New, couple questions

[Sune]

I got a male baby BP recently, and I have a couple questions concerning what the lady at the reptile store told me...

I have an UTH, and she said I should have both the UTH and a heat lamp. Should I get a heat lamp too, or am I fine with just the UTH..?

Second, she said to give him live hoppers for his first few feedings, then switch him to f/t food. My boyfriend has never had a problem with feeding live to his snake back home, and a coworker of mine never has either. Would it be bad to just keep him to live food as he grows up, or should I really focus on trying to switch him to f/t? My thing is, when he gets large enough for rats, I don't think I'd want to try those live because rats are vicious little buggers and I don't want to risk him getting hurt.
Is it fine to try switching between live and f/t, or should I start pushing for f/t? Besides the fact that live food could potentially harm a BP, are there any other reasons people insist on f/t?

Thank you!

[JeffJ]

You dont really need the heat lamp if your household does not go below 75*F.

you do need a way to regulate that UTH though or you will cook the snake.

feeding live is not a problem i feed live to all my snakes, and will do so for there entire life. Rats also are not that vicious. yah you get one thats a biter. but they usually get fed first lol

just moderate the feeding session and dont leave it in there for more then 15-20 min. if they dont come out of there hide and snatch it up by then. they are not hungry.

[DutchHerp]

Hi,

If you have the snake on f/t, keep it like that. It's a) cheaper, b) safer, and c) EASIER!

Once he gets big enough you can just buy packs of 25 or 50 and dump it in your freezer... nothing easier.

As for the heat lamp... that all depends on your house temperatures. Can you give us an overview of what temps the house will be at?

Like Jeff said, if the house doesn't get below 75* it should be alright. If not, you might need the heat lamp. Beware though that those lamps suck out humidity like none other, so it'll be tricky to get the humidity to 50%.

There's a glass setup sticky, maybe a mod or admin can get a link?

Hope thath helped.

[Sune]

Hi,

If you have the snake on f/t, keep it like that. It's a) cheaper, b) safer, and c) EASIER!

Once he gets big enough you can just buy packs of 25 or 50 and dump it in your freezer... nothing easier.

As for the heat lamp... that all depends on your house temperatures. Can you give us an overview of what temps the house will be at?

Like Jeff said, if the house doesn't get below 75* it should be alright. If not, you might need the heat lamp. Beware though that those lamps suck out humidity like none other, so it'll be tricky to get the humidity to 50%.

There's a glass setup sticky, maybe a mod or admin can get a link?

Hope thath helped.

Right now the readings are:
humidity - 61%
temp(warm end) - 85
temp(cool end) - 80

How's that?

[JeffJ]

get the warm side up to 90

[Sune]

Gotcha. Thankies!

[stratus_020202]

I feed mine live too, but I think everyone has their own preferences. I will probably switch to frozen. Just pick one and try to stick to it. Frozen are easier to come by, and if you get a picky eater, you can leave it in there for a few hours (some do it overnight). A lot of people will tell you there snakes have never been bitten by a mouse/rat, but it can happen, and when it does, your snake probably won't eat for awhile. You do what works out for you, just be prepared for the risks

My house is between 70 and 75 all the time. I have a big glass enclosure that never falls below 80, and i do not use a heat lamps. It gets too dry for one. Your warm side should be about 90 though. You might have to get a stronger UTH, and it should be controlled by a thermostat. Hope this helps.

Oh, and You'll love it here in the herp world.

[Kaorte]

Yeah, you seem to be from florida so you most likely won't need a lamp unless you keep your A/C on blast 24/7.

Just for some clarification,
Are you using a thermostat or a rheostat?
What kind of thermometers and hygrometers are you using to measure temps and humidity?

[Sune]

Just a random update on my snakey - It took him a moment, but he went right after the hopper I just put in there. So at least so far he's not having problems adjusting to his new home. ^_^

[Sune]

Yeah, you seem to be from florida so you most likely won't need a lamp unless you keep your A/C on blast 24/7.

Just for some clarification,
Are you using a thermostat or a rheostat?
What kind of thermometers and hygrometers are you using to measure temps and humidity?

This isn't the same brand, but these are basically what they are:

http://www.zoomed.com/db/products/En...JIZWF0aW5nIjt9