Newbie questions! Please help

[bellad0nna87]

I highly recommend you get the snake you want from a breeder that specializes in the morph you want and who feeds them on what you want to feed that as in frozen thawed rodents. Age doesn't really matter what matters is finding a proper breeder to sell you a healthy snake. Avoid petsmart or petco or even expos where people are just reselling snakes. A reputable online breeder will get you something you want that is healthy and not a problem to care for.

Ask here for breeders but avoid resellers like backwater reptiles as they are just flippers and did not breed the snake. Buy your snake from the same person that hatched it.

I got mine 8 years ago from a local breeder where I was living.

I highly recommend a PVC enclosure for when it is an adult and most likely a tub for a juvenile. Glass just won't cut it and you will end up getting frustrated unless you are lucky enough to live in a sub tropical part of the country.

One thing is you need to at least tell the country you are in. Outside the USA the supplies for enclosures and even rodents gets limited.

Thank you so much for your response that was super helpful!! Everyone’s been so awesome!


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[dr del]

Hey all! So for the last year and a half I’ve been day dreaming of owning a bp, and finally that dream is becoming a reality.
I just had a few questions before I dive head first into this:

1.) adult or baby? As a newbie to snakes, should I go for a baby or get an adult? Which would you recommend for an inexperienced owner

2.) WHERE did y’all Acquire yours? I’ve been looking at several websites (underground reptiles,xyz reptiles, backwater reptiles etc,) but would like opinions

3.) enclosure? What are you using currently(everything you’re using lol even if you feel like you’re over sharing, I’d appreciate all the info) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I’d like something I could look into.

I'll play.

1) I like getting well established young snakes so, if I decide to breed them, I already know their feeding history/ weight/ growth rates and can make an educated guess as to how they will deal with recovering the weight lost through egg laying etc. For a pet however then it just adds certaintly of how old they are and gives you more years to keep them.

2)Though my first was a shop bought hatchling not even eating on her own on 4/8/1994 - she's still sitting behind me. I have bought a few online and some from breeders. I would research any breeder on fauna to check their reputation - paying more from a better breeder is the best investment you can make. Generally in the quality of the look of the snake and in getting extra support if there turns out to be any problem.

3) Home made racks. They really are as easy to build as bookcases and you have total control to make sure it fits the space you have.


del

[bellad0nna87]

I have another question lol if I get the T8 from AP, and get the divider to split it in half, would that be ok for a yearling to chill in until they get bigger, in which case the divider would be removed? TIA y’all. You’ve all been so helpful!!!


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[Craiga 01453]

I have another question lol if I get the T8 from AP, and get the divider to split it in half, would that be ok for a yearling to chill in until they get bigger, in which case the divider would be removed? TIA y’all. You’ve all been so helpful!!!


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It sure will

[bellad0nna87]

It sure will

Thanks babe! About to buy it this week! Also maybe you can help me: the herpstat- which one? There are so many! Sorry if you don’t know the answer to that. My head is spinning with all this info


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[Craiga 01453]

Thanks babe! About to buy it this week! Also maybe you can help me: the herpstat- which one? There are so many! Sorry if you don’t know the answer to that. My head is spinning with all this info


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My pleasure.

As for herpstats, I haven't made the jump yet, but will be when I upgrade, which now looks like it'll be before winter. So I won't be any help there.

[bellad0nna87]

My pleasure.

As for herpstats, I haven't made the jump yet, but will be when I upgrade, which now looks like it'll be before winter. So I won't be any help there.

Ahh ok thank you!


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[MissterDog]

I have another question lol if I get the T8 from AP, and get the divider to split it in half, would that be ok for a yearling to chill in until they get bigger, in which case the divider would be removed? TIA y’all. You’ve all been so helpful!!!


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This is how I started my hatchling out and he's still only using half his cage with plenty of wiggle room. Been working great for me but it's worth pointing out some potential hiccups you may run into and how to address it, mainly with heat gradients. Also make sure you provide plenty of clutter and shelter.

