just rescuded a BP, need some help please...

[yosh2000]

little long, but i could use some help w/ my first post here...

i'll start by saying that i was "given" a BP at the end of december 2006. my wife works at the apt complex we live at. well, one of the punk residents left some stuff in their garage when he moved, including a ~2ft BP in a 10gal glass viv!! now mind you it was in the garage, during a ~40F cold spell, for at least 30 days!!

well, the day the workers found him and gave him to us, i immediately got him a UTH (zoo-med repti-therm 10-20 gal), a heat lamp (50W red bulb) and water bowl (there was a log hide already in the cage). mind you, i had some gopher snake about 15 years ago, so i knew a little, but i didnt have time to do the research on what to buy, where, and exact cage solutions!! i actually found the care sheet here and tried to quickly get the snake some heat and food.

he has actually done pretty well since then, some 3 months later. i have made a few mistakes, as the humidity was ~30-35% during his first shed (once i realized he was having trouble shedding, i soaked him in water and helped him through that). he also developed dented eyes, another sign i read of low humidity. i then found the glass viv sticky post and covered the top of his screentop and now have the humidity ~55 -65 at all times, so i'm good in that department.

my temps are a little low, ~86 hot side, ~80 low. this is w/ the UTH and lamp on one side, nothing on cold side. on to a few questions...

1 - i am considering getting a flexwatt 11" and johnson controller from mgreptiles.com to replace the zoo-med.

- i am considering this in order to better control the temps (i'm in southern california, and our apt will range from 70-85F as we try to save energy w/ no heating or AC!!) and to raise the hot side temp so that i might not need to use the lamp at all.

2 - i am using reptibark, and i have noticed that the top layer is not nearly as hot at the bottom layer, which is leading me to switch to aspen bedding. does this sound like a good idea?

3 - if i do switch to aspen bedding, do i need to put anything over the UTH or flexwatt in order to prevent burning my BP?

- i know that the aspen can get moved around by the snake, and i have read that they like to burrow in it. this just makes me scared of him buring himself if nothing is between him and the bottom glass.

4 - my BP trys to escape every night by pressing his head against the screen top. is this normal??

- he loves to be held! when he is trying to escape at night, i open the cage and simply rest my hand on the corner of the cage, and he always like to climb all over my arm and shoulders.

5 - he is about to shed for the second time soon. he had really cloudy eyes for 2 days, then they cleared up a little, but no shed!! he looks dull and ready to shed. is my humidity too high?? why would they go really cloudy to clearer w/ no shed??

6 - i included a pic of his home . i am already planning rearrange it to have to identical hides on either side, water bowl in the middle, and i plan on leaving the grapevine since i paid over $15 for it!! any other suggestions though?

again, thanks for the help, as i kinda got thrown into this whole BP owner thing and i'm asking these questions to make sure that i'm doing everything right!! i have been reading a ton of posts and have learned a lot this last week while on spring break. any other suggestions, i'de love to hear them, thanks!!

[cornfuzed]

the cloudy to clear eyes is normal during a shding process(about 12days start to finish) just keep in mind that you do not want to hold him till after he sheds(look here on bp and from the main screen go to care sheets and go to shedding process it is verry exlanitory and even has pics)


good luck with the little guy



ps i am also new so i am sure there will be more smarter people to reply soon

[Holy Balls]

Since it was in those cold temps you might want to keep an eye for RI ( Respiratory Infection ). There is a thread on this here. Also check out the BP caresheet. Good Luck!

Scott

[Laooda]

Hello and Welcome! I am not the one to answer some of these, but I'll assist where I can!

little long, but i could use some help w/ my first post here...

i'll start by saying that i was "given" a BP at the end of december 2006. my wife works at the apt complex we live at. well, one of the punk residents left some stuff in their garage when he moved, including a ~2ft BP in a 10gal glass viv!! now mind you it was in the garage, during a ~40F cold spell, for at least 30 days!!

well, the day the workers found him and gave him to us, i immediately got him a UTH (zoo-med repti-therm 10-20 gal), a heat lamp (50W red bulb) and water bowl (there was a log hide already in the cage). mind you, i had some gopher snake about 15 years ago, so i knew a little, but i didnt have time to do the research on what to buy, where, and exact cage solutions!! i actually found the care sheet here and tried to quickly get the snake some heat and food.

he has actually done pretty well since then, some 3 months later. i have made a few mistakes, as the humidity was ~30-35% during his first shed (once i realized he was having trouble shedding, i soaked him in water and helped him through that). he also developed dented eyes, another sign i read of low humidity. i then found the glass viv sticky post and covered the top of his screentop and now have the humidity ~55 -65 at all times, so i'm good in that department.

my temps are a little low, ~86 hot side, ~80 low. this is w/ the UTH and lamp on one side, nothing on cold side. on to a few questions...



