Hey everyone-

I am fairly new here, been lurking for the most part...

I have two hatchling corn snakes (1 month 18 days old) and two cats. I've considering adding to my addition a BP, however I do have a few concerns, along with a few other questions I've been meaning to ask.

I'd like to say that this board seems a lot more plesant than other boards I've been on.

Now onto my questions. I've read the caresheets on BP's as well as a few others, and I'd want to start off with one that is young. My concern would be my two cats. They, as cats, are very curious. They'll come up to my hatchlings and sniff and attempt to paw. Which my response is to remove their paws and tell them "No Paws." It's been doing fairly well so far. Since I do have two corns and they are hatchlings, I am not too worried if they strike at the cats, since it won't cause much damage, but a BP, I've seen ones at a local pet store...they are labeled at juvies and seem like they can cause some damage. (Maybe a foot in length and the girth of a hot dog bun.) Has anyone had any problems with this? I know if it were to happen once, the cats wouldn't be in the same room as the BP...but i guess I am just worried.

Now my general snake questions:

I have a pair of tongs that are sold as "bamboo" type tongs. They are just like the metal ones only made of wood. (Just so no one gets the image of chop sticks.) How should I disenfect them? I don't want to use bleach because they're pourious. I was thinking rubbing alochol, but I don't know. Hot water? Or just chuck those and buy some metal ones?

Another thing. On my corn snake setups. I have aspen bedding as a substrate and a heat pad under the glass on one end. I have a probe therometer as well. On another board I am at it says to measure the substrate heat, which I've been doing. I have a rhinostat to control the heat pad. Well I live in North East Ohio and, I am not sure why, but my probe therometers have been reading all wacky. On hour it will read 68°, a few hours later it will jump to 90°. The highest I've seen it reach was 106° and the tempature is on LOW for both tanks. Should i invest in a thermostat? Does that work with a heat pad or do i need a different source of heat, like an over head lamp. If I get that, I don't want to decrease the hudmity....

Can anyone help?

Layna