tank start up

[The Serpent Merchant]

I would like to thank everyone for posting and helping me out... it is 3am here so i am not going to be rushing out to get the stuff now , but in the morning i definitely will.

What is the UTH that through your experience has been reliable as well as inexpensive.

I was also wondering i am seeing a lot about the blue day bulb... is that necessary? and what are the benefits to that light? as well if i use the UTH do i need a heat bulb?

I am also wondering how to up the humidity? aside from putting a damp towel on the lid. although good suggestion.

If i am to put in some fake foliage.... would it be a good idea to fasten it to the lid. and possibly make the roof of his home softer and keep in some of the humidity?

If once i get the thermometer in the tank and find that i am not in the optimal zone of humidity.... is there something that i can do or get that will help to achieve the proper levels.

I have also read that there should be a strict night time and day time regime. and as such there has been mention of a blue daylight bulb, is that a must? of will allowing natural light come in through the glass of the windows suffice?



i am very new to this and would like to keep "clown" AKA "snakeface" longer then i did my goldfish....

thanks in advance for any further help as well to those who have already helped....


and aaron to answer your question about heat now.... nothing.. the tank is sitting @ 70f and the apartment is quite warm... so hopefully the night will be ok until we can get out tomorrow....


thanks

Blue daylight bulbs are not necessary. strict daylight/night cycles are not necessary (but are good) this can be accomplished simply by the natural light in the room during the day and the absence of light at night. (DON'T put the cage in the direct light from a window as your tank will overheat during the day from this)

The ZooMed and ExoTerra UTH's are ok, (overpriced in my opinion but the best you are going to get in a store) you can order Flexwatt from this website:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/flexwatt-heat-tape

You can buy it by the foot and if you also buy the wires with the Flexwatt they will wire it for you.

To bump up the humidity you will have to get a spray bottle and mist the cage. there are many threads on this site about bumping up humidity so you can check those out (do a site search from the search bar in the upper right corner of the webpage.

If i am to put in some fake foliage.... would it be a good idea to fasten it to the lid. and possibly make the roof of his home softer and keep in some of the humidity?

I'm not completely following what you mean by this can you clarify?

you can get a humidifier to raise the humidity in the room that your cage is in. these can be costly and require weekly maintenance. And As I said before there are many threads on this site about raising humidity.

I can understand not doing anything at 3:00 AM, but you need to get a heat source for him as quickly as possible. at 70 degrees your snake could die or develop a sickness that can easily kill your snake. this is extremely important. the cage humidity is important but the heat has to come first.

I would just get another heat lamp for now and use the red bulb that you have. it needs to be on 24/7. If your apartment stays cold enough for the cage to be 70 degrees than a UTH will not be enough alone to heat the cage. this is what you need to do (As I said before just get the heat lamp back working for now)

You will use a UTH regulated by a thermostat to provide the hot side temperature of 88-92 degrees then use a Heat lamp on a light dimmer (which I will get back to ) to maintain the air temperature in the cage between 78-82 degrees. (the light will sit in the middle of the tank.)

Back to the light dimmer. these are cheap and can be found at most Walmarts/hardware stores. you want something that looks like this:

http://www.google.com/products/catal...MAI#ps-sellers