1 - i am considering getting a flexwatt 11" and johnson controller from mgreptiles.com to replace the zoo-med.

- i am considering this in order to better control the temps (i'm in southern california, and our apt will range from 70-85F as we try to save energy w/ no heating or AC!!) and to raise the hot side temp so that i might not need to use the lamp at all.

2 - i am using reptibark, and i have noticed that the top layer is not nearly as hot at the bottom layer, which is leading me to switch to aspen bedding. does this sound like a good idea?

I know that there are many options... I use Aspen or paper towels... I know the bark is a good substrate too. Unprinted newspaper seems to work well for many... If your going to switch heating sources soon, then ????



3 - if i do switch to aspen bedding, do i need to put anything over the UTH or flexwatt in order to prevent burning my BP?



Anyone? Can they burn on glass with a controller on?

I never used Flex on a glass tank....

- i know that the aspen can get moved around by the snake, and i have read that they like to burrow in it. this just makes me scared of him buring himself if nothing is between him and the bottom glass.

4 - my BP trys to escape every night by pressing his head against the screen top. is this normal??



Hahahaha!!! Yes.

- he loves to be held! when he is trying to escape at night, i open the cage and simply rest my hand on the corner of the cage, and he always like to climb all over my arm and shoulders.

5 - he is about to shed for the second time soon. he had really cloudy eyes for 2 days, then they cleared up a little, but no shed!! he looks dull and ready to shed. is my humidity too high?? why would they go really cloudy to clearer w/ no shed??

Totally normal.........

6 - i included a pic of his home . i am already planning rearrange it to have to identical hides on either side, water bowl in the middle, and i plan on leaving the grapevine since i paid over $15 for it!! any other suggestions though?

again, thanks for the help, as i kinda got thrown into this whole BP owner thing and i'm asking these questions to make sure that i'm doing everything right!! i have been reading a ton of posts and have learned a lot this last week while on spring break. any other suggestions, i'de love to hear them, thanks!!

[tigerlily]

You may want to check out a couple threads if you are considering purchasing from MGR.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=90850
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=97437

The bark and mulch trap heat, so you may want to 'fluff' the bedding periodically to allow the heat through. Also no matter what type of heat source you are using you will need to control the temps with a thermostat.

[Holy Balls]

Tigerlily, you just did me a favor. I was going to buy a helix t-stat and other things. THAT WAS CLOSE!

[yosh2000]

You may want to check out a couple threads if you are considering purchasing from MGR.

The bark and mulch trap heat, so you may want to 'fluff' the bedding periodically to allow the heat through. Also no matter what type of heat source you are using you will need to control the temps with a thermostat.

ok checked out those threads, so now...

1 - where do i purchase 11" flexwatt, a johnson controler, and some heat mat insluation for a good price?!!

2 - if i use aspen, do i need to put something between the bedding and the glass?? i do not want to burn by new BP if he burrows in the aspen and comes in contact directly w/ the glass.

3 - also, do i attach the johnson probe to the glass, or on top of the substrate to get an accurate temp??

again, thanks for the help guys, i appreciate it!!

[lillyorchid]

1. You can get all of that stuff from Rich at http://www.reptilebasics.com

2. No you do not. If you keep the temps in the normal range the flexwatt won't burn your snake. Also sterilite tubs make GREAT homes. They are easy to keep temps and humidity up.

3. Tape the probe to the glass.

[Snikt228]

I wouldnt buy from MGR. I ordered a Herpstat II and a CHE from them. The herpstat II did come relatively quickly, but the CHE I have yet to receive (about 2-3 weeks). No word, no status updates.

I e-mailed him and he said it's taking longer than usual..