Noob Noob Noob

[schlange]

Hey Guys,

I bought a pinstripe ball python juvenile a little under 3 weeks ago. He's about 18" long. I'm new to snakes, but I used to raise savanah monitors when I was in my teens. I have him in a 20 gallon tank with a metal mesh locking top. So far no mites and he has eaten every time I offered food, (third feeding is tomorrow night). I have been able to maintain the temperature gradient no problem, (80 on cool side, 95 on hot side) but have been struggling with keeping the humidity at 50%. It is usually closer to 30-35%. I was misting 2-3 times per day to get up to 50, but I saw him "cough" once and backed off because I was afraid he might be developing an RI. I have aluminum foil over the center part of the mesh tank, but i am thinking part of the problem is just my cheap pet store hygrometer.

Can anybody recommend a brand and model of digital hygrometer and temperature gauge, preferably with sensors? I was also looking for a recommendation on under tank heaters. I have one now that came with the tank, but I'm sure its bottom of the barrel in terms of reliability. My goal is to get all of this as automated as possible. Also, he seems very active. He comes out every night and probes all the sections of the cage. Is this normal, or is he signaling that he is stressed?

[thejennabird]

Roaming at night is normal. The most frequently recommended combo hygrometer/thermometer round these part is the Acurite indoor/outdoor (easy to find at your local Walmart). What sort of substrate are you using? Cypress mulch and moistened cocohusk tend to be better for increasing humidity. As for under-tank heaters, Ultratherm pads seem to receive better reviews than the ZooMed brand. People with PVC cages or racks use Flexwatt/THG Tape. However, this is less common for glass tanks. Is your UTH regulated by a thermostat?

[nightrainfalls]

It is difficult to keep humidity in range with glass aquariums because the ventilation is on the top. I usually recommend Sterilite containers with vent holes drilled in the side, or tubs in racks to keep humidity in range. Since you already have a glass aquarium though, you can take many steps to improve your snakes conditions. First, use foil wrapped around cardboard to cover the top of the mesh. Leave just enough room for your light source and maybe an inch on each side for ventilation. This will help dramatically with keeping humidity in the tank. Also, you can get substrates that hold moisture, or install a larger water dish. Also you can build humidity hides so that your python can have an oasis of humidity in it's cage. I usually take a small plastic dish with a lid and cut a hole in the side. Then put some wet sponge in the hide. The hide will stay very humid and you can rewet the sponge from time to time. When the snake wants humidity it can go in the hide.

When you upgrade to a larger tank, or if you get a new snake, consider a plastic tank with side vents. These are much easier to keep humid.

David

[schlange]

I'm using aspen shavings right now, should I switch to coconut shavings? No I don't have uth hooked up to thermometer. I'll have to do more research on those. Its just a small zoo med one that stays on the "hot" side of the tank.

[schlange]

Thanks David. Any suggestions on 40 gallon size plastic tanks? I'm hoping to get this guy a bigger home in the next 6 months or so.

[Mr. Misha]

No I don't have uth hooked up to thermometer.

thejennabird was talking about a thermostat, NOT a thermometer. Thermostats control temperature. Thermometers read temperature.

When a UTH isn't hooked up to a thermostat, it's always working at a 100% and will burn your snake if your BP burrows (which BPs are known to do). Either turn off the UTH until you get a thermostat or get a dimmer at your local hardware store for now.

There's two different kind of thermostats: on/off and proportional. On/off thermostats are cheaper because all they do is get the UTH to a set temperature and then turns off. If the temperature falls below set temp, it turns back on again to heat it up again. Proportional thermostats keep the temperature you set. So if you set your proportional temperature at 90F it will keep it at constant 90 degrees.

On the cheaper side you have Hydrofarm thermostats which are on/off type. The proportional brand are VE Electronics and Herpstat (there's more but none come to mind).

Anyways, get a thermostat for your UTH ASAP.
.

[schlange]

Thank you for clarification Mr. Misha. Luckily the heating pad was not running hot enough to burn him even at 100%. I put it on a dimmer switch I had lying around the house for now, and am going to order the hydrofarm thermostat asap.

[Albert Clark]

I'm using aspen shavings right now, should I switch to coconut shavings? No I don't have uth hooked up to thermometer. I'll have to do more research on those. Its just a small zoo med one that stays on the "hot" side of the tank.

Nightrainfalls summed it up accurately as did everyone else who replied. I would just add to switch to cypress mulch and the Uth should be swapped out for a ultratherm. Those zoo med uth keeps the heat more stationary as opposed to the ultratherm that sends the heat in wavelength fashion across the floor of the enclosure. They both need to be regulated by a thermostat. Good luck!