Quote Originally Posted by Pyrate81 View Post
Gratz on the new additions, hope to see some pics soon. ;-) nudge nudge

1. Thermometer probes you want as close the pad as possible. Most people stick them between the heat pad and glass outside the tank. Do not adhere them to the inside of the tank, if the adhesive gets on the snake, it can cause harm(mostly advised for tape inside the tank/cage). 97* sounds very high, you want the hotspot in the 88-90* range. If 97* is the temp under the substrate at the glass, lowering the temp is highly recommended. There is a risk for overheating or harming the snake. Keep the probe buried. For a 10 gal tank/terraium if you get anything for overhead heating/lighting make sure it is low wattage(40w or less) or it is on a thermostat or have it far enough above the enclosure where it just warms it slightly. With a small amount of space, a heat lamp will overheat the enclosure and you'll bake your snake. (Baked snake? wonder if that would be good with potatoes and gravy, bad joke? hehe.) For my Ball I use a 40w infrared to help add some ambient heat on the hot side in a 40br critter cage though. Infrared is fine for a ball though cause they're nocturnal and don't really need hardcore lighting during the day, just the cycle IMO.

2. Milksnakes like to burrow. 1 1/2 inches of bedding should be fine for a baby. My milk spends most of his days under his water bowl. Although lately, he likes being out and about or in his hot side hide. :-)

3. I do not see a care sheet for milksnakes on this site, but for heating/temperature and the like you can use the California kingsnake care sheet as a reference. I have a book that says the same temps, although it's from 1992.

I use overhead lighting: 50w zoomed basking light which I adjust the distance from the top of the cage to help adjust the temp of the basking spot which usually adjusts the ambient by a degree or two as well.
Thanks Pyrate! Haha, baked snake does not sound very appetizing to me, but then again I have heard that rattlesnake isn't half bad to eat . One more question, I got the Pueblan to eat a pinky after cutting it open a little and stabbing its head to expose brain tissue, but the Nelson's will not eat because it is in the middle of a shed. Is there anything I can do to help it shed? I heard to mist the tank every few days to keep the humidity up and I also heard to soak the snake in water for a bit? Also, what are the different ways to "scent" a pinky?