Hopefully you don't mind if I c/p some of my previous posts on other threads going into more detail about it. Hope it helps! <3

Looks like you went with a similar path I did at first. I'm also using a divider with a rhp, and like you, the rhp pretty much takes most of the entire ceiling space, making a horizontal thermal gradient somewhat difficult.


I later decided to add a UTH for belly heat so I could dial down the rhp for the ambient only instead of trying to make a hot spot. Prior to that my rhp was making the ambient temp too warm for my liking just to get the surface temps I wanted. The rock furnishings would sometimes be as high as 94 which made me uneasy. Generally you don't want any surface your bp can touch hotter than 92. For warm ambient under the rhp I think it's better to have it reduced to 84-86. Cool ambient is totally fine.


If it helps, this is how I started off. Mine is a T12 with a divider.



I had my rhp set to a higher heat to try and get the inside of the hide to at least 88 (surface was 92), but at the cost of the ambient being somewhere between 88-90 which honestly I thought was TOO hot, especially for a hatching who prefer slightly cooler warm temps.


Here is Tapioca's current set up now with a UTH.




3 hides now, primary matching hot and cold ones are on the bottom this time with his 'spare' on the top of the ledge.


The thermostat probe I placed higher, about 6 inches below the rhp to better control my warm ambient and keep it away from where it could be climbed or peed on, which I was worried about causing temp spikes. My bp HAS tried to climb towards the probe before so better to keep it out of reach as possible.

My warm ambient is now 84-85 with the top of the hide on the ledge being at a nice 88-89. His rock furnishes are no hotter than 89-90, which I feel much safer about. You can also adjust the power % output on your herpstat if you are concerned about temps spiking a bit when the rhp swings at full power. Hope this helps

Personally I've always been a fan of the UTH + RHP combo. Been working fantastic for me and many others who have gone a similar route. I just like being able to control the hotspot without compromising ambient temps.

When I used only a RHP I found my warm ambient temps were getting way too warm for my liking just to get the hot spot I wanted. Especially since I was starting with a 24 x 24 cage (a divided T12) which really didn't give me much room for a good horizontal heat gradient with just the RHP. The RHP itself was practically as big the top cage half so you can get an idea how things get a bit complicated.

Adding a UTH gave me more flexibility keep everything better balanced, and as pointed out earlier it's good to have a back up on hand. Plus you cant go wrong with a Herpstat 2 :p

As for Herpstats I find the Herpstat 2 is the best universal choice since you never know when you may need to regulate more than one heat source.

Also do yourself a favor and get a T10! The extra few inches of height make a huge difference for access and cleaning ease. Also keep in mind interior height is a bit shorter than the measurements listed by roughly 2 inches.

[bellad0nna87]

This is how I started my hatchling out and he's still only using half his cage with plenty of wiggle room. Been working great for me but it's worth pointing out some potential hiccups you may run into and how to address it, mainly with heat gradients. Also make sure you provide plenty of clutter and shelter.

Hopefully you don't mind if I c/p some of my previous posts on other threads going into more detail about it. Hope it helps! <3







As for Herpstats I find the Herpstat 2 is the best universal choice since you never know when you may need to regulate more than one heat source.

Also do yourself a favor and get a T10! The extra fee inches of height make a huge different for access and cleaning ease. Also keep in mind interior dimensions are a bit shorter than the measurements listed by roughly 2 inches.

Thank you soooooo much, love!!! This is going to help me so much bc I’m still a little confused about heating the enclosure and what not. Xo


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[MissterDog]

Thank you soooooo much, love!!! This is going to help me so much bc I’m still a little confused about heating the enclosure and what not. Xo


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You're very welcome! <3

It just takes some fine tuning to see what works for you and your set up but you'll definitely get it! I recommend to make sure your cage is up and running for atleast a week to ensure temps are stable and on point before putting your noodle baby in.

Good luck and have fun op! You got this!