My first snake

[Royal Hijinx]

I think for new BP keepers, there is a disconnect between what is needed for proper husbandry and what is wanted for display or what we think the snake wants. This is not specifically addressed at you, but a general statement.

The snake NEEDS: Food, water, a clean (free of waste) environment, a properly regulated thermal gradient, proper humidity and a place(s) to feel safe.

Everything else is a want or decoration.

With that thought in mind, you can then move forward and address each area until your husbandry is spot on.

Food: whatever rodent variety you have on hand and the snake will eat

Water: Fresh and clean

Free of waste: Spot clean and full cleans as needed (can be hard with a dirt substrate)

Temp gradient: This is where a lot of BP keepers get in to trouble. There are tools that the new keeper does not often consider to make achieving and maintaining this a lot easier. Generally, belly heat is preferred. This REQUIRES a thermostat/dimmer (thermostat is safer and easier) to regulate the heat pad. Having a temp gun for measuring surface temperatures is also a very good thing to have. Additionally you need a thermometer for measuring ambient temperatures to measure the gradient. The belly heat is a hot spot, the gradient is ambient. You may need a lamp to adjust the gradient. I am not going to quote you numbers here because I want you to read the care sheets.

Humidity: Depends on where you live, but using a substrate that holds a little humidity and misting during shed cycles should suffice.

Safe place: This means hides. The tighter and darker the better. I, and many others, recommend the Reptile Basics hides. But, that is a personal choice. I said IDENTICAL above for a reason. The BP should have a identical hide on each side, as they will sometimes give up proper heat gradient for perceived safety, and if both hides are the same, they will choose the one in the proper heat gradient zone for them, at that time of day. THis of course changes if you use a rack system; that acts like a hide in itself.

So, there you go. None of this is new information, I am just presenting it in what is IMO a good way to look at it.

P.S. as an aside for communication online. Treat it as if you were writing a email or letter. Meaning punctuation, paragraph breaks etc... It takes more diligence if typing on a phone, but it is possible and makes posts MUCH easier to read and reply to.