lookng to buy baby snakes

[rabernet]

i was woundering, how hard is it to change a ball's food from live to frozen? i don't have enough money to keep buying live mice for either of them...

It's too expensive to buy live prey once a week for two snakes? Shouldn't that have been something to consider before getting them?

I have to ask, are these animals going to receive vet care if they start to get sick? Have you put away money to pay for the unexpected? It worries me that all the snakes you've ever owned before died in your brother's care.

[starmom]

Buying rodents live from a pet store is expensive and they are always really small.

Have you considered buying f/t from a company an having them shipped to you? You would need freezer space for them, but it is a much more economical way than spending money on questionable mice from pet stores.

I would personally recommend The Mouse Factory (http://www.themousefactory.com/index.html). They sell both mice and rats turn out a great product

As for Robin's worry about a vet visit: It is a real consideration. I would encourage you to sock away money each week, if you can, so that you have $100 (minimum) saved up for an emergency.

[rep_girl452]

i am going to change over to f/t starting this week. and i'm trying to find a job to help me with all the vet bills, bigger hid boxes, more bedding, lights, and more food. i figured that i would buy about 10 mice and that should last my a little bit till i can get more money...

[wolfy-hound]

You can level the cage with styrofoam sheets under the end that's lower. Use a carpentry level to be sure it's level.
If you don't have a level, then you can use a glass. Just measure halfway down with a ruler, and mark the glass on both sides. Then fill with water so it's to those two marks. set it on the cage, and lift the one side until the water touches both marks again.
Foam tape doesn't sound really sturdy.
Extra hides can be cheap plastic bowls(serving bowls are often $1 each) and you can cut a hole in one side or on "top" (the bottom of the bowl normally).
They won't look as nice, but the important thing is the snake's happiness and health.
I think you need to plan money wise about feeding your animals, and make sure to read the caresheets.

[rep_girl452]

the foam tape is whaere the glass meets the side of the cage.

[dsirkle]

It is considerably less expensive to buy f/t mice or rats than live ones if you buy from the right sources. Where I live a pet store will charge $1.49 for a live mouse or $4.59 for a small rat. For $1.25 or less you can find f/t small rats at a local reptile show or online. The catch online is that you need to buy at least 100 rats to get a good price after factoring in the shipping. Some places (like ARS) feature free shipping to certain areas of the country for orders over $100.Your best bet might be to post here what area of what State that you live in and somebody on here could point you to the local reptile shows where you could buy small quantities of f/t at a good price.

[dsirkle]

You can level the cage with styrofoam sheets under the end that's lower. Use a carpentry level to be sure it's level.
If you don't have a level, then you can use a glass. Just measure halfway down with a ruler, and mark the glass on both sides. Then fill with water so it's to those two marks. set it on the cage, and lift the one side until the water touches both marks again.
Foam tape doesn't sound really sturdy.
Extra hides can be cheap plastic bowls(serving bowls are often $1 each) and you can cut a hole in one side or on "top" (the bottom of the bowl normally).
They won't look as nice, but the important thing is the snake's happiness and health.
I think you need to plan money wise about feeding your animals, and make sure to read the caresheets.

Wolfy Hound is giving you good advice here. If you bought your hides, water dishes etc from a pet store you would spend a fortune on cage accessories. You can make hides from empty flower pots made of plastic or terra cotta or cheap plastic bowls. You can find a lot of stuff that you need for free if you look and buy most of what you need in a dollar store.

[littleindiangirl]

She should easily swith to Frozen thawed prey. Given their fantastic appetite, I would do it early on.

Here's my two cents. I'm going to try to save you a ton of money and hard work here, so pay attention.


I'd ditch the large cage for now. She's small, and bloods when young prefer smaller enclosures.

Go to Walmart and purchase a Sterilite or Rubbermaid tub. Depending on the age and size of your blood roughly speaking....

12qt will work for babies up to 500 grams,
28qt for 500 to 1000 grams, and
32/41qt for 1000 grams up until they could use a large Christmas tree tub or Animal plastics T10, which measure 4x2x2.

Now, the reasoning I say to get a tub is because it’s much easier to control their climate in a tub, AND, she will feel more secure in a smaller tub, making her less stressed.

You will melt holes into the tub with a soldering iron to offer ventilation. Measure with a hygrometer until you get 60% with dry substrate.

Buy a thermoSTAT. Thermostats are going to be the most expensive thing you buy for this snake! I would recommend you look into Ranco, Johnson Controls, or Helix. Do not buy a zoomeds crap. Bloods need very constant temps and cannot have a heat spike or large dip in temps.

Buy a digital thermo-METER. I recommend Acurite Indoor/outdoor thermometer/ hygrometer. It costs 12$ from walmart and has a probe to measure the hot spot if you choose to provide one.

Now, invest in some flexwatt or a UTH. (best to buy online)

This is where some thinking and decisions come in. Are you going to provide a hot spot? Generally, bloods don’t need a hot spot and can be kept at a constant temp, but you must be certain your temps are not going to fluctuate, otherwise it would be a good idea to give a hot spot.

If you do not offer a hot spot, I would put the flexwatt on the bottom length of the enclosure, and set it for a low to mid 80's temp. (measuring with a good thermostat and thermometer probe)

If you were to offer a hot spot, I would cover 1/3rd of the enclosure to offer a hot spot from 86-88, and a low 80's ambient temp for the rest of the tub. (measuring with a good thermostat and thermometer probe)


Please read these caresheets, since everything I told you I have learned from here and asking questions for things I needed clarification on. Kara from NERD (KLG) is one of the BEST in the business, she has great advice all throughout this forum.

http://www.newenglandreptile.com/CareBlood.html


http://vpi.com/publications/blood_py...ation_and_care

[rep_girl452]

i went to a pet store today to get food, but they didn't have enough frozen, so my boyfriend was asking the lady about lighting and tepms. she saisd as long as i can keep her temp rught for now that i don't need a heat spot, but when winter comes i will and i'll need a semi bigger red light. i dont right now because my room is already in the mid 80's during the day and the upper 70's at night.

[771subliminal]

Where I live a pet store will charge $1.49 for a live mouse or $4.59 for a small rat. .

damn dawg what store is this so i dont go there?