Help-A-Noob :)

[The Serpent Merchant]

is in on the inside or outside of the tank?

substrate will keep some of the heat from reaching the surface (depends what type of substrate and how much of it there is) but your snake can still dig down and get burned. You do have a second heat source right?

Be warned that the thermostats sold in pet stores are no good, here are 2 that are

the hydrofarm thermostat is a good starter thermostat f you are on a budget, but you should plan on replacing it with a better thermostat when possible

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR..._bxgy_ol_img_b

The herpstat line of thermostats sold by spider robots is the best you can get, they cost more but do a much better job and are safer.

http://spyderrobotics.com/

What are you using to measure temperatures/humidity?

[moonlightgdess]

I have a 20 long with two lamps (one day and one night. Day is 100 watts, night is 75), I have a rocky style hide under the lamp and a log on the cool side. The substrate is coconut husk (the fine soil type). The water bowl is on the cool side over a small sticky heat pad that's outside the tank on the bottom. I have a strip thermometer for temps and a humidity gauge on the side in the middle.

[The Serpent Merchant]

ok, you need to get a better thermometer as the ones that you are using are only telling you what the temperature of the glass is plus they are known to suck anyway.

This is what you want, they cost $12 at Walmart and will measure both the hot and cool side temperatures as well as humidity:



What types of bulbs are your day and night? (white red, UV?)

you really should have 2 identical hides, and just FYI Log hides aren't the greatest as BP's won't feel as secure in them and they tend to mold. (but the hide issue can wait for now)

how thick of a layer of coco husk do you have?

UTH's do not effect the temperature of the air so you also will have to keep that in mind.

[moonlightgdess]

Nice thermometer! I'll pick that up tomorrow. Um... I have to say the day bulb I'm not entirely sure but it's a white basking bulb. The night is just a blue night bulb. The log I left in mostly to take up space lol, she never uses it. The husk is at least an inch and a half... it's a thick layer but not enough to burrow in. The UTH was a suggestion from the vet (since I had it already anyway) to put under the water since when I first got Tokyo she had a stuck shed and I had humidity issues.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Ok, I would replace the 2 heat bulbs with a single bulb that can be run 24/7. Infrared bulbs put out a wavelength of light that is barley visible so it doesn't bother the snake.

These are the best: http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...ptile#carousel

Substrate that thick will render the UTH practically useless. I would keep it 1/2" or less if you want the UTH to be useful.

[moonlightgdess]

It is down to about half an inch under the water dish, because I figured any thicker would be pointless Makes sense on the bulb (I work at petsmart, yay discount lol!), we just got a night bulb because she's in our bedroom and I didn't want a lot of light on at night.

[Vypyrz]

What's a PAM treatment? (I'm assuming PAM is not referring to the cooking spray)

I haven't posted this tutorial in a while, but, I occassionally do it to help clear up any confusion when referring to PAM. It's not meant to be funny or condescending. When I had my very first mite outbreak, the forum that I found, at the time, recommended spraying with PAM. I went to the kitchen and got the cooking spray. It sort of made sense to me. I mean, it keeps food from sticking to pans, so maybe it keeps mites from sticking on your snake...right? So there I was, with my little BP in one hand, and my PAM in the other, about to let him have it, when something caught my eye and made me pause. I jumped back on that forum and posted the question,"Does it matter if it's butter flavored?" I got alot of responses at that point. Anyway, here is my post about PAM...

A Tale of Two PAMs... by Vypyrz

One of the most common misunderstandings that I see is the confusion caused when PAM is recommended in regards to Mite treatment. Most people are familiar with PAM, the cooking spray. However, in the reptile world PAM is the abbreviation for the mite treatment product Provent-A-Mite.

The two PAM's...



This is the PAM that you use for reptiles...

Provent-A-Mite is a Permethrin based spray made by Pro-Products. It is used to eradicate and prevent mite and tick infestations on reptiles.



Not this...

PAM is a Canola oil based spray made by Con-Agra Foods. It is used to allow that fried egg to slide all around the pan while you chase it with a spatula, only to have it end up on the floor

[Annarose15]

I haven't posted this tutorial in a while, but, I occassionally do it to help clear up any confusion when referring to PAM. It's not meant to be funny or condescending. When I had my very first mite outbreak, the forum that I found, at the time, recommended spraying with PAM. I went to the kitchen and got the cooking spray. It sort of made sense to me. I mean, it keeps food from sticking to pans, so maybe it keeps mites from sticking on your snake...right? So there I was, with my little BP in one hand, and my PAM in the other, about to let him have it, when something caught my eye and made me pause. I jumped back on that forum and posted the question,"Does it matter if it's butter flavored?" I got alot of responses at that point. Anyway, here is my post about PAM...

This cracks me up every time I see it!

[John1982]

Does it say on the can how long to wait before you can return insects to a room that's been sprayed?

[Annarose15]

Does it say on the can how long to wait before you can return insects to a room that's been sprayed?

You spray the snake's enclosure, not the entire room (unless you have a God-awful infestation, I guess). I think once it's dry and you can no longer smell fumes, you should be good, but I always treat tubs outside so I've never had to figure that one out.