New Snake Owner - Help!

[amdidomenico]

Hey guys! I just bought my first (juvenile) BP and I have a few questions:

- He just came today and he's moving around a lot in his terrarium. Is this normal?

- Also, I'm having a hard time keeping the temp & humidity up. My ambient temp is around 78-80 but my humidity is only at 48-50%. How do I raise this?
My hot side is around 85 but this fluctuates, and my cold side is around 65-75, which also fluctuates. How do I adjust these, because I read that the hot side should be 90-95?

Any advise would be great!
Thank you!

*I have a 40 gallon glass terrarium; 5.5" dome light with a 100W ceramic heat emitter; an 8x12 heat mat (on the outside of the terrarium w/ thermometer); coconut fiber/cypress mulch/and moss for the substrate; an XL water bowl; use a temp gun and digital hygrometer/thermometer; and place towels over the top to keep in heat.

[Sophieg]

Hey guys! I just bought my first (juvenile) BP and I have a few questions:

- He just came today and he's moving around a lot in his terrarium. Is this normal?

- Also, I'm having a hard time keeping the temp & humidity up. My ambient temp is around 78-80 but my humidity is only at 48-50%. How do I raise this?
My hot side is around 85 but this fluctuates, and my cold side is around 65-75, which also fluctuates. How do I adjust these, because I read that the hot side should be 90-95?

Any advise would be great!
Thank you!

*I have a 40 gallon glass terrarium; 5.5" dome light with a 100W ceramic heat emitter; an 8x12 heat mat (on the outside of the terrarium w/ thermometer); coconut fiber/cypress mulch/and moss for the substrate; an XL water bowl; use a temp gun and digital hygrometer/thermometer; and place towels over the top to keep in heat.

U should use a thermostat for all your heating equipment to keep it at a constant temperature

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[Bogertophis]

Setting up the enclosure for at least a week to test it BEFORE bringing home any snake would have been the best idea...just sayin'.

Moving around: normal, new homes are frightening to snakes, & it can take at least a week or 2 for them to settle down. You can make it a better transition by NOT
trying to handle them during this time, by minimizing activity near them (watch quietly, don't hover), by not blasting the bass on your stereo or similar things (they
feel the vibrations quite well), & by making sure they have adequate privacy...at least 2 hides, one cool side of cage & one on the warm side.

Cool side should be about 80*, warm side not much over 90* for his safety. Snakes (esp. BPs) are prone to getting thermal burns (painful & avoidable) because they
don't always know when it's too hot or for too long. You need a thermostat to regulate all heat equipment, & an accurate way to take the temperatures on surfaces.
(heat guns are popular for this)

Humidity can be increased by diminishing the airflow, & using a "humid hide", and/or substrate that holds humidity. Air flow is probably the biggest issue, especially with
a 40 gal. tank.

I'd also suggest not trying to feed your snake for about 1- 2 weeks while he's settling in. Much of your success will depend on HOW & WHEN you offer him food. More on
that later... First, get the tank set up right. Towels on top...not helpful to keep in humidity. You need to cover most of the screen with foil or plastic or anything that
air cannot go thru. Because air takes the humidity out with it.

If your cold side is 65* that suggests your snake tank is in a cold room...I'd suggest insulating the sides, back & bottom (outside) of tank. Many things can work, including styro-foam panels, carpet or cork tiles, even corrugated cardboard or poster-board (the kind with a foam core) sold in school supplies. If you
hate looking at the insulation, install scenery on the back & sides first, & insulate behind that. This also adds privacy that your BP will appreciate, even though he won't likely say so.

[walzon1]

Hot spot needs to be 90. The other areas can be 85-90 as long as that one spot is 90 consistently it's fine. I would also use a humid hide as suggested. I just fill one of his heated hides with lightly damp sphagnum and mist daily when he is in shed and get perfect sheds every time. No need to worry about humidity.

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[Midwest]

You say you have a heat mat, I am assuming it is on the bottom of the tank. If so I would move the substrate aside directly over the heat mat and gradually increase the temp on your thermostat until the inside floor surface is 89-90 directly above the mat, then cover it back over with substrate and put a hide directly over that. Don't worry about what the temp on your thermostat says, check it with an infrared temp gun. You can get them for around 15.00. I have two heat mats and the one on my hot side is set at 94 to keep the surface at 89. The one on my cool side is set at 80 and keeps the surface at 80. I trust the temp gun not the stat display. As long as the glass surface is close to 90 degrees they will burrow down if they want to, if you try to get the substrate to 90 the glass would be too hot.

[dr del]

Hi,

You can insulate the back, sides and bottom of the glass tank with something like foam board or cork tiles - this will help stabilise the temps. To help with humidity you can cover the lid ( assuming it's a screen lid ) to restrict the airflow. It's a thing that needs experimentation but leaving a small gap sat the cool end and the area aroound the heat lamp open might help you.

del

[amdidomenico]

Thanks so much everyone! This was super helpful.
So far, I have the temps regulated and I just fed him his first meal (at the 2 week mark). He took it like a champ! (:

[Bogertophis]

Good Job!