Help with getting tank proper

[pavlovk1025]

Oh and sphagnum moss is good too. It's cheap and is reusable, so a bag will last a while. Just moisten it the first time and put it in, and mist it daily or as needed after that.

[Kaorte]

Please please please read the caresheet and stickys, they can answer a lot of your questions

[th3jok3r]

for respiroatory problems try increasing the temp to 95* keep the temp higher and humidity little above normal is your bp ready to shed anytime sooon? make sure u clean the water bowl daily and for a 50 gal u should have alot of trees, shrubs, caves, hides dont leave it too open your BP might stress out

[pavlovk1025]

I totally missed that part. If you think there's an RI, take him to a vet. You should take him anyway to make sure he's in good health.

[Argentra]

Ok, lets see...

1- take the snake to the vet to rule out RI

2- The largest tank even a big adult female should live in is a 40gal breeder. Most adults live well in 30gal breeder tanks. Long and low is the best. I suggest selling that 50 and getting a 30 breeder. Craigslist is a great source for buying and selling tanks. If you just can't manage to get a new tank now, then follow the remaining suggestions keeping the added size in mind.

3- Insulate the back and both sides with foam board, or at least cork board. As was said, glass loses heat fast and the insulation is necessary.

4- By thermostat, I'm guessing you mean thermoMETER. The thing that reads the temps. Because you say it's above the hide, I also guess it's not a digital with probe, which is really what is needed for snakes. Make sure you have a digital thermometer with a probe and set the probe UNDER the substrate on the glass right above the heat pad.

5- In some places, a second UTH (and second thermostat to control it) is needed for the cool side. You might need this to get the cool temps up to where they should be, especially in a larger tank.

6- The foil treatment should cover ALL of the screen top EXCEPT a square on one side for ventilation. The more screen that is covered, the more humidity stays inside the tank. Also, lights suck tanks dry so getting rid of the lights would really help.

That's all I can think of for now. See what you can do to get a new tank or fix up your current one and get back to us.

[Red_Herbs]

hmm...how do I post pictures?

[Argentra]

You either upload them from your computer to the gallery here and then paste the link from the gallery into the post, OR you upload pictures to a site like Photobucket and paste the IMG links in the post. There's a sticky tutorial on how to do it...somewhere on the site.