rats which would be like 5-6 mice and I feed her and all my snakes fresh killed rodents so that would get spendy as live adult mice here are about $2.50 each vs a $5-7 live rat.