Just For Fun: What Were Your Newbie Mistakes?

[Jerhart]

I bought my BP a hamster wheel.

[Patricia]

I bought my BP a hamster wheel.

Why, pray tell????

[Jerhart]

Why, pray tell????

eh...I made that up.

Just wanted to say something that hasn't been mentioned yet.

Actually, I really didn't have any newbie mistakes with BP's. Growing up I had lizards...Geckos, Chameleons, Water Dragons. However I was never allowed snakes. Both of my parents were terrified. I spent years studying articles in Reptiles Magazine. I bought all of Philippe de Vosjoli's books back in the day. All trying to convince my parents I was ready and responsible enough to have a snake.

Well, that never worked and I began my collection soon as I was out of the house. So I guess I spent literally years researching and reading on the husbandry requirements of boids and colubrids. By the time I FINALLY got my first BP...I was not going to screw anything up.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

hmm... The only "real" mistake I made was to run the UTH with out control on it for about a week. No harm done though. Also used stick on thermometer and hydrometer. Now everythings good.

[Outbreak]

Hey guys, just wondering why so many of you put "feeding in separate enclosure" a mistake? Is this wrong to do?

[starfire]

Driving myself panic-crazy because I thought all the tubs in my 3-tier rack had to have EXACTLY the same temps and humidity. Fiddling with the thermostats, rearranging the flexwatt, switching out digital thermometers, cranking up the oil-filled heater, changing the digital batteries just in case...

I'll never get those sleepless nights back!

[Alice]

This is a great post . . . thanks to the OP!

I've seen so many mistakes that I made when I started. Some more . . .

- messing with my breeder rats then handling the snakes (BTW, I still forget and do this)
- using 6 qt egg boxes from the year before without checking how well they still hold the humidity
- not doing a preventative mite spray on all new snakes the minute they go into guarantine
- mistakes sexing hatchlings
- trying to build a snake rack (my building skills are pitiful)
- taking too long before I bought a rack for my snakes and another for my rat colonies
- fear of cutting eggs (I still do it sparingly)

[mechnut450]

gee I could write a book ( not that anyone would read it ),on the stuff I did in the early years. I stated out in the early 90's. I had a the heat rock, the peg board for cage sides, kept it in too low of a temp and fed the rat snake via wild mice I caught with a trap I got off a buddy that worked for a pest company. yet she still alive today . an that just my wild caught and injuryed black rat snake . with the other I kept differnet species together in a cedar wood cage I built from scrap lumber. I kept both snake sexed together ( first 2 ball pythons).
Then I got silm ( all my snakes were rescues at this point. I built a large 5ftx3ftx4 ft cage it had 2 vent holes a heat lamp ( cremic) and a under the cabinet flor light on a timer ( so I could sleep).

Then I found the internet ( above a dial up) all my info before hand came from the 10 buck petshop reptile books and what I seen in the stores.

The only thing can say I done wrong in the last 4 years was rescue of a snake loaded with mites and transfer them though out the trialer ( they as bad as fleas) cause they clung to the cloths as Iwent into the reptile room.

[derrabe]

- Put them in a window
- Bought 2 housed them both in a 29 tall tank
- Used turf as the bedding
- Heat lights on 24/7
- Half log hides.
- Held them day after feeding and getting her home...
- No T-stat
- Dial thermometers and hygrometers
- Climbing sticks
- Quarantine? What's that?

[rabernet]

2004

Also 2005